Start & Run a Home Cleaning Business

Susan Bewsey

Description

Home cleaning is one of the fastest-growing service businesses in North America. A good cleaning service brings comfort and order into people’s lives and in today’s world, these are highly sought-after commodities. A home cleaning service can start out small, but it has the potential to grow to be a multi-million 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. With the help of this book, you can get your business up and running, and survive that essential first year.
INTRODUCTION xv
1 SHINING IN THE SPOTLIGHT 1
1. Before You Get Started 1
2. Is This the Business for You? 2
3. Filling in the Vacuum 2
4. You’re on Your Way 5
2 SWEEPING THE NATION: GETTING STARTED 8
1. Targeting Your Market 8
1.1 Assess your market potential 8
1.2 Identify your customers 8
2. Assessing the Competition 9
3. Legal Requirements 10
3.1 Zoning 10
3.2 Insurance 10
3.3 Licenses 12
3.4 Business taxes 12
4. Choosing a Business Name 12
vii
CONTENTS
viii Start & run a home cleaning business
5. Choosing a Business Structure 13
5.1 Sole proprietorship 13
5.2 Partnership 13
5.3 Corporation 13
6. Professional Services: Your Lawyer and Your Accountant 14
7. Purchasing an Existing Business or Franchise? 15
8. Leasing Versus Purchasing 16
3 SETTING GOALS AND FINANCING 17
1. Your Mission Statement 17
2. Forecasting Your Needs 18
2.1 Analyzing your costs 18
2.2 Your cash flow projection 19
2.3 Calculating your break-even point 19
3. How Much Should You Charge? 20
4. Keep Your Forecast up to Date 21
5. Raising the Money 21
6. Your Business Plan 22
4 POLISHING YOUR TECHNIQUE: GETTING ORGANIZED 29
1. Knowing Your Business 29
1.1 A little clean fun 29
1.2 What you’ll need on the job 30
2. Organizing Your Headquarters 32
2.1 The home office 32
2.2 Locating away from home 32
2.3 Arranging your office 33
2.4 Site security 33
2.5 Vehicle 33
2.6 Telephone lines and cell phones 34
3. Organizing Business Records 35
3.1 Your billing/payroll system 35
3.2 Your bank statement 35
3.3 Your B/F (bring forward) system 36
Contents ix
4. Computers and Technology 36
4.1 Software 38
4.2 Printers 38
4.3 The Internet as a resource 38
4.4 A digital camera 38
5. Working with Suppliers 38
5.1 Making contact 38
5.2 Getting the best price 39
5.3 Environmentally friendly products 39
5 MARKETING 40
1. Visibility: Let People Know You’re Here 40
2. Creating Your Image 40
3. Advertising Strategy 41
4. Yellow Pages 41
5. Promoting Your Business at Trade Shows 43
6. Direct-Mail Marketing 43
7. Cross Promotions 44
8. Timing 45
9. Gain Maximum Interest 45
10. Using Color in Your Promotional Materials 47
11. Word-of-Mouth Marketing 48
6 RAGS TO RICHES: PRICING YOUR WORK 49
1. Your Goals 49
2. Quoting Basics 49
2.1 Have information ready for the client 49
2.2 Always visit the premises 49
2.3 Estimating and quoting techniques 50
3.Pricing 51
3.1 Charging by the hour 51
3.2 Charging per job 52
3.3 Charging on commission 52
3.4 Markup procedure 52
4. Tenders and Bidding on Contracts 53
x Start & run a home cleaning business
5. Save Money for Your Client; Save Time for You 53
6. Forms of Payment 54
7 GOING SOLO 61
1. Do You Want to Go Solo? 61
2. Research, Research, Research 62
3. Strategic Planning 63
3.1 Marketing plan: What advertising will you need to do? 63
3.2 Production plan: What tools of the trade will you need to be
ready to “spring” into action? 64
3.3 Cash/Profit plan 65
3.4 Financial plan: How much money do you want to make? 67
3.5 Time plan: How much time are you going to use to generate income? 68
3.6 Human resources plan: What will you do if you get sick or injured? 69
3.7 Succession plan: What to do when it’s time to leave the business 70
8 GOING INTO LABOR: YOUR HIRING AND STAFFING NEEDS 71
1. Your Goals for Hiring 71
2. Analyze Your Staffing Needs 72
