The cleaning industry is currently one of the fastest growing segments of our economy and there are no signs of slowing down. The Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) http://www.bscai.org, estimates that the janitorial business generates nearly $50 billion per year in revenue. The industry continues to grow at a phenomenal rate. Cleaning companies expect an average sales growth of 30 percent in the coming years. I’m no financial whiz, but when you divide the number of cleaning businesses nationwide (56,000) by the gross amount of revenue from the national cleaning business ($50 billion), you get about $900,000 per company! , by year!
Okay, you probably won’t make a million dollars a year just starting out, but I hope you get my point. There is a lot of money to be shared among just a few cleaning companies. Keep in mind that no one company really dominates the industry. The playing field is open! Most cleaning contractors are just like you and me, small “mom and pop” type operations. Franchised cleaning companies make up about 30 percent of your serious competition. I mean, you still have 70 percent of the market waiting for someone like you!
But aren’t housewives and commercial cleaners everywhere? What makes me think I can compete for the business and get paid well? Haven’t those big cleaning companies cornered the market? Let’s see several myths and facts that exist about the cleaning business today.
Myth: There is no money in the cleaning business.
Fact: There is a lot of money in the cleaning business. There is a great need and there are not many qualified people available to fill it. Those variables ALWAYS equal $$$. The trick is to target your clientele and maximize your earning potential. Many people fail in business because they are not ready to go into it. Done correctly, most professional cleaners can expect a minimum of $30,000 to $40,000 in their first year. The sky is the limit thereafter! As the business is built and the reputation grows, a hardworking husband and wife (or other associated team) who don’t mind working 40 hour weeks can earn $100,000 or more.
Myth: All the rich have full-time housewives.
Fact: The traditional nanny-type housekeeper is a person of the past. Twenty or thirty years ago, the wealthy might have hired a housekeeper to stay home all day with the children, cooking, cleaning, and other tasks normally assigned to the wife. This type of woman used to be a mother who supplemented her income by working part-time for the wealthy family. The work was menial and the wage minimal, but over the years these women grew attached to their employers’ children and were eventually seen as an integral part of the family. Often these women took trips and vacations with their employer and participated in other non-monetary benefits. Because of this relationship, loyalty and dependability were the employer’s dividends, despite low wages. As more women enter the workforce in search of higher wages and benefits, the number of middle-aged women willing to work as homemakers and nannies has declined. Most of the women who served in this capacity are now past retirement age, leaving a void for many wealthy and older female homeowners. This translates into a perfect opportunity for qualified household cleaners.
Myth: I can’t compete against the big cleaning companies.
Fact: Today’s cleaning companies are only as successful because homeowners and business owners have no other choice. As we said earlier, franchised companies represent only a third of the market. The new hip house cleaner has a distinct advantage in being the polar opposite of what these companies offer: impersonal, sloppy, and expensive service. Many of the young women who work for franchisees are hired with little or no education, given a broom and told to go to work. Turnover is tremendously high and they perform poorly in their roles, leaving the customer generally dissatisfied. As the work ethic in this country continues to decline, so does the quality of the workers who service the homes and businesses of America’s social and economic elite. The hard-working, conscientious, and caring cleaning lady has been replaced by a generation of carefree, minimum wage service workers.
Myth: Most offices already have building maintenance agreements.
Fact: Although most high-rise office buildings have cleaning staff and maintenance agreements with their tenants, the vast majority of independent “store” businesses do not. There are hundreds if not thousands of small businesses in your area that need your service. Many of these are branches of large corporate companies that already have the cost of building maintenance service written into their estimates. Some managers have their employees clean bathrooms, vacuum, and empty trash simply because they don’t have the time to hire cleaning labor (or have had bad experiences in the past).
Myth: It will take many years before you can establish a reputation and earn high salaries.
Fact: While a strong reputation is helpful, you don’t need to start in this business. Trust us. There is such a lack of quality people cleaning houses and businesses these days that homeowners and employers will practically beg you to work for them if you look half decent. Sure, you’ll earn higher salaries as you prove your reliability and responsibility, but your starting fees won’t be too bad either. Our reputation is so strong in this business that we can practically name our prices and most people don’t even doubt it. All we have to say is “We work for such and such a rich person” or “such and such a business owner” and the pricing issues disappear.
Myth: Work is menial and people will look down on me.
Fact: While you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to dust off lampshades, it takes a smart and resourceful person to run a business. Anyone who initially questions his choice of occupation will soon eat his words as his success speaks for itself. Who cares if the job is menial? If your business is built right, you’ll soon be making more money, working fewer hours, than most American businesses!
Myth: Cleaning is too difficult and will take too long.
Fact: Cleaning is the easiest manual job there is! Although some of the physical exertion may be difficult to adjust to initially, once an efficient routine is established, you will be able to complete several jobs each day, leaving time and energy to spare. Your method is the key. Cleaning can be hard work; but for those who are willing to learn effective methods, cleanup is quick and easy!
A great resource for those considering house cleaning is www.cleansweeptips.com [http://www.cleansweeptips.com/]. Here you will find tons of tips and tricks for those interested in a great work at home opportunity!