It is believed that apartment cleaning services Women are engaged in this business, but men can also be very profitable in this business. This is a very suitable business for those who have limited start-up capital. You will be able to offer your services to your housemates, your immediate circle, use your own equipment, and start earning income from day one. Absolutely no experience is required for this. Everyone knows how to clean furniture, vacuum carpets, and take out trash. But you need to ask yourself whether you consider this job to be no less prestigious than any other. If you find it humiliating or too difficult, it is better not to do it at all.
Always be on time. You can arrive a couple of minutes earlier; but if you are a few minutes late, this may negatively affect your ability to receive your order. Dress in such a way that it is clear that you are a self-respecting businessman. Be confident and friendly. You must show that you know your business well and understand the needs and wants of the customer. Don't smoke, even if the customer offers, and never accept an offer to drink even coffee - until you have a signed contract. After signing the contract, the best thing is to shake hands, thank him and leave. It is acceptable to talk a little with the customer, but do not use a familiar tone.
When going to the customer to estimate the cost of work, take with you an order log, carbon paper (or self-copying forms), and a calculator.
Subsequently, provide a separate page in the magazine for each room of the house, apartment or other room. Include special instructions and wishes of the client there. When clarifying the details of the work, it is necessary to be methodical and scrupulous. For example: “Did I understand correctly that we need to vacuum the carpet(s), wipe down the furniture, including the coffee table, and polish the piano?" Discuss in detail with the customer all the operations in each room. Write everything down on paper. Your meticulousness and thoroughness will lead to that the customer will place an order regardless of price. Place carbon paper under each page of the document. Inspect the room again before leaving the room. Ask the customer if he or she has any special requests for the room, and mark everything in the contract.Together with the customer, having gone through each room, return to the kitchen and sit at the table.
Get out your calculator and add up the time you estimate it will take to work in all the rooms. Determine operating hours in each room. If a particular task - for example, cleaning a carpet - takes 15 minutes for you, this means that an ordinary person will complete it in 30 minutes. Therefore, increase the total execution time. For each room, separately convert the time in minutes to hours. Sum up the time and get the total time for cleaning and cleaning the entire house or apartment. After talking with the customer, mentally evaluate his financial capabilities.
Since you can do in 4 hours what an ordinary person would need 6 hours to do, end the conversation with the following words: Yes, Mrs. N, you really have a lot of housework, and do you do that every day? I can’t imagine how you cope with this, but we will remove this problem from you, save your time and give you the opportunity to relax. We can work with you constantly, for example, once every two weeks. It will cost XXX rubles per month or XXX rubles at a time. I can imagine how tired you are when you come home from work, and there is still a lot of housework that you want to escape from. Now we will take all the worries upon ourselves - we will keep your home clean, ready to receive guests, so that you will forget about the tedious work of cleaning and cleaning. We will save you a lot of time, labor and nerves, and we guarantee that you will like our work. Please decide whether you want to call us every time or whether you would prefer constant service - then you will save money per call. Having opened the order log, you say: I have free time at 8:30 on Tuesday. We could come in on Tuesdays every week and clean before you get home from work. The client agrees that Tuesday 8:30 is fine. Then you ask if she prefers to pay the bill at the end of each house cleaning session, or on a monthly basis. Emphasize that by hiring you on a monthly basis, she will receive a service in which you will clean for free every three months.
Now that you have your first client, you need to fill every day of the month with regular work, i.e. needs to expand. Expansion means hiring people to work for you, and more work being done, which means more profit. Don't be afraid of this, you already have experience of gradual development. You started your business to make money, right? Expansion means more assistants so you don't have to work until you're exhausted. You can successfully run this business without even leaving your home. All you need is a phone, a desk and a file cabinet. As soon as the opportunity arises, immediately hire people to do specific cleaning and cleaning jobs.
We recommend hiring people to work in teams of two or three people. Two each - for work that does not include washing dishes and washing clothes. Three - for those who perform these works. At first you can pay them minimum wage or a little more, and train them to do any job in no more than two hours. Having hired and trained a couple of people as an apartment cleaning crew, you should provide them with uniforms with the name of your company. It is also a good idea to place lettering and icons identifying your company on both sides of the cars and minibuses you rent to transport people to work, and later on both sides of cars owned by your company.
