The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

[Progress] Growing a Cleaning Business

HustleHard

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
134%
Oct 2, 2016
88
118
39
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071793429/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

The strategy is composed of three parts:

Rollup: The acquisition of similar businesses serving a specific market to build a competitive mass and gain economies of scale to drive profits while improving the efficiencies of operations, promotion, and centralized administration

Rollout: The replication of the business model in new geographic territories or market segments to leverage the infrastructure and increase the economies of scale

Innovate: The adoption of new processes and creation of innovative products or services that strengthen the entity's bond with old patrons while attracting new customers, thus driving long-term success in the midst of turbulent change




Roll-up integration.

My mantra for executing a roll-up of businesses is “Do No Harm!” Do not try to integrate these businesses day-one. There are too many personalities, company cultures and skill sets involved. Instead, think of it as three phases:

  1. Phase one is simply rolling-up the financials into one entity, keeping the businesses running largely the same as they were before the deal;
  2. Phase two is integrating all the back-office functions across all companies, e.g., payroll, insurance, overhead; and
  3. Phase three is integrating the front-office functions, e.g., cross-selling products, cross-training sales teams, centralizing company-wide branding.
Don’t try to do it all at once, as it will most likely not work out as planned, and could result in disgruntled staff quitting and revenues falling far short of plan, which could endanger any debt service. Phase it in over a couple years.



How to add more revenue (and profits to your bottom line) by adding different services


When most people think about adding different types of services they generally think it must be hard to do. This isn’t really the case. Like I already mentioned, most new services can be learned rather quickly and without mortgaging your future. I’ll quickly review some affordable options.

Window cleaning – Entry costs of roughly $100 to $300 depending on requirements. This has to be one of the easiest services to add to your cleaning company. Whether you own a residential or commercial company this would be a perfect fit.

The PROS are the extremely low start up cost and potential for high earning from doing something as simple as cleaning windows. I’ve had window jobs that averaged anywhere from $175 to $350. I’ve even had jobs where I charged the customer over $1,000!

The CONS of window cleaning would include the necessity of climbing a ladder from time to time and increased insurance costs. The possibility of injury for you or your staff would also be a concern. You would also need a collection of ladders if you did this work regularly (to handle the different situations).

An Unger window cleaning kit will hardly break the bank if you go this route. I’ve purchased a few of these kits and have found them to be very durable. One or two ladders with needed ladder stand offs would get you started.

VCT Floor-care services – Entry costs of roughly $1,000 to $2,000 depending on requirements. This service is a better fit for commercial as it’s geared towards that market. This involves stripping and waxing floors as well as other remedial services (buffing, wax top coating to name a few).

The PROS of VCT floor-care is the fact it’s rather easy to learn on the whole. It’s also rather inexpensive in relation to how much you can earn performing this type work. Small jobs can run from $450 to $700 for just a few hours work to well into the thousands. My very first job was over $1,751 (over ten years ago).

The CONS are the fact that the cost of the equipment can be considered steep (by beginner standards) and the fact you’ll need a van or large truck to transport the equipment around. This work is also physically demanding at times plus this work tends to be done late at night or on weekends (which some people won’t like).

Standard equipment you’ll need would include a floor machine and wet dry vacuum. This is in addition to the mops & buckets, wax and stripper, floor pads and other smaller items a specialty janitorial retailer offers.

Carpet cleaning – Entry costs of roughly $1,500 to $3,000 for a portable unit ($20,000 plus van for truck mounted system). This service goes just perfectly with any type customer. Houses provide welcome retail type pricing while commercial offers steady contract type work.

The PROS are numerous for this type work. Extremely high income can be achieved with either residential or commercial properties. A two person crew working in harmony can bring in large amounts of income. Small jobs can easily bring in $250 to $450 in as little as an hour or two. Commercial work can easily average $500 to $1,000. Work over $1,000 is common when marketed properly.

The CONS are the larger costs associated with this type work. Portable units will be fine for smaller jobs, but fall short for larger ones. Also portable units will be frowned upon (on the whole) by homeowners. Truck mounts are expensive and require regular maintenance (which can be pricy as well).

You’ll need a portable carpet machine (plus cleaning wand) to get started cleaning carpet. Needless to say you’ll need various cleaning solutions and accessories as well. These can be found online or at a local janitorial cleaning retailer.

Tile & Grout cleaning – Entry costs vary from $400 to several thousand depending upon technique used. A special tile & grout “cleaning wand” will cost only a few hundred but it will require connection to a high powered portable carpet cleaning machine or truck mount system. A stand-alone portable unit can run a few thousand bucks.

The PROS include the high income potential that comes with offering a specialty service. This service is flexible in that you can market it to both residential customers and commercial clients. Bringing bathroom tile, many hard surface kitchen floors and even countertops and showers back to life is a great selling point. Jobs can average $250 to well over $1,000 each.

The CONS include the cost of the equipment to an extent plus the fact this this type work is not in demand as much as the other services we’ve outlined. You’ll also have to do a little more homework as each type of surface will require a slightly different approach when cleaning.

You’ll need to purchase a tile and grout wand / machineof some kind to get started. You will also need different cleaning solutions depending upon the surface you will be required to clean. Once again these can be found online or at a local janitorial cleaning retailer.

How to Build a Multi Million Dollar Cleaning Business (great website)

13 Secrets Your Cleaner Won't Tell You(good cleaning tips)

The Wealthy Contractor Online

How To Get Rich In The Cleaning Business

Getting rich in the cleaning business is not really all that hard IF you can master one thing.

We all know what that “thing” is when starting our cleaning business. In fact we all start out doing it perfectly, then the wheels come off for a variety of reasons.

It happens so slowly it’s hard to detect at first. What starts as a minor distraction soon becomes a train derailment. It happens to all of us at some point, sometimes more frequently than we would like to admit.

You are probably wondering what this “thing” is right now aren’t you? Though you already know the answer, I’ll remind you anyway…

Solving your potential customer’s problems.

You need to have the answers to the problems they are experiencing. When you have that part down, the rest will fall into place (and the money will follow). At the end of the day that is what you need to be an expert at. It is that simple!

Your potential clients don’t need facts and figures. They want answers! Nothing more. In order to have those answers you need to have exceptional knowledge about the cleaning business. Next you have to have the ability to distill that knowledge to them in a way that makes sense.

Each time you meet with a potential cleaning client you have the opportunity to learn what that particular customers problem is. You just need to listen carefully. Though most clients share similar experiences, each one is totally unique.

If you can zero in on one or two of their most pressing problems (and have the answers that solve those problems) you will get the job. To better drive the point home I included some examples. They are based on a five night per week job, but the concept works with any cleaning frequency.

Make use of them by following this format:

  1. Listen to customers problem.
  2. Look at a solution that will solve it.
  3. Give answer to client.
  • Customer problem – No quality control. My business looks good one day then horrible the next.
Solution – Have a supervisor (or you do it) check each job after completion for the first two weeks, then weekly after that. As an added layer of protection, make sure each employee follows a checklist. This checklist gets signed and dated on each occurrence of job.

Answer – I understand completely. That is why “Your Company” does a nightly checkup of each job for the first 2 weeks of service, then once per week after that to ensure the highest level of quality. In addition each staff member follows a checklist created just for your account that must be signed and dated each visit.

  • Customer problem – The last cleaning company stole items from the premises. I’m worried about theft.
Solution – Screen all employees by calling former employers. Get employees to sign waiver allowing you to perform police background check. Get bonded and have general liability insurance.

Answer – I’m sorry to hear that. My company deals with theft in a pro-active way. We hire honest people by carefully screening each applicant. We follow up with each former employer of the applicant to start. Then each potential employee must sign a waiver that allows us to perform a police background check which we perform before hiring. In addition we are bonded and carry general liability insurance as well.

  • Customer problem – The last company used to send different people everyday. I heard the turnover was high at that company. I don’t want that to happen again.
Solution – Pay higher wages than your top competitors. Offer incentives for people to stay with your company. Create a family atmosphere that large companies can’t match.

Answer – Many companies face that problem. We combat that by paying the highest wages, which also gets us the cream of the crop as well. In addition we offer employee incentives, such as bonuses to keep them with us. Lastly we foster a family atmosphere within the company that is hard to duplicate elsewhere.

  • Customer problem – Whenever I call my cleaning company about a problem they do one of two things. They either don’t get back to me fast enough or if they do, they never solve the problem fast enough. It could take a week to fix something.
Solution – Check you messages each hour on the hour and return the call immediately. Have the cell phone numbers to all staff members so they can be notified asap. If you can’t reach a staff member for some reason, fix it yourself.

