Does anyone work in or run a cleaning/domestic services business?

[RudeElf]

I have loads of questions and will probably forget half of them but i would really appreciate wisdom from anyone who has experience of this kind of business and consensus on whether i can/should do it?

I have been a cleaner through an agency for 3 years. I love doing it and have been talking myself out of setting up on my own for as long as i can remember. Through the agency the work has been very part time and so recently i took another PT job in a shop which has just driven home the fact that all i really want to do is work for myself as a cleaner. It is actually quite sad and depressing that i daydream about cleaning when i'm in the shop

So, i need to make a decision. Do i go for it? I am worried about not getting enough business to survive.

I also have no idea what i would need to do legally, other than get public liability insurance and register as self employed.

It is my intention to start out as a cleaner but i have thought of extending to things like laundry/ironing, changing pet bedding, dog walking/feeding, pet sitting etc. should I offer these services straight away or wait to see if there is a demand? I'm thinking just offer? Are there any services i could offer that i havent thought of?

Another worry is that i am a lone parent and have no evening childcare, at least not until i am earning enough to pay for it. I have daytime childcare but am i likely to have lots of work in the evening that i would have to turn down? Or could i employ someone to do the work i couldnt do? That sounds like a scary idea to me but i suppose lots of people do it.

Any advice or wisdom greatly appreciated.

Thank you again dangly. Will get cracking on that this evening then.

Hi Dangly and dona, would you mind sending me a PM too, please? I'm also looking into starting a domestic cleaning business and it's all a bit overwhelming at the moment.

Good luck Rude and giveme, hope your businesses go well.

Hi SoftKitty, sure will get in touch with you now.

I'm quite interested in cleaning as a business too (the only thing that makes me is other people's toilet rims ). I'm giving up teaching at Easter and I want to be alone!

Any suggestions as to hourly rates please?

As well as ideas on where to buy reasonably priced cleaning products?

Hi there. I am also looking into this.

I have just reduced my own working pattern from full time down to 2.5 days so would be doing this alongside paid employment.

Would be setting up with just me initially but I know a few people who have said they would be interested in working for me if I were to set this up on a larger scale.

I am thinking of a Housekeeping service - so not solely cleaning. I would offer ironing, shopping - putting washing on - putting out to dry etc.

I am stuck with some queries

• how much to charge ( i want to be accessible but also able to pay anybody working for me a decent rate).
• start up costs- insurance, DBS if employing others
• Products to use

Would be really grateful for any suggestions. Thanks

Dangly - I have just sent you a message. I would also appreciate any advice. thanks

Jennifer When you first start out the best places to stock up on cleaning products are the poundland type shops, you can usually get most of your chemicals from there for the cheapest.

As you grow, to take advantage of economies of scale, you need suppliers who will send products to you in bulk and you need things like spray bottles to decant these into but not to worry about that for now you just need to get going.

I will post on rates in a little while as it is a rather crucial but at the same time, tricky issue when you first start out, I will advise as best I can.

fitnot I am just going to inbox you now.

On the topic of 'what to charge' you need to price for what you need to run the business, there is no need to be the cheapest.

Sometimes it is suggested on MN to keep your prices low, this is the opposite of any advice you will receive within the industry and for good reason, it is very easy to be perceived to be doing a job of little value and yet it is also possible to be regarded as absolute treasure, dependent on the client's attitude towards their cleaner, one good way to weed out the people who would look down on your role and think of it as cheap is to value yourself highly enough to set your price correctly at a professional rate that will see you through no matter how far you take your business.

Do not doubt for one minute there are the clients out there who will pay it, cleaning is a highly personal service, you will have the key to their home and access the their valuables and private life, they need someone they can really trust and the actual cleaning should be a secondary consideration for them given these facts. If you act in an impeccable, responsible manner and take good care of their property whilst keeping it beautifully clean you will be able to pick and choose your clients and set your price as you wish.

Seriously, never doubt your worth, there is too much demand for professional service providers to worry about the 'cheap' variety that work under the table, they are never your competition! We price our service 'per job' rather than hourly but with the particular business model I have chosen is expensive to run. (we are fully equipped and employ our staff unlike the 'agency' model who send out self-employed staff, often with no supplies) We need to bring in at minimum around £15 per hour and when we add VAT this will be £18 per person per hour. We have around 70 clients right now. My friend has a much larger domestic cleaning company and cannot hire and train fast enough to meet the demand for her premium level of service. So do not doubt the demand for this service, do what you say you will do and do it very well. Provide a written service list to manage expectations from the start and do everything you promised to high standards.

When you start off you may want to start lower than that to get started with a view to raising when you become saturated with work, but don't got too low. £10 per hour is far too low and there is no room for growth, if you price like that you may find you have less than minimum wage once you factor in the cost of doing business. There is a difference between your price which the client pays and your actual wage, which is what is left over for you. Many forget this and think they've priced ok, until they see that they have become a 'busy fool' for little money.

Also never let a client dictate your hours or set your hourly rate for you. Go round to quote how long you think it will take and price it how you see it, it's your business not theirs, they wouldn't walk into a shop and ask for a dress to be sold to them cheaper, they can refuse to buy it of course, but then someone else will! Wait for that person.

If anyone needs any help in private, drop me a pm and I will do what I can to help advise.

DanglyEars, I have already set myself up to work as private cleaner but have been struggling to get my own customers. For more details you could try and find me on the (I think it's) 'start up' (or maybe work) topic. On the other hand I am also working with an agency where all the customers really like me but I feel that its morally wrong to say anything that may cause them to leave the agency and take me on directly. I could do this. I hope I made sense. Please do you have any suggestions? It would be great if you could find my thread and get a bit more clarity and detail. Rudelf, sorry to barge in, I admire you for doing this and wish you all the success in the world. I admire people like.

Hello, what a great thread. Really useful info. Dangly, I have sent you a PM, I hope you don't mind. I could really do with your advice with regards to setting up. Thank you and good luck to everyone who is starting up!