Each team must have a leader (foreman) responsible for the quality and performance of the work of this team. The brigade can function as follows. One person cleans the bathroom and does laundry while the other person cleans and polishes the furniture and vacuums. In jobs that involve laundry and dishwashing, a third person may do the laundry and finish what was started before, then do the dishes and clean the kitchen. With such an organization, the work will be more efficient and completion will take less time. In the middle of the day, the team leaders, together with you, outline a work schedule for the next day, notify the team about this, and provide it with equipment and materials for the next day.
Opening a cleaning company means cleaning premises; these companies appeared in the country not so long ago and cause skepticism among businessmen and consumers in terms of assessing their prospects.
According to statistics, the cleaning business is a good option for making money if you calculate everything well and start.
How to open a business well
Opening a company is divided into stages:
- registration with the tax service, the pension fund, other social insurance funds, statistics agencies and Rospotrebnadzor;
- selection of clients (firms, wealthy clients, other customers);
- development of a list of services;
- develop a price list;
- selection of employees;
- purchase of tools, detergents.
Cleaning is a narrow concept that reflects part of the services: employees of a cleaning company clean carpets, furniture, pillows, wash blankets and that’s not all.
It is advisable to immediately find a regular client, whose payment will be the company’s first constant source of income.
The services should be offered to a business center in need of cleaners. These establishments hire cleaners for a low fee, there are not enough of them there, and the problem is already solved in the usual way with the help of cleaning companies.
Opening a cleaning company in a small town
How to open a cleaning business in a small town? Doing business in a small town has its own specifics; it has its own advantages and difficulties. Businessmen do not flock to such places because of the small number of clients, their low solvency, because there are serious risks.
It is worth trying to cover several categories of clients with services: both individuals and companies. Entrepreneurs have recently paid attention to their image, and prefer to entrust cleaning to professionals who work at a high level.
The company's services are used by people who need helpers and do not have time to do the cleaning themselves. These are rental property owners or people who want to help their parents.
In a large city, it is better to occupy a narrow niche. For example, start cleaning up construction waste and restoring floor coverings, getting developers interested. All new buildings, without exception, remain littered, with an abundance of defects that the developer company does not eliminate.
In a small town it is not so difficult to find clients and build a reputation. The specifics of the business force us to serve different categories of clients, but there is a chance to receive a regular income.
We rely on the business plan
A business plan from scratch for a cleaning company is a document that describes the goals of creating the company, calculations, market analysis and other information. If you do it exclusively for yourself, without demonstrating it to outsiders, you should limit yourself to the practical part:
- who is the participant or participants in the project;
- plans for organizing the enterprise (who has what responsibilities);
- market analysis, comparison of competitors, description of their advantages, what to do to become more attractive in comparison with others;
- circle of potential consumers, price list;
- financial part – expenses, income, their structure;
- analysis of risks, ways to reduce or avoid them.
Each of the listed points can be divided into several additional ones or combined. A business plan is a living document; changes and additions need to be made to it regularly. They will help you plan your future development path and take into account past mistakes. This will allow you not to overload your head with additional information. For those who do not know how to open a company from scratch, a business plan will be an excellent auxiliary tool. Drawing up a business plan will be successful if you remember that it is created primarily for your own needs.
Video
How much does it cost to register a cleaning company?
The statement that you can start a business with only a rag and a bucket is not entirely true. This approach forces clients to immediately refuse the company’s services or limit themselves to a short period of cooperation, looking for those who work at a more professional level.
It is better to immediately buy suitable equipment, detergents, and hire specialists. The minimum amount that directors of successful companies talk about is 300 thousand.
Almost the entire amount will be spent on purchasing equipment and cleaning products. Expenses for salaries and office rent require less money, but they are constant and cannot be delayed.
Payment plans include taxes, payments to compulsory social and compulsory health insurance funds. In the case of an individual entrepreneur, tax payments are minimal, they can even be eliminated if you work alone on the general taxation system. You are allowed to choose a patent - 4 or 5 thousand, rubles. for 12 months. Insurance premiums are around 30 thousand for 12 months. 
Payments are allowed to be made throughout the year, the main thing is that obligations are fulfilled before December 31.
If an individual entrepreneur hires employees, tax and insurance payments are calculated according to a different scheme.
It is advised, in order to avoid conflicts with clients, to insure the liability of employees in case of property damage, theft and other situations when the obligation to compensate for damage arises. Insurance will protect you from unexpected problems and costs, and will make your clients more favorable.
