Start a Profitable Janitorial Business
If you’re looking for a good part-time income, starting a janitorial service company is certainly something that will fit the bill. Of all the cleaning/service type businesses you can start, none can provide the flexibility, low cost startup, and earning potential of this service business.
One of the biggest advantages with this cleaning venture is the fact that you can start it as slowly as you want, get a feel for what it’s like, and then scale it to suit your needs. Therefore, it’s great for anyone with little to no startup capital and little experience.
Many entrepreneurs start this business while holding down a full-time job. Since most commercial/office cleaning is done after hours, you can easily fit this into your schedule if you don’t mind working until midnight. Again, there’s nothing to say that you need to work every night. In the beginning you can look for a contract that requires only a few nights a week.
One of the biggest drawbacks to this business is that it’s highly competitive. It stands to reason that because the entrance barrier is so low from both a financial and experience aspect, there’s going to be stiff competition. One of the ways you can rise above every other janitorial company is by providing exceptional customer service and paying attention to detail. Believe me, this will get noticed.
One thing you do want to think about before you set up shop is the type of work you’ll be offering. The janitorial work you’ll be doing will fall into two main categories: commercial/industrial and office cleaning.
Commercial/Industrial
If you plan on getting into this area of the business, you’re going to need a little more than a broom, mop, and bucket. Most commercial contracts are large buildings with thousands of square feet of floor space. This means that you’re going to need heavy-duty equipment such as commercial vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, and carpet cleaners – oh, and employees to run them.
If you’re just starting out, you’re likely not going to get into this area of the business unless you already have experience working for someone else and you’ve got some decent start up capital. Additionally, you’re going to need experience to run those big floor machines.
Some of the more common services offered by a commercial janitorial company are vacuuming, washing/waxing/polishing floors, carpet cleaning, and window cleaning. And don’t forget that you’re going to need commercial vehicles to carry all that equipment around.
In the real world, most large commercial buildings have an on-site cleaning crew and the equipment is owned by the property maintenance company and kept on-site. Essentially, this is going to prevent you from ever getting large contracts like this. That’s why it’s best to go for smaller buildings that might completely outsource their cleaning services.
Office Cleaning
It’s much more likely that you’re going to start out by cleaning offices. Normally, you negotiate the cleaning services with the company that is actually leasing the premises, and not the property manager of the building. Services generally include vacuuming, dusting, emptying waste containers, sweeping, mopping, cleaning washrooms, and tidying up. Work is generally performed after everyone has gone home for the day.
Marketing
It’s unlikely that you’re going to get many companies approaching you to come and clean their premises. You simply can’t put an ad in the local paper and expect your phone to start ringing off the hook. This is a business in which you’re going to have to be proactive and a little aggressive.
The only way you’re going to secure a cleaning contract is by trying to meet face-to-face with one of the decision-makers in the company. In order to do this, you’re going to have to contact said company and try to arrange a meeting. This may be tougher than it sounds because there are many small cleaning companies that are doing exactly the same thing. These people probably receive dozens of phone calls a day for cleaning services.
If you are not a sales type, you might want to consider hiring someone to simply solicit businesses in your area. Additionally, you can hire a telemarketing service to set up meetings with the decision-makers of each company. If you are very outgoing and sales oriented, you can do all this yourself. Make sure you hand out your business card to everyone and anyone. Oh, and don’t forget that the receptionist for each company should be treated like gold since they are usually your first point of contact and the company’s first line of defense against salesmen.
Security
Given the nature of the business, companies are going to need some kind of reassurance that you and your employees are trustworthy and honest. Bonding your employees is pretty much a requirement these days – and it’s also a great selling point. At the very least, you should insist that all employees have a police record background check – including yourself.
Profit Potential
If you intend to run your business as an owner/operator, you’ll be limited to how much money you can make – usually about $25-$30 an hour. While that might sound like a decent wage, it’s really a pittance after you pay your expenses. Due to the low entrance requirements, this business won’t generate much profit unless you start hiring employees and building an actual business instead of doing the work yourself.
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