Cleaning business

[Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain]

I’m thinking about starting a business cleaning locally. Maybe for small businesses as well as residential properties.

I know I need to get cleaning materials and mop.

What else do I need to know? Where should I advertise? On my local Facebook page?

Or should I work for someone else and if so how do I do this?

You’ll need to be insured and do all the things a small business owner should

i am very wary of hiring anyone via Facebook - lots of horror stories so look at investing in a decent business website as well with a phone number

Working for yourself means doing a lot more admin than working for a cleaning company. You would need to decide how to set up the business - sole trader, limited company? You’d need to keep and submit accounts and do self assessment tax. You’d need to have business insurance. Probably other things that I haven’t thought of yet.

I think you need to do a lot more research - starting a business is much more than buying supplies

also businesses may want you to be COSHH trained and so earlier hours or later hours when people aren’t at their desks

maybe working for an agency is better?

Register with hmrc. So you need a name.

Set up a profile on care.com.
(ime).
Don't bother with fb or similar.. Ime you won't get regular work there..

Most residential cleaners don’t supply their own cleaning materials or equipment - that way they aren’t liable for damage. Mine absolutely refuses to use bleach. You should be able to find standard cleaner Ts and Cs online - read them and possibly copy!

Start off working for a cleaning agency doing residential work. Do a good job and ask for written feedback - ask for permission to use it as a reference . Then also let your customers know that you are open to other work and start picking up private customers (you’ll earn more per hour; but now you’ll have to consider insurance). Watch on FB and Neighbourhood social media - people frequently ask for recommendations of cleaners locally.

Once you’ve built up a little business and once you know what you are doing then you can think about how to scale up. This is more complex as you will have cleaners working for you . It’s very challenging - I know someone who did this and found it hard because rather a lot of her employees were lazy and unreliable - they would turn up late at customers stinking of smoke and do a bad job, then argue if they weren’t paid in full.

Initially you might just have a partner - one person who accompanies you to help clean. Once they are competent you can spin them off on new customers alone whilst you get a new cleaner to train alongside you. And so on.

Some good advice I’m thinking of this nearly 60 and made redundant so looking for something I would enjoy x

Contact your local Age U.K., they employ cleaners and it might be a good way to start up.