Writen by Rodel Garcia
Who cleans the mess when everyone has already left?
Most American homes do not have house helpers to do the "dirty job". After a party or any special event where foot traffic is high, and dirty silverwares are plenty, a hired help from an agency often gets the pay check. This is the primary reason why there are many businessmen looking into the seamless possibilities offered by the cleaning and maintenance industry.
Carpet cleaners for hire have two niches: residential and commercial. Unlike other businesses that can choose only a niche where to focus their sight, carpet cleaning can serve multiple sectors effectively.
Consumer market covers residential homes where the need for carpet cleaning service may not be as frequent as those required by commercial clientele. With commercial clientele however, competition is stiffer because of industrial service contractors plying their trade among institutional accounts. In the overall, the one who captures the bigger market slice, is he who understands the basics of carpet cleaning service, has a modest start-up capital and the resilience to start, manage, and grow the business.
The trick is to find out where you "tick".
Is your leadership skill in place? If you are a leader or someone who has strong leadership qualities, try to manage a team of carpet cleaners rather than do the job yourself. While the latter can save you on cost, the former can give you focus in elevating the business to higher levels.
The perks? The upside of carpet cleaning business outweighs its downside. For one, carpet cleaning is a highly viable business and return on investment is fast. Second, operation is highly flexible, it can be done from the home or in a rented office. Third, its simple operation allows an elbow of flexibility either to do it full-time or part-time.
Setting up: Think big but start small
You may start your carpet cleaning business from home. This is how most successful carpet cleaning ventures started. This is what this article meant, setting up your personal carpet cleaning business with a minimum budget.
Identify your market: Creating a "homebase"
Carpet cleaning service, venturing out on a minimum budget, targets residential homes as their start-up niche.
Why? Start-up cost is minimal and cleaning equipments required are just the basic vacuum cleaner to suck up the dirt off the carpet that has to be cleaned, an ordinary or home-use carpet shampooer, including a locally-manufactured carpet shampoo.
Residential homeowners mostly wanted their carpet to be just cleaned, sans the complexity in cleaning required when requested by commercial establishments, due to the large extent of the carpeted area that has to be cleaned.
Taken at a closer look, carpet cleaning service done on residential market is lucrative comparing minimal operating cost and profit. On the other hand, commercial market includes apartments, condos, buildings, schools, banks, restaurants, hotels, churches, terminals, airports and other similar facilities. Outlook of carpet cleaning venture among these establishments becomes highly viable when done regularly, and contracted for a period.
Rendering of allied services can also be sources of additional income such as upholstery spot and stain removal, drapery laundering, carpet dyeing etc…
How big is the start-up capital?
The trick is not on having a huge financial cash outlay, but on how well profit is reinvested to grow overtime.
Most businessmen entertain the notion that a huge chunk of cash, spells the difference between success and failure in business undertakings, which can be true to a large extent, however it was proven that proper financial management is the key.
Most successful carpet cleaning businesses that started small availed of financing when the need to purchase additional equipment arose. Apart from personal savings, financing can help a great deal.
Credit cards have proven helpful and beneficial when used according to good purpose. Many businesses have started and flourished by the virtue of credit cards. Showcasing personal savings, no matter how insignificant the amount is, can tilt in your favor, approval for a financing loan. Financing companies nod at businessmen who can show a certain degree of financial involvement in taking risks.
Other options for building up capital reserves:
On top of your personal savings, it is a good idea to trawl for financial assistance elsewhere to build your business up during its infancy years. Here are options you may undertake:
Enlist your assets. How far can you go for your business? How far can you lose?
Your savings accounts, home equity, retirement savings, insurance, vehicles, and all other investments can be utilized to build up your cash reserves. They can either be sold or used as collateral for loans you will undertake. Know who your real friends are.
Well-meaning friends who know your resoluteness of purpose to build up a carpet cleaning service can be source of funds either as partners or pure capitalists. You may include in this list your relatives, both immediate or extended.
Seek out private and government-funded programs.
Oftentimes, government-assisted programs for small-scale and medium-sized businesses are not availed of, simply because of ignorance. As a businessman, you should keep abreast with the latest information that can help your business.
Big or small, your carpet cleaning business is one of the most viable service-oriented undertaking you can start today. As someone in the general cleaning industry puts it, "for as long as something gets dirty, we shall never run out of business".
R. Garcia is an experience housekeeper and currently working at BC Children's and Women's Hospital. For more information please visit my site: Temporary Carpet Protection - Temporary Cures For Permanency ; Car Upholstery Care - Tips to Spruce Up Your Car Interiors |
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