Posts tagged Start a janitorial business

When Starting a Janitorial Service – Weigh Your Options

Nov 30th

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When considering a new startup in the Janitorial business, should you go it alone, work with a partner or hook up with a franchise?

All three ways have their pros and cons and you have to consider your own personality as well. Your thoughts and ideas on how a business should be run might greatly differ from even your closest friend and if so you would probably be better off working on your own. It will mean a lot more work and overseeing different areas but even extra stress and effort would be worth the extra income and freedom.

On the other hand, if you had a business partner, you would be relieved of a lot of duties that could take you away from offering premium service to your customers as well as growing the business and collecting the revenue in a proper fashion.

Many people us a franchise when they start a janitorial business and that in and of itself is almost like having a partner. The franchisees typically have to pay between ten and thirty five percent to the mother ship and are relieved of the responsibility of carrying the receivables and sales.

The franchise generates new business on a regular basis and pays you whether the client pays or not so there is some worthwhile tradeoff when you go that route. Of course, some of the business that the franchises’ salespeople generate may not be your cup of tea and that can have some adverse effects on your business situation.

So when you do venture out into the world of self-employment, take some time and weigh all your options.

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Janitorial Cleaning Service – Getting Started

Nov 30th

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A janitorial cleaning service is one of the best businesses for a hardworking, blue collar person to start from scratch. Every business and every building needs to be cleaned once in a while – in some cases, many times each day. With the overhead involved with hiring employees to provide janitorial services, it is convenient for a company to outsource to a commercial janitorial service provider.

This is where you step in!

If you are reading this article, you are probably looking for advice on how to start a janitorial service. Hopefully the following information and advice will get you moving in the right direction.

Start Up Costs and Financing Sources:

$500 and up

It is possible to get started with almost no investment, but you will be in a much better position if you have a few hundred dollars of basic equipment available. Equipment for a full-scale commercial janitorial service may run many thousands of dollars.

Writing a sound business plan describing how to start a janitorial service in your area – including detailed market research and plans for future growth – may help you to secure some of your initial funding from venture capitalists or angel investors.

Pricing Guidelines for Service:

Base your time at $20 to $50 per hour (before taxes and expenses) and price your services according to the time you expect to spend on each task.

Itemize the exact services you intend to provide. Charging by the hour tends to make clients comfortable asking you to do more and more work for the same money. Be clear that you provide certain services for a certain price. By charging a flat fee, you will continually earn a better hourly rate as you improve and become more efficient.

Advertising and Marketing:

Get listed in the yellow pages under all of the main services you provide. This is more expensive than one general listing, but you can’t expect all of your potential clients to look under “Janitorial Services” when they are really looking for “Window Cleaners”.

Face-to-face selling can go either way. Some managers and store owners like the fortitude of this very direct way of marketing, but others find it very annoying – especially if they get a lot of people coming in and asking to wash the windows. Always obey “No Soliciting” signs.

Walk around town and identify businesses which look like they really need your help. Send a professional-looking brochure to the general manager.

Essential Equipment:

A janitorial cleaning service can start very small and build up as it grows more popular. It is sometimes possible to start out by using the equipment of the client companies, buying your own equipment with that revenue.

Get a unique uniform – and unique does not mean outrageous! A uniform looks much more professional than jeans, and it can provide a marketing service for you, as well. When people recognize your janitorial cleaning service working at the company down the street, it lends credibility to you when you approach them for a contract.

Much of the following equipment will become useful as your business expands:

Safety Equipment:

  • dust mask
  • safety goggles
  • heat resistant gloves
  • heat resistant apron
  • slip resistant, steel toe shoes
  • hard hat

General Supplies:

  • dust mop, brooms, and dust pans
  • vacuum cleaner
  • window squeegee and buckets
  • wet mop and bucket
  • scrub brushes
  • towels, lots of towels
  • window cleaning solution
  • degreaser solution
  • carpet cleaning solution
  • plunger
  • drain “snake”
  • basic tool set: hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc.
  • tape measure
  • utility knife and plenty of blades
  • tool belt
  • ladder
  • 50-foot water hose
  • pressure washer
  • chainsaw
  • weed whip
  • a cargo van to carry it all

Income Potential:

$15,000 to $60,000 per year, going solo.

There is a limit to the amount you can earn working alone. As you become more successful at negotiating with clients, you can eventually start hiring other people to do the work. The ultimate earning potential is unlimited.

Target Market:

One of the nicest parts about janitorial services is that you don’t have to look for new customers week after week. After you secure a few accounts, you will have a fairly steady source of income that only changes infrequently.

Convenience stores, restaurants, grocery stores, strip malls, and office complexes are all great places to start looking.