Answer – That is a common problem in the cleaning industry. I prevent that from happening in my company by guaranteeing a return call within 90 minutes, no exceptions. I also keep my staff members cell phone numbers stored in my cell in case I need to get a hold of them asap. If for some reason I can’t get a hold of someone I go and fix the problem myself.

Well there you have it. A bunch of common customer problems that you now have the knowledge to solve. As you gain some experience you will be able to add to your repertoire, becoming a master in the process.

Above all, never forget why the customer called you in the first place…to solve a problem. Money, and lots of it come with solving other peoples problems. In fact, if you are not careful, you just may get rich.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

HustleHard

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
134%
Oct 2, 2016
88
118
39
Can you make a million bucks in the house cleaning business?



1. Know what you’re buying: The first step in reducing cleaning supply costs is to know and evaluate exactly what you are purchasing now. Some items are purchased that are not being used. You may also discover that you are purchasing more than one cleaning solution that is used for the same task. As we will discuss next, it is important to consolidate these items and minimize the number of items being purchased overall. That way you can keep better track of purchases.

2. Product consolidation: Traditionally, cleaning solutions were developed for a specific cleaning purpose. However, we now have many cleaning solutions that can multi-task. Eliminating all the “single task” cleaning solutions will not only help eliminate redundancies, which will result in a cost savings, but by selecting one product and purchasing it in larger quantities, you will likely be able to take advantage of rebates and product discounts.

3. Measure and monitor: Install an auto-dilution system and require all staff to use it each day. These systems offer many benefits but at the top of the list is reducing chemical waste. Related to this, track chemical and product usage. It is important to have a good idea of how much cleaning solution, for instance, is being used each week and how much is being purchased each month.

4. Buy large: We referenced this earlier but it is so important, will expand on it here. Always select cleaning solutions in large containers and quantities such as five-gallon containers or in cases. While this costs more initially, long-term the savings can be significant.

5. Check dilution ratios: Dilution ratios are listed on the label of professional cleaning products. This is important information that is often overlooked. If one general cleaner must be diluted at one part chemical and three parts water, and another general cleaner diluted at one part chemical and six parts water, then the second product will prove much more economical.

6. Group purchasing: For those residential cleaning companies already in the “millionaire bracket” or getting close, another opportunity materializes. They can take advantage of what are called group purchasing organizations that negotiate special pricing arrangements directly with manufacturers of janitorial products. In exchange for more and larger volume purchases, the manufacturer passes on product savings through your current janitorial distributor.

7. Compatible products: This might be more important for workers performing nightly janitorial work, but owners of residential cleaning should know that some janitorial chemical manufacturers engineer their products so that they work together. There is a chemical synergy among the products, which makes them all perform more effectively, which can reduce labor costs.

Finally, it is very important to keep an open mind when it comes to cleaning product selection. As I write this, many industry professionals are preparing for the upcoming ISSA tradeshow. I suggest going to the show and examining some of the new products, tools, and equipment being introduced. See if these new products may improve worker productivity, be safer and healthier to use, or reduce costs. And be sure to bring some of your staff directly involved in cleaning to the show as well. These are the folks that will be using these new products and you want them in on the buying decisions from the start.

I`m a Millionaire, Cleaning Service Owner ! | www.usacleaningservices.com

In my 25 years of experience, I have found two types of owners in the janitorial business. One is the person who starts as the cleaning person and builds their business. The other is a highly educated person who sees the great potential in the cleaning business, yet takes lightly the work that is done. My advice to someone starting in this business is to understand the three pillars of business.
#1. Every business has a pillar regarding the understanding of accounting and financial issues.
#2. Every business has a pillar regarding marketing and sales.
#3. Every business has a pillar that is about the product or service you provide. In our case, that is cleaning.
Each area is important and must be learned. In our case regarding cleaning, it is imperative that you know how to clean and take this business seriously. I do not believe those highly educated professionals that do not clean and know what it takes, will ever be great in this business. By cleaning and knowing what it will take, you then are able to hire and train properly. For example, my motto is "good help is easy to find." When I first started in the cleaning business, I was like everyone else. I looked for the down and out to clean. Then I realized that I am a professional who cleans, why not hire people like me. I now have virtually no turnover. I have great people who clean who never ask for raises. I have people who never call in sick. My life is stress free in the cleaning business. How did I get here? By cleaning and learning what it takes. By understanding the nuts and bolts so to speak of cleaning, my estimates in sales are great. In seventy percent of my business, I can charge a customer around $50.00 per labor hour. (Of course the customers do not know I charge this much.)
In regards to the cleaning owner who cleans and understands this business, his downfall is not continuing to educate himself. After I got into business, I read about 50 business books a year to improve. I bought and still buy training programs. I got advice from as many people as I could. Sometimes it is very painful to read when others are watching great programs on TV. The real pain comes when you learn how to market and sell. Pain comes from rejection. I hate rejection as much or more as the next guy. The difference now is that I can pick myself up and go get more rejection. The funny part is that with the rejection comes great rewards. After awhile, you do not even notice the rejection because the victories are all that stay in your mind.

Eventually you will find people who will like you. My estimates are that two out of ten will hate you. Two out of ten will love you. If you get yourself in front of enough people, you will have all the business you will ever need just by finding those two of ten that love you. The two that hate you will always hate you so move on. The trick is figuring out how to turn those six in the middle that will go either way. When you learn skills on communication, you will get those six, plus the two that love you and will be astonished to find you can win over eight out of ten people you meet. If you are not getting new business, you are not well versed on how to get it. Getting business does not take a lot of money on advertising. It takes knowledge of how to do it.

I wish when I started my business 25 years ago I had known what I know now. For example, one person who I have coached started with me as a part time janitor. He was just out of the Navy for about 9 months. He was working full time at a company that built boilers and worked for me part time. He was a great employee. He had enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge. He would always volunteer to do any job. He told me once that his biggest fear was that he would get fired from his full time job and not be able to take care of his family.
After about 6 months, I hired him full time. He worked for me for about 3 years and he eventually started his own company. I still coach him to this very day 5 years later. In 5 years of his own business, he pulled himself up from bankruptcy. He bought a house. 3 years ago, he sold that house, gained about $300,000. equity and bought a house for $600.000. That house today is worth about one million. He bought a corvette as a third car. He bought a $40,000. boat and bought a camper. I could go on and on and brag about him. He is my favorite student. The point is he did it and so can anyone else. He spends no money on marketing. He knows how to do it and can get accounts anytime he wants more. The issue is not how to get accounts. The issue is your self image. The issue is your thinking. Change your thinking and you can change your life. If he wants to be bigger than he already is and is feeling stress. The stress shows that he is trying to be more than his self image. The solution? Build your self image. There are many ways to do this. Too many for this response to the above question.

The point is that you can be anything you want to be. My advice is to know your values. Write them down. Set long term and short term goals. Write them down. Know your business by knowing marketing, sales, cleaning, hiring, training and all the other things associated with your business. In five years, which by the way will go by whether you are taking the time to improve or not, will be here before you know it. In five years you can build a tremendous income to take care of your family.

Ron Piscatelli

http://www.ijcsa.org


How to Start a Commercial Cleaning Business

How to Start a Cleaning Business


https://howtostartanllc.com/business-ideas/carpet-cleaning


How to Start a Window Washing Business

How to Start a Laundry Delivery Service

How to Start a Laundry and Dry Cleaning Business
This business, when it serves an active customer base, is very profitable. Revenues easily exceed$200 per day and costs are less than half of that. A small shop can make at least $30,000 in profit per year after paying all expenses. Many entrepreneurs have become very wealthy owning and operating multiple storefronts in this business.
How to Start a Post Construction Cleaning Business

How to Start a Pressure Washing Business

How to Start an Air Duct Cleaning Business

How to Start a Junk Removal Business

How to Start a Graffiti Removal Business

Starting a Chimney Sweep Business

How to Start a Pest Control Service

I live in the coastal region of North West Florida, our main industry is tourism, and there is a lot of money to be made in cleaning timeshares and condominiums. During spring break, the hotels are fully booked months in advance and stay booked for quite a while. It is very common for businesses in the hospitality industry to outsource the cleaning of their timeshares, condos, and rooms to independent contractors. There is a lot of money to be made by someone who knows what they are doing. “Clean and Grow Rich…” by Dallas Rivers is the perfect guide for someone looking to start their own cleaning business and make it profitable. The book covers important topics like writing proposals, submitting bids, and buying cleaning supplies at the best possible price. The book is written in an easy to understand style and should be considered a must have for anyone looking to break into the cleaning business.
Starting a dry cleaning business is a very profitable business to venture. If ran well, it has the possibility of making you very rich. Open this business near a plaza, a busy urban area, (very busy) must have easy parking, near office areas and so on. A free pick up and delivery service can boost your business even further than you think. Lot's of work with real high profits.
 

