START & RUN A HOME CLEANING BUSINESS
Susan Bewsey
Self-Counsel Press
(a division of)
International Self-Counsel Press Ltd.
USA Canada
Copyright © 2012
International Self-Counsel Press
All rights reserved.
Introduction
The need for service businesses continues to grow, and the home cleaning business is no exception. Anyone who is organized, has business know-how, and possesses some leadership qualities can turn this type of service into a profit-making venture.
My countless years converting common sense into a proven formula continues to yield financial gain. Over the years I’ve researched home cleaning businesses in Canada, the United States, and Australia (and to a lesser degree France and Italy), and I’ve found that the service providers from these different countries do share many tools of the trade in common. And I continue to discover that there are, relatively speaking, three markets for home cleaning: those who use cleaning services, those who need cleaning services, and those who want cleaning services.
The cleaning industry has a fascinating place in history. It is one of the world’s oldest professions, and it brings comfort and order to people’s lives. Maid services has
industry roots as early as 1861. With the creation of the middle class during the Industrial Revolution, there were not enough people to service the needs of the newly rich, the industrialists. Aging servants took to organizing maid services for a profit. (To this day, it is a great provider of employment, particularly for employment-seeking youth.)
Some servants were as young as nine, and conditions were poor. In 1931, a Labour Party (UK) bill introduced the Domestic Service Commission to improve working conditions, and the industry has not looked back since. The need for cleaning services keeps increasing annually. Not only are there more working couples than ever before, and people looking for more free time, there is a marked increase in the population that is aging. As people age, they lose not only their interest in maintaining show-ready homes but also the physical abilities to keep up the strenuous work required to do so. Home cleaning help is becoming a necessity, and less of a symbol of class and privilege.
A home cleaning business is relatively easy to set up and, with the proper formula, it can be operated in any town or city in any country. However, with the ease of entry, it is not surprising that each year many people decide to enter the business and an equal number decide to leave. While it is not a complex business, it demands critical attention to many details in order to provide quality service to clients. I have written this book with an eye to providing quality service, with attention to all the finer workings of the business, because enthusiasm alone is not enough to ensure your business’s success.
Nonetheless, the cleaning service business can be lucrative. Depending on the market, cleaning has the potential to grow into a multimillion dollar business with branch offices and franchises. Your business can grow to the point where you need to lease office space, hire staff, purchase a fleet of vehicles, and develop your own products and customized services. Keeping the business small can actually become a problem. The size of your business is only limited by your desire to grow and your financial requirements. You can also decide to be low-key with your business and run things from a small, private area in your home; the decision is entirely your own.
For those who enter this business from the world of middle management, it offers the opportunity to make an equivalent amount of money (or more) in less time, as well as the opportunity to become an entrepreneur. It is a business that provides money during its lifetime and has a value upon retirement or resale. The value you build in your business is an advantage not available to cleaners who work as part of the underground economy or the countless individuals who clean for a living.
Since I wrote the second edition of this book, this industry has evolved, as has everything in our rapidly changing society. Homes have changed, products have changed, environmental issues have become more pressing, technology is now a common feature of the home office. And most importantly, there are now new niches to take advantage of. Baby boomers and their parents are starting to downsize their lives — that is, they are moving into more compact homes that are easier to maintain. Such a move is a big step for anyone, and home cleaners will be called upon to help.
This book is your guide to what you need to know to successfully run a home cleaning business. The rewards show up in profits and the satisfaction of a job well done. With common sense, craft, and determination, these can be yours. And remember that one thing will always remain the same (which ensures the industry of cleaning will always be alive and well): Dust and dirt know no boundaries.
1
Shining In The Spotlight
1. Before You Get Started
Starting a home cleaning business is an attractive idea, but before you plunge ahead, consider carefully whether you have the proper skills and attitude. Being your own boss and setting your own hours sounds fun, but the reality is that when things go wrong, you are responsible for putting things right.
The early stages of a business venture always require long hours from the boss. Depending on your financial goals for your business, other personal goals may never be realized because you may have to commit so much time to running the business.
To find out if you have the right attitude, examine your reasons for wanting to get into business for yourself. Here are some examples:
• I just want to make money.
• I want more time with my family.
• I got fired, and I just need a job.
• I need more personal achievement.
• I want to be the boss.
• I just think it would be fun.
• I want a more fulfilling lifestyle.
• I need a challenge.
• I just want to work alone.
• I believe I can provide excellent service.
• I need to control as much of my life as possible.
• I believe I can better use my skills on my own.
If you picked reasons that started with “I just,” you are headed in the wrong direction. However, if you were attracted to reasons that started with “I believe,” “I want,” and “I need,” you are on the right track.
These are the reasons to get into this business: to challenge yourself, to provide the best service, to improve your personal and working life. If you start out thinking negatively, you won’t have the proper motivation to make things happen. Be realistic and do it because it’s what you want to do.
Write down your wants and needs for starting your business. It’s okay to have “needs”; they are the fuel that sustains you on your journey. But note that it is truly motivating to turn those needs into “wants.” Compare “I need to be self-employed” with “I want to be self-employed.”
2. Is This The Business For You?
You don’t have to love housework and cleaning to start up in this business,