New cleaning company - advice needed please!

[buttonmoon78]

Hello all

I'm setting up a new cleaning company in Sept (to coincide with dc3's start at FT school). I've worked as a cleaner on and off for about 5 years. I want to eliminate all the usual gripes about cleaners (ie not reliable, don't move sofas etc). But there's a couple of things I could do with advice on:

1. If you were to employ my company would you find it intrusive to have me ring say every 2 wks for a couple of months then every month just to check that you were happy with the service etc?

1. Name - does 'The Gleam Team' sound professional enough? Other suggestions welcome!

1. When I had dc3 I had a cleaner just once or twice after he was born to keep things kicking along nicely. How would you phrase this on publicity material? Post-natal or new mum cleans sounds like something a midwife would offer not a cleaning co!

1. How much would you / do you pay? We're in a pretty deprived area (Stoke on Trent) so I'm fairly confident I know what to charge. I guess this one's more nosiness than anything else...!

Thanks for your input.

Um why is this in the childbirth section?

I wanted to get the input of new mums as in q3.

Well it's in the wrong section. What if everyone did this?

Does it matter what section its in? AC life is not going to end because you think a post is in the wrong section. OP I think it is a splendid idea to advertise for new mum cleans as many companies want you for 3 month contracts etc and i personally would have loved someone to come in when I was in hospital and cleaned and changed beds etc for the house to be spick and span when I came home from hospital. There are lots of mums out there without family living nearby like myself and you would be a lifeline. Good luck xx

1. No I wouldn't, I would be happy you were taking an interest.

2)It sounds fine.

3. New Mum's clean sounds good I would have loved to have a cleaner for a few months after having DD. You could advertise it to the actual Mum's or as a gift package for someone to buy a family with a new baby.
   A good place to advertise would be Sure Start centres.

4. I am also in a deprived area I think the average round here is 10.00 ph.

Good luck.

Wasn't your message removed from the pregnancy section yesterday by Mumsnet HQ?

1. I wouldn't mind so long as you timed the calls suitably e.g. not when I am having dinner, bathing my baby etc... Like you're going to know that lol! Could you maybe send out texts?
2. Sounds fine to me too.
3. Everything comewhinewithme said... Will you only be offering cleaning? My big thing was not having any clothes ironed, someone to do my ironing would have been good.
4. £10-12

Ooh yes, maybe you should delete your post and put it in Surveys instead, I hadn't noticed.

1. I hate sales calls with a passion and if post new baby I was receiving calls every two weeks, possibily waking baby up...I would be murdering people. What about email request for feedback, which can be ignored if unwelcome.

1. Meh, names a name.

1. Why not refer to Flexible one off cleaning sessions. Why narrow market to just post baby mothers. Other people might want a one (or two) off session post holiday or spring cleaning, moving into/out of houses etc.

1. Could you offer vouchers so friends and family could buy some as a gift for loved ones.

Good luck

Thanks to those of you who replied with advice. Am liking the text / email ideas. Also the gift package idea. I should have said, it will be a total household thing - changing beds if required, def ironing etc.

AmandaCooper - sorry. I'm quite new to this mumsnet thing and hadn't realised I was breaking the rules. Thought why the other one has been removed but not this one I don't know. I will know for the future.

Sorry OP I didn't mean to be rude or upset you. I just thought if your thread stands, other people who have cottage industry type/fledgling businesses/business ideas etc will see it and then they'll want to use the forum as a focus group as well, and then we could have a few threads like this going - and then where do we draw the line, next thing there'll be commercial companies starting threads asking whether anyone's had a maternity related injury in the last 6 years.

Hope the business goes well.