Great! You’ve made an awesome decision to take a big first step and start a cleaning business.
But you may be worried about the upfront cost of doing business. Will it be expensive to get started? And what do you do if you have NO money on hand?
Luckily you have several options available to you that’ll help you start that cleaning business and keep it running with little to no immediate hassle.
You’re going to need money to get your business off the ground. Supplies aren’t going to buy themselves.
But don’t worry - there a plenty of ways for you to get the capital you need to get started.
Here are a few ways you can raise funds…
Just make sure you pay those cards off quickly to avoid interest rates.
Do you have family or friends who are willing to support your dreams?
Be sure to map out a plan to pay them back and show them that plan so they know you’re committed to it.
If you’re going to partner up with someone who’s willing to work as hard as you are, make sure it’s someone you want to work with PROFESSIONALLY. When things get difficult (as they sometimes do in business), your PERSONAL relationship with that person could suffer.
Sign a legal agreement with them beforehand. Having a legal document that outlines the expectations of your roles will greatly protect both of you.
They front the funds, you run the business, they get a cut of the business in return.
Much like having a partner, make sure you outline the nature of this relationship in a legal agreement so there aren’t any problems down the line.
Shop your local banks and credit unions to find the institution that’ll give you the best rate and has a good reputation.
You’ll typically need a business plan to present to the bank, along with an expense sheet and financial projections for the next 5 years.
There are options such as SBA-guaranteed loans and SBA investment programs that you can explore.
PLUS, the SBA is a GREAT resource for business counseling. You can search by zip code here.
Here are a few MUST HAVES to get your business started:
Supplies:
And a few nice-to-haves if you find yourself with a few extra dollars to spend, or once you’ve built up your cash flow:
Ramping up your marketing efforts can be done with good old fashioned grassroots marketing… with a digital marketing twist.
And it doesn’t have to cost you a FORTUNE to do it.
Rapidly grow your client base using these and several other marketing tactics…
Family and friend referrals (with family and friends discounts!) are ALWAYS a good way to grow your business.
And tap into your speciality groups such as:
Build your reputation through posts and, especially, reviews through sites such as:
It's not as difficult as you may think to get 5-star online reviews. Positive reviews will help you attract new clients and continue to build your reputation.
Begin with educational videos and posts that showcase how to solve a household problem.
Move on to a bio video that details:
Finally, lead your viewers to videos that offer them new client offers or discounts on services.
Leave behinds add that “extra 10%.” They help you stand out and constantly remind your client of your work – long after the house gets dirty again. Check out 17 awesome leave behind ideas for your cleaning business!
As you build your list, you can begin to send bulk emails advertising new services and timely offers.
You’ll want to DIY your business for a while as you grow it.
Doing it all yourself - estimating, appointment scheduling, cleaning, invoicing - will allow you to not only learn every portion of the business but also save money on employees.
As you grow, you’ll need to explore hiring a team. Maybe even adding in some commercial work to your regular residential lineup.In the meantime, doing it all yourself can sometimes be a little daunting. Would it help to have software that could automate many of those processes for you? Take a look at Service Autopilot and see if it’s the miracle you’ve been looking for.
Tags: Business Operation
