Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Kyle warrington on January 29, 2013, 08:49:52 am
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Hi All
I am looking to start my own business in the Bristol Area and am looking for some advice and tips.
I would like to offer carpet cleaning and oven cleaning as I think they will each bring in some good business.
I have been out with My mate Richard from Personal Touch Cleaning Services (North Devon) so I have a good understanding of the basics now.
I Would be greatful of any advice and info on the following =
Machines to go for ? for carpet cleaning and oven cleaning
How to market myself ?
Issues people have had starting out?
Vouchure Deals (do they work?)
Suppliers to go for or avoid?
Training?
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Here's a tip:
Forget everything Richard told you
;)
The first things I would say are take a look at how busy you expect to be for the first 12 months - and halve it.
Then, take a look at how much you've set aside for marketing for the first 12 months - and double it.
That's not me being a tw@t, its a harsh truth that many find (including myself) at startup.
Good luck!
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Totally I agree with Ash!
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Here's a tip:
Forget everything Richard told you
;)
The first things I would say are take a look at how busy you expect to be for the first 12 months - and halve it.
Then, take a look at how much you've set aside for marketing for the first 12 months - and double it.
That's not me being a tw@t, its a harsh truth that many find (including myself) at startup.
Good luck!
Scarily true ;D
To put it into context you will probably earn more working in Tesco's stacking shelves at least for the 1st two years but if you work hard, very hard then you might make a decent living 3 - 5 years down the line. I've only been doing this for two years and am still struggling. I did oven cleaning for 9 months but gave it up as to be honest it was soul destroying and did not give the return that carpet cleaning can, that being said it is a much easier sale.
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Ash is spot on
Been going four years invested £15,000 in the business i am sure many will say you don't have to spend that much they are right but it will take a lot longer to establish yourself without, as has been said do not underestimate marketing costs and strategy above all else if the phone don't ring it doesn't matter if you have a triple vac all singing and dancing machine.
I do carpet cleaning only and i know a local oven cleaner no idea having seen his equipment how you could combine the two, but some do maybe not using the correct equipment ? not sure though.
I had my oven done by him recently and he charges about £50 for a double oven i could earn more than double that easy per hour carpet cleaning.
But that is the point when i am working my hourly rate is pretty good but deduct running costs and the hours i am not working, still glad i did it though it does give me a living and a lot more time to spend with family.
Previous comments are right though you would earn more at Tescos, no overheads at all, if you do go through with it look at it as an investment for the future, remember though about half of all new business's don't survive more than five years. i would advise some half decent equipment, do a professional job don't undercut everyone as you want to build a good solid client base, although this increases risk as you will lose out on some customers the ones who will always want a lounge done for £15 no big loss i believe, and research on every forum, library, internet on how to market your business i found guys who were doing well and studied what made them successful, some seem determined to become the next Richard Branson of carpet cleaning and quite frankly are out of my league as i just want to run a small business earn a few quid have a holiday once in a while and spend more time with my family, something i could not do before.
But they have the recipe for success and have made it work, the vast majority on here are doing a good job, so you have started in the right place, good luck :)
PS Paid that loan off in January full and final settlement so less overheads this year, probably more investment though ::)
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Ash your off my friends list lol
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Ash your off my friends list lol
;D
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Ash your off my friends list lol
You've got to have friends to have a friends list!
;D ;D ;D
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wondered when you would pipe up little blower how's the sheep you Welsh prickle
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Some good posts above for you kyle.
Looking at the number of start ups this last years some think its an easy option into business.
Good luck .
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Gone are the days when you could buy a cheap machine and then place an advert in your local rag and hey presto, the phone starts ringing and you're a carpet cleaner.
These days it takes a great deal of dedication, perserverance, the right equipment, training and most importantly of all - the right attitude!! You also need quite a bit of money, not just for the proper equipment but more so for the advertising and marketing required just to keep you're head above water, let alone make a living.
Many newbies believe that being competitive is about price - it is not, it is about quality and with limited budgets find themselves skimping on equipment and training and cannot produce results worthy of having their customer's think of them as, 'their carpet cleaner,'and without a high customer retention rate you simply cannot build a successful business.
If I were you I'd be doing a lot of research into your competitors, looking at how they do things, with a firm eye on trying to find ways of doing it better, so that there is something unique and distinctive about what you do that has you stand OUT from and not IN the crowd.
Good luck
Simon
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Some good posts above for you kyle.
Looking at the number of start ups this last years some think its an easy option into business.
Good luck .
Hey Clinton.. hows it going?
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Good post Simon
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Hi Russ.Going ok thanks and the same as i last spoke to you.
Hope you have some luck selling the prowler it looks in great condition.
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Kyle, window cleaning would prob be best to start off for your first couple of years.
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Paul
You beat me to it
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Kyle
If you use search facility you should find the answer to your questions.
Problem is to answer them all would require writing a start up guide, but I am certain a few hours on search facility you will find posts on marketing, best companies debates on equipment. etc.
I would also suggest a phone call to all suppliers would help. As you are in West Country give Soultions a call but bear in mind their machines are not supplied with heaters, although some would arque you do not need them. But general consensus on here is you do at least need the option
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I totally agree with Simons advice, and in addition would suggest the following:
Get your hands on as many quality books as you can regarding,
1. Marketing
2. Copy Writing
3. Branding
4. Selling
5. Internet marketing
6. Advertising
If you do this you will realise the amount of work ahead of you and should avoid a lot of expensive mistakes, (unlike myself.)
