Getting started in the cleaning biz? We want you to work smart not hard. Please don’t reinvent the wheel when getting started in the cleaning biz.
There is a free eBook called “How to Start Your Own House Cleaning Company.” Its full of business advice every savvy cleaner needs to know.
And if you’re getting started in the cleaning business check out cleaning videos, tutorials, and house cleaning tips.
Learn how to make money as a small business, how to expand your maid service and how to grow as a business owner.
Listen: Getting Started in the Cleaning Biz – Work Smart Not Hard
Watch: Getting Started in the Cleaning Biz – Work Smart Not Hard
Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer. You can find this and 400 other answered questions in this series on our YouTube channel.
Getting Started in the Cleaning Biz with a Lot of Questions
You’re getting started in the house cleaning biz, and you have so many questions, and you don’t know where to start. What do you do? Tons of cleaners wonder this before they start.
One aspiring cleaner wrote this, “I am interested in starting my own cleaning company. It is something I love to do, but I don’t know how to get started. I know I have to order t-shirts with my company’s name on it, which I haven’t picked yet. I also know I need flyers and other advertising.
I’m just not sure how to get started, or even what chemicals and products to use in each situation.”
You Have to be Excited to get Started in the Cleaning Biz
First of all, if you are starting a house cleaning business, you don’t ever want to lose the enthusiasm that you have right now. You want to wake up every day and feel the same kind of enthusiasm like, “Hey, I get to start a house cleaning business. This is so cool.“
You will always have questions. So, no question is a dumb question. Keep asking them. And as soon as you have an answer to a question, it will make you think of something else.
And you may go down a little rabbit hole, but it will be a different question for a different element of your business. So, keep asking questions. But don’t be afraid to start the business, you have to be enthusiastic.
Get a Logo and Cleaning Business Name First
All right. What do you do if you want to get some t-shirts printed, but you don’t have a business name yet and you don’t have a logo.
Do not print any t-shirts until you have a logo and a business name. We don’t want to keep reprinting them to brand, or rebrand, or rebrand whatever it is you’re creating.
So if you’re starting out and you’re alone, use a name that says your name, and it says what you do. Something like Angela’s Cleaning Service.
Then, as your business grows, and as you expand, and as you do a little bit of research about what your company name can be. Then you can print that in a logo and on t-shirts.
Use Your Chosen Name and Logo for Advertising
All right, you also should not print flyers or business cards until you have a company name. And if Angela’s Cleaning is what you’re going to go with, print your flyers and wait on the business cards.
Don’t print anything before you have taken that first step and found your company’s identity. This way you aren’t confusing potential customers with a bunch of names and logos.
Read How to Start Your Own House Cleaning Company
I wrote a book to help potential cleaners join the business. It’s called How to Start Your Own House Cleaning Company.
Now, this is $9 if you purchased it, 9.97 or something if you buy it on Amazon. But I am so convinced that you should read this book that I’ve made the copy available for you for free as an eBook that you can download on Amazon.
You can read it on any device with the free Kindle app, so you don’t have to pay the money. I’m not here to get rich off of you, but I do want you to read the information that’s inside.
Read Steps A-Z to Getting Started in the Cleaning Biz
Here’s the reason why: Inside, I take you from step A all the way through to step Z for setting up your house cleaning company. It’s your blueprint for success.
We cover things like choosing a company logo. What do you need to know about choosing a company logo, especially if you’re starting out?
It will talk about things like trademarks. And should you trademark or should you use a fancy picture to start out with? Please do not steal someone else’s logo, because it’s registered and trademarked. If you have something with a stolen logo you will get a lawsuit in your mail that will destroy the business.
Learn How to Pick a Name and a URL
You will also read how to pick a name for your company, and we talk about the URL and domain names. When you brand your business, you want to make sure that the name of your company matches the URL. It is your company name .com.
The reason you want to do that is that then it helps you in search engine optimization. This way you’re not paying so much money in advertising costs because your marketing works for you.
If you have no money as you’re starting out, it’s important that you work smart, not hard. You don’t want to spend money that you don’t have only to turn around and spend it again rebranding your business.
Should You Wear Uniforms When Starting in the Cleaning Biz?
All right, here’s one. Should you wear a company uniform? The short answer is yes. You can even create a company uniform with no company logo.
There are times that is very useful. For instance, if you are doing a mix of house cleaning and commercial cleaning. Also if you take on independent contractors, they can get clothes that match your colors.
There are ways around that where independent contractors can look like they fit in with your company. Because it’s a color. Nobody registers and trademarks colors, right?