An individual entrepreneur or a company is required to keep records, so it is better to outsource accounting, tax reporting, and legal support to other companies. This approach is more profitable compared to hiring employees; the cost of these services is reduced by 2 times.
What documents are required for a company from scratch?
- certificate of registration with the Federal Tax Service;
- notification of registration with the pension fund;
- charter, if a legal entity is registered;
- a work book for each employee or an employment contract signed with each of them;
- office lease agreement.
No licenses or permits are currently required to run a cleaning business.
Requirements for personnel and premises
An office is needed for negotiations, communication with employees, storage of tools, chemicals, etc. Having a full-fledged office, albeit a modest one, gives some solidity to the company. At first, a small room will do, but later you will be able to move to another office, where there is enough space for both administrative staff and tools. If there is a lot of equipment, large machines, a separate room is hired, and everything is stored there.
A company that claims to be reputable provides employees with visits to store work clothes, rest and take breaks. If a company only demands from staff and does not take care of them, the company will face a shortage of personnel. Treating employees attentively will attract potential employees if they are needed, and provide them with an incentive to work harder and hold on to their jobs.
How to open a cleaning company from scratch
4.6 (91.11%) 9 votes- Step-by-step plan for opening a cleaning company
- Which OKVED code to indicate when registering an activity?
- What documents are needed to start a business?
- Do I need a business permit?
- Technology for opening a cleaning company
- Similar business ideas:
Business plan for opening a cleaning company in a city with a population of 1,200,000 people.
Prospects for the cleaning market
Cleaning is one of the most promising areas of business in Russia. Thus, in developed countries of Europe and the USA, almost 80% of commercial real estate is serviced by cleaning companies. Whereas in Russia, only 20% of commercial real estate use the services of “professional cleaners”. As you understand, the market has room to grow. Its volume, meanwhile, is $250 million and continues to grow. By organizing a cleaning business in a large city, you can count on a fairly quick return on investment.
How much money do you need to start a business?
According to business plan calculations, opening a cleaning company will require an investment of about 1.3 million rubles. Initial costs include:
- Purchase of equipment - 486,000 rubles, including:
- Industrial vacuum cleaner - RUB 15,000.
- Extractor carpet washing machine - RUB 47,000.
- Scrubber dryer - RUB 150,000.
- Steam generator - 144,000 rub.
- Sweeping machine - RUB 35,000.
- Dryer - 45,000 rub.
- Cleaning equipment (mops, flounders, buckets, scoops, etc.) - RUB 15,000.
- Inventory for glass - 20,000 rubles.
- Chemicals - 15,000 rubles.
- Office furnishings (tables, chairs, minor repairs) - RUB 150,000.
- Purchase of a van type vehicle, b. u. - 400,000 rub.
- Advertising budget - 50,000 rubles.
- Reserve fund - 200,000 rubles.
- Business registration and other expenses - RUB 50,000.
Total - 1,336,000 rubles.
Description of products and services offered
Our company plans to provide a whole range of services for initial, daily and general cleaning. Initial cleaning after construction of renovations includes: cleaning inside buildings and structures, removing dust from floors, ceilings, baseboards, walls, washing windows and plumbing fixtures, cleaning radiators. Daily cleaning involves wiping dust, cleaning mirrors, cleaning door blocks and stairwells, taking out garbage, cleaning floors, etc. The company will also provide services for cleaning the surrounding area and cleaning the outside of buildings: washing windows, roofs, facades, removing efflorescence from bricks, cleaning aluminum frames, etc. The preliminary price list for the company’s services will look like this:
- Initial cleaning (after renovation or construction) - 50 rubles/sq.m. m.
- Daily comprehensive cleaning - 5 rubles. per day per sq. m.
- General cleaning of an office or retail space - 40 rubles/sq.m. m.
- Flooring care - 40 rubles/sq.m. m.
- Washing a plastic window - 300 rub./unit.
- Washing chandeliers and lamps - 100 rub./piece.
According to the business plan, in the first months the volume of daily comprehensive cleaning will be 2000 square meters. m. Such an area can be provided by 2 - 3 large clients (for example, a shopping center or an enterprise). Also, some work can be obtained from private homeowners (mansions, country cottages). We can also rely on income from initial cleaning after renovation or construction and cleaning the outside of buildings. The planned volume of work is about 2500 sq. m. per month. Thus, the potential monthly revenue will be:
- Daily cleaning - RUB 300,000.
