I am considering starting a cleaning business. Any tips and tricks? Good advice? How much do you need to start off with if you want to start by just hiring people and not actually clean yourself? Also, what about starting off with a franchise like jani king to learn the ins and outs of the business then eventually going on my own? Opinion please!

Hmm... well, I think you DO need to do some of the cleaning yourself, just so you know how things get cleaned and the right way to do things. Only then will you be capable of supervising employees. Cleaning well is kinid of a passion, it isnt just a way to earn money...unless you dont care about pleasing your customers!

Its up to you how you wan to do things. Me, I would (and did) choose to clean myself, because thats the only way I know I can GUARANTEE results. This has paid off, over time.

Thats a cool idea. Seek suggestions of people who have already started such business. It may help you.

Thanks for joining this forum. Of course, it is a nice idea. Starting your own business is very exciting. Nice to meet you in this professional platform. For start-up any successful business whether small or big, passion and planning is very important as it is a key to your successful future. As the number one supplier of commercial janitorial services in Southern California, we cater carpet care, window care, floor care, green cleaning and post construction clean-up for your need and our service is dedicated to the use of only the safest and most effective products in a very reasonable price.
Have a nice weekend

I built my relationship with my customers when I clean their home by myself. It was since two years. But then when I got more money, I found employees, and I start to rise.

Cjacks,
I don't know anything about janiKing, accept what I have read online about them. I am a member of Jan-pro & also a local franchise.
jan-Pro 3 of the accounts I have had thru them have canceled--moved or couldn't afford the service. Remember if you buy a $200 account from them 25% goes back to them plus you have to pay Fed & State taxes on the remaining 75% Sometimes you negotiate the 25% number down or to a flat fee but not always depending how bad they need to fill that account. Wasn't impressed with Jan-pro training. Also if you have a beef with them you go to arbitration--they pick the service for that.
Local franchise, to me is a better deal, most of the accounts I did buy from them were pretty good and if there was a problem they usually went to bat for me.
I'm down to my last Jan-Pro account, got a big increase but considering selling the account back to them, maybe just do freelance for them, if the job & terms are right.
Brad BD Janitorial

Don't waste your money by buying into a franchise and paying out your slim profits in form of royalties each month. Find a way to get accounts for yourself or look into a different business!
Peter Weiss
Total Maintenance Services
www.totalservices.org

I have thought about this quite a bit. I believe, that if you want to succeed in this business, you DO have to do some of the work yourself, in the beginning. How on earth are you going to understand what your future employees see, do and go through, if you DONT do some of the cleaning at first??? Cleaning is not just a business in order to make money for you. Cleaning has to be somewhat of a passion for you, and if YOU are not enthusiastic about the work how can you expect future employees to be??? If you somehow feel cleaning is "beneath" you, your future employees will pick this up in a few seconds, and they will NOT give you good results. They will feel belittled, and end up resenting working for you. You have to show them that you DO care about results, and if this means pitching and helping them with tough assignments - DO IT. Good managers know how to show employees that hard work and good results are actually worthwhile.

I can only say for the basic in setting up a business. For a start-up, create a business plan first if you don't have one. I hope this helps

There are no tricks that I am familiar with, besides hard work and dedication. If you don't do some of the cleaning yourself how will you know if your employees are doing a good job. I would build up a full schedule for yourself first and you should be able to make 600-1200 a week depending on your rates and customers, once your schedule is full i would consider starting with one employee or a team. I hope this helps, there is no easy way, but once you get going it is a lucrative and enjoyable business.

I am going to lay it on the line here. You HAVE to do cleaning yourself, if you want to run a cleaning company with employees. You HAVE to know how to do things correctly and well, and you HAVE to know the challenges of cleaning in various time limits, and customer's personal wishes. This is simply mandatory for anyone wanting to run a GOOD cleaning business. Oh heck, almost anyone can figure out how to start up a cleaning business, and in the end will do shoddy work that customers do not like. I firmly believe that to be successful in this business, you have to ENJOY cleaning and get personal satisfaction on doing an excellent job! If you plan on having employees, you will HAVE to set a good example and have standards employees must follow. If anyone does crappy work, it will come back on YOU.

You HAVE to know how hard cleaning can be. Otherwise, how the heck will you know what your future employees go through??? Cleaning is no walk in the park. It is both physical and mental work. It takes time and dedication. You HAVE to care about your results - or your business WILL fail.
Amen.

I think a franchised cleaning deal is the worst thing you could do. Most people who are new to the cleaning business are sold all the bells and whistles by the franchised sales team only to end up being very disappointed. I will spare you all the things I think are bad about a franchise and just tell you up front that you can do it yourself. You don't need a franchise cleaning company. You will be much happier doing it yourself and your results can be fantastic. You can get your own customers and grow your own business
easier than you may think. It is not rocket science at all. Before you ever spend a dime on a franchise, look into doing it yourself. If it were a fast food franchise that would be different but nobody dominates the cleaning business. The opportunity is wide open for anyone to get into and succeed at it.

I agree. I have heard many stories from people who tried the franchise route. Waste of time and money!

I'd suggest if you want to start up a house cleaning business you need to learn the business first. I would suggest getting a job with an agency that does house cleaning and clean for at least 3 months. You will learn what other cleaning people do and how they behave, what it takes to clean, and some of the business operations side. Learn as much as you can before jumping in and repeating other people's mistakes.

Julia
All City Cleaning

That might be a good idea. But also, starting up as a one-person company will do the same thing and probably pay a bit better. When I started out, I deliberately kept my hourly rate a bit low in order to attract customers, but also because I KNEW I was a beginner and learning ON the job. Not fair to charge more when you know you are just starting out. People will respect you more. I still have several customers I found very early on, worked with and grew my knowledge base cleaning their homes. Now, I can do it a whole lot faster, more efficiently and charge more per hour.
I live in Florida, a state where generally hourly pay rates are lower than up North. As an RN of many years, I was given only $15 per hour to work when I first moved here in 1997. When I left Nursing in 2006, I was only making $22 an hour. Up North, I would have been making DOUBLE that! So - when I first started cleaning, I asked a lot of other cleaning pros about their pay rates. I deliberately set my hourly rate low - $15 per hour. I slowly figured out what it was I was really good at, what my strebgths and weaknesses are, and grew my business slowly but surely. My decision not to have employees is a personal one. I actually LIKE and enjoy working hard! It is a both physical and mental job we do and I like that a lot.
If I quit doing this and became employed by, say, Walmart, I would only be making about $9/hour. Give me a break! No one can live on that. I might have some few benefits but not enough to make it worth the hassle.

That's a really good idea. But franchising might not be a good idea for a beginner. You could learn everything first.

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A true beginner has to learn how to clean before trying to start a "cleaning company." How the heck are you gonna know what to do, if you dont already KNOW how to clean and do it right??? Franchise or not, you simply have to know what cleaning IS, and how to do it well. You have to know the amount of time it takes for various homes, offices, etc, to be cleaned. You have to know what products work best for you, in your part of the world. You have to become familiar with the equipment needed - vacuums, steam cleaners and what-have-you. You have to know what works best for YOU, and how to work as efficiently as possible. ONLY then can you consider hiring employees, or buying into a franchise. Frankly - I would never consider that a good option. But that is just ME.

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Interesting if you did it