People are always looking to outsource tasks that they don’t want to do themselves, even if it means paying for someone else to do it. Home cleaning, windows, carpets or office spaces certainly fall into this category. 

If you are thinking about setting up your own cleaning business in South Africa, there are a few things to consider before you launch:

1. Consumer or commercial?

When opening a cleaning service, you should consider which one of two market groups you are going to target. Whichever one you choose will determine the kind of equipment you need and the hours you will work. There is commercial and consumer; 

the consumer market focuses on individual homes, for example, domestic work, window cleaning and carpet and couch cleaning. Commercial cleaning focuses on cleaning services for offices, factories and other work environments, which often prefer heavy cleaning done outside of office hours.

2. What services will you offer?

What types of cleaning will you specialise in? If you start out by only offering specific services that you know are needed in your area, it will help keep overhead costs manageable, and over time you’ll see what other services you can offer as you grow. A few types of services to focus on could include eco-friendly cleaning, window washing, caretaking or private residence domestic services.

3. Own a business or franchise?

There are pros and cons to both options; therefore, you should take time and do thorough research to ensure that you are making the right decision for you and your business. A franchise offers a certain degree of stability and security, as you’re operating under a known brand. If you start your own business, you won’t necessarily have that, but you will have more flexibility and freedom.

4. Marketing your cleaning business

Once you decide on how you are going to structure your business, it’s time to start spreading the word. As a startup, you want to get the best advice you can on how to run your business and do what you can within your budget, so make sure to target your marketing carefully. This will help get the message about your company to the right type of customers. Word of mouth costs nothing, and in small areas it can be very powerful. Print brochures that feature your services with costs so that you can hand them out at appropriate places.

Marketing online is another way you can get the word out without putting in too much effort, leaving you with more time to build the business. Social media is another amazing platform and setting up a company Facebook page, for example, costs nothing and helps to spread the word passively (passive marketing means anything created and put out onto the internet that people may come across while online).

5. Be trustworthy

As you grow your customer base, it’s very important to do your job well and respect your clients’ space and their privacy. Any sign that personal property has been damaged or stolen can ruin your business. Do thorough police checks on your employees and work hard to ensure you build and keep a good reputation. If something is broken on the job, then let the client know and either pay them back or replace it. Put everything back where it was once it has been cleaned and ensure you always respect your customers’ instructions.

The information contained in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice

For an affordable insurance quote click here.