How to Start A House Cleaning Business

Simple Steps

One of the main reasons people start businesses is to make money. For some it’s a blessing to make money doing something they love. I’m not saying that you have to love house cleaning in order to have a successful house cleaning business; however it would be a good idea if you didn’t hate it.

How much money you make depends on how big you want your business to be. It could be a one person operation where you set up at home and service areas close to home, or you could set up a commercial office and hire people to work for you.

Here are 7 simple steps to get you started on your own house cleaning business.

1. Decide exactly what kind of house cleaning services you will offer.

Here you decided what cleaning you will do, like making beds, vacuuming, mopping and waxing floors, dusting and so on. Also note what you won’t do, e.g. laundry. You can also decide to specialize, e.g. by cleaning carpets only, or cleaning suspended ceilings only.

2. Pricing your housecleaning service.

To have an idea of how to charge for your housecleaning service, use your competition. Check your telephone directory and the classified ads section in your local newspapers for cleaning businesses, call them up (pretend to be a prospective client) and find out exactly what cleaning services they offer and how much they charge. With this information gathered decide the best price to charge for your cleaning service.

3. Workout startup costs.

For this you need to consider, tools, material, transport, advertising, insurance etc. Write down a list all the tools and material you need, like cleaners, sponges, mops, carpet cleaning equipment etc. Next find out the cost of each item on the list and write it down next to the item.

Transport: you will have to estimate your costs here. You see it depends on where your client is located and your means of transportation to get to your client. (Having your own vehicle would be to your advantage).

Advertising: You can use free advertising (word of mouth) and paid advertising (classifieds, telephone directory ads etc). Phone calls to your local newspaper and the telephone company who publish your telephone directory will tell you the cost of placing ads.

Once you’ve gathered all this information, calculate your total startup costs.

4. Name your business.

Choosing an appropriate name for your house cleaning business is important. Here are a few examples I got of the internet, ‘Maid Brigade’, ‘All Shine Cleaning’, ‘White Glove Cleaning Service’. Please avoid using ‘Your Name Cleaning Services’. Using your own name as part of your business name is over done by many house cleaning businesses. Brainstorm and come up with a name that helps you stand out of the crowd.

5. Learn the zoning regulations of your community.

Check the city clerk’s Office or your local library for a copy for a copy of the zoning laws governing your community. Your reason for doing this is that some zoning regulations prohibit home businesses in a community.

6. Do a few free cleaning jobs.

Well you’re not actually doing them for free. You’re doing them in exchange for references (these add to your credibility for future paying clients and are invaluable). You can offer these free cleaning jobs to friends, non profit organizations in your communities etc.

7. Get your first paying client then get another and another and another and so on.

Tell everyone you know that you’ve started a cleaning business and place ads in the local newspapers. In the beginning you need to spend most of your time and money getting paying clients. However, the more clients you get the less time and money you spend on marketing and more time you spend on cleaning and making your clients happy.

This is just the beginning. Once you start making money take a house cleaning business course to help you better manage your business in terms of growth, accounting, taxes, insurance better marketing strategies and more.

source: http://www.housecleaning-tips.com/

How to Start a Catering Service

Starting a catering business from home can be a great career for people that enjoy planning, cooking and working with customers. The job of a catering business from home is to ensure the meal, appetizers, desserts and drinks are perfect for the client’s event. Catering services are used for conferences, birthdays, anniversaries, and, of course, weddings.

In fact, you can specialize by doing only wedding catering and keep yourself busy and your catering service growing. You need to be creative and have a great deal of knowledge about food. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Catering can be hard work.

The first step in starting catering company is to create a catering business plan. This plan will be needed if you try to get a loan to help your catering business get off the ground. It will also help you organize yourself and your business, by answering questions, and ensuring your services are professional and dependable.

When you start a catering company you will be required to have many licenses and certifications, and must adhere to Health Department regulations. You will need to contact your local Health Department for the specific regulations, certifications, licenses, and insurance information for your area. The Health Department also usually requires an inspection of the area to be used for your catering business.

With your catering business start up, you have to decide what types of food you are going to offer. Once you have decided on the food, you need the equipment to prepare the food and a way to transport it. Some places you will be working will have a kitchen that you can use for final preparation, but the majority of work will be done at your location.