- Initial cleaning - RUB 125,000.
- Washing windows and facades, cleaning the outside of buildings and cleaning the surrounding area - RUB 50,000.
Total - 475,000 rubles.
Download a business plan for a cleaning company
Which room to choose for an office
To accommodate the company's office (as well as all equipment), it is planned to rent a room of 50 square meters. m., located on the ground floor of an apartment building. High traffic and the first line of houses are not of great importance, the main thing is the big savings on rent. Monthly rental payments will be 25,000 rubles. (500 rubles per sq. m.).
Particular attention will be paid to the purchase of professional cleaning equipment. To clean both small and large objects we will need: vacuum cleaners for dry and wet cleaning, a carpet washer, a carpet dryer, a floor polisher, a sweeper, a steam generator, a scrubber dryer, a foam generator, glass equipment, dispensers and materials, as well as chemicals. facilities. As for the manufacturer, preference will be given to equipment from Cleanfix. The total cost of purchasing equipment will be 486,000 rubles.
You will also need to purchase a spacious van-type vehicle to transport equipment to the client’s premises. This could be a Gazelle car in used. u. option. It is planned to spend about 400,000 rubles for these purposes. To ensure the normal functioning of the company, it will be necessary to create a staff of responsible employees. These will include: an administrator (reception and control of orders), a driver, equipment operators (3 people) and a manager. Accountant services will be outsourced. The wage fund will be 120,000 rubles. per month.
Which tax system to choose for a cleaning company
It is planned to register a limited liability company as an organizational and legal form. Taxation system - simplified tax system, 15% of the organization's profit.
Marketing and promotion of services
It is very important to carry out a competent advertising campaign in the first months after opening. Moreover, even before purchasing equipment and other major investments, you will need to find preliminary customers. Otherwise, the purchased equipment may be idle, and the company will incur losses (especially if the funds are borrowed). Therefore, in order to prepare a client base at the initial stage it is planned:
- Conduct a tour and a preliminary conversation regarding cooperation with large companies and shopping centers in the city.
- Distribute leaflets in the private sector, in areas of elite houses and cottages.
- Place advertisements on the Internet, create a business card website and launch contextual advertising.
- Install several bright advertising banners (on special billboards) in places with high vehicle traffic.
Financial plan for a cleaning company
The final stage of business planning is the calculation of the main indicators of economic efficiency of a cleaning company. Fixed monthly expenses:
- Office rent - 25,000 rub.
- Salary - 120,000 rubles.
- Contributions to extra-budgetary funds - 36,000 rubles.
- Fuel and lubricants, consumables - 20,000 rubles.
- Depreciation of equipment - 10,000 rubles.
- Advertising - 30,000 rub.
- Other expenses (utilities, telephone, internet, security) - RUB 20,000.
Total - 261,000 rubles.
How much can you earn from this business?
The company's monthly net profit will be 181,900 rubles. Business profitability is 69%. With such indicators, taking into account the period for promoting the company, the return on the initial investment will occur in 11 - 12 months.
We recommend download business plan for cleaning company only for (banner_bi-plan), from our partners, with a quality guarantee. This is a full-fledged, ready-made project that you will not find in the public domain. Contents of the business plan: 1. Confidentiality 2. Summary 3. Stages of project implementation 4. Characteristics of the object 5. Marketing plan 6. Technical and economic data of the equipment 7. Financial plan 8. Risk assessment 9. Financial and economic justification of investments 10. Conclusions
Almost everything is now becoming part of the business and rising to a professional level. How to open your own cleaning company from scratch step by step? Today we will examine this issue by taking a closer look at the various aspects of this matter.
- Cleaning as a business project
- Decor
- We select personnel
- We purchase equipment
- We are looking for clients
- Startup Cost Table
- Estimated profit
Cleaning as a business project
Cleaning is not just the usual cleaning for us, it is real professional services that are registered by law, subject to taxes, but also allow you to build an extremely good career for a beginning entrepreneur.
That is why it is important to plan the exact steps to promote a new business in order to get a clear and successful project. And you should start by defining your own format. You need to figure out who you will work for.
Most often, cleaning services are provided to other companies, namely offices or hotels. You should look at the market for similar services in the place where you live to make sure you find your niche.
