How to Start Your Own Apartment Cleaning Business

If you are one of those people who would like to own your own business then Apartment Cleaning may be the one for you. This can be a very lucrative business that just about anyone can open can open if they are willing to work hard and don’t mind cleaning homes and apartments.

You can open a franchise with a well known agency or own your very own private business; in any case you need to determine the kind of cleaning service that you want to start. A franchise would cost you up front money and you would operate within the guidelines of the chosen franchise or you can open a private service of your own and you will be responsible for the overall operations. If you want a franchise then research franchise apartment cleaning services, find one and work with them to open your business, however if you want to own your own service then we have some suggestions that will help you open up your own private Apartment Cleaning Service.

• Education and Training. There is no education or training requirement required to open up an apartment cleaning business. All that you need is a desire to open this kind of business and be willing to work with it in order to make it successful. As your business grows and you expand it then you may put in a training piece for your employees.
• Name your business. Naming your business makes it yours and it will take on a professional ore.
• Get Insurance bonding. This is not a requirement but it shows your clients that you are a credible person who has been bonded by an insurance company. This bonding will give your customers piece of mind and help them feel more comfortable about a stranger being in their home. Check insurance companies to find the best rate that is being offered for becoming bonded.
• Make yourself business card. Business cards add professionalism to your new business. So spend some time and money developing your business cards as well as business flyers for your new venture.
• Purchase equipment. As you make your appointment s, you can request that the clients provide their own cleaning tools; however it is a good idea to purchase a few things to take with you, just in case the client doesn’t have what you need to clean their apartment. There may be an instance that they have what you need but it breaks while you are using it so have your own equipment. Some things that we suggest is a vacuum cleaner, mop, broom, bucket, step ladder, squeegee and etcetera. This may cost close to $500.00 but is part of your operating expenses and well worth having in case you need to use.
• Set up your business work area. You will need a desk, chair, phone, computer, fax machine, paper, pen, pencils and etcetera in your working space. Once you get your business marketed, you will receive calls so make sure that you have a note pad write to down your appointments as you schedule them.
• Buy your supplies. Clients can be asked to furnish their own supplies for you to use; however it will not hurt for you to have your own cleaning supplies with you in case you run out of something that you really need in the middle of a job. Having your own will allow you the opportunity to finish the job and not have to have your client run out to get a cleaning supply. Some supplies that you may consider for your business is multipurpose cleanser, window wash, furniture polish, steel cleansers, paper towels, rubber gloves and any other supply that you may enjoy using.
• Market your business. You can get the word out about your business through putting ads in your local newspaper, designing a flyer and placing them on bulletin boards in (Supermarkets, churches, community organizations) placing an add in the neighborhood yellow pages or other telephone book, send letters to people that you know, pass out your business cards, hang your own shingle on your door and any other viable way that you may know to advertise.
• Give clients an estimate. Once you get a client schedule an appointment to give them an estimate of what you will charge to clean their house because all homes are different and the price of the cleaning will vary accordingly. In pricing out the fee you need to look at the amount of time that it will take you to complete the job. You may want to charge a flat fee of $80.00 for up to four hours and $20.00 an hour for all additional hours. As you enter their home remember that you want the job, so be kind and make kind statements about their home. If you say something to turn them off you may never hear from them again. So compliment them on the way that they care for their home and let them know how you are looking forward to working with them.
• Arrive to your jobs and appointments on time. Being a bit early will not hurt you or your position but being late will not set well for your customer. They may have scheduled an appointment around your scheduled time, so make being on time a priority.
• Clean with precision and perfection. Work above and beyond the call of duty to please your client and ask them if there is any other job that they want you to complete before you leave.
• Reschedule the next visit. After you clean the home, take out your little book and try to schedule the next visit and ask them to refer your service to others. Personal referrals go a long way in getting new clients. If they are not ready to reschedule then give them business cards and flyers o call you for another appointment.
• Stay in touch with clients. Send coupons for 5% off from time to time and call clients who you have not heard from in a while to see if you can be of service to them. As the New Year begins each year sent a thank you letter to them for allowing you to work for them and if possible give them a calendar or other trinket with your business telephone number so they will be reminded of your wonderful services each time they see the calendar or other trinket that you sent to them..
• Keep good records. You need to keep good records for tax purposes as well as to keep your finances together. Check with your tax person when you first set up your business so that they can tell you what you can exempt for your taxes. You can keep up with your records and there will not be any surprises when tax season rolls around.

In closing opening up your own apartment cleaning business can be a lucrative business for you to open if you are willing to work very hard and follow the suggestions that we have given to you.