One thing is for sure, there will be a steady demand for cleaning services because this is how people actually buy time. When people don’t have the time, they pay for services that will make their lives easier, thus getting more time in their day. This is something you, as a cleaning business owner, can capitalize on by running a cleaning business built on a solid business model.
What are the benefits of running your own business?
Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of talk about being your boss. This concept is romanticized by many and presented as the only way to achieve freedom in a career. However, being your own boss is more complex than anything else. But there are benefits to running your own business.
The hours can be flexible, so you can plan your working hours based on the time when people book your service, not a traditional 9 to 5 day.
You are personally responsible for building great customer service and maintaining long-term relationships with your customers.
You set your rates which help you achieve your financial goals.
Receiving positive feedback is more satisfying because you know that you and your company is responsible for high satisfaction levels.
So, how can you build a successful cleaning business?
Whether you just want to alter your current business model or think of starting a cleaning business, you need to include the following steps.
Define your target market
Firstly, you need to specify your target market. Cleaning services are required by residential owners and professionals like other business owners and legal entities in general. There’s a difference between these two services and the working hours. Cleaning residential properties can be done whenever you both agree on. Whereas, cleaning businesses is often done before or after regular work hours, sometimes even at night. So, clearly define who you wish to target with your cleaning services. This, in turn, also directly impact the price and the type of services you offer.
Define your target area
This is particularly important if you live in a large city with numerous areas, suburbs, and neighborhoods. Servicing the entire city can be a major waste of resources, so focus on one area and make it your target area.
If you don’t specify a target area, you might need to go from one part of the city to a different one that is two hours away. Your cost will increase, and the profit might not be enough to justify the cost of operation. Pick a geographic area that is either close to your physical location or the one you recognize isn’t as competitive as other service areas.
Ideally, your target area will be close to you and not as competitive, but, if this isn’t an option, at least make sure to stand out among your competitors with unique and quality offers.
Types of services
Just like there are two different markets, residential and business professionals, there are different types of services. You can find people who what to hire house cleaning services and tailor your service catalog to best fit their needs. If you decide to focus on residential owners, you need to offer the type of service people will need like deep House Cleaning and even oven cleaning services.
If you decide to focus on services needed by business professionals, you might have to invest in additional tools to stay competitive. Either way, define the type of services you offer and who is the ideal target audience for such services.
Price
This step might be the hardest because it depends on many different factors. First, take into account your target market, target area, types of services, and time needed to deliver quality work. Next, consider your competition and their hourly rates. Add into the mix your operational costs, and how much you need to charge to both make a reasonable profit and remain competitive. Focus on providing better services than your competitors to attract customers, don’t undercut your prices to surpass your competition. Such a business model might work in the beginning but soon you’ll notice that you’re not making a profit.
Marketing
The next step is to develop a detailed marketing strategy. Define which channels you plan on using to bring our service closer to your target customers. You should rely on word-of-mouth recommendations, but don’t use them as the only marketing strategy. A happy customer will let their friends know about your service.
That’s why you should have a website and quality content on social media channels so that everyone can find the info they need with a few clicks. Build a Google My Business profile and add relevant business information. Build either a Facebook business page or Instagram profile and connect with your target audience on a more personal level. Invest in paid advertising, whether through Google Ads or other types of ads to increase website traffic and service bookings.
Tools and supplies
The type of services your offer will determine the tools and supplies you’ll need. Don’t rely on customers’ supplies when booking a new job. Always have an inventory of the most common supplies you’ll need. When you compile a list of items that are tested and never fail to make the cleaning job easier, always keep them in a container and ready for your next cleaning job.
Hiring Process
At some point, you’ll have to hire additional pair of hands. As your cleaning business grows, you’ll need to hire more people to help you respond to the demand. When you have your own business, you’re never in the position to refuse a job, because you never know when the business dry spell might happen. It’s always best if you can bring a new employee with you on a few cleaning jobs so they’ll know how to clean properly and up to your standard.
Lastly, ask people to leave reviews on your Google My Business profile, on your website, and even in your post’s comment sections. This is also a great marketing tactic to let other people know about your service from a client’s perspective. Just remember to deliver quality cleaning service and keep those 5-star reviews coming up.