Do You Have What it takes to Start Your Own House Cleaning Business?

Before getting too far into the process of getting started in your residential cleaning business, it's important to take an objective look at yourself and see if you have what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.

Answering the following questions will help you discover your entrepreneurial strengths and weaknesses:

1. Do you have a positive attitude about yourself and your abilities? You're going to run up against the competition, tough to sell clients and many other obstacles. A business owner needs to be able to have a strong, positive attitude, and thick skin to make it through the rough times.
   
   
2. Are you a leader? Although they don't consciously think about it, your employees, clients and even suppliers will be relying on your strong leadership abilities.
   
   
3. How good are you at making decisions? Business decisions can be tough to make and at times they'll have to be made quickly. There's no time for being wishy-washy when it comes to making things happen in your business.
   
   
4. Are you a self-starter? Remember, as a small cleaning business owner, everything is up to you - from obtaining clients to bookkeeping to following through to make sure the work is done properly. If you don't make things happen, it's not going to get done.
   
   
5. Do you like people and can you get along with all kinds? Besides working with different types of clients, you are also working with suppliers, employees, bankers and other professionals. There will not only be dissatisfied clients to deal with, but also cranky suppliers and incompetent employees.
   
   
6. How well do you plan and organize? A small business owner is responsible for everything; ordering supplies, making bank deposits, sending out invoices, scheduling, and so on and so on... It takes advanced planning and good organizational skills to stay on top of all the details involved in running a cleaning business.
   
   
7. Do you have the physical and mental stamina to take on a new business? Many small business owners have to work 10-12 hour days, 6-7 days a week to get the business going and keep it running smoothly.
   
   
8. Is your family going to be able to adjust? As mentioned above, your time commitment to the business will be substantial. How will this affect you and your family members? In addition to the time commitment, if you are giving up a steady income to take on a new business, you may have to adjust your standard of living until your business takes off. How will that affect your family's standard of living that they're accustomed to?
   
   
9. Do you have basic cleaning skills and knowledge of products and equipment? Your clients depend on you to provide the most effective products, equipment, and procedures needed to get their homes spic-and-span. There is no room for inefficiency because that directly affects your bottom line profits.
   
   
10. Are you willing to invest time and money to develop any skills you may be lacking? Do you need help with accounting, marketing or managerial skills? The SBA, SCORE and local community colleges often offer workshops and short courses to help business owners gain confidence in these areas.

Honestly answering these questions will help you to judge if you are ready to take on the role of small business owner. A great deal of time, effort, sweat, hard work, and sacrifice is needed to get your residential cleaning business off the ground.

Many small business owners work full-time jobs and start their business on a part-time basis; starting slowly and building consistently over time. It can take several years before your cleaning business is successful enough to support you and your family. That's the bad news. But the good news is that once you have developed a good reputation, the business will be easier to obtain and clients will come to you instead of you going to them. Patience and hard work will pay off as you see your cleaning business grow and become profitable!

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