The thing is Mark, every day there must be hundreds of people who have their employment ended or some other circumstance come up where they look to go out and work for themselves. Many choose carpet cleaning because they've either seen it being done or heard from someone else about it and thought it "looks easy".
Unfortunately the vast majority of these guys have good intentions - if not a little romantic - but never really get out of first gear. I don't know what it's like with other trades but certainly with carpet cleaning with as little as a few hundred pounds you can be working out of the back of your car with a naff machine, second-rate products and absolutely no knowledge of either how to do the work properly or run a business effectively.
That's why so many new starts fail, because they have only looked at the superficial element and not thought more deeply about what they are doing.
The bottom line is that our industry is becoming more and more flooded with cheap cleaners who do naff work for low prices. This damages the industry in the long run. If a customer has a job done by a bodger and he leaves their carpet wet for 2 days, knocks a vase over and the carpet stinks afterwards, that's it... we're all like that and nothing can convince that customer otherwise. They'll be using a vax for the rest of their lives and telling their friends and family that all carpet cleaning companies are a rip-off.
If you've chosen to go down this avenue and uphold a commitment to providing quality and developing a thriving business, go for it mate don't hesitate for one minute. All you need to do is get as much training from recognised bodies as you possibly can, and get yourself out with a PROPER carpet cleaner who won't teach you bad habits
However if you fall into the trap of going for the bargain-basement approach, you'll be squabbling for the scraps along with all the other two-bob chancers around you. Their only selling point is low price, and of course the less money they're taking the less obliged and less willing they are to do a good job. You only have to sell yourself to a customer once if you do a good job, after that they'll just ring you up and book you in for next time.
Here's something to think about... Roughly 50% of the work I do is repeat business and another 25% is referrals - you don't have to work hard at all to get these jobs, the hard work has already been done! I've bent over backwards to impress customers and it's really started to pay off these last few years. It takes time and LOTS of self-discipline but it is so worth it.
Your business needs to be constantly growing. Whether that's 10% year on year or 100%, but it needs to grow - even if it stays the same it is effectively shrinking due to inflation and increasing costs of overheads and consumables.
Growing your business is all about marketing and sales. You could be the best carpet cleaner in the world but if you don't understand marketing or how to make a sale you'll be really disadvantaged. Selling is based on human emotions, tap into them and you'll make sales, doesn't matter whether it's houses, cars, washing up bowls or carpet cleaning.
(rambling now, very tired, just got in
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I know this sounds like a sermon but I'm just trying to convey the importance of the right approach. It's easy to buy a cheap machine and chuck a few leaflets out but it's also very easy to go out of business because you haven't thought it out properly. Keep asking questions but be prepared to get answers you don't want to hear at some point!