HustleHard

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
134%
Oct 2, 2016
88
118
39
How to offer elite cleaning services
If your goal is to offer high-end, elite cleaning services to a target audience of wealthy clients, do your market research. It is vital to prequalify your prospects. Spreading your marketing efforts out too broadly will dilute the results.



“Market research” sounds more complicated than it is. It means that you must figure out where the neighborhoods are that will welcome your services. Then, target these neighborhoods with your direct marketing.



How to find the right clients

Here is what not to do, which may run counter to your intuition or the advice of your friends. Do not run an ad in the local paper. Doing so will result in bringing you jobs that will make you want to run screaming. There is absolutely no prequalifying the customers who will respond to an ad in the paper, because anyone and everyone can get their hands on a local newspaper.



The two biggest nightmare cleaning-job experiences I ever stumbled across were the result of my placing an ad in the paper. Typically, the people who answer these ads are bargain shoppers in need of a once-a-year (or even less frequent) housecleaning. These are not the people who will turn out to be your loyal customers, as they plan to never call you back after that first (and last) dirty job.





Housecleaners should also avoid putting an ad in the Yellow Pages for the same reason, not to mention the ridiculously high cost. However, a company that is specializing in commercial cleaning might consider placing an ad in the Yellow Pages if it's within the budget.







Espionage

Find only the best prospects. How is this accomplished? By finding the first-class neighborhoods, not the economy class ones. This is easily done online by using real-estate focused websites such as Zillow and Trulia. Search your area by home values, and get maps and pictures of the neighborhood. In the old days we had to get in the car and cruise the whole area, using a map and a magic marker. Now it is so much easier to obtain a mental picture of the territory and a more accurate feel for the home values, just by cruising around the Internet. We think it is still a good idea for anyone who is going to market to the area to take a drive-thru, and see if there are any obstacles. Keep an eye out for physical signifiers such as a community gate, or “No soliciting” signs posted. Keep in mind that I had my best results in the "no soliciting" neighborhoods! Proceed at your own risk.





Messaging

Once you have mapped out your target-market neighborhoods, the next step is to prequalify the clients. Do this by crafting marketing materials that resonate only with a certain type of person. Housecleaners who take this important step have a much easier time growing their business in the beginning. We have written extensively about this on this website. It is all about how you language the content on your marketing material. You only want the people that resonate with your signals to respond. This will make your job a whole lot easier, the jobs will pay better, and you are more likely to actually like the clients you clean for. That's a plus, because it lightens the workload.





Giving bids

Once you have your optimized marketing materials, spread them around, and you are getting responses, it is best to give in-person bids directly on-location for each job. You will be taking detailed notes on the specifics of the tasks needed for the job and determining whether or not the client is a good fit for you. Most importantly, you will be sizing up what you think they are willing to pay. You need to look professional and act somewhat sophisticated. Keep small talk about the job. If you can help it, do not get into discussions about politics, religion or personal hobbies or anything of a personal, subjective nature. After all, you want to get the job. You aren't there to convince this person about your point of view on various world affairs.





Closing the deal

The hardest part is giving the bid amount and closing the deal. There is no magic formula to follow that will give you the same results each time. That is because people are involved, and people are unpredictable. You just have to get better at it with practice. Closing a sale is an art-science and with time, you improve at doing it successfully. Be firm, and willing to stick to your price range. You cannot get into a situation where you need every bid to go your way. That is unrealistic. The way to not worry about getting each job, is to generate far more interest in your services, through marketing, than you actually need. This is strictly a function of marketing scale. It is better to overcompensate on the exposure end and turn jobs down, or bid high and not get the job. The thing is, reducing your charge by $15 - 20 may not seem like a big deal, but if you did the job twice a month for three years, that reduction in price would be $1,440.



The trick to offering elite cleaning services for profit is in your persona. Look, act, and excel at the role you are playing. Make an effort to understand their world, and try not to project your own personal values onto your clients. The actual cleaning is the easy part and even if you are an outstanding cleaning professional, that will not make your cleaning business a success. The key to success is how you interact and communicate with the client. That has the biggest impact on your business.


March/April 2018201606/sheila-marikar/two-maids-and-a-mop.html

How This $5 Million Home Cleaning Startup Is Sweeping the Competition

Ron Holt got into residential cleaning in the early 2000s, when he saw a surge in demand that the mom-and-pop shops dominating the industry couldn't meet. The result was Two Maids & a Mop, his Birmingham, Alabama, startup. By making some decisions that were expensive at first--but which bore long-term fruit--this three-time Inc. 5000honoree brought in $4.7 million in revenue in 2014. Holt explains how his company has thrived.

1. Doing the right thing is smart business.
When Holt created Two Maids & a Mop, he was inexperienced in business building. He visited five noncompeting cleaning businesses to learn their secrets. He found that the majority of home-cleaning companies employed independent contractors. It would have been cheaper for him to hire cleaners this way too. But since owners can't require independent contractors to perform tasks in a specific manner, "I just couldn't envision any scenario that would allow me to control an employee's action by using that model," Holt says. So, he decided to make all staffers W-2 employees. He also learned that cleaning companies often make their workers pay for damage they cause--and many of them hide it as a result. Holt chose instead to let customers and staff know that the company, not the cleaner, will pick up the tab for damage. "I never wanted my employees to break something and not tell me," he says. He believes these policies have boosted his brand's value and enabled the decisions he subsequently made that helped grow revenue.

Takeaway--Competing on integrity can be as important as competing on price.

2. It pays to give employees a reason to be great.
Holt started Two Maids & a Mop in April 2003. One year later, he had almost burned through his initial capital and was worried about making payroll. The morale of his cleaners was low and turnover was high. Holt had been paying them hourly rates, with most starting at minimum wage. His attempts to motivate his 12-person staff using a corporate style of management weren't working. "I wanted a way to get our employees to care without being a police sergeant," he says. In May 2004, he came up with a pay-for-performance plan--cleaners would be compensated on the basis of how customers rated them on a scale from one to 10. A 10 gets an employee a better wage--above the industry average, says Holt. "A one is pretty close to minimum wage." He had to raise prices, but rewarding employeesfor doing the best job possible led to higher customer satisfaction and buoyed the business. "We were never really that much different from anyone else," Holt says. "Now, when we talk about the pay-for-performance plan, we're different. A lot of people hire us because of our plan."

Takeaway--Customers will pay more for higher quality. Give employees an incentive to provide it.

3. Keep it consistent at scale.
While customer satisfaction increased with the pay-for-performance plan, there were still discrepancies from one cleaning to the next. "There would be individuals who would go above and beyond with good intention, and someone else would come in and clean the normal way, and all of a sudden, the previous cleaning had become the standard," Holt says. Cleaning quality also declined in the afternoon, likely because of tired staffers. In 2008, Holt enlisted the help of Debbie Sardone, a Texas-based cleaning consultant. She spent a month observing the company's cleaners. With her, Two Maids & a Mop developed a 100-page, room-by-room guide on cleaning a home. Staffers are required to follow the formula (something that couldn't be required if they were independent contractors), which has resulted in a more consistent quality of service. "We're not perfect," Holt says, "but now it doesn't matter if you clean at 3 p.m. or 8 a.m., because the recipe tells you what to do."

Takeaway--Successful scaling requires giving your employees the tools and knowledge they need to excel.
 

HustleHard

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
134%
Oct 2, 2016
88
118
39
https://www.care.com (like thumbtack)
An Unusual Way to Make a Fortune With Service Businesses - Early To Rise(flipping business accounts )
QUICK START PROGRAM
The Mobile Dry Cleaning Business is a dynamic yet uncomplicated service business. It is a mature, time-tested, profitable business with a simple concept – pick-up and deliver drycleaning to busy individuals at their homes or offices.

The Mobile Dry Cleaning Business is the vehicle that can help make you rich. You are now your own boss. Accept that responsibility and you can reap many rewards: financially, personally, and socially.

How Katie Started a Million Dollar Cleaning Business


http://cleaningbusinesstoday.com/blog/can-you-make-a-million-bucks-in-the-house-cleaning-business


1. Know what you’re buying: The first step in reducing cleaning supply costs is to know and evaluate exactly what you are purchasing now. Some items are purchased that are not being used. You may also discover that you are purchasing more than one cleaning solution that is used for the same task. As we will discuss next, it is important to consolidate these items and minimize the number of items being purchased overall. That way you can keep better track of purchases.

