You CAN'T Start a Business for $100...Don't Believe the Hype - Page 3 - Cleaning Talk - Professional Cleaning and Restoration Forum

TailoredMaid · 02-19-2008, 09:00 AM

Regarding #4:

I am not afraid to say that I am certain you are speaking of me in this paragraph.

I would like to correct what you've said here. My exact words were:

Honestly, Cat…I wish you would not get so worked up over the free (and tried and true!) advice you’ve been given. We do want to see you succeed but are truly in disbelief that you are doing it with no intent on being in the field and expect a smooth operation. I give you three days upon opening your doors before a major problem sets in. I have confidence in you, trust me…but mark my words that it won’t be as easy as you think!

I don't know how one email explaining to be ready for anything could have offended you so greatly. I do apologize, but you were only given advice and I am sorry that you took offense so greatly to it.

I based my advice on many factors, one of which is that your techs didn't know the "top to bottom, left to right" method. You indicated that they both had previous experience but didn't know this simple method of cleaning. Unteaching bad habits is difficult, and if you are not there to "see" it in action, they perpetuate.

I never said it happened to me in my first week (ie. based on my own experience and due to poor planning), as you have indicated in your post. It happened much later, and it happens to everyone. Even the best planning cannot make up for the unexpected. We, as service owners, know this. Things happen.

Torrey

**t.peterson** · 02-19-2008, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat

T, I think I'll write a book. LOL!

LOL, you do have a writers flair for words

I am glad that it is going so well. You learned a huge lesson with the one about other peoples negativity.

keep up the good work

TailoredMaid · 02-19-2008, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t.peterson

LOL, you do have a writers flair for words

I am glad that it is going so well. You learned a huge lesson with the one about other peoples negativity.

keep up the good work

I didn't realize that I was being negative. Just realistic. My bad.

Torrey

**t.peterson** · 02-19-2008, 11:03 AM

I missed your post Torrey (being on the next page) before I made my own. I personally was not referring to you, I do know of another poster on another board that Cat and I have spoken about in Personal messages that was specifically negative to her.

suzikg · 02-19-2008, 03:14 PM

WOW!

Wish I had kept up with this thread from the beginning. My head is spinning.

You most definitely CAN start a legit residential cleaning business without sinking thousands of dollars into the start-up. Basic licensing, general liability insurance (billed monthly) are a given. Workman's comp is necessary here IF working with contractors/builders on post-construction but not necessary if you are a solo cleaner. Bonding is not expensive but also not necessary to begin with as a solo.

My initial cost for business cards to hand out & for flyers placed in strategic locations were less than $30 (my daughter and I designed them and printed them out & they were very professionally done), no high-dollar lawyers or accountant consultation fees were necessary to get my business off the ground. The SBA has free resources

the heck with paying someone to advise you when their professionals will help you at no cost.

My very first clients & several realtors (I placed my business cards and flyers on the realty office BB's and at our local Gold's gym daycare bulletin board) have been my advertising. All of my initial clients/contacts (almost 2 years ago in April) have referred me to others and I've not had to set up a website or market further. Everything has been word of mouth since I started the business.

If I had waited to accrue $6 to 10K to start this business, I would still be poor. Spent a couple of months on the edge not knowing whether it would fly but if you get your ducks in a row from the onset and KNOW where to market locally you CAN do it for between $100-$200. I did it and encourage anyone reading this to go for it!

Do your homework. Contact your local/state licensing boards, check out your Small Business Association (SBA) folks & decide what you need to start out with as far as supplies... basic things even when going for post-construction accounts...not much else needed for PCC cleans as opposed to resi. BTDT.

just my 2 cents worth

suzi g

PressurePros · 02-19-2008, 05:02 PM

As much as one can dislike negativity and I do dislike it..

The perky, "walkin' on sunshine" crowd .......... :X

**t.peterson** · 02-19-2008, 09:04 PM

:X ? Are you kissing em PressurePros? or did you mean

? LOL

ClnUpWoman · 02-19-2008, 09:28 PM

Cat, that's awesome!

