Make Big Bucks in the Cleaning Business
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You can earn great money in the cleaning business! Just a little overhead can create big profits!
The cleaning industry is currently one of the fastest growing segments of our economy with no signs of slowing down. The Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) www.bscai.org, estimates that the cleaning business generates almost $50 billion per year in revenue. The industry continues to grow at a phenomenal pace. Janitorial companies expect a median sales growth of 30 percent over the next few years. I’m no financial whiz, but when you divide the number of cleaning businesses across the country (56,000) by the gross amount of national cleaning business revenue ($50 billion) you get about $900,000 per company, per year!
Granted, you probably won’t be making a million bucks a year just starting out, but I hope you get my point. There’s a lot of money to be shared between just a few cleaning companies. Keep in mind that no one company truly dominates the industry. The playing field is wide-open! Most cleaning contractors are just like you and me, small “mom and pop”-type operations. Franchised cleaning businesses account for about 30 percent of your serious competition. That is, you’ve still got 70 percent of the market just waiting for someone like you!
But aren’t housekeepers and commercial cleaners everywhere? What makes me think I can compete for the business and get paid well? Haven’t those big cleaning companies cornered the market? Let’s look at several myths and facts that exist about cleaning business today.
Myth: There’s no money in the cleaning business. Fact: There’s a lot of money in the cleaning business. There’s a big need out there and not a lot of qualified people available to fill it. Those variables ALWAYS equal $$$. The trick is targeting your clientele and maximizing your profit potential. Many people fail in the business because they aren’t prepared going into it. Done properly, most professional cleaners can expect a minimum of $30,000 to $40,000 in their first year. The sky’s the limit thereafter! As business builds and reputation grows, an industrious husband and wife (or other partnering team) who doesn’t mind working 40 hours a week can make $100,000 or more.
Myth: The wealthy all have full-time housekeepers. Fact: The traditional, nanny-type housekeeper is a person of the past. Twenty or thirty years ago, the wealthy might have hired a housekeeper to stay home all day with the children, to cook, clean and perform other duties normally assigned to the wife. This type of woman was usually a mother herself who supplemented her income by working part-time for the wealthy family. The work was menial and the pay minimal, but as the years went by, these women found themselves becoming attached to their employer’s children and were eventually viewed as an integral part of the family. Oftentimes, these women would take trips and spend vacations with their employer and share in other, non-monetary benefits. Because of this relationship, loyalty and dependability were the employer’s dividends – despite low pay. As more women have entered the workforce in pursuit of higher pay and benefits, the number of middle-aged women willing to work as housekeepers and nannies has declined. The majority of the woman who served in this capacity have now past retirement age, leaving a void for many older, wealthy homeowners. This translates into a perfect opportunity for qualified house cleaners.
Myth: I cannot compete against big cleaning companies. Fact: Current cleaning companies are only as successful as they are because homeowners and businesspeople are left with no other choice. As we said previously, franchised companies represent only a third of the market. The new, modern housecleaner has clear advantage by being a polar opposite of what these companies offer: impersonal, sloppy, and expensive service. Many of the young women who work for franchises are hired with little or no education, given a broom and told to go to work. Turnover is tremendously high and they perform poorly in their duties, leaving the customer generally dissatisfied. As the work ethic in this country continues to decline, so does the quality of worker who is servicing the homes and businesses of America’s social and economic elite. The hardworking, conscientious, concerned cleaning lady has been replaced by a generation of minimum-wage, could-care-less, service workers.
Myth: Most offices have building maintenance agreements already. Fact: Though most high-rise office buildings do have staff cleaning personnel and maintenance agreements with their tenants, the vast majority of independent, “store-front” businesses do not. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of small businesses in your area who need your service. Many of these are branch offices of big corporate businesses who have building maintenance service cost already written into their budgets. Some managers have their employees clean the bathrooms, vacuum and empty the trash simply because they haven’t the time to contract cleaning labor (or they have had bad experiences in the past).
Myth: It will take many years before I can establish a reputation and earn high wages. Fact: Though a solid reputation is helpful, it is not necessary to start in this business. Trust us. There is such a lack of quality people cleaning homes and businesses nowadays, homeowners and business people will practically beg you to work for them if you look halfway decent. Of course, you will earn higher wages as you prove your dependability and responsibility, but your starting rates won’t be too bad either. Our reputation is so solid in this business, we can pretty much name our prices and most people don’t even hesitate. All we have to say is “We work for so-and-so rich person” or “such-and-such business owner” and pricing issues go out the window.
Myth: The work is menial and I people will look down on me. Fact: Though it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to dust lampshades, it does take an intelligent and resourceful person to run a business. Anyone who initially questions your choice of occupation will soon eat their words as your success speaks for itself. Who cares if the work is menial? If your business is built properly, you will soon be earning more money, working less hours, than the majority of corporate America!
Myth: Cleaning is too hard and will take too long. Fact: Cleaning is the easiest manual labor job around! Though it may initially be tough adjusting to some of the physical exertion, once an efficient routine is established, you will be able to complete several jobs every day, leaving time and energy to spare. Your method is the key. Cleaning can be hard work; but for those who are willing to learn effective methods, cleaning is quick and easy!
A great resource for those considering housecleaning is www.cleansweeptips.com. Here you’ll find tons of tips and tricks for those interested in a great work at home opportunity!
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