Starting a cleaning business (or any other type of business) is not a terribly complicated task. That is as long as you keep it simple.
Everyday I see or speak to people who complicate the process, making it harder to achieve success. They somehow manage to turn something easy into something hard. This can manifest itself in many forms.
The main one being mixed up priorities.
In particular I will single out the gadget lovers. So many people want to put the cart before the horse. They get all the electronic gadgets before having a need for them.
They are convinced (or so they say) that they need this gadget to do business. This leads to them being more worried about getting the latest phone with every last option installed than doing any actual work.
Others are fascinated with the idea they need to have a super computer with all the latest software installed. They spend a boatload of money on the computer, then get the fastest wireless connection but have no cash coming in whatsoever to support the outlay of cash.
It’s insanity in its purest sense.
What these poor souls don’t understand is all those gadgets are nice, but you don’t need them. Certainly not in the very early stages of your career. These are nothing more than poor spending habits, that if they were to continue, will sink your entrepreneur ship before it ever leaves port.
Once you are actually ready to get customers, you really have only three main objectives. These objectives are paramount. You need to spend all your time in the beginning focusing on them. They are important because without them you have no revenue, and no revenue is no good. So are you ready for the what they are?
Find potential customers. Solve their problem. Keep them happy.
It can be that simple. It is that simple! The more you focus on the gadgets the less time you have for the important stuff. Spend your time networking or putting together a direct mail piece. But whatever you do, lay off the gadgets. You don’t need them yet.
Hi Tom,
My cleaning business is roughly a year and a half old. I am doing everything all by myself right now but thinking of hiring another person to help me out. I have 11 residential accounts and 1 office account and am planning on venturing to more office/commercial accounts. My question is, do I need to take courses with certifications to show the potential commercial cleaning customers during the bidding?
May I proceed with commercial ( dental offices, real estate offices, etc.) cleaning just with my cleaning experience without the certified courses?
Thank you for your kindness and more success to you, Tom.
Andrea
Hi Maria! While any certifications are good, I would not fret over them too much. I never had one small or midsize account ask if I was certified in any way. So in my opinion… I would not suggest you wait until you get any, instead just start courting them (commercial accounts) and if you wanted certifications just chip away at them over time.