Start & Run a Home Cleaning Business

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ISBN: 9781551807669 | 1551807661
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 1/1/2007

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Home cleaning is one of the fastest-growing service businesses in North America. Today's demanding careers and lifestyles mean that people have less time to devote to domestic duties, and often more money to pay to have them done. And with the increase in our aging population, this service is fast becoming a necessity.

Introduction	p. XV
Shining in the Spotlight	p. 1
Before You Get started	p. 1
Is This the Business for You?	p. 2
Filling in the Vacuum	p. 2
You're on Your Way	p. 5
Sweeping the Nation: Getting Started	p. 8
Targeting Your Market	p. 8
Assess your market potential	p. 8
Identify your customers	p. 8
Assessing the Competition	p. 9
Legal Requirements	p. 10
Zoning	p. 10
Insurance	p. 10
Licenses	p. 12
Business taxes	p. 12
Choosing a Business Name	p. 12
Choosing a Business Structure	p. 13
Sole proprietorship	p. 13
Partnership	p. 13
Corporation	p. 13
Professional Services: Your Lawyer and Your Accountant	p. 14
Purchasing an Existing Business or Franchise?	p. 15
Leasing Versus Purchasing	p. 16
Setting Goals and Financing	p. 17
Your Mission Statement	p. 17
Forecasting Your Needs	p. 18
Analyzing your costs	p. 18
Your cash flow projection	p. 19
Calculating your break-even point	p. 19
How Much Should You Charge?	p. 20
Keep Your Forecast up to Date	p. 21
Raising the Money	p. 21
Your Business Plan	p. 22
Polishing Your Technique: Getting Organized	p. 29
Knowing Your Business	p. 29
A little clean fun	p. 29
What you'll need on the job	p. 30
Organizing Your Headquarters	p. 32
The home office	p. 32
Locating away from home	p. 32
Arranging your office	p. 33
Site security	p. 33
Vehicle	p. 33
Telephone lines and cell phones	p. 34
Organizing Business Records	p. 35
Your billing/payroll system	p. 35
Your bank statement	p. 35
Your B/F (bring forward) system	p. 36
Computers and Technology	p. 36
Software	p. 38
Printers	p. 38
The Internet as a resource	p. 38
A digital camera	p. 38
Working with Suppliers	p. 38
Making contact	p. 38
Getting the best price	p. 39
Environmentally friendly products	p. 39
Marketing	p. 40
Visibility: Let People Know You're Here	p. 40
Creating Your Image	p. 40
Advertising Strategy	p. 41
Yellow Pages	p. 41
Promoting Your Business at Trade Shows	p. 43
Direct-Mail Marketing	p. 43
Cross Promotions	p. 44
Timing	p. 45
Gain Maximum Interest	p. 45
Using Color in Your Promotional Materials	p. 47
Word-of-Mouth Marketing	p. 48
Rags to Riches: Pricing Your Work	p. 49
Your Goals	p. 49
Quoting Basics	p. 49
Have information ready for the client	p. 49
Always visit the premises	p. 49
Estimating and quoting techniques	p. 50
Pricing	p. 51
Charging by the hour	p. 51
Charging per job	p. 52
Charging on commission	p. 52
Markup procedure	p. 52
Tenders and Bidding on Contracts	p. 53
Save Money for Your Client; Save Time for You	p. 53
Forms of Payment	p. 54
Going Solo	p. 61
Do You Want to Go Solo?	p. 61
Research, Research, Research	p. 62
Strategic Planning	p. 63
Marketing plan: What advertising will you need to do?	p. 63
Production plan: What tools of the trade will you need to be ready to "spring" into action?	p. 64
Cash/Profit plan	p. 65
Financial plan: How much money do you want to make?	p. 67
Time plan: How much time are you going to use to generate income?	p. 68
Human resources plan: What will you do if you get sick or injured?	p. 69
Succession plan: What to do when it's time to leave the business	p. 70
Going Into Labor: Your Hiring and Staffing Needs	p. 71
Your Goals for Hiring	p. 71
Analyze Your Staffing Needs	p. 72
Who is your ideal worker?	p. 72
Attracting your staff	p. 72
Break Down What the Employee Must Do	p. 72
Interviewing	p. 74
Where	p. 74
The application form	p. 74
What you need to know	p. 74
Designing your interview questions	p. 78
The interview	p. 78
The Trial Period	p. 79
Uniforms	p. 81
Legal Requirements	p. 85
Know what's required	p. 85
Notify the tax department	p. 86
Other requirements	p. 86
Additional steps to take	p. 86
Benefits and Incentives	p. 86
Termination of Staff	p. 87
Training: Making It Fun and Informative	p. 90
"Fun"damentals	p. 90
Setting Up a Training Facility	p. 90
Meeting Company Standards	p. 92
Encourage employees to learn by doing	p. 92
Try to keep it simple	p. 93
Tips for the Trainer	p. 95
Tell or describe the task in detail	p. 95
Show or demonstrate how the task is done	p. 95
Have each employee try the task	p. 96
Observe the trainee's performance	p. 96
Praise the employee or offer redirection	p. 96
Incentives	p. 97
Scheduling	p. 100
Balancing different needs	p. 100
Injury and First Aid	p. 102
Breakage	p. 102
Clients and How to Keep Them	p. 103
Meeting with the Client	p. 103
Appearance and grooming	p. 103
Turn on the charm	p. 104
Good Clients and Bad Clients	p. 105
Saying Goodbye or Withdrawing Services from a Client	p. 105
New Clients: When to Say No	p. 107
Special Concerns	p. 107
Children	p. 108
Tradespeople	p. 108
Damages	p. 108
Valuables	p. 108
Breakage	p. 108
Running out of product	p. 109
Inadequate client equipment	p. 109
Security	p. 109
Special Services	p. 110
One-time or seasonal jobs	p. 110
Assisting personal domestics	p. 110
Pet sitting	p. 111
The Daily Run	p. 113
How It All Comes Together	p. 113
Keep Your Staff up to Date	p. 114
Handling Complaints	p. 114
Cleaning "Fun"damentals	p. 118
Cleaning Tips	p. 118
Cleaning Tips for Your Clients	p. 121
Tips for Home-Cleaning Teams	p. 121
Tips for Window Washing	p. 124
Tips for Wall Washing	p. 124
Tips for Cleaning New Building Projects	p. 124
Tips for Cleaning Offices	p. 126
Know Your Products	p. 126
Inventory Control	p. 128
JIT inventory	p. 128
Labeling your bottles	p. 128
Product Safety	p. 129
Quality Control	p. 130
Make One Staff Member Responsible for Each Job	p. 130
Adjust Work and Team Schedules	p. 130
Your Collections Policy	p. 133
Client Problems	p. 135
Employee Theft	p. 135
Be Available for Clients	p. 135
Services for Downsizing Homeowners and Estate Cleanups	p. 137
A New Market	p. 137
Services You Can Offer to Downsizing Homeowners	p. 137
Estate Cleanups	p. 138
Disposal of Household Chemicals	p. 138
Pricing	p. 139
Growing Your Business	p. 139
You're on Your Way	p. 140
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Start & Run a Home Cleaning Business

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