Tips for Success:

  • Always be professional and courteous. Everyone encounters stressful and undesirable working conditions once in a while. It will carry you a long way if you can remain respectful and calm when dealing with these situations. Don’t let your clients walk all over you, but don’t let them walk out on you!
  • Janitorial services are very repetitive from day to day. Keep a mindset toward using your time more and more efficiently.
  • Go the extra mile. Do what you can to go above and beyond your clients’ expectations. This translates to job security and a better reputation in the industry.
  • You should get your janitorial cleaning service bonded and insured. If you are not bonded and insured, your prospects for business are very limited.

Training, Skills or Experience Needed:

The best training is to have worked as a janitor for some time so you know what you’re getting into. It is not easy work. Read a few books on how to start a janitorial service. No matter how much you already know, you are sure to find new information that will help you to be more successful.

Schooling is not usually necessary, but you can earn better money and find more contracts if you learn to maintain HVAC or other common equipment. There are independent classes available for this type of training.

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Commercial Janitorial Services Can Help You Take Care of Your …

Nov 30th

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Tired of getting down on the floor and scrubbing? For most folks running their own business, this is not exactly the part of the job they love best. Most folks also don’t like coming in an hour early or staying an hour late to sweep, dust and run that smelly blue stuff through the toilet a time or two.

That’s why we hire commercial janitorial services. Not only does it save you from doing the dirty work yourself, it also puts the work in the hands of professionals. After all, most of us aren’t born cleaners.

Make Those Floors Shine!

The biggest cleaning headache, whether it’s a small closet-sized office or a 15-story skyscraper, is floors. Floor maintenance is probably 50% of your cleaning trouble, and sweeping for 10 minutes just isn’t going to get it done.

A commercial janitorial service will handle all your floor maintenance needs, from sweeping and mopping to waxing and buffing. They have the latest gear and chemicals on the market, and they can do your carpet cleaning and pressure washing as well. Very few of us can afford to stock up on the gear you need to remove these tough stains and blemishes.

When The Windows Turn Brown…..

Window cleaning is another major janitorial duty most of us don’t want to take on by ourselves. If you’ve ever cleaned your own windows, you know how tough it is to get it just right and not leave a big smudge that says, "Nice try". These services can do your windows perfectly using the latest techniques and equipment.

It’s The Little Details That Really Matter

Windows and floors are the biggest and most noticeable problems, but there are lots of tiny details that most of us never bother with cleaning. One example is your vents. If you don’t clean your air conditioning and heating vents, you are inviting every toxin and contaminant into your work space for workers and customers to enjoy.

Dusting is another small problem. Most of us can run a duster over the desks and surfaces, but you really need somebody with the state-of-the-art dust removal equipment to get it all. There are also the high surfaces which are most prone to dust, and which you don’t want to climb on chairs to do yourself.

Odor removal is an especially tricky problem if you’re not an expert cleaner. Where is that smell coming from? I don’t know, but it stinks and your customers might prefer the nicer smelling place down the street. Odor removal is best left to a specialist.

There are many more tiny details that a commercial janitorial service can help you with like wall washing, upholstery cleaning and mold prevention. These little details are what make the difference between a clean office and an office that is sparkling each morning when you come into work.

Hiring a commercial janitorial service is a step in building your business. For every small business owner, there comes a day when they decide they’ve had enough of mopping and scrubbing, and they can shell out a few bucks to have somebody else do it. Find a commercial janitorial service in your area, and leave the dirty work to the pros.

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Internet Marketing for Commercial Cleaning Business

Oct 27th

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You may have the best cleaning services on the state and your company may possess the best commercial cleaning equipment available today. However, one of the most important things to remember for your commercial cleaning business is that it takes more than service to make it through the cut-throat world of the service sector.

If you are looking for a way to promote your commercial cleaning business, one of the best and most accessible ways to go about this task is through the use of online marketing. Because the internet is one of the most accessible media available, more and more people are utilizing the web for their advertising needs. Here are several of the easy steps for you to be able to launch your own internet marketing campaign.

E-mail lists

When it comes to online marketing, emails are one of the most important things to have around. In cyberspace, the wise online marketer knows that the email contact is the most important piece of information on the web. This is because the email acts as the personal identification system in the web.

Email marketing, therefore, has become one of the most successful types of online marketing strategies to have around, since these contacts are essentially the company’s direct connection to the potential buyers. Because of this, one of the best ways to market your commercial cleaning business is through email marketing. There are several steps to successfully launching your email marketing campaign.

