How to Start a Cleaning Business the Right Way

Thinking of starting a cleaning business? There’s a lot of people who would thank you for it — about 55% of Americans, to be exact. Surveys show that over half of the country feels like their homes aren’t clean enough. Maybe it’s because the average home has three (count ’em, three) junk drawers or because 42% hate cleaning the toilet.

Regardless, by starting your own cleaning business, you’re bound to reap the benefits of a society that would rather stare at handprints on the windows than actually clean them. So, where do you start?

If you’re wondering how to start a cleaning business from scratch, we’ve got you covered. Here are some tips to jumpstart your spotless career (pun intended):

Who will need your cleaning services — commercial or residential customers? (Or both?)

Before diving into the bulk of how to start a cleaning business, you’ll need to determine the right market. A simple declaration of “anyone who needs cleaning” won’t cut it — you have to dig deeper.

Think about your competition. They offer cleaning services too, so what makes you different? Who can benefit from what you bring to the (clean) table? Besides demographics like age, occupation, and income, it’s imperative to consider more personal factors.

Are you trying to help the struggling stay-at-home mom with four kids? Or local businesses that can’t keep up with the enormous amount of cleaning? (And what type of businesses?) For your own business to take off, you’ll have to zero in on a very specific market that views your services as a necessity rather than a perk.

As with any new business, you’ll need to check the legal requirements before you’re up and running. Starting a cleaning business checklist is the best way to ensure you have all your bases covered. Do you need to register your business? Get liability insurance? While embarking on a new career adventure is exciting, you still have to go through the obligatory legal process.

Along with the legal details, here are some other business aspects you should consider:

• Your personal budget
• How much you’ll charge clients
• Which products you’ll use
• The specific cleaning services you’ll offer
• How you’ll determine client estimates

Today’s marketing strategies thrive in the digital era. Everything is online, and you should be too.

For this reason, inbound marketing is your go-to solution. Gone are the days of traditional methods like cold-calling and door-to-door sales. (“No soliciting” signs exist for a reason.) Inbound methods encourage customers to come to you, not the other way around.

The best approach is to harness the power of content marketing. In short, this means producing engaging, eye-catching content relevant to your target market. How do you do it? Here are a few ways:

• Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, you name it (and use #hashtags)
• Videos: Give an inside look into your business
• Website: Remember, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is your friend, so include keywords like “cleaning services in [location]” on your homepage
• Blogs: Much like this one you’re reading right now, blogs are a great way to boost SEO and drive traffic through topics your target audience finds interesting

Hopefully, we’ve uncluttered many of the thoughts you have about how to start your own cleaning business. (Get it?) All puns aside, having the courage to pursue your own business (and the accompanying financial freedom) is a step further than many others would take.

Our business startup school will help you get your small business off the ground and prevent you from becoming washed up. (Last one, promise.) Simply fill out your details to see if we would be a good fit for your startup. We’re ready when you are!