Top Secrets for Starting a New Cleaning Business

Top Secrets for Starting a new cleaning business

Nothing teaches as well as the voice of experience. So we asked established cleaning service owners to tell us what's contributed to their success and what they think causes some companies to fail. Here are their tips:

1. Never stop learning. The cleaning industry may not be the most glamorous or complex, but established cleaning business owners say there’s always something to learn. Technology advances affect the equipment you use, safety issues affect the chemicals you clean with, and there will always be ways you can enhance your organizational and managerial skills. Read industry publications, go to meetings and conventions, participate in trade organizations, and encourage your suppliers to keep you up to date.

2. Tap all your resources. A wide range of associations serves various aspects of the professional cleaning industry. These groups can help with operational, marketing and management issues. Many state and government agencies also offer support and information for small cleaning businesses.

3. Clean it like it’s your own. Regardless of what you’re cleaning and whether you’re doing traditional housecleaning, janitorial work, or providing a specialty cleaning service, clean like you’re cleaning your own home or office.

4. Develop systems. Systems provide a structure that allows you to work consistently and efficiently, and also let you create a company that will continue to run whether you’re there or not. Create systems for every function: cleaning, laundry, supervision, reporting, customer service, accounting and management.

5. Be careful! Though time is your most valuable commodity, don’t rush so much that you get careless. Customers will usually understand when accidents happen, but you’re better off if you don’t have to fall back on that. Also, the cost to repair or replace something--in out-of-pocket cash, time lost and damaged customer relations--is usually far more than the time you might save by working carelessly.

6. Don’t undersell yourself. When you’re starting out, you may be tempted to try to undercut the competition’s prices. A better strategy is to simply outperform them by providing quality work.

7. Take care of your employees. Your employees are critical to your success; after all, it’s the quality of their performance that determines whether your customers are satisfied. Look for ways to make them want to do their best. Train them well, don’t micromanage, and treat them with respect. Provide bonuses and incentives for top performance, and consider offering perks such as letting them use company equipment in their own homes.

8. Find a niche. Don’t try to be all things to all people; pick the market you can best serve, and focus on that. For example, if you choose to service smaller office buildings, you may not be able to provide quality work at a profitable price level to larger facilities. Excel in what you’re doing and build consistency in the services you provide. When you try to serve too many markets, you won’t be successful in any of them.

9. Develop your computer skills. You need to be as skilled with your computer as you are with a mop or buffer. The cleaning business may not be particularly high tech, but you don’t have time to do estimates, billing, payroll, inventory control and other record-keeping by hand.

10. Track labor costs. The biggest single expense you have is labor, and you must stay on top of it. If you aren't watching your labor costs every day, they'll get away from you. Compile a daily over and under report, which makes it easy to spot trends before they become major issues. If labor is on the increase, figure out where the problem is. Is the customer asking for extra services you aren’t charging for? Did you underestimate the time it would take to do the work? If you’re under on your labor estimates, make sure your employees are providing the quality you’ve promised.

11. Invest in customer service. The quality of your cleaning is important, but it’s not everything. Building strong relationships with your clients requires a serious commitment to customer service. Don’t assume that just because the work looks satisfactory to you that it is to your customers--or that there’s nothing else they want or need. Be sure to follow up with them consistently to find out how things are going.

12. Keep your eye on the economy. As long as things get dirty, there'll be a need for professionals to clean them. But economic changes can mean changes in your market. Residential cleaning services, for example, are often seen as luxuries, and an economic downturn could affect your customers’ willingness and ability to pay to have their homes cleaned. When business profits shrink, companies look for ways to cut expenses, which means they may examine their budgets for services that can be reduced or eliminated.

Also consider how the world economy can impact your profitability. If oil prices skyrocket, you’ll have to spend more to operate your vehicles, and your general utility costs will probably increase. When the cost of lumber goes up, so does the cost of bathroom tissue, paper towels and other disposable paper products you provide to your customers. You may be able to pass along some of those costs, but don’t depend on a thriving economy to keep your business profitable. Have plans in place so you can shift your market focus if necessary.

13. Don’t take every job. If you can’t make money on a job, or if the work is undesirable for any reason, turn it down. It’s better to focus your time and energy on profitable work you enjoy.

When you get started remember to never stop!  Starting your own janitorial business is a rewarding business if you have quality in mind and are focused on high quality cleaning.  

Whether you are starting a commercial cleaning business, janitorial service, floor cleaning business or house cleaning business, you must be well prepared before you begin taking your first account. Get started the right way and you'll be making money in no time!

This excerpt is part of Entrepreneur.com's Second-Quarter Startup Kit which explores the fundamentals of starting up in a wide range of industries.  A Quality Assured

Floor Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

Floor Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

If you've ever had problems while cleaning floors and don't know a workable solution, use these tips to help you out.  These maintenance tips are general references and additional cleaning and maintenance may be required to keep your floors looking beautiful and dirt-free.

Follow this list to solve common problems and concerns, while cleaning and maintaining your floors. 