If you don’t have a background in cooking or if you want to be able to get more creative and exotic, you may want to look into cooking classes at a local community college or even a culinary college. You may be able to find a culinary college that offers classes in catering business management. Being able to attend those types of classes, as well as cooking classes would be beneficial and relieve a lot of stress.

Once you have your training, certifications, insurance, and you have complied with the local Health Department and any other government regulations, you are ready to finalize what catering services you will provide and the associated fees. The best way to get this information is to contact some local caters. Find out what they offer and their fees. Do the same with any restaurants that offer catering services.

Marketing of any business can seem almost impossible. However, you have many options. You can write a press release for local newspapers and radio stations. You can offer your catering services to fund-raising events. You can invite wedding and event planners to a tasting of some of your food. If they know your work, they are more likely to hire you. Once you get your catering business name into the community, your best advertisement will be word of mouth.

Now you know just a few things about how to start catering. If you’re still interested then your next step is to get more information about the industry and the training required. There are plenty of books, such as the Complete Idiot’s Guide and other similar series that can help you get started. You should also subscribe to industry magazines to stay ahead of the trends and your competition. The internet is another great place to find information, recipes, trends and other issues of catering services.

The last step is to do it. Whether it is just part time or full immersion, remember that through all the hard work that in the long run it will be worth all the effort. People will always need catering services. The potential for growth in this industry is unlimited. There is always room for one more catering business to share the wealth.

source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Low Cost Start Up Businesses

Low Cost Start Up Businesses ideas are literally lying around, just waiting for you to snatch them up. In fact, there are so many of them, you might have trouble deciding which one you want. One thing is for certain, there has never been a better time for home business start-ups. So the sooner you get going, the better.

One idea out of the many for low cost home based businesses that you should know about is right here at your computer. Online auctions are big business these days, and it’s likely you already have items ready you can post for sale.

With the profits from sales on those things you might otherwise call junk, you can hit your local flea markets, estate sales, and garage sales for more goods to sell online. You will be amazed at how easy and profitable this is!

Another low cost home business that you might want to consider is to buy vending machines. These are generally low-cost and low maintenance, and you can place them everywhere from your large local companies’ break rooms to carwash waiting areas.

The possibilities for where to put vending machines are as limitless as your imagination. Ideas for what to put in them range from peanuts to bubble gum. You can pick up this type of item at any discount club or grocery store for a song and pull in big profits in the bargain.

You can also form a personal errand service. The need for these just can’t be stressed enough. People are so busy these days that getting to the dry cleaners can feel like trying to get to the top of a mountain.

Other people who are in major need of a personal errand service are the elderly. They are particularly grateful to have someone to do their personal errands for them. Creating a personal errand service is a great choice for a low cost home based business because it offers so many people what they really want more of—time.

You also might want to consider car detailing as your low cost start up business. Americans spend more time in and money on their cars than anyone else in the world. And they’re willing to pay $150, and often a lot more, to have their cars clean and shiny. If you love cars and being outdoors, this is the low cost home business for you.

Moving services are also a good choice from the list of low cost home businesses. Do you know anyone who wouldn’t love to have someone else do the heavy lifting when it comes to moving? Didn’t think so. Plus, they’re willing to pay big bucks for someone else to do it! Also, this is an especially great home business if you live near a college or university. If you like physical activity, a moving services business might just be the ticket for you.

If having fun is more what you have in mind consider becoming a party planner. You can plan parties ranging from children’s birthday parties to gala events for large local corporations in your area. The terrific thing about this low cost home business is that you get to go to lots of parties! After all, you simply must be at those parties to make sure all those little details you planned for so carefully are attended to correctly!

The list for low cost start up businesses could go on for days. Hopefully, you’ve found the one for you or have gotten the idea for one from this brief guide. The main thing you want to remember when choosing the business that’s right for you is to consider your likes and dislikes.

After all, it’s going to be your business and you’ll be spending lots of time at it, so make sure it’s something you enjoy. After you make your choice, make a plan for the things you need to do to get your business up and running. Follow it, and before you know it, the checks will be filling up your mailbox!

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved

via: http://ezinearticles.com/