PressurePros · 02-20-2008, 12:08 AM

t.. means I better keep my mouth shut while I am ahead

Cat · 02-22-2008, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t.peterson

I missed your post Torrey (being on the next page) before I made my own. I personally was not referring to you, I do know of another poster on another board that Cat and I have spoken about in Personal messages that was specifically negative to her.

Thanks, T. I'm not even going to get into that. I'm doing too well and am on CLOUD NINE!

People are free to meditate on negativity and if I'm walking on sunshine, who have I hurt in doing so? I'd much rather walk on sunshine than a pile of dung.

Cat · 02-22-2008, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClnUpWoman

Cat, that's awesome!

Thanks, ClnUpWoman.

Stay away from the "boo birds". Determine what you want to do and DO IT!

Feel free at any time to contact me if you need any POSITIVE, uplifting, encouraging advice. I officially don't open until March but my phones are ringing off the hook.

Don't tell me what God can't do!

I'm about to write a post about not lowering your prices. Check it out.

Cat · 02-22-2008, 08:42 AM

TailoredMaid said,

I based my advice on many factors, one of which is that your techs didn't know the "top to bottom, left to right" method. You indicated that they both had previous experience but didn't know this simple method of cleaning. Unteaching bad habits is difficult, and if you are not there to "see" it in action, they perpetuate.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting! NEVER have I said that I would not be on various jobs to supervise my workers. NOT ONCE. I said that I am not going to clean and I mean that. I don't clean. I supervise. I've hired two workers to clean. And I pay them very well to clean. Cleaning is their expertise area.

In fact, I have been on every job with my workers to date. Every job. Because I still work part time on my "other job", and because it will be at least 6 months before I totally give up my other job, it won't be humanly possible for me to be on every job they do. And I've seen them first hand so I won't need to be on every job they do.

As professionals (which they are) something would be wrong if they needed me breathing down their necks on every job anyway. I respect my ladies as professionals and will do so until they show me otherwise.

What I WILL do is personally call every new client in situations where I cannot be there. I do want to touch base with every new client. Plus they fill in "reports cards" anyway.

Regarding "top to bottom cleaning". One of the women I hired used to be my personal cleaning lady. She always started on the first floor and ended upstairs.

She is the BEST cleaner I've ever had and in fact, cleaned my home spotlessly for three years straight until she quit that job (they refused to ever give her a raise and her husband told her to get out of there).

The fact that she did not clean "from top to bottom" meant zero. What DID mean something was the superb job she did.

Final TIP for my lurkers.

Don't get caught up in "legalism". Your workers can work from top to bottom OR they can work from bottom to top. You may even have some working upstairs while others work downstairs simultaneously. It's YOUR business. Run it YOUR way.

What counts is the end result! A superbly cleaned home

Check this out. On the job that my ladies cleaned a couple of days ago, we arrived at the house at 8:00 a.m as agreed upon. The owner was asleep. We banged and rang the door bell and she came to the door in her pajamas.

Guess what we HAD to do? The cleaning techs HAD to start cleaning the first floor first because the folks upstairs were just waking up and were using the bathrooms, getting dressed and so on and so forth.

It would have been highly inappropriate to go up those stairs with a family trying to get dressed!

After they completed the first floor, they went upstairs (family was gone by then) and cleaned that floor.

The home owner was so impressed with the superb cleaning job, that she told me that she is going to give us a "write up" on a community list she belongs to!

Did they clean "from top to bottom"? No. They cleaned from bottom to top and still got the job done in 3 hours and still left it spotless. That will also happen sometimes in your business.

Okay?

Whew!

Alright....back to positive thinking, ya'll

Pressure Cleaning · 02-22-2008, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PressurePros

Who is"we"?

With your proclaimed academic discipline and stature I am surprised that you didn’t realize that “we” represents organization. However, if you weren’t so intent on trying to find the negative you would probably find that I or “we”, Is far more equitable…… less assumption and more research. Some are limited to economics ("yes") the child of sociology. So when it comes to your mind and mine I'm your daddy.

