Home
>
Small Business
>
Janitorial Cleaning Service: Getting Started

Janitorial Cleaning Service: Getting Started

A janitorial cleaning service is one of the best businesses for a hardworking, blue collar person to start from scratch. Every business and every building needs to be cleaned once in a while - in some cases, many times each day. With the overhead involved with hiring employees to provide janitorial services, it is convenient for a company to outsource to a commercial janitorial service provider.

This is where you step in!

If you are reading this article, you are probably looking for advice on how to start a janitorial service. Hopefully the following information and advice will get you moving in the right direction.

Start Up Costs and Financing Sources:

$500 and up

It is possible to get started with almost no investment, but you will be in a much better position if you have a few hundred dollars of basic equipment available. Equipment for a full-scale commercial janitorial service may run many thousands of dollars.

Writing a sound business plan describing how to start a janitorial service in your area - including detailed market research and plans for future growth - may help you to secure some of your initial funding from venture capitalists or angel investors.

Pricing Guidelines for Service:

Base your time at $20 to $50 per hour (before taxes and expenses) and price your services according to the time you expect to spend on each task.

Itemize the exact services you intend to provide. Charging by the hour tends to make clients comfortable asking you to do more and more work for the same money. Be clear that you provide certain services for a certain price. By charging a flat fee, you will continually earn a better hourly rate as you improve and become more efficient.

Advertising and Marketing:

Get listed in the yellow pages under all of the main services you provide. This is more expensive than one general listing, but you can't expect all of your potential clients to look under "Janitorial Services" when they are really looking for "Window Cleaners".

Face-to-face selling can go either way. Some managers and store owners like the fortitude of this very direct way of marketing, but others find it very annoying - especially if they get a lot of people coming in and asking to wash the windows. Always obey "No Soliciting" signs.

Walk around town and identify businesses which look like they really need your help. Send a professional-looking brochure to the general manager.

Essential Equipment:

A janitorial cleaning service can start very small and build up as it grows more popular. It is sometimes possible to start out by using the equipment of the client companies, buying your own equipment with that revenue.

Get a unique uniform - and unique does not mean outrageous! A uniform looks much more professional than jeans, and it can provide a marketing service for you, as well. When people recognize your janitorial cleaning service working at the company down the street, it lends credibility to you when you approach them for a contract.

Much of the following equipment will become useful as your business expands:

Safety Equipment:

dust mask

safety goggles

heat resistant gloves

heat resistant apron

slip resistant, steel toe shoes

hard hat

General Supplies:

dust mop, brooms, and dust pans

vacuum cleaner

window squeegee and buckets

wet mop and bucket

scrub brushes

towels, lots of towels

window cleaning solution

degreaser solution

carpet cleaning solution

plunger

drain "snake"

basic tool set: hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc.

tape measure

utility knife and plenty of blades

tool belt

ladder

50-foot water hose

pressure washer

chainsaw

weed whip

a cargo van to carry it all

Income Potential:

$15,000 to $60,000 per year, going solo.

There is a limit to the amount you can earn working alone. As you become more successful at negotiating with clients, you can eventually start hiring other people to do the work. The ultimate earning potential is unlimited.

Target Market:

One of the nicest parts about janitorial services is that you don't have to look for new customers week after week. After you secure a few accounts, you will have a fairly steady source of income that only changes infrequently.

Convenience stores, restaurants, grocery stores, strip malls, and office complexes are all great places to start looking.

Tips for Success:

Always be professional and courteous. Everyone encounters stressful and undesirable working conditions once in a while. It will carry you a long way if you can remain respectful and calm when dealing with these situations. Don't let your clients walk all over you, but don't let them walk out on you!

Janitorial services are very repetitive from day to day. Keep a mindset toward using your time more and more efficiently.

Go the extra mile. Do what you can to go above and beyond your clients' expectations. This translates to job security and a better reputation in the industry.

You should get your janitorial cleaning service bonded and insured. If you are not bonded and insured, your prospects for business are very limited.

Training, Skills or Experience Needed:

The best training is to have worked as a janitor for some time so you know what you're getting into. It is not easy work. Read a few books on how to start a janitorial service. No matter how much you already know, you are sure to find new information that will help you to be more successful.

Schooling is not usually necessary, but you can earn better money and find more contracts if you learn to maintain HVAC or other common equipment. There are independent classes available for this type of training.

Randy Wilson has dozens of home based business articles such as ebay money making tips, ebay money making tips and ebay money making tips.

Cadillac Escalade rentals Round Lake ..

In The News:

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson compares the AirPods 4 and the AirPods Pro 2. "For me, audio quality is the most essential factor in buying new headphones or earbuds," Kurt says.

A flying shopping cart could revolutionize the way we shop and transport things. The Palletrone is a hovering platform that users push around at chest height.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explores how you can help troubleshoot a computer issue remotely on Windows or a Mac. There are a variety of options.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Checking your blood pressure has become simple with the Apple Watch, and doing this can help you identify trends and manage medications.

There are a handful of ways you can make your tech experience less annoying, including through fixing autocorrect, turning off certain notifications and by creating folders on your iPhone.

A robot that stands more than 5 feet tall and weighs 66 pounds is well-equipped for household tasks, like carrying up to 44 pounds during its run time of two to four hours.

Criminals are increasingly turning to data brokers to provide access to private information that can be used to improve their scamming schemes.

The new Reader Mode in iOS 18’s Magnifier app is here to help iPhone users read something small or in poor lighting. All you have to do is snap a picture.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

CISA warns of scammers impersonating its officials. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson urges people to be alert and verify contacts.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how iOS 18’s satellite messaging helps isolated residents seek help in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to protect yourself with eight steps if your iPhone is lost or stolen.

Surgeons performed endoscopy on a pig 5,780 miles away using a video game controller. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson has the details on this groundbreaking experiment.

Using public computers poses security risks, tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says, so take precautions or use your own secure device.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses San Francisco deploying three advanced mobile surveillance cameras to deter crime in high-risk areas.

Lionsgate's revolutionary move to partner with tech company Runway to integrate AI into its production process is going to take the film industry by storm.

There have been cases when widely downloaded apps from the Play Store are infected with malware. Kurt the CyberGuy tackles the issue of a new Trojan malware.

A whopping 30 million people will have taken cruises in 2024, and some ships being built to keep up with this demand cost as much as $2 billion.

While you may feel pretty sharp at spotting online fraud, there's a sneaky new scam involving QR codes and parking meters across the country affecting even the most cautious people.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Loch Electronics' latest innovation, the Capsule Solo, is a compact kitchen countertop dishwasher that can clean up to 35 dishes in just 15 minutes.

As your teenagers navigate social media, here are some ways you can protect them including through adjusting settings, enforcing limits and communicating honestly about the dangers that exist online.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense shared a video of a robotic war dog being used in the field with a soldier, who was able to take advantage of the device's thermal imaging.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Janitorial Cleaning Service: Getting Started

Small Business