2. Product consolidation: Traditionally, cleaning solutions were developed for a specific cleaning purpose. However, we now have many cleaning solutions that can multi-task. Eliminating all the “single task” cleaning solutions will not only help eliminate redundancies, which will result in a cost savings, but by selecting one product and purchasing it in larger quantities, you will likely be able to take advantage of rebates and product discounts.

3. Measure and monitor: Install an auto-dilution system and require all staff to use it each day. These systems offer many benefits but at the top of the list is reducing chemical waste. Related to this, track chemical and product usage. It is important to have a good idea of how much cleaning solution, for instance, is being used each week and how much is being purchased each month.

4. Buy large: We referenced this earlier but it is so important, will expand on it here. Always select cleaning solutions in large containers and quantities such as five-gallon containers or in cases. While this costs more initially, long-term the savings can be significant.

5. Check dilution ratios: Dilution ratios are listed on the label of professional cleaning products. This is important information that is often overlooked. If one general cleaner must be diluted at one part chemical and three parts water, and another general cleaner diluted at one part chemical and six parts water, then the second product will prove much more economical.

6. Group purchasing: For those residential cleaning companies already in the “millionaire bracket” or getting close, another opportunity materializes. They can take advantage of what are called group purchasing organizations that negotiate special pricing arrangements directly with manufacturers of janitorial products. In exchange for more and larger volume purchases, the manufacturer passes on product savings through your current janitorial distributor.

7. Compatible products: This might be more important for workers performing nightly janitorial work, but owners of residential cleaning should know that some janitorial chemical manufacturers engineer their products so that they work together. There is a chemical synergy among the products, which makes them all perform more effectively, which can reduce labor costs.

Finally, it is very important to keep an open mind when it comes to cleaning product selection. As I write this, many industry professionals are preparing for the upcoming ISSA tradeshow. I suggest going to the show and examining some of the new products, tools, and equipment being introduced. See if these new products may improve worker productivity, be safer and healthier to use, or reduce costs. And be sure to bring some of your staff directly involved in cleaning to the show as well. These are the folks that will be using these new products and you want them in on the buying decisions from the start.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Janitorial-Business-Marketing-Fundamentals&id=6309161


The Amazing Story of the Harlem Entrepreneur Who Built and Sold His First Business by Age 22


At the Brooklyn high rise, he developed a relationship with a resident who would change his life. The man, an ex-con, had served 18 years in prison before creating a multi-million dollar laundry service empire.

“He was sentenced at 19 years old. Out at 37. By the time I met him at 44, he was already a self-made millionaire because he understood the value of time,” Henry says.

https://themaidcoach.com/business-consulting/cbf/


https://www.maidtrainingacademy.com

maid training academy - Google Search

https://emyth.com

Success Stories: Ron Holt, Two Maids and A Mop

I loved the business and I knew that I needed to figure out a way to get our employees to love it too. After several mistakes, we created the now famous “Two Maids Pay For Performance Plan.” Today, feedback from our clients’ directly determines our employees’ compensation level. It’s a revolutionary concept because it places all of the power in the hands of the customer. Our clients love it because it proves that we’re serious about quality control. Our employees love it because it allows each of them to write their own paycheck. And I love it because our employees have some skin in the game.
CBT: You now have twelve locations throughout the southeast. How do you manage so many offices spread over such a large area?
RH: The company has grown at an exponential rate over the last three years. It has been fun and exciting, but also extremely educational. We learned early in our growth curve that we needed to systemize every single task inside our company. Everything from how to clean a tile floor to how to process a credit card is now documented and systemized so that the same thing occurs in each of our twelve locations. We also developed a stringent, full-day quality control audit that is conducted inside each office every two weeks. The audit is designed to diagnose issues and remedy them. We serve a very wide geographical area, but our systems management allows us to deliver the same service in Charlotte, North Carolina as we do in Pensacola, Florida.
Ron Holt Interview - Ten Minute Interviews

What inspired you to launch a cleaning business? Was there a particular void in the industry that you thought you could fill?

My goal was to start a business within an industry that exhibited the following characteristics: recurring revenue was a must, consumer demand had to be increasing and the industry needed to be resistant to technology. The search for the perfect business led me to the residential cleaning industry.

Today, recurring revenue comprises approximately 65% of our business, consumer demand has more than tripled over the last ten years and our industry is still very resistant to technological improvements. So, I’m excited to look back on my original thesis for investment and proudly proclaim that my thoughts were spot on. Hiring a house cleaner is no longer considered a luxury and the demand has promptly increased as a result. Plus, the nature of our trade implies that technology is not important. Over the past decade, we have created a business model that is comprised of more than 400 pages of systems that fully automates every segment of the business.

Was there a particular moment when you realized that the business had turned a corner and that it would be a success?

I’ve always assumed that everyone works hard in their job. So, I never really looked in the mirror and patted myself on the shoulder. But about six years ago, we were lucky enough to receive an award from an industry association called Cleaning For A Reason. The award allowed our company’s story to become more popular and more visible to other organizations and publications. Since then, we’ve been profiled in Entrepreneur Magazine, Success Magazine, Better Homes & Garden and Yahoo News. Even better, Inc. Magazine has recognized our company as one of the fastest-growing cleaning companies in America for the past two years. The awards and publicity feel good and it’s humbling for so many people to be attracted by our humble start to the business. And to think that it all started with one innocent industry award is pretty crazy!

How did you initially become involved with Cleaning For A Reason?

We are proud members of a charitable organization called Cleaning For A Reason. As members, we provide free cleaning services to women undergoing cancer treatment. It’s staggering to say this out loud but we are proud to say that we have provided nearly $300,000 in free cleaning services over the past six years.

My story is very similar to so many other people across the world. My father fought gastric cancer for several years before passing away three years ago. He was (and still is) my hero so my dedication to cancer charities became a clear focus for me and my family. My goal is for every cleaning service in America to provide a similar service to a cancer-stricken patient. A free cleaning cost very little for the company but provides so much value to the cancer patient. Can you imagine a day when every cancer patient doesn’t have to worry about menial tasks around the house? My hope is for that day to occur one day in the future.

https://smallbusinessonlinecommunit...ue-diligence-on-an-established-business-model

"I realized that the franchise system worked extremely hard to limit my success," recalls Holt. "I knew that I was going to be charged a royalty on all revenues, but I had no idea that so many other costs were going to be originating from the franchise home office.”



In compliance with rules, the franchisor mandated that all franchisees buy marketing materials from its home office. This edict also applied to cleaning and office supplies as well.



"Worst of all, there was a vague technology fee that the franchisor demanded for IT support," Holt explains. “It disturbed me because I truly wanted to live the life of an entrepreneur."



After paying a penalty fee, Holt backed out of the franchise agreement. He soon bought a small mom-and-pop cleaning shop that has since grown into Two Maids & A Mop, a thriving business with 12 locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Now comes the twist: Although Holt had vowed never to consider franchising his business, Two Maids & A Mop recently sold its first franchise in Tampa, Florida. Holt adds that more franchise deals are scheduled to be signed before year-end.



So what happened to convert this one-time franchise skeptic?



"I knew what was wrong with the house-cleaning franchising industry based on my early experiences,” he says. “But what if I could do things differently? What if I could set up the franchisee for success rather than for my maximum profit?"



By charging only royalties—and nothing else—to potential franchisees, Holt feels he's reinvented the franchise business model. Time will tell if this blueprint will be successful. But it's certainly an example of turning a negative franchise experience into a new way of operating. Consider these lessons before you sign on to become a franchisee:

http://cleaningforareason.org


http://cleaningbusinesstoday.com/blog/cause-marketing-can-lift-your-business-to-new-heights-1


I was at a networking meeting a few years ago, chatting and drinking coffee, when a woman hollered across the room, “Hey, Buckets & Bows Maid Service! I was just telling my neighbor about you.” I walked over, shook the woman’s hand and asked if we’d met before. “No,” she answered, “but I love your work with cancer patients!” Talk about front-of-mind-awareness! This woman had never even used my cleaning service, but here she was telling her neighbor about my company.

Cause marketing gets credit for that exchange, and for the many others like it that have followed. No company can pay for that level of veneration. No marketing or advertising budget – no matter how large – can create that type of customer enthusiasm. This kind of passionate, word-of-mouth recognition is the result of cause marketing.

Social Responsibility + Marketing
Cause marketing is the integration of social responsibility and marketing. Perhaps you’ve heard of the wildly successful national brand Toms. This company promises to donate a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. Cause marketing is at the very heart of the popular Toms brand. Among small locally-owned companies, however, cause marketing is a relatively new phenomenon. Smaller businesses typically promote heavily through traditional marketing and advertising channels such as email. This is a missed opportunity.

