Business ideas

The recent economic crunch has forced thousands of small business enterprises to close down, leaving millions of people without jobs, and thus a way of supporting themselves. If you, like many of those people, are feeling the pressure of the changing economic environment, or if you've already fallen victim to it - you are probably wondering how to find creative ways of augmenting your income to be able to comfortably and securely support yourself and your family.

Fortunately, there is an answer... The way you need to look at this economic climate is that it's an amazing opportunity to progress yourself to the next level. With the help of technology these days the opportunities for taking charge of your own income are endless. You can now easily start your own business at home, on full or even on a part-time basis. One of the popular business trends now is starting up your own Commercial Cleaning Business.

OK - I know that this might sound intimidating to someone who has no entrepreneurial experience. But believe me - even a novice can have his own cleaning business in no time, if he knew the process and if he had the "winning formula".

Here is a step-by-step guide - i.e. a shortened version of a "winning formula" - that will help you understand how you can start your own Commercial Cleaning Business:

1. Decide what kind of operation you will run.

You can start a cleaning business independently or you can franchise a cleaning business, which already has a proven track record of success. Each has its pros and cons...

If you start your business independently, the upside is that your profits are yours alone. Also, you will not be tied down to regulations and rules that might not be compatible with your own business goals and vision.

The downside is that you have to start with a blank slate. You have to do careful planning and research, you have to have business knowledge (or at least be willing to learn), and you would need to find at least the initial capital, because the financial risks may be quite big.

If you decided on a franchise, on the other hand, you will find that you'll be given a 'head start'. You'll have a business model that is proven to work. You should be given a clear set of processes, and action plans - so all you'll have to do is put in the work to make it work!

The drawback to choosing a franchise is that in most cases the 'mother company' will take a big cut from your profit margins - so not everything you work for will come back into your pocket. So make sure you weigh up the PROs and CONs and decide for yourself - choose the best option according to your skill set, your funds, and depending on what you want out of owning your own business.

2. Choose what type of cleaning service you will provide for your clients.

This might seem like a silly question, but there are many different services for consideration - and you have to be clear from the start what it is that you want to do. You can choose from the following: maid services, janitorial services, or carpet and upholstery cleaning services.

3. Make sure you know what it will cost you.

There are just a few costs involved in starting up your own commercial cleaning business - advertising costs, cleaning materials costs, and business setup costs. So you need to investigate what each could be, and plan accordingly - it makes sense right!

Luckily, there are *many ways in which you can fund your business without dipping into your own savings. You can sell your assets for cash or use as collateral for loans. You can ask trusted friends to invest in your business. As with all businesses requiring investment - make sure you present a very convincing business proposal.

As an aside - it doesn't take much initial capital to get started. So even if you have to take out an initial loan, you should have covered it within a few weeks, and then you start making profit. Compared to a lot of other types of business start-ups - this is a relatively fast turnaround by any means.

4. Decide how you will get your customers.

To save costs, you can do 'guerrilla' type marketing, like handing out fliers, or doing cold calls (door-to-door or on the phone) to promote your business. You can target your marketing efforts quite easily.

The bottom line is that businesses need cleaning, and all businesses are listed either in the Yellow Pages or in online business directories like YelloBook, YellowPages, WhitePages, Google Local Business Directory, and Yahoo! and MSN local business directories. There are thousands of businesses that you can target and approach with your service offer.

You might need to make a few deals at first to get some customers on board. But once you get your 'foot in the door', your satisfied customers will be your new marketing 'weapon' through the word-of-mouth power of referrals.

On top of all that, the internet has provided us with an extra channel through which you can get new clients at a small cost, compared to any offline mediums - you just need to decide which ones work best for you.

5. Take good care of insurance, licenses, and taxes.

This would not cost you as much as you might think. A business license will cost you around $50 a year. As for insurance, there are a lot of prepaid plans that ask for small monthly installments. You will most likely cover all your costs with the first deal you get and then you start making profits.

I probably don't need to say this as it is common sense - do your taxes... Don't try and skip this step - or you may find your business battling if the tax office queries your books.

At the end of it all, the key to building a successful Commercial Cleaning Business is to know your market inside and out, have a clear idea of what your are offering your clients, scope out the potential costs, and define clear business goals with a solid marketing plan.

The biggest hurdle for you would be getting your first client. After that you will have a 'winning formula' and it will be just a matter of doing 'what works best' and refining that process to maximise your profits. But don't forget - planning and researching a project (or business opportunity) thoroughly before starting is a crucial part of succeeding...

Next Step: Read also how Clean Up The Profits by Sam Rodman earned Jeremy Gray $12,992.96 in his first 3 months of starting a commercial cleaning business.

Head over to http://cleaningbusinesssecrets.com/ now and judge for yourself.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - How to Start Your Own Commercial Cleaning Business