June 17th, 2010 | 
Author: I am in a bind for extra money and I am interested in starting a part time residential cleaning business as a one woman business (you can see that this will be a very very small business). I already work full time and would like to do this on the side.
I already have most of the supplies because I am a neat freak and I was going to start out with door hangers to advertise. I am only interested in cleaning 1 to 2 houses per week.
I am looking for advice on how to get started, what services to offer as a very small business, what to charge/how to bill, and I would like your experienced thoughts on whether it is worth it to start such a small business.
Please post your thoughts especially if you are already doing something like this, on a small scale, however all thoughts are welcome.
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Since you are going about this as both a sole proprietor and sole employee, you have to first ask yourself how much your time is worth.
I have hired cleaning companies for a savings & loan and suggest that your rate for work fit the market.
Call others who are already in the business and ask them what they charge for specific services. The more organized ones have websites or a piece of paper with this information.
You can get free advertising in such sites as http://www.craigslist.org. Local newspapers may have a deal for small businesses like yours.
I, too am in the same boat. My father and I run a home based computer repair, service buiness. Getting started isn’t easy and getting customers can be a challenge. The best, cheapest way is advertise on free, local classified ad sites. Another is at a church or synoguage bullentin board or local business bulliten board. Determine your prices and services by checking your competition. What are they charging? What do they offer? Most charge by how many rooms to clean or the houses square footage size or extra for doing dishes.
For an example, I would say maybe 25/hr or cheaper compared to other house cleaning services. Always except cash or check. If check, make sure they write their driver’s license. If the check bounces, you can have them reported. Or take legal action.
I hope this helps.
The first thing you should consider is to start up a legitimate business in your county by contacting your county offices. You will be able to deduct the start up fees, supplies that you have, a portion of home rent/mortgage and utilities, advertising costs, etc. You will have to pay tax on your income but for two years can “write off” your losses. Consider taking the time to write a business plan that will show you how much you need to charge and where your break even point is. There is money in the cleaning industry especially in households where residents do not have the time or energy to clean for themselves. Start small, make yourself known, and you may find you can make more in your own business than you make full time. Take that first step. What do you have to lose???
Go to your local Small Business Development Center and they will be able to assist you. Their service is free of charge and confidential. To find the closest SBDC, go to http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/sbdcnear.html, you can also visit sba.gov and there is a lot of helpful advise as well. Good Luck!