Are you thinking of starting a cleaning business in Florida? If yes, then you are making the right decision. Cleaning business in Florida is not only highly profitable, but it also requires minimal capital investment. A vast majority of houses in Florida are seasonal vocational rentals. For instance, a house or Condo in Florida Beach is occupied by a new vacationer each week; they must be cleaned regularly to keep them clean and neat. Florida is indeed a great place to start a cleaning business with such a high demand for cleaning services. But most people who want to start a cleaning business in Florida don’t know what to do to make their brilliant idea a reality. If you are one of them, then today you are in the right place. In this post, we are going to discuss a step-by-step process on how to start a cleaning business in Florida.
Step one: Write a business plan
The first important thing that you need to do is create a solid business plan. While some people may be tempted to jump directly into the business, writing a bussing plan is crucial as it will help guide your decisions. In simplest terms, a business plan is a roadmap for your business that outlines your goals and details of how you will achieve them. The primary purpose of a business plan is to identify, describe, and analyze your cleaning business opportunity. Important things that your business plan needs to cover include:
- Your business goals (both short and long term)
- Financial plan and projections
- Name of your business
- Market analysis
- Marketing strategies and implementation
- Cleaning services that you will provide
Most people think that a business plan is a complicated document that can only be done by an expert. However, that is not the case. You don’t have to follow what your competitors are doing: write a business plan unique to your cleaning business. Remember that even though cleaning businesses offer the same services and target the same clients, the strategies used are not the same. That is why some cleaning businesses have more clients than others. So, when writing a business plan, you don’t have to complicate things; just make it simple, but make sure it is detailed and covers all critical aspects mentioned above.
A business plan provides a guideline to ensure that your business is going in the right direction. It is not permanent and should be reviewed regularly based on the changing dynamics of your cleaning business. If you are planning to borrow money from a bank or considering selling your cleaning business in the future, creating a business plan can help make the process seamless. Anyone interested in investing in your business would want to know that their investment is in good hands and viable in the long run; the only way to prove that is by creating a solid business plan.
Step two: Register your cleaning business
Once you have created a solid business plan, the next crucial step is registering your cleaning business. The state of Florida demands that all businesses register through the department of revenue before operating. Before you do anything else, visit the relevant state office and ask them to guide you on how to license your cleaning business. There is no specific license for the cleaning business in Florida. However, it is vital to check the licensing requirements that have been put in place by your county government and comply with all guidelines.
General registration guidelines when opening a cleaning business in Florida include the following.
You first have to decide the structure of your cleaning. Type of business structure includes sole proprietorship, partnership, Limited Liability Company, or corporation. Most people are just starting usually register their cleaning business as a sole proprietorship.
The next step is obtaining an employer identification number (EIN). This nine-digit number will notify the internal revenue service of the existence of your cleaning business. You will also use it when opening your bank account and even when filing for taxes. It is very simple to obtain EIN; all you need to do is visit the IRS website and follow the step provided. Once you have obtained EIN, the final step is opening a bank account.
Step three: Get insured and bonded
This is a crucial step that you should not overlook when starting a cleaning business. The state of Florida requires a cleaning business to be insured and bonded. As a general contractor, you need to carry a lot of insurance to protect your cleaning business and your staff and clients. Two common insurance policies that you need to have include workers’ compensation insurance and general liability insurance.
When you have a workers compensation insurance, any employee injured while in line of duty will be covered by the insurance. If your cleaning company is not insured, you risk being sued when an employee gets injured.
On the other hand, general liability insurance helps to protect your clients in case their valuables get stolen or damaged due to recklessness by your employees. Other important insurance policies that you should consider to purchase include property insurance (protect your business in case equipment gets stolen) and auto insurance (covers your cars).
Bond is the most misunderstood term. A business is said to be bonded when it has purchased a surety bond. A surety bond is a guarantee and a promise that you will complete the cleaning work as agreed to do. If you fail to meet your cleaning obligations as promised, then the client is free to claim the bond. Since most cleaning companies are not bonded, bonding your cleaning company will give you an upper hand. Most clients and want to offer broad and long term cleaning contracts prefer cleaning companies that are bonded.
Step four: Buy the necessary equipment and supplies
Once your business is bonded and insured, then the next important process is buying the necessary equipment and supplies that your business needs. The quality of cleaning equipment that you purchase matters a lot. Your clients will check to know the quality cleaning equipment you are using, and if they are not impressed with them, they will probably not hire your cleaning services again.
Ensure that you purchase all necessary cleaning equipment needed to ensemble you perform cleaning tasks thoroughly and efficiently. The last thing that you would want is not having enough cleaning supplies and equipment to complete the assigned cleaning task. So, your research to know all cleaning supplies and equipment you will need to run your cleaning business smoothly and efficiently and ensure that you invest in quality.
Some people are very sensitive to some cleaning detergents. So, ensure that you consider such clients by investing in organic cleaning detergents. For most cleaning, you will be required to come with your own cleaning equipment and supplies. So, it is crucial to prepare yourself adequately.
Most important cleaning equipment and supplies to purchase include:
- A vacuum cleaner
- Dust mops
- Dusting bags
- Window cleaner
- Gloves
- Uniforms for your staff
- Paper towels
- Microfibre cloths
- Buckets
- Dustpan
- Brooms
- Toilet bowl brush
Step five: Market your business
This is one of the most crucial aspects of your cleaning business. Remember that regardless of how modern your equipment or the quality of services your cleaning business offers, they will all be of no sue if your target clients don’t know your business. So, marketing is important and necessary to invest in.
For sure, marketing is expensive, but you can look for less costly but efficient advertising options for your business, especially if you are on a tight budget. For instance, instead of marketing your cleaning business on television ads and local dailies and magazines which are quite expensive, you can opt for other marketing options such as the use of social media platforms, building a website and optimizing it to increase its visibility on organic search or creating professional business cards. These marketing are less costly but very efficient.
Before you start marketing business research to understand target clients .you need to what they especially from your business, the time when they are using the platform that they are planning to market your cleaning business the most, and so on. When you clearly understand your targeted customers and what they expect from your cleaning business, you will easily create an effective market plan.
Promoting your cleaning business should be a combination of what feels comfortable to you, what is convenient for you, and using marketing strategies that are most effective and attractive to customers. Whichever the marketing technique you use, you must project your cleaning business as honest, reliable, and efficient since you will be working on the personal space of your target customers.
Step six: Work hard to succeed
Once your cleaning business is up and running, it is up to you to work hard and make it grow. Even though cleaning services are in high demand in Florida, you need to understand that you will not operate alone. You will face stiff competition from other cleaning businesses that operate within your area. If you don’t work hard and outshine, then they will put you out of business. On the other hand, if you work hard and smart, then your cleaning business will grow and even and expand to other cities.
One crucial skill that you need to learn to excel in the cleaning business industry is bidding for a job. Remember that you will not be the only cleaning company bidding for that particular job. So, if you don’t know how to bid, then you will not get any client. So, take time to understand the art of bidding for a cleaning job. You need to strike the right balance between charging a reasonable amount that will make the client choose your cleaning business as well as ensure that the quote is profitable.
Also, make your cleaning business unique. Most people prefer cleaning services that are honest, reliable, and unique. Don’t do the same thing that most existing cleaning businesses do. Make your cleaning business unique by adding other exceptional services to your cleaning package. Customers are very keen and often notice cleaning businesses that offer high quality, reliable, and unique cleaning services that meet their needs.