Usually, even in fairly large cities, not counting Moscow and St. Petersburg, the number of cleaning agencies is not large. So you don’t have to be especially afraid of a lot of competition in the market. But remember that it is possible to encounter little demand for services.
Decor
You will need to choose one of the legal forms: Individual Entrepreneur or LLC. The choice lies in the fact that the second form, unlike individual entrepreneurs, provides the opportunity to open an entire network of agencies in the future, which will increase the turnover of services.
In addition, work with large enterprises also occurs through LLCs. The tax system in this case will be simplified, which is also much more profitable when working with companies. Well, if a cleaning agency is going to work primarily with individuals, then the best option, of course, will be an individual entrepreneur. Actually, it is worth choosing a different taxation system - UTII.
You will need one specific of the following OKVED codes:
- 70.1 - cleaning and maintenance of residential and industrial premises and equipment.
- 2 - cleaning and cleaning of vehicles.
- 3 - carrying out activities to carry out pest control, disinfection and deratization work.
- 00.3 - cleaning the area and performing similar activities.
In addition, you will need to register the company in extra-budgetary funds, for example, in a pension fund, and then obtain permission from the fire service, SES and other regulatory organizations.
Choosing a suitable location for an office
You can start a cleaning business at home, providing the first services to private individuals. Storing various equipment at your home will not interest the service, and you won’t have to pay rent. But with expansion, you will need to find a separate room.
The most cost-effective option is a warehouse located far from the center. Don’t be afraid to rent cheap premises on the outskirts of the city or in industrial zones, the main thing is that you have the opportunity to quickly get from the office to anywhere in the city. You will need:
- storage space for equipment and materials;
- a separate office as the head of the agency;
- locker room;
- shower room with toilet for employees.
The latter will be used not only by employees after work, but also to put their tools in order. Remember, your cleaning agency does not require a special room for meeting clients, because you or hired employees will have to go directly to the client’s meeting place.
We select personnel
For a successful business, it is necessary to find the ideal balance between the minimum number of employees and the high quality of their work.
A list of the main factors that you need to rely on when recruiting staff can help in this matter:
- The planned number of orders for your company's services daily.
- Clarity and stability of demand for services. If there is a sharp increase in demand, you can order employees from other companies exclusively for a certain period of time.
- Average area of premises that will have to be serviced.
- Experience of each individual employee. Knowledge of the purposes of bulk detergents and their correct use, an example of work at another enterprise.
- Personal qualities of the employee, such as pleasant appearance, politeness, patience, attentiveness and accuracy in work.
Further organization of a private cleaning business will require an expansion of staff, so it’s worth thinking in advance about ways to find quality employees for vacancies:
- Driver. Transports workers to various sites with all their equipment.
- Manager-administrator. A person who supervises the work of each employee and has direct contact with all clients.
- Accountant. Responsible for the costs and profits of the cleaning company.
- Lawyer. Responsible for agency documentation and monitors the legality of all actions performed by agency employees.
Also make sure that your employees go to special advanced training courses to develop their skills. There they can raise their level of work and find new connections and acquaintances, which in the future can play into the hands of your agency.
We purchase equipment
To get started, you will need:
- A set of tools and detergents for washing windows (at least two).
- Vacuum cleaners for industrial cleaning.
- Scrubber machines.
- Polishers.
- Dryers for industrial carpet drying.
- Rotary cleaning device.
- Trolleys with water squeezers.
- Small tools like rags and sponges.
- Other branded detergents.
Also, you cannot do without the accompanying equipment that will be equipped in the rooms at the company premises. It is necessary to include a high-quality shower and toilet, a comfortable chair and table for the office, comfortable dressing room equipment, cabinets, shelves, cabinets, etc.
You can create a normal working atmosphere only by purchasing a good and fast desktop computer or laptop, a color printer, on which, by the way, in the future you can print your leaflets and business cards, as well as a mini-PBX. The project also needs to include the purchase of a good and spacious car. Gazelles are perfect for this role for transporting cargo and passengers.
We are looking for clients
You should strive for effective word of mouth, but first you need to earn good reviews. And first, you will have to independently call various firms, companies and hotels, offering the services of a private cleaning company.
If you have settled in a big city, then even a small number of calls will be enough for the first time. Remember that you still have few resources at your disposal, so the smaller the room ordered for cleaning, the easier it is.