Cause marketing is one of the most affordable and effective ways to create and spread awareness of your brand and services. People don’t buy from strangers; they buy from those they know, like and trust. One powerful way for prospects and customers to “know and like” your business is to practice cause marketing. Do authentic good, and don’t let that good go unnoticed. Institute a solid “give-back” program that inspires you, your employees and customers. The Cleaning For A Reason foundation, which I founded to support women with cancer, is just one example of how businesses can incorporate a desire to make a difference into a smart branding and marketing strategy. What cause are you passionate about? Don’t be afraid to give your services away to those in need. It won’t break the bank if you take a level-headed approach.

A Powerful Marketing Channel
Once you have your plan in place, free publicity and community awareness will become an effective new marketing channel for your company. When leveraged with advertising, cause marketing can establish your leadership in the marketplace. A newsworthy program will get noticed by the media, especially if you are affiliated with a reputable nonprofit.
Our program is now so well known that we’re interviewed and profiled regularly. Last Saturday, I was flipping through the local paper and stumbled upon an article about my company. It was completely unsolicited, a pleasant surprise, and a perfect example of cause marketing at work. Before you send that next email blast, consider cause marketing. Doing good can do your business good, too.

Debbie Sardone is a cleaning business consultant and founder of the nonprofit Cleaning For A Reason. She owns a large maid service and works with small business owners to grow and improve their service. Click here for more information.

Perry Marshall - Adwords


https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/lead-gen-for-local-service-businesses.61148/ *

http://www.maidsinblack.com *

http://mymaidservice.net *

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/i-cut-employee-turnover-by-training-my-staff-to-leave-for-better-jobs/


After leaving an executive position at Procter and Gamble, I bought a small cleaning business called My Maid Service about three years ago. At the time, it had 16 staff, and annual revenues around $260,000.
It isn't that difficult to find people to come and work for my company. The trouble was getting them to stay. Very few people really want to be cleaners, and as a result, they'd leave for better jobs, or simply because they were sick of the work. So I decided to try a new incentive program: I'd help them find more prestigious positions if they committed to sticking with my company for two years.

http://cleaningbusinesstoday.com/blog/guerrilla-marketing-tip-18-use-door-hangers

http://cleaningbusinesstoday.com/blog/when-maid-services-go-virtual-and-on-demand

http://cleaningbusinessbuilders.com/programs/foundations * Foundations of Success Coaching

http://www.profitableventure.com/starting-a-cleaning-business/ *


http://www.profitableventure.com/starting-a-maid-service-business/

http://www.profitableventure.com/starting-a-waste-management-business/

https://www.sweetprocess.com/system...to-a-franchise-by-hiring-systems-consultants/

http://www.growmycleaningcompany.com/million-dollar-cleaning-business/

https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/public-relations

Publicity is more effective than advertising, for several reasons. First, publicity is far more cost-effective than advertising. Even if it is not free, your only expenses are generally phone calls and mailings to the media. Second, publicity has greater longevity than advertising. An article about your business will be remembered far longer than an ad.

Publicity also reaches a far wider audience than advertising generally does. Sometimes, your story might even be picked up by the national media, spreading the word about your business all over the country.

Finally, and most important, publicity has greater credibility with the public than does advertising. Readers feel that if an objective third party-a magazine, newspaper or radio reporter-is featuring your company, you must be doing something worthwhile.

https://www.maidtrainingacademy.com/classes Maid Training Academy

http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/how-to-make-money-picking-up-trash-parking-lots/
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

HustleHard

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
134%
Oct 2, 2016
88
118
39
How did you get your first cleaners without a steady stream of work? • r/EntrepreneurRideAlong


As the title says, how did you get your first cleaners without a steady stream of work? I'm unsure of how to start something like this if I don't have a steady stream of income for someone!
I believe most operate with contractors. So you only pay them for the jobs they work. If you’re trying to be an employer (which personally, as a person, I think is a better thing to do) then you need to either pay someone for not cleaning - or better, do free/cheap cleanings as a training or a sales pitch.
I just powered through it. I'd hire and then desperately try and get work. My first cleaner was cutting hair on her own part-time so she was flexible but as I filled the schedule, she moved to full-time.

Some companies lose cleaners at first because they don't get them enough work, then you'll scramble to hire but you figure it out. Some companies guarantee their employees hours and have them canvas neighborhoods with door hangers when they don't have jobs scheduled.

Work with a temp agency. Youd be wise to be on-site and work along side the temps to ensure good work but many labor agencies are begging for work that isn't big tough grunt work. I used to manage a day labor company. We always had ladies who weren't into doing construction work but wanted something indoors. Temp labor can get you over the hump and not expose you to workers comp and unemployment claims.

Hire part time employees :) Hire an outside commissioned sales person to get more work.

part time contractors, get enough work and do it yourself till you get a decent amount to sub out

Entrepreneur Ride Along • r/EntrepreneurRideAlong



Before thanksgiving I sent out an email to all the local mom blogs in the Phoenix Area. I got an overwhelmingly positive reply from most of them and cleaned a few for free in exchange for good reviews and publicity. It all seemed to be going well and we all had a good experience, but the bloggers never posted a review… but they have posted more content on their blogs and IG. I’ve been emailing them follow ups trying to get at least a response. After a week of emails, one of them finally responded and said she will put up a video review this weekend. Fingers crossed that she follows through and it’s a good review!

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I had put some more ads on craigslist to hire a team. I interviewed one team and they were clean cut people who seemed to be fit for the job. Today I had them do a paid trial clean in my home. They cleaned my kitchen and passed with flying colors. Now I am going to run a background check on them, and when that clears I will hire them on as employees.

More marketing I’ve done is sent out an email to 150 local real estate agents giving them a referral program. For every customer that they refer, the customer gets $20 off and the agent gets $20 credit for their own home cleaning. They can get as many credits as they can and get a free home cleaning. So far, I got one move out clean from this which was awesome! Hopefully I can send my new team to this home and start booking more customers!

Way back in my other life I cleaned apartments. The hard way. Hard experience taught me to work smarter, not harder. I found Lysol Power toilet bowl cleaner and it changed my life. It works on most kitchen and bath surfaces. Always check test spot, just in case cheap fixtures. I struggled with showers/tubs, faucets, and sinks, scrubbing by hand for hours. I found smearing a layer the Lysol Power(using gloves of course) let it sit a few mins, and rinse. That's it no scrubbing, all lime scale gone, all cracks are cleaned, all rusty stains are gone, and it took very little physical effort. Just make sure to keep it well ventilated! I found doing one at a time helped, if I did everything at once it could dry up on me and/or smell too strong. Also, paper towels! I found the cheapest thinnest crap brand and used that instead of cloth. No rinsing, no spreading germs/ bacteria, and a big time saver. I would get a couple(or more if very goopy job) wipe, fold, wipe, until full, then pitch in bag. I made up for any extra cost by saving so much time. It got to the point for smaller hard floors I used this method instead of a mop(gross hate mops). If course this is all before Swiffer, so I am really old! Anyway, good luck on your endeavor and keep work areas ventilated!

And to actually answer the question yes I bought supplies before starting. You're doing houses so it's slightly different than what I do but simple green works well on most things. We use zep in the showers and sinks. Pine sol/ mr clean for the floors (pick something that smells good) but simple green can work in a pinch. You might want to get some disposable gloves and some toilet bowl cleaner too. Rags are always needed. I'm not a big fan of mops I think they're gross and you need a bucket for them. I use a swifter but not swiffer pads because they're expensive, we use rags instead because they can be washed and re used.

Necrullz

1d
Start a local business. I started a cleaning business in Washington, D.C back in 2016, and now it's well on its way to 7 figures.

There is a HUGE amount of money to be made in local biz, and the startup costs can be less than $1k total. But hell, if you can put $3-5k/mo into marketing for it you could grow pretty damn fast.

It can be a lot of work at the beginning, or pretty passive if you hire a VA. I actually train and place VAs for local businesses, and they run the entire business for them and for my cleaning company. The VA acts as a manager and handles phones, teams, customers, email etc so the business owner literally just has to market and grow it.

I spend less than 10 minutes a DAY on my cleaning company now, and I live 11,000km away from DC now.

My point is this: You can start a local business, scale it, and then delegate everything along the way so you have a fantastic passive income source that is reliable and consistent every month, even if you somehow did lose your jobs.

And oh boy, you learn a lot too. It's honestly a the realest introduction to entrepreneurship.

Hope that helps get some ideas floating around your head!