2.1 Who is your ideal worker? 72
2.2 Attracting your staff 72
3. Break Down What the Employee Must Do 72
4. Interviewing 74
4.1 Where 74
4.2 The application form 74
4.3 What you need to know 74
4.4 Designing your interview questions 78
4.5 The interview 78
5. The Trial Period 79
6. Uniforms 81
7. Legal Requirements 85
7.1 Know what’s required 85
7.2 Notify the tax department 86
7.3 Other requirements 86
Contents xi
7.4 Additional steps to take 86
8. Benefits and Incentives 86
9. Termination of Staff 87
9 TRAINING: MAKING IT FUN AND INFORMATIVE 90
1. “Fun”damentals 90
2. Setting Up a Training Facility 90
3. Meeting Company Standards 92
3.1 Encourage employees to learn by doing 92
3.2 Try to keep it simple 93
4. Tips for the Trainer 95
4.1 Tell or describe the task in detail 95
4.2 Show or demonstrate how the task is done 95
4.3 Have each employee try the task 96
4.4 Observe the trainee’s performance 96
4.5 Praise the employee or offer redirection 96
5. Incentives 97
6. Scheduling 100
6.1 Balancing different needs 100
7. Injury and First Aid 102
8. Breakage 102
10 CLIENTS AND HOW TO KEEP THEM 103
1. Meeting with the Client 103
1.1 Appearance and grooming 103
1.2 Turn on the charm 104
2. Good Clients and Bad Clients 105
3. Saying Goodbye or Withdrawing Services from a Client 105
4. New Clients: When to Say No 107
5. Special Concerns 107
5.1 Children 108
5.2 Tradespeople 108
5.3 Damages 108
5.4 Valuables 108
5.5 Breakage 108
xii Start & run a home cleaning business
5.6 Running out of product 109
5.7 Inadequate client equipment 109
6. Security 109
7. Special Services 110
7.1 One-time or seasonal jobs 110
7.2 Assisting personal domestics 110
7.3 Pet sitting 111
11 THE DAILY RUN 113
1. How It All Comes Together 113
2. Keep Your Staff up to Date 114
3. Handling Complaints 114
12 CLEANING “FUN”DAMENTALS 118
1. Cleaning Tips 118
2. Cleaning Tips for Your Clients 121
3. Tips for Home-Cleaning Teams 121
4. Tips for Window Washing 124
5. Tips for Wall Washing 124
6. Tips for Cleaning New Building Projects 124
7. Tips for Cleaning Offices 126
8. Know Your Products 126
9. Inventory Control 128
9.1 JIT inventory 128
9.2 Labeling your bottles 128
10. Product Safety 129
13 QUALITY CONTROL 130
1. Make One Staff Member Responsible for Each Job 130
2. Adjust Work and Team Schedules 130
3. Your Collections Policy 133
4. Client Problems 135
5. Employee Theft 135
6. Be Available for Clients 135
Contents xiii
14 SERVICES FOR DOWNSIZING HOMEOWNERS AND
ESTATE CLEANUPS 137
1. A New Market 137
2. Services You Can Offer to Downsizing Homeowners 137
3. Estate Cleanups 138
4. Disposal of Household Chemicals 138
5. Pricing 139
6. Growing Your Business 139
15 YOU’RE ON YOUR WAY 140
CHECKLIST
1 Final Walk-Through 131
FORMS
1 Calculating a Residential Quote 55
2 Calculating a Commercial Quote 58
3 Employee Application Form 76
4 Pet-Sitting Estimate and Waiver 112
5 Quality Control Card 132
6 Quality Control Diary 134
SAMPLES
1 Start-up Costs 26
2 Cash Flow Forecast 28
3 Receipts and Disbursements Journal 37
4 Your Advertising Message 42
5 Trade Show Contest Ballot 44
6 Invoice 60
7 Bulletin Board Advertisement for Employees 73
8 Job Description 75
9 Interview Guide 80
10 Questions for Prospective Employees 82
11 Employment Agreement 83
12 Termination Letter 89
13 Training Agenda and Memo 91
14 The Lighter Side of Training 94
15 Training Program Guidelines 98
16 Training Certificate 99
17 Availability List 100
18 Calendar/Schedule 101
19 Introductory Letter to Clients 106
20 Daily Run Sheet 115
21 Client Record System 116
22 Clean Your Way from Top to Bottom 119
23 Office Floor Plan 127
WORKSHEETS
1 Determine Your Wants and Needs 3
2 Building Blocks — Know Yourself 4
3 What Type of Services Should I Offer? 6
4 Your Competition 11
5 My Goals for My Business 23
6 Steps to Achieve My Goals 24
7 Timing Your Cleaning Tasks 31

