The cleaning services industry in Australia is growing and growing due to rising demand for professional home cleaning services and a shift to working from home more often. As such, there’s never been a better time to start your own house cleaning business.
If you are taking the leap to start your own cleaning company, learn all about how to start your own cleaning business with our six-step home cleaning checklist.
1. Define your cleaning services
It’s tempting to cast your net wide and offer everything when starting a cleaning business. However, the challenge with being a generalist is that you have to invest in expensive equipment to cover all of your needs, and you’re not specialising in any specific area of cleaning. This can make it harder to position yourself as an expert in your field.
Not only does specialising in a few core cleaning services enable you to establish yourself as an expert in your niche, but it can also enable you to charge higher fees for your services. Why? Well, specialists will generally charge more for their services than generalists.
So, identify the target market for your sanitation services, find out what they’re looking for and provide them with the services to meet their needs.
2. Choose your business structure
Before offering your cleaning services to potential customers, you’ll need to select your business structure. Do you want to operate as a sole trader? Would you rather go for a partnership? Or do you feel that the company structure is the ideal business structure?
This is an important step for your house cleaning business, as the business structure you choose can affect your tax obligations, as well as your ongoing business cost. So, before getting started, be sure to discuss your business structure with an accountant or legal adviser to understand which option best suits your business and your needs.
3. Apply for your ABN and register your business name
Once you’ve decided what the best business structure is for you, it’s time to apply for your Australian business number (ABN). An ABN is a unique combination of 11 digits that are used to keep track of business transitions for tax purposes.
Recommended reading: Do Sole Traders Need ABN? – A Complete Guide
Your ABN enables the government to identify your business. It appears on your business documents, including items such as receipts or tax invoices. You’ll find the steps for applying for an ABN on the Australian Business Register’s website.
When you are applying for your ABN, you will also choose your business name. But until your business is legally registered, your business name could be snatched up by a competitor, or by another business. So, hop onto the ASIC website and register your business name ASAP to lock it in.
4. Reduce the risks to your business with business insurance*
Cleaning – whether residential, commercial or industrial sites – comes with risks. After all, slips, trips, and other assorted accidents can and may happen when working on site as a professional cleaner.
That’s why sanitation service business owners often invest in business insurance to reduce their exposure to risk. The business insurance products that can help cleaning business owners reduce the impact of an insured event on their business include:
Domestic cleaning insurance can protect your business and assets if someone injures themselves due to your negligence, or if you accidentally damage property belonging to one of your clients.
5. Purchase the right equipment
Are you asking yourself the question, “what do I need to open a cleaning business?”. Now that you’ve taken care of the admin side of your business, it’s time to invest in the equipment you’ll need to deliver the core services you’ve decided to offer. If you decide to offer residential cleaning services, the start-up prices will be fairly low, and all you will need is a few high-grade cleaning products and a high-quality vacuum.
However, if you plan on offering commercial cleaning services, do your due diligence and invest in quality cleaning equipment. While this may be costly at first, it will enable you to provide high-quality cleaning services and turn first-time customers into loyal clients who will advocate for your business. It can also enable you to increase your home cleaning service costs. Once you’ve got what you need to open a cleaning business, you are ready to open your cleaning business.
6. Advertise your cleaning services
Promoting your cleaning services and getting your first client can be daunting. Yet, it doesn’t have to be. There are plenty of paid and organic ways to advertise your business. Use your social media channels to talk about your cleaning services, as well as paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, or Google. And if your cleaning business is competing on price, be sure to highlight your home cleaning service costs and how your home cleaning services are more affordable than your competitors.
You can also blog about your cleaning services on your company website and use your email marketing to promote your business to your database. You may also consider listing your cleaning services on sites such as Airtasker, Gumtree, Hipages, and Hire a Hubby. You can also print flyers and hand them to local cafes and shops.
Starting your own cleaning company is a big step, and BizCover can support you and your cleaning business by making buying domestic cleaning insurance fast, convenient, online, and cost-effective. Choose BizCover for a better business insurance experience and make purchasing domestic cleaning insurance for your business a breeze. Compare quotes now.