Necrullz

1d
There are...literally 1000 other companies and cleaning service providers in the DMV area. But that shows how HUGE the demand is for cleaning service. House cleaning, AirBnB cleaning, property cleaning, apartment cleaning, student management cleaning...just a ton of people who need their places cleaned all the time.

And here's the thing: Most of those providers suck at marketing, suck at website design, suck at SEO, suck at Adwords, suck at Thumbtack, suck at EVERYTHING except actually doing the labour. So you can swoop in, get decent at those things and absolutely crush it with growth. Then turn around and offer those quality service providers a cut. They do the work, you take 40-50% and they take the other half.

InoVA Local **



I recommend finding a pool of reliable third-party contractors and then paying them 70% to 80% of what the job pays and then pocketing the difference. This is how all service-based businesses essentially work. Just make sure you hire great people!!!




2



Djesam

120d
We just find cleaners and pay them 60-70% of the job.




1




rektgod

119d
so you get 30% of the profit? where do you find your workers? (serious question) Pm if you want thanks




1





Djesam

119d
Our cut isn't entirely profit, but our expenses are pretty minimal. We post ads on indeed, Facebook groups, and our version of Craigslist. Sometimes we look for cleaning companies and reach out to them as well.



https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com window cleaning



Luke The Window Cleaner Luke the window cleaner



https://kopywritingkourse.com/powerwashing-flyers-copywriting-case-study/



Im the guy that started a window cleaning company overnight the last week of Jan here for another update. • r/Entrepreneur Good info in comments section


do_it_every_day


45d
Check out videos on YouTube by a guy called Luke the Window Cleaner. He has videos for technique as well as product reviews.

Join Power Wash Community Group on Facebook. This is the place that taught me almost everything that I know about Pressure Washing. You need at least a 4 GPM pressure washer but a 5.5 is much better.



leadrain86

45d
I have a friend in MO in the same business, he cleans all the car lots/cars here. He does very well. You might want to add that to your business (if you haven’t). He also started cleaning grill covers at restaurants and on the power washing side he just added two major airports.



http://automategrowsell.com * Great site

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiusbomb-com-quick-talk-podcast/id1061375545?mt=2#

https://housecallpro.com CRM

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.re...what_apps_do_you_use_daily_for_your_business/

When you answer the phone, tell customers you're going to get their information and then you can give them a quote, makes customers feel more comfortable.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Entreprene..._time/?utm_source=amp&utm_medium=comment_list


Yeah Razzly is on the right lines. So $500k revenue, after paying cleaners with GST it ends up being about 25%. So thats $125k gross profit. Advertising and other expenses is roughly $30-40k. Its $30k at the moment but I assume I will increase it with growth so that's where I am pulling $40k. That leaves $85k, I would take $50-70k and keep some meat in the biz.

I did not quit my engineering job to start cleaning... As Razzly says, the whole point of running your own business is to become time rich and stop trading your hours for dollars



Sounds like you're doing great online with SEO so far. I would also look into remarketing ads, the ROI from remarketing is even better than SEO.



How do you stop cleaners from trying to sneak some customers from you to do on the side for higher profit in their pockets?




2




EdClay


64d
You just need to provide value to your cleaners and treat them well. At the end of the day you will always get a few cleaners who do that, but it's pretty easy to tell as they get regular cancellations. 90+% of cleaning teams I have worked with are honest, and treating them well, fairly and with respect leads them to do the same back to you



https://www.reddit.com/user/EdClay



Necrullz

Jul 11, 2017, 8:47 AM
I own a virtual assistant agency for small and local businesses, so I an always interviewing and onboarding new VAs. Here's the basic outline of our process that I think should help:

-In general Upwork is a shitty place to find VAs. VA specific forums tend to have the highest quality workers, followed by facebook groups. Go to those two before even considering Upwork.

-Explicitly state actual tasks they will be doing and what the pay is. Don't F*ck around and be vague here, just get to the point and tell them EXACTLY what they will be doing and those who are good with it will present themselves.

-Ask those interested to comment + PM you their resume and more info about how their past experience relates to what you need.

-Pick 5-7 of those and coordinate a phone interview. This is an important step so many people are reluctant to do. Hop on the phone for 20-30 minutes and get to know them a little. Tell them about a typical day working with you.

-After the interview stage pick your top 1-2 and trial them for a week. Then pick the one you like the most, or hell, split the work between both of them.

*Don't forget to background check them!

That's the basic outline, ant questions just let me know mate, happy to help :)

But there's a guy in town who started a trash valet company for apartment complexes in town. I met him a few years ago. Apartment complexes get 25/month per tenant, not optional for tenants. He charges a flat fee per year contract. His footprint is huge here now. It's F*cking everywhere. Great idea.



http://inovalocal.com/blog/an-80-20...tems-start-delegating-in-your-local-business/ **

http://quicktalkpodcast.com/business-travel-world-live-dream-brandon-lazar/

http://automategrowsell.com/whale-fishing-landing-big-contracts/

http://www.overthinkassistants.com

https://www.serviceautopilot.com


http://www.launch27.com/podcast-episode-4-local-service-business-podcast-chats-diem-tran/

https://www.cleaningcashflow.com/about

https://quicktalkpodcast.com/elena-built-90000-per-month-maid-service-two-years/
 

HustleHard

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
134%
Oct 2, 2016
88
118
39
Great, how much of this have you implemented? Where are you actually at? Reading about how to make a multi million $ cleaning business doesn't mean having one.

Very true, I definitely need to just take action and start, I'm actually flipping washers and dryers at this time to build capital to get it going.

Appliance Flipping

Thanks for the kick in the rear end ;)
 

minivanman

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
265%
Mar 16, 2017
1,722
4,562
54
DFW
What capital does a person need to start a commercial cleaning business? I thought you already had accounts that you were working....?
 

dabelge

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
80%
Nov 22, 2011
44
35
Minneapolis
Commercial janitorial franchise.. Anyone doing this???

It most certainly is fastlane. I know of a gentleman that built a janitorial services company to just under $1billion in annual sales in under 10 years. He did it by buying other janitorial companies and rolling them into one. I've spent years as an Investment Banker, doing just want I described. Believe me, doing roll-ups is a VERY FASTLANE strategy. You can build massive wealth in under 5 years doing the above.
Cleaning Forum


cleanerr

207d
I used companies until i could find someone reputable.

Craigslist has companies advertising their services, you can send out a simple email saying.

"We're a premium service, we have an influx of clients, we'd pay higher than your rate, please let me know if you're interested"



GOLD! - Making Money For Dummies (And In a Crowded Market)



My Tips for Growing Your Business

How Tidy Casa Bootstrapped from $0 to $500k in 18 Months | Ep. 1 | Hidden Insights

How Brian Scudamore built a $150M empire with $700 and a pickup truck - with Brian Scudamore - Mixergy

Company History | Merry Maids

Our Story: About the Molly Maid Cleaning Service Franchise

Is window cleaning a good business to get into

THE GRIM SWEEPER – MAKING A KILLING IN CRIME SCENE CLEAN-UP

Behold, the grim sweeper | The Star

Janitorial Cleaning Business Facts and Overview

cleaning consultant and training materials

Cleaning Service Resources | Aromatherapy Naturals

How to Start a House Cleaning Business | Aromatherapy Naturals

Start a post-construction cleaning business | Backwoods Home Magazine

http://www.fatcatcleaner.com

https://www.cleaner.com

Should You Own Commercial, Residential, or BOTH Types of Cleaning Businesses?


https://www.myhousecleaningbiz.com


http://www.cleaningbusinessnow.com

is office cleaning profitable? (wholesale, debt, sales, lawyer) - Business -incorporation, advertising, financing, small business... - City-Data Forum

Question: most of the replies are from people that were self-employed or the people they know in this busines are self employed. All of which is not the same as owning a business.

Which do you want: A business or a job that you own.

For a business, it's very profitable. The profit margins are very high.

For a job that you own. You'll barely grow.

I know a guy, true story, that started a CLEANING BUSINESS back in 2002. He sold it for $400 million in 2012.

That's the difference between some one that starts a business and someone that does something "to keep food on the table". Both are not the same.

Source:
Me. I've spent years managing big cleaning companies at the Senior management level.
The business is great but volatile. What I mean is, as soon as your customer gets a itch, their going to scratch it. Meaning, customers can be very "dumb". They'll change a cleaning company contract out in the blink of an eye. You're in a commoditybusiness. There is nothing unique about the service.....having said that........

You'll definitely want not only a sales person but a well defined organization. Management team on down. Be honest with yourself as it relates to what YOU want your role to be.