Sujets

• Entrepreneuriat
• entrepreneur
• Emprendedor
• Business
• Economics
• Employabilité, métiers et formations
• Small Business
• Home-Based Businesses
• New Business Enterprises

Informations

• Publié par: Self-Counsel Press
• Date de parution: 15 septembre 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 6
• EAN13: 9781770408500
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

START & RUN A HOME CLEANING BUSINESS
Susan Bewsey
Self-Counsel Press (a division of) International Self-Counsel Press Ltd. USA Canada

Copyright © 2007–2023

International Self-Counsel Press All rights reserved.
Contents

Cover

TITLE PAGE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: SHINING IN THE SPOTLIGHT

1. BEFORE YOU GET STARTED

WORKSHEET 1: DETERMINE YOUR WANTS AND NEEDS

2. IS THIS THE BUSINESS FOR YOU?

WORKSHEET 2: BUILDING BLOCKS — KNOW YOURSELF

3. FILLING IN THE VACUUM

WORKSHEET 3: WHAT TYPE OF SERVICES SHOULD I OFFER?

CHAPTER 2: SWEEPING THE NATION: GETTING STARTED

1. TARGETING YOUR MARKET

2. ASSESSING THE COMPETITION

WORKSHEET 4: YOUR COMPETITION

3. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

4. CHOOSING A BUSINESS NAME

5. CHOOSING A BUSINESS STRUCTURE

6. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: YOUR LAWYER AND YOUR ACCOUNTANT

7. PURCHASING AN EXISTING BUSINESS OR FRANCHISE?

8. LEASING VERSUS PURCHASING

CHAPTER 3: SETTING GOALS AND FINANCING

1. YOUR MISSION STATEMENT

WORKSHEET 5: MY GOALS FOR MY BUSINESS — YEAR 1*

WORKSHEET 6: STEPS TO ACHIEVE MY GOALS

2. FORECASTING YOUR NEEDS

SAMPLE 1: START-UP COSTS

SAMPLE 2: CASH FLOW FORECAST

4. KEEP YOUR FORECAST UP TO DATE

5. RAISING THE MONEY

6. YOUR BUSINESS PLAN

CHAPTER 4: POLISHING YOUR TECHNIQUE: GETTING ORGANIZED

1. KNOWING YOUR BUSINESS

WORKSHEET 7: TIMING YOUR CLEANING TASKS

2. ORGANIZING YOUR HEADQUARTERS

3. ORGANIZING BUSINESS RECORDS

SAMPLE 3: RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS JOURNAL

4. COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY

5. WORKING WITH SUPPLIERS

CHAPTER 5: MARKETING

1. VISIBILITY: LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU’RE HERE

2. CREATING YOUR IMAGE

3. ADVERTISING STRATEGY

SAMPLE 4: YOUR ADVERTISING MESSAGE

4. YELLOW PAGES

5. PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS AT TRADE SHOWS

SAMPLE 7: TRADE SHOW CONTEST BALLOT

6. DIRECT-MAIL MARKETING

7. CROSS PROMOTIONS

8. TIMING

9. GAIN MAXIMUM INTEREST

10. USING COLOR IN YOUR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

11. WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING

12. WEBSITES AND ONLINE MARKETING

CHAPTER 6: RAGS TO RICHES: PRICING YOUR WORK

1. YOUR GOALS

2. QUOTING BASICS

3. PRICING

4. TENDERS AND BIDDING ON CONTRACTS

5. SAVE MONEY FOR YOUR CLIENT; SAVE TIME FOR YOU

6. FORMS OF PAYMENT

FORM 1: CALCULATING A RESIDENTIAL QUOTE

FORM 2: CALCULATING A COMMERCIAL QUOTE

SAMPLE 6: INVOICE

CHAPTER 7: GOING SOLO

1. DO YOU WANT TO GO SOLO?

2. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH

3. STRATEGIC PLANNING

CHAPTER 8: GOING INTO LABOR: YOUR HIRING AND STAFFING NEEDS

1. YOUR GOALS FOR HIRING

2. ANALYZE YOUR STAFFING NEEDS

SAMPLE 7: BULLETIN BOARD ADVERTISEMENT FOR EMPLOYEES

3. BREAK DOWN WHAT THE EMPLOYEE MUST DO

SAMPLE 8: JOB DESCRIPTION

4. INTERVIEWING

FORM 3: EMPLOYEE APPLICATION FORM

SAMPLE 9: INTERVIEW GUIDE

5. THE TRIAL PERIOD

SAMPLE 10: QUESTIONS FOR PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES

