As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, the demand for cleaning services is on the rise as thousands of restaurant and retail operators seek to disinfect their places and hope to put customer fears at ease. People have also become concerned to keep their homes clean and disinfected, but not many people want to do this work themselves. That presents a great opportunity for entrepreneurs who don’t mind getting their hands dirty to start a cleaning business as housekeeping. If you set up a cleaning business during this pandemic, you are going to tap into an enormous market with plenty of clientele.

Moreover, cleaning services might have smaller up-front costs than some of the other endeavors and you can also begin operating pretty quickly with little capital. However, you do have to be committed to striving hard to achieve a good profit and steady gains.

For those who are all set to go on this roller-coaster ride and ready to begin their entrepreneurial journey in the cleaning business, here is the 5-step process on how to start a housekeeping business with the major supplies required to extending a hand towards hygiene.

Step 1: Do the Initial Works Yourself

You might feel tempted to begin with staffing, but initially do most of the work yourself. After all, you should learn the business before you can successfully run it. Ask your family and friends for references or to clean their houses or workplaces. When you take care of clients yourself, it helps you to earn a positive reputation and maintain control of your business image. Once, the business starts growing, you can hire outsource employees and go for bigger cleaning services.

Step 2: Decide a Budget for Your Business

The cleaning business is a low-cost business and when you do most of your jobs alone, you keep more money in your pocket. Still, you need to have some budget to invest in supplies and track and cover vehicle maintenance and fuel costs. First, calculate everything from the investment required on hiring to money for taxes and insurance as a business owner and then determine a reasonable budget for your business.

Step 3: Choose a Brand Name

Selecting a brand name can be the most enjoyable part of starting a cleaning business. Go online, research for different names, play on words and come up with something related to your unique service, location, or your own name. Make sure to recheck if another company already does not have the same name as you.

Step 4: Purchase the Cleaning Supplies

Your opportunities are practically limitless in the cleaning business if you have the right equipment. Find out what kinds of cleaning supplies you need for cleaning clients’ homes and workplaces. There are some very common cleaning equipment that may be needed. You can divide these supplies into three categories:

The Tools: You and your cleaning team will carry tools to every job to use daily for regular cleaning tasks.

Rags and cloths
Mops
Toilet brushes
Spray bottles
Dusters
Squeegees

The Supplies: These products are used daily as part of the cleaning routine. Make sure to keep a greater quantity of these on hand.

Latex gloves
Window cleaner
Bathroom cleaner
Disinfectant
Garbage bags

The Equipment: You need to purchase these items once and they provide years of service use.

Carts and trolleys
Vacuum cleaners
Carpet steam cleaners

Step 5: It’s all about Marketing

Regardless if you rely on current clients to help you find new clients, you still need to work for digital marketing; it will benefit your business in the long run. In this digital era, if your company is not online then you are not reliable and you may be stuck in the dark ages!

Your clients, both current and new, should be able to find you online. If you cannot have a website right now, create a social media page on different social sites; some digital footprint is better than none.

Don’t forget to register your business name to prevent others from using it. Also, determine whether local law needs you to have business insurance, liability insurance, and other protection. Working in someone’s home as a service is not always free of risk, insurance can help protect both you and your client in case something goes wrong.

And, just like all other businesses, make customer services a top priority. Stay available to potential and existing customers, respond promptly to service requests, and follow up with clients to ensure repeat business.

All the best for your new venture!