You're right, it's all about volume. So if you're thinking in those terms, the worst way to grow is by way of internal growth i.e- your sales team.

The biggest and most successful cleaning companies that I know of, all got there the same way--acquisitions. They started small and once the foundation was laid, they went on non-stop buying sprees. Instead of slugging it out in the marketplace trying to "steal" market share, they bought market share. Essentially, they bought all of their competitors as well as synergistic companies.

That's how you get big. Buy your growth. Companies like Coke, Google and Amazon get big by acquisitions, not selling products.

You will not get big by sending out sales teams to land new contracts. That will get you to a certain point than after that, you have to focus on buying other companies. That's how you get to a point to where you cash out after 10 years and go do something else.

IF IT WERE ME:

If I were to "start" a cleaning business today here is what I would do.

I would offer a PPM (Private Placement Memorandum) Essentially, you quietly soliciting private investors for capital. Lot's a of S.E.C. regulations to follow to do this. Consult your local securities lawyer.

After I secured about $2-$3 million in my fund. I'd used the funds to make down payments for purchases of cleaning companies. I'd structure my deals so the cash flow from the business will service the debt payments but no more than 50% of cash flow.

I would keep doing that over and over until I built up a big cleaning company than sell it to a Private Equity Group.

Buy it, grow it, sell it, Rinse and repeat.

That's not the traditional advice you're going to get from MOST business folks.

There are just to many ways to do it. I'll be doing something similar but NOT in the cleaning industry.
Anyone that has aspirations of starting and building a business, please do not listen to the folks that say it can't be done, or you need prior experience. YOU DON'T.

You're only limited by your own thinking. Having been and currently in the trenches( looking for companies to buy), many of you have no idea what the possibilities are. The opportunities are unbelievable.

Focus on designing business systems and building assets that offer value( there are 15 core assets for a business to build). The by product is ever increasing profits. Most people get in backwards--Fire, Ready, Aim.

The problem is, the new entrepreneur get's held down by:

1-Listening to people that have no idea what they're talking about
2-People giving advice and they have NO experience
3-Not creating HIGH CALIBER connections and contacts
4-Using sweat equity and disposable income to build a business
5-Listening to "Haters" on a forum.
6-Not spending money on EXPERTISE. (trying to figure it all out on your own)
Cleaning can be quite profitable. It's so unglamorous, there's less competition. Nobody really wants to start a janitorial cleaning business, let's be honest.

Mom and pop sized yet still substantial cleaning businesses may be available for sale at reasonable P/E multiples. Think of all the soon to be retirees that need to sell. We aren't talking tech companies here. 2, 3, 4, 5x earnings maybe. That makes it possible to rapidly grow through acquisitions, if financing can be secured as others mentioned on here. Treat it just like a real estate or other cash flow investment business. The numbers on the spreadsheet are what's important. If they can add up to your advantage, with a large degree of safety it's worth doing. It doesn't matter if some of the money is made cleaning toilets, or polishing door knobs on Judge's offices. Money is all the same, what matters is that the cash flows won't just disappear.

Commercial janitorial franchise.. Anyone doing this???

It most certainly is fastlane. I know of a gentleman that built a janitorial services company to just under $1billion in annual sales in under 10 years. He did it by buying other janitorial companies and rolling them into one. I've spent years as an Investment Banker, doing just want I described. Believe me, doing roll-ups is a VERY FASTLANE strategy. You can build massive wealth in under 5 years doing the above.
If you were to come up with $800K("yours", investors or SPECIALIZED LENDERS), believe it or not, you could acquire a $100million/annual sales company. To answer your question. You'll use the profits from your "platform company" to reinvest in acquisitions. Buying 3-4 companies a year is not RAPID nor fast. That's what I like to call.... "about right".

Some Fortune 500 companies easily buy 12-15 companies a year. That's how MOST big companies become big. Google, Microsoft, Amazon....that's how they all get so massive. It's not purely demand for their products/services. ALL businesses have a plateau, ALL of them. You can only grow internally for so long. It's best to start off buying companies that way you don't hit your plateau to soon. There is a lot that goes on "behind the closed business door" that you'll never hear about unless you run in those business circles.

Most business books have people misdirected and confused about business and the way things are really done.

The least of concerns is the cash. There are dozens of ways to structure the deal to lessen capital outlay. DOZENS.

You can also raise private funding through private placements, etc.... I'll stop here because I could write an entire volume of books on buying companies.
The Official Website of Dan Pena. Founder of QLA Methodology | Dan Pena *

The King of High-Ticket Sales | Highest-Paid & Most-In-Demand Consultant | Dan Lok *
What's Your HVAC/Plumbing Business Worth?

How Ron Holt Systematized and Transformed his Home Cleaning Business into a Franchise by hiring Systems Consultants! - SweetProcess

Wondering how to franchise your business? Do you want your small mom and pop type business to turn into a multi-million dollar franchise? It can happen, but it’s next to impossible without systems. Most small business owners have dreams to grow and reach millions in annual revenues, but they’re so tied up in the day-to-day tasks that there is no time to focus on systems.

http://danlokinnercircle.com


How a sponge company became the biggest 'Shark Tank' success story, with over $50 million in sales
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ve-a-successful-entrepreneurial-premise.3056/


My advice to aspiring business owners is this: Quit looking around for money-making opportunities -- instead, look around outside of yourself, stop being selfish, and help your fellow man solve their problems.

If you can make 1,000,000 people achieve any of the following:

1) Make them feel better
2) Help them solve a problem
3) Educate them
4) Make them look better (health, nutrition, clothing, makeup)
5) Give them security (housing, safety, health)
6) Arise a positive emotion (love, happiness, laughter, self-confidence)
7) Satisfy appetites of all kind, from basic (food) to the risqué (sexual).
8) Make things easier
9) Enhance their dreams and give hope

Do any of the above and I can guarantee you this: You will be worth millions.

So, the next time you hear yourself trolling around for opportunities to make you money, sit back and ask yourself this ...

"What do I have to offer the world?"

Offer the world something of value and the money will be close behind.

http://cleaningbusinesstoday.com/blog/how-to-be-the-biggest-cleaning-business-in-town

You started with one location and today have two. What’s your process – your strategic leader thought process – when you’re considering “getting bigger” and what does that mean for you? To what do you attribute your fast growth?

SM: In 2008, two years after I booked my first cleaning job, I decided this should be a real business. I wasn’t cleaning any homes by then; I had hired part time people to help and had found my start-up resources: HouseCleaningBiz101.com, Debbie Sardone’s programs and ARCSI.
http://www.thelawofattraction.com/what-is-the-law-of-attraction/

Once we have come to understand the astounding possibilities that life has to offer us, we can also come to realize that we are like artists. We are creating pictures of our intended life and then making choices and taking actions that will realize what we envisaged.

So what if you don’t like the picture?

Change it!

Life is a blank canvas of possibility; you are in control of what the finished picture could look like.

The Law of Attraction really is that simple… no catches. All laws of nature are completely perfect and the Law of Attraction is no exception. No matter what you are looking to have or achieve or be in life, if you can hold onto an idea and see it for yourself in the mind’s eye, you can make it yours to have… with some effort on your part.

"If you were to come up with $800K("yours", investors or SPECIALIZED LENDERS), believe it or not, you could acquire a $100million/annual sales company."

Hmmm...I work for a company that does apx $100 million in sales and not sure how I could acquire it for less than 1% cash
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

momomaurice

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
232%
Apr 24, 2017
106
246
35
Ireland
Sounds great, let me know if you need any support. Happy to help any way I can.

Hey, I changed my mind from a maid service business to a power washing and window cleaning business. I am currently doing ok after 5 weeks up and running I am making 1000 to 1500 a week. Flyers are my main form of marketing but every week its a struggle to fill next weeks schedule. I am living on the edge every week to get new customers but I always seem to get there in the end, is this normal starting out and how can I improve it?
 

momomaurice

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
232%
Apr 24, 2017
106
246
35
Ireland
A lot of good info in this thread.
@momomaurice and @nzott How are things going?