We are developing a price list of services
An approximate list of premises that the new cleaning company can service:
- office rooms;
- closed parking;
- private apartments;
- separate premises in a shopping center or shopping center;
- warehouses;
- catering establishments (restaurants, pubs, cafes, etc.);
- cottages and private houses;
- premises after renovation.
As an example: to clean an easy chair - 40 rubles per meter, to clean a Turkish carpet - 25 rubles per meter, to wash a window on one side - 20 rubles per meter, etc. Give discounts for a large number of ordered services, for example, for full For general cleaning, take your clear price - 60 rubles per square meter.
Here you can download a free sample business plan for a cleaning company.
Startup Cost Table
As you work, you will encounter daily, monthly, and one-time expenses, all of which need to be factored into your business plan.
Now we will create an approximate table of what a list of costs might look like. Let's say that the agency is located in a fairly large city of one million people and from the very beginning has connections with two companies interested in its services.
| Expense line | Amount in thousand rubles | |
| 1 | Rent of premises for two months | 30 |
| 2 | Necessary equipment | 150 |
| 3 | Special uniform for workers | 10 |
| 4 | Furniture for the office along with equipment | 80 |
| 5 | Other furniture | 30 |
| 6 | Connecting a landline phone | 3 |
| 7 | Landline phone operation | 500 rubles |
| 8 | Cleaner salary | 15 x 4 |
| 9 | Driver salary | 20 |
| 10 | Detergent inventory | 10 |
| 11 | Reserve for unplanned expenses | 10 |
| Total: | 423,5 |
Smoothing out all the errors and rounding the amount will come out to approximately 500 thousand.
Over the next few months, your expenses will decrease, but some will still remain - rent, utility bills, telephone, employee salaries and additional purchases of consumables. You will give approximately 100 thousand rubles per month.
Video: creating a super-profitable cleaning company with an income of $3000-7000.
Estimated profit
You will definitely be able to recoup your own investments, however, the period over which you can do this depends only on you.
If we take a common example with the constant maintenance of an average-sized premises of 2000 square meters, your average profit will be about 150-200 thousand rubles, but after all monthly expenses you will personally receive about 60-100 thousand.
Every month the agency will begin to receive a large number of regular clients, especially among small companies and firms that do not want to hire their own cleaners and cleaners. This will increase the payback rate, which means that by about the sixth month you will be able to get your invested money back. In case of problems with finding clients, payback may occur a year after opening, which is also not bad.
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Just 25 years ago, no one knew what a cleaning company was, but today more than 600 companies operating in this field compete with each other on the market. These companies provide cleaning services for commercial and private premises, washing facades and windows, and cleaning areas after renovations or fires.
Starting in the apartment cleaning niche is low-cost, but such a business does not bring much profit. There are much more opportunities to earn money from those companies that specialize in working with commercial, warehouse, and production spaces, although it is almost impossible to get such an agreement for a newly opened cleaning company - the market has long been divided between large organizations providing a full range of services.
This article describes a step-by-step plan for opening a medium-sized cleaning company, estimates the initial costs and profitability of the enterprise, and also considers the option of starting a franchise business.
1. Analysis of the cleaning services sector
First, you need to assess the capacity of the business within the geographic location of the entrepreneur. Areas in which cleaning services are most in demand:
- wholesale and retail trade in large areas (indoor warehouses, hyper- and supermarkets, exhibitions and sales in exhibition centers);
- private medical centers (multidisciplinary commercial clinics, beauty and health centers, bath and spa complexes);
- class A and B office buildings;
- premises of workshops and warehouses of “clean” industries (food, processing, light industry);
- cottage villages within the city with a large number of multi-storey private houses;
- construction companies and design bureaus delivering ready-made turnkey projects;
- entertainment sector (children's playgrounds, shopping centers, banquet halls, night clubs).
It is worth thinking about organizing a cleaning business if there are contractual prospects with clients from the listed categories. You should not count on large profits from cleaning apartments or small offices. Despite the significant growth in this area recently, most of the work here is done independently, with the help of a salaried cleaner or a visiting assistant.
The exception is megacities, where the “Maintenance Cleaning” service is gaining popularity. The low price of entry into this niche has generated a high level of competition with constant price dumping, frequent marketing promotions and constant improvement of the website interface for prompt ordering of services. For one-time and seasonal work (window washing, general cleaning, washing the premises after renovation), the customer, as a rule, chooses the most attractive offer in terms of price, without becoming a regular customer of a particular company.
