Cleaning business: pros and cons

First of all, let’s try to understand what the cleaning business actually is.

Nowadays cleaning companies provide a full range of services related to cleaning and maintaining premises in good condition. An entrepreneur who runs a cleaning business purchases tools, equipment, and cleaning products such as detergents or various disinfection solutions, hires staff and signs an agreement with a client, according to which the employees perform the agreed work.

The range of services offered is very wide-ranging from cleaning after natural disasters to suicide scene cleanup. Speaking of traditional cleaning services, they include not only dusting, throwing out the trash, or mopping the floors. Cleaners wash windows and lampshades, clean office equipment, remove stains from parquet, carpets, and curtains, make mirrors and windows of skyscrapers shine, dry-clean upholstered furniture and cars, etc. When it comes to suicide scene cleanup or crime scene cleanup, the cleaning procedure is much more complicated and usually involves disinfection and the use of advanced equipment. Cleaning companies take care of apartments, shopping malls and office facilities, medical institutions, and other organizations.

The types of contracts can be different: from one-time force majeure cleaning of the premises after a fire, murder, or suicide to annual contracts for daily cleaning. Everything depends on the client’s needs.

Let’s consider the pros and cons of this business for its owner.

Advantages:

• There is a plethora of directions of development and expansion. It’s possible to work with corporate clients and individuals at the same time. Specialization can also be different: industrial premises, residential, offices, medical centers, etc. Among such a variety, it is easier to choose a niche your company would like to specialize in – either medical waste disposal services or, mold remediation services or suicide scene cleanup.
• A short payback period. The entrepreneurs who have been working in the cleaning business for a long time claim that it can pay off in a period of 1 to 3 years.
• Opportunities for business expansion. Since there are no educational institutions that would produce cleaners, you can open your own school or courses. Once you have built a good reputation, the prospects of attracting new clients or even launching a franchise open up.
• You can save money on renting an office. In fact, what you need is a small storage room for storing the necessary tools, uniforms, cleaning products, and other important stuff for carrying out cleaning procedures. You can get orders via email, skype, social networks, or website.

Disadvantages:

• Fierce competition. Despite the fact that such service as suicide scene cleanup has been developing for less than 10 years, there are already many companies providing them. As a rule, clients prefer to work with well-known companies that have a long and good reputation.
• Experience is required. An entrepreneur who wants to start their own cleaning business needs to undergo special training or have experience working for several months in a cleaning company. It is especially important for those who want to provide specific cleaning services like crime scene cleanup or suicide scene cleanup.
• Continuous learning. You need to understand the features of dozens of different types of services, the ingredients of cleaning products, and use the equipment the right way.
• Expensive materials. It is better not to save on cleaning products, as your staff will have to deal with removing stains from expensive carpets and furniture, which are important not to spoil. To provide cleaning services of high quality, you need to use products only from well-known and trusted manufacturers.

Conclusion

The cleaning business is a good start for aspiring businessmen. It does not require a huge investment into equipment, consumables, and expensive rent. You can start with a minimum of employees and clients and gradually expand your business.