Cleaning business cards are one of the first things many new owners order. Before you spend money on a big box of them, here’s how we actually used ours over eight years, and why they were never how we found customers. Who Carried Cleaning Business Cards at Our Company Only our managers had business cards,…
How much does it cost to start a cleaning business? Less than most businesses you could start. What you’ll spend depends on how you start and what you buy when. The prices for each item are in our startup guide. This post covers the decisions behind them: what you need on day one, what can…
Every cleaning business starts the same way: with no clients. If you’re wondering how to get cleaning clients, here’s what brought customers in for us over eight years, from the very first one to the ones who found us without our ever asking. Your First Client Is Closer Than You Think Our very first customer…
Do you need a license for a cleaning business? It’s one of the first questions new cleaners ask, and the honest answer is that it depends on where you live. Some cities and counties require a business license to clean homes, and some don’t. Your state may require you to register your business either way….
Most lists of cleaning business name ideas give you hundreds of names. What they don’t tell you is how to pick one you’ll live with for years. Your business name goes on your shirts, your vehicle, your door hangers, and every quote you hand a customer. A good name works for you every day. A…
If you’re searching for how to start a cleaning business, you’re probably where we were years ago: ready to work for ourselves, with very little money to get going. With a bucket, a mop, a vacuum, and some basic cleaning supplies from Kmart, we built American Maid into one of the most successful residential cleaning…
Over the last few posts, we’ve talked about cleaning business fear. The fear of asking for that first client. The fear of waiting to hear if they were happy. And the things you simply can’t control. Here’s the truth: fear doesn’t go away once your cleaning business starts growing. But something else starts growing right…
Sooner or later it happens to every cleaning business owner. A customer cancels because they’re sick. A customer cancels on short notice for no reason at all. Your vacuum dies mid-job. Your car quits running on the way to your very first cleaning. You wake up sick yourself. There’s a long list of things that…
You finish the job, the house looks great, you load up and head out. Somewhere on the drive home it hits you — is my cleaning client actually happy with the job? You start questioning your own work. Did I remember to clean the ceiling fan in the master bedroom? Did I shut the light…
Talking to your first cleaning client — nervous? Fearful? Absolutely. Here’s what nobody tells you: everyone feels it. You’re nervous. They’re nervous too — they’re letting a stranger into their home. That’s not weakness. That’s just being human. Don’t let the fear talk you out of the first step. The first introduction to a neighbor,…