The actual cleaning of the carpets themselves is the easy bit.
Daren
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I think the carpet cleaning knowledge is played down too much in favour of marketing knowledge, as though the hard thing is getting the work not cleaning the carpets
but really they go hand in hand, if all you are going to say on the phone is....... "that will be £20".... then OK but if you are going to charge a premium price you need to talk the talk. having the carpet cleaning knowledge makes it a lot easier to put your self across as a competent carpet cleaner capable of quality work who is worthy of a good price.
so learn about marketing but read everything possible about carpet cleaning.
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If you want to pour money into kit, van, training chemicals and OK with being a few grand down this time next year I say go for it.
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If you want to pour money into kit, van, training chemicals and OK with being a few grand down this time next year I say go for it.
Useful advice
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I think the point he is making is you have to get the marketing right first , as already said you can do both.
Get on a few courses while learning how to market the business, before the large expense kicks in..
After all, after doing the courses etc you might decide it's not for you, you don't want a load of expensive new kit you now have to sell at a loss..
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I think the carpet cleaning knowledge is played down too much in favour of marketing knowledge, as though the hard thing is getting the work not cleaning the carpets
but really they go hand in hand, if all you are going to say on the phone is....... "that will be £20".... then OK but if you are going to charge a premium price you need to talk the talk. having the carpet cleaning knowledge makes it a lot easier to put your self across as a competent carpet cleaner capable of quality work who is worthy of a good price.
so learn about marketing but read everything possible about carpet cleaning.
Mike i don't think the carpet cleaning is played down but i do i think the marketing is often overlooked as being as important, my Airflex and most of my equipment came from a guy who managed to put just seven hours on the clock when he sold it to me, i asked him why he was selling and incredibly he said "he didn't realise how difficult it would be to get customers a got a great deal on all his gear, his loss was my gain but he was foolish not to realise.
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I think one major problem that confronts many newbies is that they aren't just new to carpet cleaning, but new to running a business. This makes the learning curve even greater, because if you do not understand even the most rudimentary aspects of running a business then it will be difficult to start your business on a sound financial / business footing, knowing from day one what your cost base is, where your breakeven point is and how much you need to charge per hour in order to cover your costs and make a profit and all this long before you start grappling with things like marketing and from there to understanding how the quality of what you do as a professional carpet cleaner is in itself the most powerful form of marketing and if all things are in sync then one job should lead to others, but yet you know next to nothing about carpet cleaning.
Quite a conundrum, but one that must be resolved before even contemplating spending money on equipment, which is often the first, but should be the final act of setting up a new cc business.
Simon
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everything Simon says is correct this will be my 3rd year i started by buying a setup off a friend thinking it will be easy had no funds for advertising etc. I am still in the same position now only i own a van and have more experience but i'm still in the same boat regards to money. I just plod on and hope it will pick up but if i was to start again i would consider something like window cleaning not alot to lay out and build up a customer base then once money was available take the next step and sell to your existing customers who already trust you through being there windy.
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everything Simon says is correct this will be my 3rd year i started by buying a setup off a friend thinking it will be easy had no funds for advertising etc. I am still in the same position now only i own a van and have more experience but i'm still in the same boat regards to money. I just plod on and hope it will pick up but if i was to start again i would consider something like window cleaning not alot to lay out and build up a customer base then once money was available take the next step and sell to your existing customers who already trust you through being there windy.
But you are making progress and you are building a solid business.
Part of the problem is suppliers 'selling the dream' and people like us talking £50-£100 an hour cleaning carpets. What I think is important for anyone starting out is to understand pretty much everyone who starts with little cash behind them will struggle for at least 12 months and most people reinvest in their business meaning 3-4 years before you are on an even keel.
The only exception is the guy with a buffer and a hatchback who works on a strictly cash basis for their beer and tabs. But thats not building a business.
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Oy.............
believe it or not... there is a lot of skill in achieving the desired job for the customer, using a buffer...
the hatchback is optional ;D ;D
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Oy.............
believe it or not... there is a lot of skill in achieving the desired job for the customer, using a buffer...
the hatchback is optional ;D ;D
;D ;D
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Oy.............
believe it or not... there is a lot of skill in achieving the desired job for the customer, using a buffer...
the hatchback is optional ;D ;D
Exceptional skill I would say. :D
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Thank you ... ;D
To be fair though... I am winding down my carpet cleaning business... :P ;D
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I am in my fourth year now and agree it is still tough going at times, i did have a considerable motivation to ensure that it worked though, i left school and went straight into the family business so left school with no formal qualifications, i grew to hate that job so looked around for other ways to earn a living and in so doing stumbled on this forum which was a life saver.
I ended up being sacked when i lost it one day, prior to this i had been doing the NCCA thing, practical experience with a couple of carpet cleaners and research for running a business and read a lot of books on marketing, the driving force to make it work was fear, on the day i got sacked i took out a loan over the internet for £15,000 risky i know, i just didn't pay it though, the mortgage was my priority so the loan could wait, i have this year paid that loan off in one lump sum, so quite happy with that.
I spent about eighteen months doing research before i took the plunge, helped tremendously by the people on this forum, i honestly could not have done it without their help and guidance so you have already done the right thing to get your own business up and running
PS Simon's advice is spot on