2. Business registration
Work without registering a business can be carried out if the entrepreneur himself single-handedly provides one-time cleaning services. In this case, it is possible to conclude a contract or a contract for the provision of paid services between the customer and the contractor. However, this form of relationship does not exempt the parties from paying taxes. The client organization is obliged to pay income tax and all social payments to the contractor. If the client is an individual, the income tax is paid by the contractor in form 3-NDFL.
An entrepreneur can hire staff and provide services under a contract only after the legal registration of the business.
Choosing a name
One of the most important stages that must be completed before registering a company is deciding on a name. Recognition in the market, degree of trust, difference from competitors and the design of the advertising campaign: logo and slogan depend on this.
You should make sure that the chosen name does not sound similar to the names of competitors. The most common names in this area are derived from the words cleanliness, cleaning, cleaning and their derivatives. Cute names like “Moidodyr”, “Cinderella”, “Domovenok” will not add prestige in the eyes of large customers.
The company logo should be made clear, light, bright: the client should understand what is presented in the picture or in the name at first glance. You can check this by interviewing your acquaintances and friends - if it takes them a lot of time to determine the area for which the logo was created, it is better to change it.
Logo options for cleaning companies Organizational and legal form
In practice, contract agreements are much more readily concluded with enterprises than with individuals. But to choose a legal form, you need to decide who the client is and what requirements he has for contractors.
Small private firms, entrepreneurs, and the public, as a rule, have nothing against one-time work with individual entrepreneurs. Therefore, it is preferable to choose this form and the simplified tax regime of 6% to optimize payments to the budget.
At the same time, constant interaction with simplified companies is not beneficial for enterprises that work with VAT. Such clients hire outsourced cleaning companies or enter into an agreement based on the results of a competition, and to work with them it is necessary to open an LLC and apply a general tax regime.
The disadvantage of working in general mode is the mandatory maintenance of accounting and personnel records. That is, payment for the services of a professional will be required from the very opening of the company. However, this option allows you to conclude large contracts, participate in tenders and make a profit of a different order than when working with private individuals. Therefore, for business in this area, it is preferable to open an LLC. Next, we will consider all examples specifically for this organizational and legal form.
OKVED codes
In the new OKVED-2 classifier, cleaning activities for premises and territories are included in group 81, the subgroup is selected depending on the types of services that the organization will provide. As the main code, you can specify 81.29.9 “Other cleaning and housekeeping activities,” and when providing additional services for dry cleaning of carpets or furniture at home, you should also indicate code 96.01 “Washing and dry cleaning of textiles.”
| 81 | Maintenance activities for buildings and grounds |
| 81.2 | Cleaning and tidying activities |
| 81.21 | General building cleaning activities This grouping includes: General (non-specialized) cleaning of all types of buildings: office premises, houses or apartments, factories; shops, institutions; General (non-specialized) cleaning of other business and professional premises and multi-apartment residential buildings. This type of activity refers primarily to cleaning the interior of buildings, although it may include cleaning adjacent exterior areas such as windows and walkways. |
| 81.22 | Other cleaning and tidying activities of residential buildings and non-residential premises This grouping includes: Cleaning of interior spaces in buildings of all types, including institutions, offices, factories, factories, shops, institutes and other commercial and professional institutions and multi-apartment residential buildings; Cleaning of chimneys, fireplaces, stoves, stoves, incinerators, boilers, ventilation shafts, exhaust fans; Cleaning of production equipment; Other cleaning activities of buildings and industrial facilities. |
| 81.29 | Other cleaning and tidying activities This grouping includes: Cleaning and maintenance of swimming pools; Cleaning and washing of trains, buses, airplanes, etc.; Cleaning the internal parts of tankers and tankers; Disinfection and disinfestation of buildings and equipment; Bottle washing; Clearing streets and buildings of snow and ice; Providing other washing and cleaning services. |
| 81.29.2 | Street sweeping and snow removal |
| 81.29.9 | Other cleaning and tidying activities not included in other categories |
| 96.0 | Activities providing other personal services |
| 96.01 | Washing and dry cleaning of textiles and fur products This grouping includes: Collection of laundry for washing and delivery to clients after washing; Cleaning and washing carpets, draperies, drapes and drapes in clients' premises or other areas. |
Required documents
Cleaning services for premises and territories are not subject to licensing, and therefore a standard package of documents is required to start activities. It includes a passport, an application for opening an LLC, a participant’s decision, a charter and a receipt for payment of a fee. If the founder does not own the premises that provide the address for registering a legal entity, then a letter of guarantee from the owner is also required.
