[mamb02]

Hi all,

I started up my domestic cleaning business a few months ago. So far so good.

It seems from my experience that the industry is male dominated and was just wondering if there are any other entrepreneur mothers out there and how they manage to maintain a healthy work/mum balance?

[shelton]

When we started, I only took on the work to suit the time I wanted to give the business.

So, domestic customers only took up a few mornings each week, during school hours.  Commerical customer cleans were performed only on Tues & Thurs evenings and on Sat mornings.

I had, and have now, no intention to dominate the market.  Having a nice, comfortable and manageable customer-base whom I have a great relationship with, as well as maintaining family-time, is more important to me than raking in a few extra £'s.

I have regularly turned down extra customers (in both sectors) as I want to retain MY time (for shopping, gym, etc!!).  My business is a nice earner, but I guess I'm fortunate in that it isn't the main income for the household.

If I were on my own, it would be a completely different game, I'd imagine.

[Pristine Clean]

Hi Mamb02

The cleaning sector, is it male dominated? I am not so sure of that one. I am of the male gender but I found that it was harder to win domestic contracts. They always seemed to want female cleaners.

They seem to believe that female cleaners were better at the job. I do not dispute it nor do I actually agree with them. There are extremely good male cleaners and visa versa. And very bad cleaners!

I now only have commercial office contracts and have found they do not seem to care who is cleaning as long as the result is beyond there expectations.

The only residential cleaning we now perform is window cleaning either traditional or WFP.

The reason I went into the cleaning sector was because it was an easy start up cost, a few adverts and hay presto your a cleaning contractor.

Plus the most important part was I could almost choose the hours I wanted. It was important as I have children and a wife. So we needed flexibility. And also back then I knew the company I was working for was going to close and it did less than a year later.

It all depends on what you want and if its family life then you do not take on so much work. Back then over 5 years ago this was the case. i now have a different approach Now its the company I want to move forward so we take all the work we can get. Even working weekends Sat & Sunday.


Dave

[newbroom]

I thought all women were meant to ne marvellous multi taskers

[creweexcel]

women are only good at domestic cleaning because they do it at home more than men. iam a man and have been cleaning domestic for 5 years and only came accross one lady who wanted a female cleaner because she thought she would be better, not always the case. some ladies are a bit taken back when a man comes to clean but after seeing my work soon want me to clean again.

[Anna Warren]

I 've never thougt about myself :" I am a female entrepreneur". I just started something, what I enjoy and what brings me money. I don't really understand all this "female entrepreneur" thing. I just self-employed, that's all. Nobody says about a bloke "He is a male self-employed". Why does it apply for a women?

[creweexcel]

i think i see the original point , it is harder for a woman in business because of other things , running house and children. so i say weldone to any lady who juggles both, im not sure i could do it . john

[suffolkclean]

I do exactly that and it's quite exhausting. I do mainly e.o.t cleans, deal with all the phonecalls, invoicing, go out and do quotes for carpet cleaning, reply to emails, look for staff (at the mo.) as well as dealing with the household and 2 young children. It's great though to have your own business and to see it grow and hopefully it'll all pay off