I'm looking to start a cleaning business in Illinois, and I'm having a hard time finding out what I need. I don't have any experience in starting a business and am feeling a little overwhelmed. Can anyone help with some suggestions of where to look to find out what I need to start? I'm going to be doing mostly residential, possibly some cleaning for real estate agents. Any help is much appreciated! Thank you in advance!!!

tickle

Start with a business plan, list of materials, if you have any idea how long each job will take, then the hours involved. Your fee will be at an hourly rate so you will have to know how long it will take to clean say a 2500 sq. ft office area and just how much they want you to do. You will have top be bonded (yes bonded) that means going for a police check which isnt a big deal if you have never been convicted. Trustworthiness is a major factor in doing residential and office cleaning where valuables, safes are concerned.

Visit your community small business website and maybe they have suggestions as well.

This is one business opportunity that most people think is going to be really easy to accomplish. You say, well i keep my own place clean, I can keep someone elses as well. It isnt all that easy and I am not trying to discourage you. These are the facts.

I have worked for residential cleaning companies and I assure you it isnt all that easy especially when you boss has promised and YOU HAVE TO DELIVER. If it isnt delivered then you have to go back and do it all over again FREE !!

I wish you good luck, just get all your 'ducks in a row' first !

Jupiterjk

Thanks very much! I appreciate your time.

Clough

In addition to the good suggestions above, you might also want to consider the following information.

This list is not meant to be complete. All of these suggestions are just general guidelines meant for a start to give you some ideas. For more detail, please ask about specifics.

1. Make sure that you know how to clean various types of surfaces correctly using the proper cleaning agents for each and knowing how to safely handle any of the cleaning agents.

2. Contact city officials to see if you are required to have any sort of license. Also, ask them if you are required to be bonded. Neither is a requirement where I live. I live in Rock Island, Illinois.

3. Get liability insurance. This is a must have. If you go to an insurance place that has many carriers you are more likely to find insurance that is the best coverage possible for the price you can afford. Some real estate firms have also gone into the insurance business. They are likely to have many carriers. If you are going to have any people working for you, then you are going to have to pay workmen's comp insurance. So, I would speak with the insurance agent as to whether or not you are going to have any employees.

4. Consider having a contract ready to protect yourself and to insure that you will be working for a specific length of time as in a number of months or a year. Also, it can spelled out in a contract as to whom is supposed to supply the tools and supplies needed for the cleaning.

5. Not every place that you work will have or be willing to supply the things that you will need to clean. Having a small truck, van or station wagon is a good thing to have because you are going to need to haul around everything that you might need. If you get into cleaning and maintenance of hard floor surfaces, you may need to haul around something like a buffer.

6. Check to see what others in the same vicinity are charging for their services. Consider charging a little less than they do so that you can give the customers a better price.

7. Although not absolutely necessary, you might want to get listed in the Yellow Pages of a phone book. Choose a name for your business that would end up being towards the beginning of the alphabet, such as "Absolute Cleaning Service." I like to use a word such as absolute, rather than AA of AAA because I think that it says a little more about my service being something near the "top of the line" as far as the service I am providing.

8. Have business cards printed or print them yourself. If you design them yourself, then you will have more freedom of the designs that you can use. You don't need 500 business cards. There is plenty of free, in the public domain clip-art available on the Internet to jazz up your business cards. Always carry your business cards with you and bring up your business in casual conversation.

9. In case you may want to get some free advertising for your business, please read the following:

Advertising on the Internet does not have to cost a cent. I have been doing it for over two years. I have hundreds of ads on the Internet. They are all free. I get the most results from my Internet advertising. More so than from my Yellow Page ads in the local phone book. Although, ads in the Yellow Pages are still a good idea because of some people who do not have a computer, or if they do have a computer, are not on the Internet. The Yellow Pages are probably the first place that most people are going to look for services in their local area.

If you do a Google search for Clough Quad Cities, then you will find ads for my various businesses dominating the first three or four pages in the search. Do a search for the what I do, leave out my name, and you will still get the same result. All of these ads are free. If you take a look at how I have worded them, then you will get an idea how you could word yours, if advertising on the Internet is something in which you are interested.

10. Hang your small "shingle" (advertising flyer) out wherever you see a public bulletin board where business advertising can be placed. Grocery stores, quick mart type places, bowling alleys, Laundromats, etc.

11. Here is a short list of possible supplies. I'm sure that others could be added to it. Rubber or latex gloves, goggles, a respirator, (I'm serious about this one. If anyone knows what it's like to clean the inside of an enclosed shower stall with not much air flowing around while using a nasty-smelling cleaner, then I'm sure that you know what I mean.), small and large brooms of various kinds, dust pans, mops, [various cleaners abrasive and non-abrasive and also shining type products for wood, various metals, marble, enamel and other painted surfaces, vinyl, etc.] scrubbing/scouring pads and brushes, rags and paper towels, a step-stool, a shop-vac and a stand-up type of vacuum, squeegees for windows, etc.

12. What really does matter is your reputation and the references that you have. And, I don't necessarily mean references geared exclusively to what you have done in your cleaning business. Do an excellent job for someone, and the word will spread. Ask customers if you may use them as a reference.

HBF

try reading the following article: Start Your Own Cleaning Business. This is a step by step guide to starting up.

Good luck!

Clough

The information on the link referenced above is excellent.

RichardBondMan

All of the above are great ideas, especially the liability insurance and a marketing plan. Without customers of course, you have nothing but a plan and you must act on it. As to the bond, I know of know city, county, state that requires you to post a "bond". There are two, three types of bonds, surety and fidelity and a third type that has sort of been "manuscriipted" by insurance, bonding companies for those companies who have a need to be on the premises of others or have custody and control of others property. I have never know of a janitorial service to have to post a surety bond with any govt entity but if you have other employees that handle your money or assets, you may want to protect yourself against dishonest acts that directly cause you a loss of your assets. The 3rd type of bond is not required by any govt entity either, rather some of your customers may want proof that your company's employees are "bonded" for dishonest acts that cause them a loss. This type of bond usually contains a "conviction" rider than simply means your customer cannot simply accuse one of your employee of a dishonest act, rather they must persue their accusation by seeking a conviction thru a court of law. You do not visit a police station to get bonded.

Clough

I am glad that you are a member of this site. Especially for being able to clear up any bonding issues and questions that arise.