How to Start a Carpet Cleaning Business

Starting a carpet cleaning company can be a lucrative endeavor – especially if you are able to grow the business quickly.

One way to do this is to expand your client base to a vast number of customers. Yet there is another way to grow your business exponentially without the need to add more clients.

This is through offering additional cleaning services to your same customer base.

When you start a cleaning business, there are numerous details that you must ensure are taken care of prior to working with customers.

Once your business is up and running, you should be able to easily add an expanded list of services to your menu of current offerings.

The first task is to get a good understanding of how to open a cleaning business in general.

Then, once you start cleaning, business should start falling into place in other areas of the overall niche.

Essential Tasks to Complete

Prior to opening a cleaning business, you will need to complete several essential tasks in order to ensure that you are on the right track.

The first thing you will need is a carpet cleaning business plan. This plan will discuss how your company intends to earn a profit, what type of customer it will target, how it will advertise and market its services, and how it plans to achieve its short- and long-term financial goals.

Certainly, a big part of this plan is laying out the services that your company will offer. Although you will be providing carpet cleaning, there is a wide variety of offerings within that niche, such as:

• Deep carpet cleaning
• Area rug cleaning
• Spot stain removal
• Minor carpet repair
• Carpet removal

Likewise, will your company offer residential carpet cleaning, commercial carpet cleaning, or both?

Expenses should also be included in your company’s business plan. Some of the expenses that your company will typically have will include day-to-day items such as telephone, internet, and transportation.

If you have employees, you will also need to factor in their pay.

In addition, the business plan should also provide other financial data such as cash flow projections and income statements.

This is information that will be necessary to provide to a bank or other lender if your company should ever apply for a business loan.

You will also need to determine a location for your business. Many of those who are starting a cleaning company will initially operate the business from home.

Regardless of whether you have a home office or an off-site location, you will need to have space to store your carpet cleaning equipment, as well as an area to store various sized rugs.

Another important factor that will need to be addressed prior to opening for business is the obtaining of a business license.

Most jurisdictions will require that you obtain a vendor’s license. You can usually apply for such a license by contacting the country clerk’s office. Likewise, you can find out additional licensing information by contacting your local Chamber of Commerce.

When getting your business set up, you will need to decide if you will remain as a sole proprietor – this is a one-person operation – or if you will instead run your business as a type of entity such as a corporation or a Limited Liability Company (LLC).

While there is not nearly the paperwork involved in remaining a sole proprietor, there are considerable tax and legal benefits involved should you become incorporated.

You will also need to inquire about obtaining the proper business insurance coverage. A general liability policy will likely be required.

And, if you are planning to hire any employees, you will also need to check into obtaining worker’s compensation coverage. This type of insurance will cover an employee if he or she is involved in an accident or is injured while they are on the job.

Likewise, you may need to obtain a surety bond as well. These bonds can help in promoting honest relationships between business owners and customers.

Any time you or your employees (if applicable) will be working inside of a customer’s home, a surety bond is a must have.