7 Key Steps to Starting a Cleaning Business

Starting a cleaning business, like any major business venture, doesn’t come with immediate revenue and a customer base. To start, you need a guide on where to begin.

The good news is that this guide will give you a solid start on where your head and your finances need to be to get your foot in the door. Before we do, pat yourself on the back for choosing a cleaning business as your next venture.

Cleaning is always required no matter what’s going on in the economy, so you’re off to a good start. You will need a robust business plan that’s been put through its paces and gets the ‘thumbs up’ by your mentor and the right mindset to see you through the challenging startup phase.

In this article are our top seven steps for starting a cleaning business.

1. Crafting the Right Mindset

While business is a challenge of finances, marketing, products, and services, it is still, at its core, a mental challenge. What that means is that the right mindset can sink or swim a business venture.

There is a big business secret on how to build a million-dollar cleaning business and it revolves around crafting the goals and mindset to get you ahead.

2. Choosing the Right Market

A cleaning business is a vague term, and vagueness gets you nowhere in industry.

To break into the cleaning industry, you need to understand the market and where you can break into it. For example, make sure you know correctly which sector is right for your business and that you have accurate information that can serve you well in the months ahead. Research the market. Remember ‘information is power’, use it to acquire intel on your competitors and where you can grow your business quickly.

• Is commercial or residential cleaning your target market?
• Are there underserved areas in the industry?
• Is there a boon on lucrative areas?

Do your research and find what you can add to the industry, and win over prospective customers.

3. Securing Your Funding

Every business needs capital, but money doesn’t grow on trees. You need to secure your own funding.

There are several excellent small business loans and grants. Many small local governments may provide support to those starting a business in their city.

4. Finding a Niche

As with vagueness, being broad in your approach doesn’t help you. While it can work for big businesses with a lot of resources, you will want a different approach when starting out.

Find a niche that suits you and your skills. This can help you target a smaller customer base early on with less competition. This can house cleaning, windows, hotel services, or any other smaller elements.

This can also help you narrow down what equipment you need for your business. For example, if you are focusing on cleaning floors, you don’t need to worry about clothes washing equipment.

5. Registration of Your Business

All businesses need the appropriate licenses and registration to be a legal entity. While preparation and planning are good, once you have a more solid foundation, look to your local government for what certificates you need.

6. Planning Advertisements

Advertising is the lifeblood of any business, getting you a steady stream of curious customers.

Mastering advertisements with your new business means crafting a brand for your company. Combining this with industry research lets you target the customers that fit your niche and market and starting off strong.

7. Understanding Your Budget Limitations

As with any significant business venture, money is not an unlimited resource. Even with large grants and loans, you need to craft your business budget with care.

You will need allocations for employees, physical space, equipment, business registration and insurance, and advertising. You may have other, random expenses depending on your niche or expansion in the future.

Build out your budget in detail and give yourself extra breathing room in case unexpected issues come up.

On the Road to Starting a Cleaning Business

With these ideas in mind, starting a cleaning business should look more like a functional goal instead of a pipe dream.

There are still so many details to expand upon when crafting your own business. Check out our many articles to dive into big business ideas like advertising and markets.