Lead generation

First step is to generate your janitorial service leads. The leads are the email contacts that you will use for you marketing strategy. One of the best ways to do this is through article posting in public online forums, where you can post well written material that will entice the reader to avail of your services. Add a link at the end of each article to allow them to contact you and for you to have a copy of their email address. Another way to generate leads is through lead selling companies which can be found on the internet. Be careful, however, of the types of leads that you get. The best email contacts are still those that are derived from consenting internet users who volunteer their email addresses along with other contact information such as the best places.

Article-writing

Once you have generated your janitorial lead, the next step is to create well crafted articles. This should be sent in sets, one to entice your potential customers, and another to provide the details of the service offered. But before you start your program, it is important that you have an auto-response system integrated into your email in order to provide swift response to the answers that potential clients will pose.

Updates

Once you have begun your email marketing strategy, always keep in mind that clients also need updates. For this, be prepared to occasional send additional articles offering new products, janitorial services, as well as activities that are launched by the company. With these easy steps, you can be assured that you will have an effective online marketing campaign to go with your excellent cleaning services.

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Using Internet Marketing for House Cleaning Business

Oct 24th

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One of the major setbacks that the house cleaning businesses face is their inability to cope with the changes that have occurred in the market place. One of the most poignant cases in point is the traditional brick-and-mortar house cleaning businesses that still conduct their services online. While there are great advantages to be had with a solid shop that will act as the headquarters for your business, many forget that there are new arenas erupting where the cleaning businesses can be taken, and which you as the head of your business should be aware of and should be able to maximize.

Forgotten tactic

Online marketing is one of the forgotten tactics that house cleaning businesses fail to comprehend, and consequently, fail to integrate in their own marketing and advertising strategies. This is a fatal mistake that your company has probably committed as well and which is probably costing your firm profit. By utilizing internet marketing, you are essentially opening the market place for your product. The result? You get more customers.

Article marketing

Ask any online marketing expert the most important element in internet marketing, and the result can only be one – web content. The internet was primarily established as a way for information to be exchanged at great distances with cost efficiency and speed. Until today, the most useful function behind the internet is information exchange. Through article marketing, you are providing your potential clients with information about your field of expertise – such as the house cleaning industry – which in turn will allow you to make contacts with people who will likely use your services in the future. Keep in mind that house cleaning is a hardy industry that will be utilized by people for as long as the law of thermodynamics applies – that all things eventually experience entropy, or disintegrate. Because you can count on houses going from clean to dirty, you can rest assured that each contact made on the World Wide Web is an investment in the future.

Business web pages

Still haven’t got your business established in the internet through a web page? This can now be considered a crime when the internet now offers web pages at low costs and great design options. In fact, there are many online sites that offer web pages for free. With just a click of a button, you can start typing in your own URL and placing your services and product catalogue on the internet. This means that you are essentially opening up your business to the entire scope which the internet can reach. If you think about it, in the United States this means that you essentially open the possibility that each household connected to the internet – and frankly, who isn’t – can contact you

There are many ways to avail of the internet for promoting any business. Among the many industries today, the house cleaning cannot be left behind. Look for cheap and accessible solutions to your online marketing needs, and apply them. After, all you have nothing to lose but bad profit.

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How to Build a Successful Cleaning Business

Oct 19th

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Recent years have witnessed some of the most tragic financial happenings that have culminated in the global financial crisis as well as the major recession. Among the many industries that have collapsed, however, there are a few that remain. These are often the service sectors that are always in high demand no matter the external conditions. One of these includes the janitorial services. For as long as there are couches that get dirty, carpets that get soiled, and houses in general that go from clean to dirty no matter what homeowners try to do, the janitorial services are a mainstay in the service sector.

Hot item companies

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the janitorial companies are also one of the hot item companies that many people are considering. If you are one of the people who are considering starting janitorial services for financial stability, there are several important things to keep in mind however. One of these reminders is the continuing importance of advertising and marketing as a way to ensure that you remain on top of the game. Today, new trends in marketing are emerging and if you want to get that all important one step ahead of the pack, one of the best options to consider is online marketing. Here are several ways for you to start.

Pay per click advertising

One of the simplest ways to get into online advertising is through pay per click advertising. For many beginners in the fine art of online marketing, the common problem that is encountered is the inability to start. With all the many options to consider, this is understandable. Pay per click advertising is simpler, however, in that it is a service that can easily be bought from search engine companies. The logic behind this form of advertising is simple.

Information searches

According to online activity research, most internet users use the World Wide Web mainly for information searches through the use of search engines. When you use the services of pay per click advertising, each time an internet user inputs a search that is related to your website, the search engines will place your site on the first page of the search results. With pay per click advertising, each time an internet user clicks on your site in search engine results pages as a result of search engine companies placing your site first on their list, you pay the search engines a given fee.

