How to Start A Office Cleaning Business Out of Your Home
No matter what the economy is doing, business offices need to be cleaned. This is what makes the office cleaning business so exciting. There is a never-ending supply of clients who are looking for a good cleaning service. Learning how to start an office cleaning business is a fantastic opportunity for someone who wants to be in business for themselves.
Companies come in all sizes and configurations, and the people who work inside of them often don’t want to do much cleaning. This is why a company will hire an independent cleaning service to come in after hours to keep the working environment clean and sanitized.
Most likely, you already have experience cleaning up around your home. Cleaning an office is much the same, except you’ll need to be aware of exactly what items the client wants cleaned. So, starting out, you’ll have to wear two hats when providing your service. A cleaning worker hat and a business person hat.
Taking Care of Business
On the business ends of things, you’ll need to come up with a good business plan so that you have an idea of what type of services you are going to provide, and to what type of clients. You’ll quickly find that an office environment can contain many things that can be cleaned. Some items, like: desktops, phones, waste baskets and floors are pretty standard.
Other items like: windows, upholstery, carpet cleaning, bathrooms and parking lots require additional work. Therefore, you would offer to clean non-standard items as an add-on service, for an additional cost.
Your cleaning business will also need to have a good name that sounds professional. Mary’s Cleaning Service might be cute, but it doesn’t come across as a business that is going places. Park Side Cleaning Service has a nicer ring. You see, even though you’ll most likely be running your business from your home, you want to give the impression that you work out of a well-run organization.
Present yourself to potential clients like a fellow business person, and don’t look like a slob. First impressions count a lot in the business world, and you want clients to see you as someone they can trust when you’re in their space after hours, cleaning up around important documents and equipment.
You’ll also need to learn how to calculate price for office cleaning, and submit bids to clients in order to win a contract. This is how the professional cleaning services do things, and you’ll be throwing your hat in the ring too. Start out with small contracts, do a great job for your clients, then gradually expand your business to where you’ll need to hire several employees.