How to start a cleaning business

Starting a cleaning business

Cleaning businesses come in all shapes and sizes, from an individual setting up as a self-employed cleaner, through to a business that sends a team of cleaners out every day to support private or business clients.

The first question to ask yourself, then, is what kind of cleaning business start up you want to   create.

If you want to start small and work on a self-employed basis, it’s really a question of marketing your services to potential clients. Many cleaners achieve this by creating a business page on Facebook, dropping leaflets through doors or placing an ad with a local shop.

Many successful cleaning businesses start this way. You can either remain a small business or seek to take on additional colleagues and expand, depending on the demand in your area – and how ambitious you are!

Taking on a cleaning franchise

If you’re less interested in doing the cleaning yourself but want to help people in your area find reliable cleaners that meet high standards, then another option is franchising.

There are many successful cleaning franchises in the UK. While it’s perfectly possible to start a cleaning business from scratch, with a franchise you are supported all the way.

By paying for a franchise licence, you’re buying a tried and tested business model, with coaching and support from the franchisee. This approach is popular with working parents, as they feel that this is a way to start a business with less risk of failure.

There are many cleaning businesses for sale at any given time – check here for some of the opportunities on offer in the workingmums.co.uk franchise directory.

Part-time or full-time cleaning businesses

Cleaning businesses work well for parents as they are suitable to be run from home, providing good flexibility around the family.

Whether you are cleaning homes yourself or managing a team of cleaners, you can plan your workload to suit your needs – working full time or part time as required.

How much money do I need to start a cleaning business?

A small cleaning business isn’t expensive to start up, especially if you are willing to do the cleaning yourself. Your main costs will be cleaning equipment and marketing – and if you set yourself a clear budget at the beginning you can avoid overstretching yourself.

Taking on a cleaning franchise is a more expensive approach, because you are investing in a more established business that is in turn likely to generate more income. Costs do vary depending on the scale and structure of the business, from a couple of thousands to up to £15,000. Most cleaning franchise opportunities are set up so you don’t clean yourself, but manage a team of cleaners.

Things to consider

There are a few things to be clear about before you set up your own cleaning business. Make sure you’re realistic about the time you have available to devote to the company, and that you have enough money saved up to get you through the first few months while the business takes off.

You should also talk to a financial advisor about how to manage your business costs, the payments you receive and any insurance you might need before you launch.

Finally, you need a clear idea about how you will find your clients and how you can stand out against other local cleaners.

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