What's It Take to Own a Cleaning Business? 5 Essential Skills

While people love a clean house, most of us are not a fan of the doing the work to get, and keep, it clean. Those who can afford to do so hire someone to do the job for them. That’s why if you own a cleaning service there will always be people who need your services.

It’s not hard to clean houses—any number of people make a living with a vacuum cleaner, a bucket of cleaning solutions, and referrals from friends and family. But if your goal is to own a cleaning business that makes not a living, but a profit, you’ll need 5 essential skills.

1. Market Analysis

The first thing you’ll want to do is figure out the best area to operate in. You’ll need to find more affluent neighborhoods, where people have the disposable income to afford to hire house cleaners. You’ll need to identify the competition and see what services they are offering. Is there a niche that’s going unserved in the market that you can fill, helping your company stand out?

Also, consider limiting the area you work in. If the jobs are too far apart, it will not only cost you more in gas money, but it will also cost you billable hours as your crews will spend time they could be cleaning traveling between jobs.

2. Branding and Advertising

You’ll need to develop a brand for your company and an advertising plan that convinces clients to choose you. Since most people research businesses on-line, you’ll need a strong internet presence and robust social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sites. If people don’t know your name and what you stand for, you’ll just be another cleaning service.

3. Budgeting

Your start-up budget will include equipment like commercial vacuum cleaners, brooms, scrub brushes, mops, buckets, as well as disposable items like gloves and paper towels. You’ll need to source the best cleaning solutions at the best prices and buy in bulk. You’ll also need to factor in the gasoline to get the crews from job to job and adjust it as the price of gas changes.

4. Estimating Jobs and Setting Rates

In order to calculate what to charge for a job, first determine how large the home is. As a general rule, it takes about 1 ½ hours to clean 1,000 feet. So, a 3,000 square foot home will take one person 4.5 hours. If you pay your cleaner $15 an hour, that would be a $67.50 for the labor alone. On top of that you’ll need to add the amount of the taxes you’ll pay for that employee, the cost of the cleaning supplies they used, as well as a percentage of your overhead expenses. Once you have that figure, tack on the percentage you want to make in profit and that’s the amount you need to charge your customer.

5. Human Resources

As with any successful business, you’ll need to hire reliable people and train them to do their job efficiently and consistently. Your employees will need to finish in a timely manner to move on to the next job. The clients will expect same quality of work from visit to visit, regardless of which of your crews are cleaning for them. To achieve this level of consistency, you’ll want to develop detailed procedures for the crews to follow on each job they do.

Consider Franchising with Two Maids

Many savvy entrepreneurs have determined the best way to own a cleaning business is to buy a franchise like Two Maids. Associating with our well-known reputable brand helps our franchisees start with an edge over their competitors. We also limit competition by offering exclusive territories, based on demographics and numbers of households.

We have done the work of developing specific systems for all Two Maids cleaners to follow to make sure the job is done properly. And our performance-based pay system is unique to us. Our cleaners are paid based on how high the client rates the job they did. This ensures that employees do their best, and that customers are satisfied.

With Two Maids, your cleaning business can be up and running in as little as 2 to 4 months—much faster than if you started a business from scratch.

Contact Two Maids Today

If you’d like to find out more about Two Maids, contact us today. One of our franchise advisors will be in touch to explain how franchising with Two Maids is the best way to own a cleaning business.