Did you ever think of starting your own cleaning service? Maybe you don’t have the capital to kick off a new business venture, but there is no reason you can’t start out small and get your feet wet.
Start by learning if any licenses or business permits are necessary in your area, and take care any pertaining issues. Then, sit down and right up a list of items you are willing to do and about how much you think you should charge per task. While it makes sense to figure it out according to how long it might take you, to insure that you make a reasonable rate per hour, do not quote potential clients an hourly rate.
Quote a flat rate for each job after calculating how much time and how many supplies will be required to complete the job. Of course, you will want to quote a little less for customers who are willing to provide their own supplies and/or equipment.
Print up some work orders on your computer and fill in exactly what you will do at each visit to your client’s home or office. Do not allow customers to intimidate you into doing extra tasks that are not on the list, unless they are willing to pay extra.
Politely explain that the charges only apply to previously agreed upon tasks that are listed on the worksheet, and that while you are willing to do additional jobs, you will have to charge more money. Otherwise, you’ll find that some people will add extra tasks at every visit and you will spend more time than you intended, and more time than you are being paid to expend.
A small cleaning service can be a lucrative from home business, if you carefully price your work and make sure you don’t get taken advantage of.