Choosing a Territory to Get Started in the Cleaning Biz
Another topic covered in my book is choosing a territory. Did you know that if you buy a franchise or you buy into a franchise, you are assigned a territory?
There are only certain things that you can do in a certain window or a certain area of space. But as an independent, you can go wherever you want and you can create a territory that’s close to where you live.
As a franchisee, your company tells you where to clean. It’s crazy, but if you’re an independent contractor or an independent cleaner, you can clean in whatever area you want. There’s no territory. So, how to choose one? That’s also in the book.
Using Worksheets When You Start in the Cleaning Biz
I’m a huge fan of worksheets because your worksheet is your number one marketing material. It is your invoice, your receipt. It’s your checklist of everything that you do.
So, it’s a sales piece for you that has all your contact information at the top. This is what you will use instead of a business card while you’re getting started. Also, your customers will pass this around the neighborhood to their friends that can also hire you.
It is also what activates your satisfaction guarantee. So, you will learn all about worksheets and how to get worksheets. They’re downloadable links and everything on the free version online.
You can Clean 2-3 Houses a Day When You Get Started
Now, you might be mistaken if you want to do five or six houses a day because as a solo operator, that is very unrealistic.
Two or three is about the max that you’re going to be able to do, especially starting out. You don’t want to zip through a house and be sloppy. You want to be careful about the work that we do so that we get referrals and we get hired back.
It doesn’t make any sense to focus on the volume and not the quality, because it’s going to be wheel churn. When you do quality work, it leads to being hired back and getting more money.
It Takes Confidence to Get Started in the Cleaning Biz
If you’re starting a business, you’re not going to be 100% sure of yourself. So, when you show up at a customer’s house to do an estimate, show up like you know exactly what you’re talking about.
When you do that you project to your customer and they will hire you with confidence.
And if you do not have that confidence and you’re a little bit shaky on it. Then there are some things in the book that will help you boost your confidence. So that when you show up to a customer’s house you can nail that sale.
Get Bonded and Insured Before Getting Started in the Cleaning Biz
You may be a solo house cleaner, but you need to be bonded and insured. That means that if something is stolen, you have bonding in place.
Your clients have to prove that you stole it. And if you are found that you stole it … And we know you’re not going to steal anything.
But as your business grows, there are employees that you have that may steal. You will want to get bonded and insured so that you protect yourself and your company.
When You’re not Bonded and Insured You Put Yourself Behind
If a customer asks you, “Are you bonded and insured,” and you say, “No, I’m a solo house cleaner. I don’t need bonding because I’m honest, and I’m not going to steal anything.“
At this point already you’re a game behind because you’re going to have to stop and spend a lot of time and energy explaining why you’re not bonded. Rather than adding that small writer into your insurance policy.
It’s easier to say, “Yes, I’m bonded and insured,” and be able to prove with a policy number. It is much harder to jump through all these hoops of why you skipped that step.
What Chemicals to Use When You Start in the Cleaning Biz
I do not go into the specifics of cleaning chemicals in the book. But we have a program called Savvy Cleaner Training where we have videos that walk you through it all.
It tells you what you use when you clean a bathtub, and how to clean the bathtub. It shows you how to clean the corners of the rooms that you’re in. How to do the overhead dusting.
We cover everything. There’s a whole entire intensive training program where you can get certified at the end. This program can help you a lot, especially if you’re getting started.
Using the Wrong Chemicals Can Cost Thousands for a New House Cleaner
Even if you’re insured, if you go into someone’s house and you use the wrong cleaning chemicals, you could ruin something very expensive. Now you’re talking about $2,500 for a new stainless-steel fridge or $30,000 for a new hardwood floor.
Some stuff gets expensive when you get in homes and you’re mixing and messing with chemicals. So, there’s a whole training program on how to do it right. I am not trying to scare you, but you do want to have insurance for that very reason.
I cannot tell you how many stories I’ve heard of house cleaners who did not have proper training. They went inside somebody’s home, and they damaged stuff beyond repair. Then, they have to pay to replace it.
*** Resources From This Episode ***
How to Start, Run and Grow a Successful Residential & Commercial Cleaning Business – https://amzn.to/2REYCCc
How to Start a Cleaning Business: Your Guide to Generating $2,000+ Income in 30 Days or Less – https://amzn.to/2qxixr9
The 6 Figure Cleaning Business Master Class: Compilation of Class Materials, Previous Ebook Material, Cleaning Proposal Sample, How to Calculate Price, & More! – https://amzn.to/2JLX1Ys
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