PressurePros · 02-22-2008, 03:37 PM

Cool. Me, myself and I.. we agree.

TailoredMaid · 02-22-2008, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Final TIP for my lurkers.

You mean there are fan clubs here? I didn't realize I might have the opportunity to have my very own lurkers...or....are they reserved for just one poster right now?

Cat · 02-23-2008, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TailoredMaid

You mean there are fan clubs here? I didn't realize I might have the opportunity to have my very own lurkers...or....are they reserved for just one poster right now?

Even when I was in elementary school, I was wise enough as a little girl to avoid petty, catty school girl gripes and bullying, so I certainly won't engage in it as a grown woman. I'd rather stay on the straight and narrow road of positivity and happiness.

Therefore, I won't join in with you. You are on your own, ma'am. Have fun all by yourself.

Cat · 02-23-2008, 06:55 AM

Bringing this thread back to positivity....

Another tip for my lurkers:

I just learned a "trick" that some folks use when they are trying to avoid paying you for the initial, "deep cleaning", which is always more expensive than maintenance cleanings.

1. The person will call or email you with square footage and information about their home.

2. You give a "rough" estimate and explain that once you see the home, you can seal the estimate.

3. The person then will contact you and say...."Uh, well I don't really need a deep cleaning. The house is pretty clean. I just need the maintenance cleaning".

Okay, if that happens to you, explain to the person that you will need to see the home for yourself to determine if it meets your company's standards as being clean enough to qualify as a maintenance case.

Explain that if it does not meet standard, your company would have to deep clean it and charge for all the hours it takes to thoroughly deep clean a home.

You will find that some people want to "nickel and dime" you and if you engage in that, you will not earn a profit.

I often speak of Debbie Sardone and it's because she is soooooo positive and uplifting and encouraging and she owns a successful company in Texas. She gave some advice that I took to heart and will share with you.

Debbie said that some potential clients are "Price Only" clients. In other words, they are less interested in quality of work as they are in trying to get the price down, basically to slave wages if possible.

They don't care about the hard labor and hours that go into thoroughly cleaning a home. They don't care that you have a payroll to meet. They don't care that you have have to pay various fees to keep the business running and they don't care that your supplies and materials are costly to maintain. All they care about is price.

She said that you should not spend a great deal of time trying to woo or talk a "price only" client into becoming a customer. Be polite to them. But don't negotiate your prices. You know what the labor is worth. Stick with it!

ClnUpWoman · 02-23-2008, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat

Thanks, ClnUpWoman.

Don't tell me what God can't do!

All things are possible with God. He's my FAVORITE!

ClnUpWoman · 02-23-2008, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat

Did they clean "from top to bottom"? No. They cleaned from bottom to top and still got the job done in 3 hours and still left it spotless. That will also happen sometimes in your business.

I change up how I clean all the time. Lately I do the downstairs first,then go upstairs. It's something about coming downstairs, and knowing it's all done. I can just walk out the door. Weird, but it keeps it interesting.

Sometimes I'll do all the dusting, up and down - and then start the wet work. It all just depends on how I'm feeling. Now when I hire, I will definitely train them top to bottom, back to front, left to right. Realizing, though, especially when a client is home, we have to start sometimes the oppposite of how we're trained.

TailoredMaid · 02-23-2008, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat

Even when I was in elementary school, I was wise enough as a little girl to avoid petty, catty school girl gripes and bullying, so I certainly won't engage in it as a grown woman. I'd rather stay on the straight and narrow road of positivity and happiness.

Therefore, I won't join in with you. You are on your own, ma'am. Have fun all by yourself.

Just pointing out that the audience we have is for everyone. I don't profess to have anyone that is "mine" here. That's very condescending to the readers and certainly not part of my communication factor. We are all here to help, and have the courtesy to not take ownership or superiority over another.

Cat, we ALL have lurkers if we post. Correct?