SAMPLE 11: EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

6. UNIFORMS

7. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

8. BENEFITS AND INCENTIVES

9. TERMINATION OF STAFF

SAMPLE 12: TERMINATION LETTER

CHAPTER 9: TRAINING: MAKING IT FUN AND INFORMATIVE

1. “FUN”DAMENTALS

SAMPLE 13: TRAINING AGENDA AND MEMO

2. SETTING UP A TRAINING FACILITY

3. MEETING COMPANY STANDARDS

SAMPLE 14: THE LIGHTER SIDE OF TRAINING

4. TIPS FOR THE TRAINER

SAMPLE 15: TRAINING PROGRAM GUIDELINES

5. INCENTIVES

SAMPLE 16: TRAINING CERTIFICATE

6. SCHEDULING

SAMPLE 17: AVAILABILITY LIST

SAMPLE 18: CALENDAR/SCHEDULE

7. INJURY AND FIRST AID

8. BREAKAGE

CHAPTER 10: CLIENTS AND HOW TO KEEP THEM

1. MEETING WITH THE CLIENT

2. GOOD CLIENTS AND BAD CLIENTS

SAMPLE 19: INTRODUCTORY LETTER TO CLIENTS

3. SAYING GOODBYE OR WITHDRAWING SERVICES FROM A CLIENT

4. NEW CLIENTS: WHEN TO SAY NO

5. SPECIAL CONCERNS

6. SECURITY

7. SPECIAL SERVICES

FORM 4: PET-SITTING ESTIMATE AND WAIVER

CHAPTER 11: THE DAILY RUN

1. HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER

SAMPLE 20: DAILY RUN SHEET

2. KEEP YOUR STAFF UP TO DATE

SAMPLE 21: CLIENT RECORD SYSTEM

3. HANDLING COMPLAINTS

CHAPTER 12: CLEANING “FUN”DAMENTALS

1. CLEANING TIPS

SAMPLE 22: CLEAN YOUR WAY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

2. CLEANING TIPS FOR YOUR CLIENTS

3. TIPS FOR HOME-CLEANING TEAMS

4. TIPS FOR WINDOW WASHING

5. TIPS FOR WALL WASHING

6. TIPS FOR CLEANING NEW BUILDING PROJECTS

7. TIPS FOR CLEANING OFFICES

SAMPLE 23: OFFICE FLOOR PLAN

8. KNOW YOUR PRODUCTS

9. INVENTORY CONTROL

10. PRODUCT SAFETY

CHAPTER 13: QUALITY CONTROL

1. MAKE ONE STAFF MEMBER RESPONSIBLE FOR EACH JOB

CHECKLIST 1: FINAL WALK-THROUGH

FORM 5: QUALITY CONTROL CARD

2. ADJUST WORK AND TEAM SCHEDULES

FORM 6: QUALITY CONTROL DIARY

3. YOUR COLLECTIONS POLICY

4. CLIENT PROBLEMS

5. EMPLOYEE THEFT

6. BE AVAILABLE FOR CLIENTS

CHAPTER 14: SERVICES FOR DOWNSIZING HOMEOWNERS AND ESTATE CLEANUPS

1. A NEW MARKET

2. SERVICES YOU CAN OFFER TO DOWNSIZING HOMEOWNERS

3. ESTATE CLEANUPS

4. DISPOSAL OF HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS

5. PRICING

6. GROWING YOUR BUSINESS

CHAPTER 15: YOU’RE ON YOUR WAY

DOWNLOAD KIT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NOTICE TO READERS

SELF-COUNSEL PRESS THANKS YOU FOR PURCHASING THIS EBOOK.
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. Opportunities post-pandemic are there for new small businesses. Baby boomers 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. Wi