1. It takes several sessions to strip the floor.  First, check to see if you are properly using the correct mixture of stripper and water.  Second, the less often the floor is stripped, there are more coats of finish to remove.  If the floor has not been stripped in more than a year, there may be a lot of coats of wax, it may take a few sessions before all of it is removed.
2. After several coats of finish, there is no shine.  This probably means that you need to lay down a sealer.  our tile is old and/or porous.  Strip the coats of wax and apply two coats of a sealer.  Then, put down the necessary coats of wax.
3. It seems that the finish is worn out in a couple of days.  First, check with your supplier to see if the finish used for the particular floor is the right grade.  Second, you may just need to apply more coats because of the high traffic.  Third, this may be a signal to increase your maintenance procedures like dust mopping and making sure there are walk off mats at all the entrances.
4. A short time after the finish is put in the mop bucket, the finish seems to go bad.  This is probably a sign that the finish is being contaminated.  Try lining the mop bucket with a plastic trash can liner to keep the finish away from any dirt and chemicals that are in the bucket.
5. The floor no longer responds to buffing.  The finish has worn down.  The floor needs to be re-coated.  Clean the floor and apply your normal coats of wax (3-5 general).
6. After buffing, there are black specks throughout the finish.  The specks are dirt that has been buffed into the finish.  First, check to see if the buffing pad you are using is clean.  If it is not, throw it away and put on a new one.  Second, you might have forgotten to dust mop before burnishing.  Dust mopping will get rid of most of the dirt and dust that can cause a "dirty shine."

                                                        

---

 

GLOSSARY

buffing:  the process of restoring the shine to a floor.   It is also done to remove scuff-marks.  A floor machine or high speed buffing machine along with buffing pads is generally used.
burnishing:  a synonym for buffing.  It usually is used when referring to high speed buffing (high speed burnishing).
floor machine:  a machine with a circular head and a vertical handle.  Different types of nylon pads are attached to the bottom of the head for various jobs.  They are mainly used in stripping and buffing.
homogenize:  a process which makes a liquid more uniform throughout.  The liquid is emulsified so that the different components do not separate.
plasticizer:  a factory finish on new tile that must be removed in order for the floor finish to adhere.
sealer:  an undercoating that is applied before waxing to fill in the tile's pores so the finish does not soak into the tile.
stripping:  the fist process in floor maintenance.  This is the process by which all the finish is removed from the tile using a stripping solution, mop and/or floor machine.

If you are looking for a commercial cleaning company that pays attention to the details and perform high quality work, look for a quality assured company to clean and maintain your floors.

Happy Thanksgiving - Giving Thanks for a healthy, happy and clean living

ABOUT US

At A Quality Assured Building Services, we believe in giving our total dedication in ensuring your place is properly cleaned and maintained.  We are a commercial cleaning company with a strong commitment to our clients, to deliver the highest quality building services possible. 

With over twenty years in the building services industry and providing excellent customer service; you'll notice the difference from people who care.  We service the commercial markets in Houston, Texas and surrounding cities and are prepared to handle all of your commercial projects.

Connect with us on Google+

How to start a carpet cleaning service business

One of the best all-around cleaning businesses to get into is carpet cleaning. This rock-solid business model has been around for some time and has succeeded in making a very comfortable living for many folk. The business has just about everything you could ask for in a start-up venture, including a high demand and above average earning potential.

If you find yourself with little start-up capital, you can still get into carpet cleaning by leasing your equipment. To get started, check out a carpet cleaner equipment provider in the Yellow Pages. While some may not rent or lease equipment, (many will) you may be able to convince the owner to take a chance on you. After all, if you become a success, you're going to be purchasing a lot of new equipment from them.

Now, the thing about this business is that it's not really a good idea to simply decide you're going to become a carpet cleaner, purchase equipment, and start learning as you go along. You're going to have to have some experience or hire a helper that has that experience. It's actually quite easy to ruin an expensive carpet. The best way to get this experience is to work for a carpet cleaning company for a while. Once you leave, make sure you set up shop in another area so you're not competing with your former employer.

While there are several techniques to cleaning carpet, the one you're going to probably start with is hot water extraction, or steam cleaning. This technique sprays water into the carpet under pressure and extracts it seconds later with a high powered vacuum. The reference to steam is actually the mist created by the hot water spray.

As you are just getting into this business, you will probably be starting with portable hot water extraction units. These are cheaper and much more portable than truck mounted units (though less powerful). When your business starts creating a little profit, you might want to invest in a truck mounted unit simply for its sheer power. Also, any serious carpet cleaner tends to have at least one truck mounted unit.

As a one-man operation, you should be able to make $30,000 to $60,000 per year. From there, you can hire helpers and add more trucks. After that, the sky's the limit as far as this in demand cleaning business goes.

How to start a Janitorial Service

One of the easiest and most profitable cleaning businesses to start is a janitorial service. This business has just about everything you could ask for if you simply want to get a taste of what running a cleaning business is like. In fact, there are many entrepreneurs that still hold down full-time jobs while operating a part-time janitorial service.

And that's what really makes this business shine – the fact that you can start as small as you want and scale things as time goes on. If you're holding down a full-time job, all you're going to need is one or two clients in order to generate a decent amount of hours per week. As long as you don't mind working after your regular job, a janitorial service is going to put some nice extra money in your pocket.

Of course, competition is stiff in this industry because of the low entrance requirements. For one thing, you don't need any experience; secondly, you can typically start your business for around $100 if you got some form of transportation.

When you're first starting out, you'll most likely be cleaning offices. Many of the larger commercial janitorial contracts require that you have specialized equipment and experience. But that's okay – you can do quite well cleaning an office two or three times per week.

In order to get your first client, you're going to have to try to set up appointments with decision-makers from offices in your area. This is going to require that you be proactive and a little aggressive. You're not going to get anything by simply handing out your business card to a receptionist. The main goal here is to try to get the name of someone who can actually hire your services.

As mentioned, it only takes one client/contract to provide you with a steady part-time income.

Typically, office cleaning involves cleaning washrooms, dusting, sweeping, mopping floors, and emptying trash containers. Depending on the size of the office, you can do the work yourself, or you can hire an assistant. This type of business is going to work well with your full-time job because you won't be able to start cleaning the office until the daytime staff leaves.

Although the entrance requirements are low for office cleaning, you should make sure that you can provide a police record abstract to a potential customer. Given the nature of the job, you can see why most will insist on this.