[derek7]

I am considering leaving my job to start a carpet and upholstery cleaning business, but before investing a few grand on equipment I would like to know from anyone out there, what the typical weekly earnings are in this business.

Also what other add on services would you have, to increase profits?

[Neil Grainger]

Hello

Carpet and Upholstery is good business but you need to check how many competitors you have in your area, to many and it will be very difficult for your to get established.

It will take time to build up and you wont be earning much in your first few months. I have been going a year and am only just starting to get over the £1000 a week bracket but this is not every week. This is also due that we are coming into the Christmas rush period.

I suggest that you take it on part time first then as it builds up you can think about giving up your job. Its all about Marketing Marketing Marketing!!!

Go on the NCCA course and they will give you lots of information about everything to do with carpet cleaning. Jan Feb are normally very quiet but Oct November and Dec are the busiest time for most cleaners.  Some cleaners earn over £2000 a week but this is the lads that have everything organised and are great at their marketing.

Good luck

Cheers

Neil

[derek7]

cheers for that, there are only 2 competitors in my area and as far as their marketing goes, its just a small ad in the paper, I was planning an advertising budget of around £700 to start,
I know I wouldnt earn much to start but it sure beats working every night for £5.50 an hour I am willing to give it a year or so to build up.

do you offer any additional services or is it just carpet and upholstery cleaning?

cheers
derek

[Neil Grainger]

Hi Derek

Just carpet and Upholstery, I am going into Hard floor cleaning next year.

I suggest you go on the NCCA course  before you go ahead with this as the advice you will get from the is invaluble and it may save you lots of money to start off with. www.ncca.co.uk

Cheers

Neil

[lee_gundry]

derek

incomes also depends on where you are based.
where abouts are you based???



Lee G

[derek7]

lee

I am based in Dumfries in Scotland

[lee_gundry]

DEREK

i get a lot of enquiries from carlisle,not to far from you.

Lee G

[derek7]

yes I think carlisle is about 60 miles from me.
What is roughly the minimum kind of income that you can make in cumbria, if you dont mind me asking. Im just trying to work out a target income for myself.
Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers

Derek

[ollie]

Derek, I started about 8 months ago and my biggest mistake was missing the yellow pages, I have to wait till April now and work is hard to get with just leaflets and papers etc. Im ticking over but not making what i want yet. Although i am having one of the busiest weeks ive had this week. I was advised on this site to have 6 months wages in the bank when i first started and i wish i had listened! But as people say on here its all marketing and i have spent a lot more than £700.00
Regards
Ollie

[ABLECLEAN]

Derek

You say that you only have a couple of competitors!!! have you looked in the yellow pages? If you are correct then you will do well if you approach it correctly. My advice is to get training first and foremost and contact Yellow Pages "Now" as they are planning next April's directory as we speak. I have already proofed my ad for 2006/07!!

My first years ad in YP kept me in the game and I would invest your £700+ in the ad. My first year cost me £1250 for a quarter page black on yellow. Now this might seem a lot of money to a starter but you get 10 months interest-free credit (£125.00 per month = £31.25 per week). so it is not that bad. That works out to about one third of an average job per week!!!! Good luck

[Phil Marlor]

Not too sure what you all mean by the amount of competitors you have in each area.

I have 8 pages of CC in my Yell Pages but still do well, Stevenage/Welwyn/Hatfield/Hitchin/Letchworth/Luton is a huge area so you are going to have many competitors, but that is offset by the 1000's of houses/offices/Pubs etc.

You might have only 2 competitiors in a small town in Scotland but  with only a few houses it would be equally as hard to achive a large customer base.

Dont rely on YP being your saviour, like any business it takes time, do a good job and work will come from that, in 3 years time your biggest earner will be from Recommendations & Regulars not YP.

Phil

[lee_gundry]

derek

i do around 80k but i have been in business for 13 yrs.
i get approx £1000 of work out of yp (very poor) most of my work is recomendations & rework.connot comment on how yp will work in your area.

Lee G

[ABLECLEAN]

Phil/Lee

I totally agree with you. I have been in business nearly five years and most of my work is reccomendation and repeat customers, but it takes a few years to build up a client base , that is why I reccomend YP. I still did 17K off YP last year so i am not going to knock it!