Web advertising

Another easy option that you can try in order to jump start your janitorial company on the World Wide Web is through the use of web advertising. These also use minimum internet know-how to allow novice internet marketers the best ways to promote their sites. In web advertising, you choose a site that is related to the services which you render, and pay them for space on their web pages for you to post you advertisements. Most online forums that attract thousands of web users each day offer these services and allow you to divert a good number of users to your own site.

Online marketing is one of the best ways to ensure that your janitorial company will have the much needed edge above others. Through these tips you can easily get ahead of the pack.

For More information please visit www.nationalcleaningassociation.com

or CALL 877-881-9523

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The Secrets to Starting a Commercial Cleaning Company With No Experience

Oct 18th

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You are tired of working for someone else and barely making enough money to support your family. You want to tell your boss "you are fired" and see the look on his face.  You want to enjoy scheduling your work around your own time available and still get to enjoy the pleasures of life.  Most of all you would like to supervise others and still get to keep the profit you make.  There are a number of small businesses that offer you this opportunity and are rewarding in the end.  You can even make profit in your first year.  The business chosen to be highlighted here is a commercial cleaning company.

 

Cleaning Business is not rocket science.   At home, you are always cleaning your living spaces and at the office you are most often assist the cleaner by directing on how you like your space to look before they do their work.  You are therefore ready to delve into the cleaning industry.  You may need to be physically endowed as cleaning is a manual job.  You use most of the cleaning solutions and machines at home and therefore can work them in a second.  You can also stand for long hours on end.  YOU already have the skills set required for the business.  You will develop the rest of the technical know-how as you go along.  You, however, don’t have any experience to claim when marketing yourself.  Don’t worry, this can work for you.

 

Armed with your tools of trade and the desire to prove yourself you can gain the experience necessary whilst making your money.  All you need is a strategically placed and willing client.  For instance, you can run a cleaning business in an institution and let them sample your work first hand. When you have left an impression, you can also leave them with your contacts and get them to call you when they require your services.  Alternatively, you can visit your local place of worship and provide your janitorial services during the next potluck luncheon. Skillfully assist in various ventures that will give you mass marketing.

 

Where to buy your cleaning supplies is important.  Janitorial supply distributors are better than supermarket stores.  This is because the distributors have time to equip you by guiding you on the usage of their products.  You need this information because you are relatively inexperienced.  Although the distributors are deemed more expensive than purchasing from the stores, the information procured in the process is invaluable and saves you more money in the long run.  When you purchase any new gadget that you have not used before it is important to ask the sales people to come and do a small demo for your employees who will be using the equipment on a day-to-day basis.

 

Once you have decided on your market niche, offer your janitorial services at a discounted rate.  The price tag for your services can be quite challenging.  You can price yourself out of the market and business or you can price yourself into bankruptcy.  It is therefore important to put the price just right but still much lower than the regular cleaner and your competit ors.  This is because most people want an experienced commercial cleaning company to work for them.  When there is an offer, however, they don’t mind saving a few coins and giving a start up a chance.  This way you get to garner experience and still earn whilst creating awareness of your presence in the industry.

 

Like most business startups, the main factors that will largely contribute to your growth in the cleaning business are referrals.  Therefore, it is important to log all your customers’ responses and feedback.  This will ensure that when you next clean for them and they note the change as recommended they will feel valued and market you free.  This is the sort of free press you need to take you off the ground and catapult you to the next level apart from giving you presence.  Creating an incentive for the customers that you get for any repeat jobs they will offer you is equally rewarding.

 

A very important factor to note in your line of business is insurance and bonding.  Get yourself insured.  This immediately boosts your credibility, as most cleaners don’t insure their businesses.  This guards against any eventualities and may save you from losing your business altogether.  Apart from giving you peace of mind, it also gives your customers the assurance and informs them that you care about their business or homes and earn you a great following.  The janitorial business has a very high turnover rate for employees and this is a very high possibility that among them there could be a thief.

 

This is a reality that you most often want to hope against but when you are prepared, nothing can faze you.  The client is also more forgiving when there is an assurance that their stuff will be returned.  This ensures that you don’t lose them as a client altogether.   Taking the uncertainty out of the equation will help you first. 

 

A word of caution is in order at this point.  Different customers have their specific preferences.  Note the choice of detergents used on their upholstery will save your insurance and you some money and save face for your company.  The small details involved will take you a long way.  You need an information packet with all your details and the insurance details as well as references and procedures at hand.  Include in this packet all the information about yourself including a background check by the police from your locality. This might sound a bit extreme but it gives your procurers the much-needed confidence in leaving their homes and offices to you. , , , , , ,