I didnt do too bad considering I live in a small town and only started mid March. I made profit of about 1500 a week during May and June. But.. I hate it, it's after turning into a job. I dread the mornings getting up and power washing with shit flying in your face and being on top of ladders with the wind blowing ain't fun either. Plus exterior cleaning is seasonal depending where you live. So here in Ireland the winter sucks so bad you make no money and now we are actually having a great summer here and there is a water usage ban so now its affecting my business too. I feel like you don't have full control over a exterior cleaning business because it's very dependant on the weather and you can't control the weather. I learnt a lot from this business but I am already planning something else now.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

JLawrence

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
553%
May 9, 2016
51
282
I didnt do too bad considering I live in a small town and only started mid March. I made profit of about 1500 a week during May and June. But.. I hate it, it's after turning into a job. I dread the mornings getting up and power washing with sh*t flying in your face and being on top of ladders with the wind blowing ain't fun either. Plus exterior cleaning is seasonal depending where you live. So here in Ireland the winter sucks so bad you make no money and now we are actually having a great summer here and there is a water usage ban so now its affecting my business too. I feel like you don't have full control over a exterior cleaning business because it's very dependant on the weather and you can't control the weather. I learnt a lot from this business but I am already planning something else now.
It’s definitey not easy starting out, but the goal is to dig deep and get to the point where you’re generating enough business to keep yourself busy a few weeks out.

Once you’ve done that, hire someone to do the work for you and become a full time sales person for your business.

Once you’re nearing full capacity with your hired guy, hire another and work to keep him busy as well.

Eventually you hire a sales person to handle that aspect as well and become the manager of it all.
 

JLawrence

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
553%
May 9, 2016
51
282
A lot of good info in this thread.
@momomaurice and @nzott How are things going?
Spring and Summer makes us looks good. Business is growing and holding steady. Last 4 months averaged 17K per month.

Everything is steady in regards to marketing and sales. Haven’t changed much. Just continuing to allow organic to slowly build.

Spending a ton of time on other endeavors, so I spend maybe 2 hours on the business total each week. 1 hour is a weekly networking group. The other is the few times my VA calls to ask a question or input from me. Otherwise, I’m hands off.
 

Blank

New Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
43%
Mar 30, 2018
7
3
OH
Spring and Summer makes us looks good. Business is growing and holding steady. Last 4 months averaged 17K per month.

Everything is steady in regards to marketing and sales. Haven’t changed much. Just continuing to allow organic to slowly build.

Spending a ton of time on other endeavors, so I spend maybe 2 hours on the business total each week. 1 hour is a weekly networking group. The other is the few times my VA calls to ask a question or input from me. Otherwise, I’m hands off.

That's good to hear! Thanks for the update!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Blank

New Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
43%
Mar 30, 2018
7
3
OH
I didnt do too bad considering I live in a small town and only started mid March. I made profit of about 1500 a week during May and June. But.. I hate it, it's after turning into a job. I dread the mornings getting up and power washing with sh*t flying in your face and being on top of ladders with the wind blowing ain't fun either. Plus exterior cleaning is seasonal depending where you live. So here in Ireland the winter sucks so bad you make no money and now we are actually having a great summer here and there is a water usage ban so now its affecting my business too. I feel like you don't have full control over a exterior cleaning business because it's very dependant on the weather and you can't control the weather. I learnt a lot from this business but I am already planning something else now.

I definitely know the struggles. I started a side gig pressure washing about 6 years ago, I enjoy the work and it can be lucrative but as you mentioned it’s weather dependent. I ended up getting sucked back into the corporate world and only wash occasionally for friends and family.

I’ve been working on rebooting the business but I’m adding other services (interior cleaning) so that I can keep things going all year round. I figure if I can get some reoccurring interior cleaning clients then I can start selling higher margin things to them like pressure washing.
 

minivanman

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
265%
Mar 16, 2017
1,722
4,562
54
DFW
Add on window cleaning. It might be a cold job but it can be done when it's freezing.

FYI.... do not use warm water. 50% cool water, 50% rubbing alcohol and Dawn dish soap.
 

Boo

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
290%
Jul 6, 2018
93
270
Hey @nzott I've read through this thread a couple times now and it's been incredibly helpful, thanks for posting such detailed updates and giving advice to others. I wanted to ask a few questions and if you get a few minutes to answer I'd appreciate it, but I'm sure you're busy so no pressure.

1. Do you physically hand supplies to your cleaners or do they purchase supplies themselves and then you reimburse the cost?

2. Do cleaners come to an office each morning before heading off to their first job, or drive straight to the first client?

3. Do cleaners work in teams or solo? If they work in teams, how do they both get into the same vehicle - do they pick each other up from home or meet at an office first?

The main issue I'm having at the moment is designing the logistics so that it's less time-consuming for me but also simple for the cleaners to reduce employee turnover. Thanks Nzott!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

JLawrence

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
553%
May 9, 2016
51
282
Hey @nzott I've read through this thread a couple times now and it's been incredibly helpful, thanks for posting such detailed updates and giving advice to others. I wanted to ask a few questions and if you get a few minutes to answer I'd appreciate it, but I'm sure you're busy so no pressure.

1. Do you physically hand supplies to your cleaners or do they purchase supplies themselves and then you reimburse the cost?

2. Do cleaners come to an office each morning before heading off to their first job, or drive straight to the first client?

3. Do cleaners work in teams or solo? If they work in teams, how do they both get into the same vehicle - do they pick each other up from home or meet at an office first?

The main issue I'm having at the moment is designing the logistics so that it's less time-consuming for me but also simple for the cleaners to reduce employee turnover. Thanks Nzott!
1. Do you physically hand supplies to your cleaners or do they purchase supplies themselves and then you reimburse the cost?
Neither. Cleaning teams purchase their own supplies and cover the cost. It has to be this way for them to be considered Independent Contractors.

Some companies have a home office where they keep items stocked. Cleaners arrive in the morning, take what they need, return items at end of day.

2. Do cleaners come to an office each morning before heading off to their first job, or drive straight to the first client?
Head straight to the job. I don't have an office or central location.

3. Do cleaners work in teams or solo? If they work in teams, how do they both get into the same vehicle - do they pick each other up from home or meet at an office first?
Most are teams of 2. I've had a few solo people, but prefer teams. I've always hired people in pairs. Family members, Husband/Wife, Mother/Daughter, etc. It's required that one has a vehicle in order to become one of our teams.

***********************
Don't overthink it. Post an ad on Craigslist offering cleaning at $20/hour per cleaner. Post 5 more like it throughout the day. Field the one or two calls you get from this and get a job scheduled for tomorrow. Head to the Craigslist jobs section and post an ad hiring cleaning teams for $30/hour. Field the 20 calls you'll get in the next hour and hire a team. Text them the job info.

Team shows up tomorrow morning. Team Cleans for 3 Hours, makes $90 (They are $90 richer than they were last night, they love you). Customer pays you $120 (Feels like they got a bargain since all the "professional" services were quoting 3x that price). You keep $30 (and sit in your boxers all day).

Do this for weeks/months straight. Slowly build a base of recurring clients. Start to ratchet up your prices. Rinse, repeat.

Before long you'll be able to pay someone else to sit in their boxers all day while you go work on something else while your little business grows.


Point is, cross the bridge when it comes.
 

dawp

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
106%
Oct 23, 2017
35
37
30
I love this post!
It inspired me to start my own local business. Currently i am on the stage of finishing and improving the website/landing page

@nzott I see your website converted 3-4% on the begining. Have you improved thatsince then? Have you reached 5%? Any tips on website conversion?
 

minivanman

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
265%
Mar 16, 2017
1,722
4,562
54
DFW
I love this post!
It inspired me to start my own local business. Currently i am on the stage of finishing and improving the website/landing page

@nzott I see your website converted 3-4% on the begining. Have you improved thatsince then? Have you reached 5%? Any tips on website conversion?

Have you started yet?
 

dawp

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
106%
Oct 23, 2017
35
37
30
@minivanman
I did!
I created a website (took several days) and run some adwords for few days. After spending around $100 and not geting any bookings I noticed I need to improve my conversion rate on the website (add some trust elements, give service for free to get some reviews, improve copy)
So now i am 50% done with the changes and i will start again with another $100 trying to get at least one booking.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

minivanman

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
265%
Mar 16, 2017
1,722
4,562
54
DFW
Now, I do not know anything about where I'm about to send you. I was in the cleaning business for several years so I still kind of keep up with things.... maybe this will help, maybe it won't. You make the call but always be alert for a scam. I'm always on high alert. If you have Facebook, go to Launch27. If you don't have Facebook, they have a website but I was thinking you might get some FREE help from Facebook. Free is always the best!

I didn't want to adapt to today's model of getting customers and that is why I no longer have any of the cleaning businesses.
 

IceCreamKid

With Great Power Comes Great Electricity Bill
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
2,188%
Jun 8, 2010
939
20,542
California
I created a website (took several days) and run some adwords for few days.
You need to spend more in order to get statistically significant data. Also be aware that with advertising in this industry if you're getting $4 back for every $1 spent then you're doing fantastic.

There are methods to get $20 back for every $1 spent via partnerships, but it requires a fair amount of effort and skill to get them.
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top