The easiest way to register a company is through the MFC or online on the State Services website. The standard readiness period is 3 working days, in some cases delays of up to two weeks are possible.
After registration, you must complete a number of mandatory actions: order a stamp, open a current account, and officially hire employees. By the 20th, submit a report on the average number of employees, and within 4 months - pay the full amount of the authorized capital.
3. Assortment management
The services provided are divided into external (yard cleaning, pool cleaning, window washing, sidewalks) and internal (all types of indoor cleaning) work, cleaning with mechanical tools (brooms, mops, rags) and with the help of equipment (high pressure washers, polishing machines, dryers) cars), daily or seasonal. It is necessary to decide on the list of services at the initial stage of opening a business, since the capital costs of purchasing equipment depend on this.
Many companies do not engage in exterior work and facade cleaning, since this niche is often occupied by industrial climbers who are certified to work at heights. These services can be introduced later, with the expansion of the business or at the request of a regular client in need of a complex of works.
An approximate list of work that should be included in the list of services of a newly opened cleaning company is given in the table.
For each position, you must have a list of works or a checklist, as well as a list of additional services that are provided for a fee.
Mandatory and additional services included in apartment cleaning For large industrial enterprises and retail spaces, checklists are developed based on existing cleanliness standards.
The standard price list also includes additional items that allow you to attract the interest of a new client and create a competitive advantage. For example, cleaning an apartment before leaving the maternity hospital, characterized by using only environmentally friendly, natural cleaning products and treating all surfaces with steam. Customers will also be interested in pool cleaning, parquet polishing, express cleaning after a party and other interesting offers that do not require the company owner to purchase additional equipment or hire additional staff.
Sample checklist for cleaning a production workshop 4. Equipment purchase
Cleaning private apartments and cottages is possible without purchasing expensive equipment. It is enough to buy buckets, mops, brooms. You can even borrow a vacuum cleaner and a stepladder from the client. However, this approach to doing business will not inspire confidence in a large client and will not bring much profit.
For manual cleaning, you will need to spend at least 60 thousand rubles on equipment:
- universal cleaning carts – from 15 thousand rubles;
- mops for dry and wet cleaning – from 5 thousand rubles;
- replacement buckets for carts - from 400 rubles;
- window cleaning kit – from 10 thousand rubles;
- scoops, brushes, scrapers - from 200 rubles.
If a cleaning business is created, as recommended, for a large client, then even a minimal set of equipment will have to spend 250 thousand rubles. Cleaning machines are used daily and for a long time, and therefore the quality of work of the cleaning company directly depends on the quality of their assembly, reliability and warranty conditions of the manufacturer.
The first stage of cleaning is to clear the room of large debris and dust. Traditionally, a broom and dustpan are used for this, but to increase productivity in large areas, a sweeper is purchased. This equipment is suitable for cleaning workshops, warehouses, medical and commercial institutions as preparation for floor washing, as well as for outdoor work.
Sweepers are:
- mechanical (from 10 thousand rubles), the drive shaft of which activates the movement of the wheels, are used in medium-sized rooms;
- rechargeable batteries (about 100 thousand rubles) are charged from the mains, suitable for working in narrow aisles of medium size;
- with an internal combustion engine (from 150 thousand rubles), using gasoline or diesel as fuel, used in cleaning large open areas;
- with a seat for the operator (about 500 thousand rubles), used at large production facilities with a continuous dry cleaning cycle.
It is most convenient to use a machine with a suction mechanism, a waste bin and a dust collector. You should also pay attention to which floor coverings a specific model is recommended for: linoleum and ceramic tiles are easily damaged if improperly cleaned. A neat, environmentally friendly and silent model to start with is the EurekaPicobello 151.
To wet clean the floor, you will need a scrubber dryer. Modern models have a built-in vacuum system, which allows you to dry the surface immediately after washing and avoid purchasing a floor dryer. Additional equipment with special brushes allows the device to work also with carpets. Scrubber dryers are divided into:
- network (from 60 thousand rubles) require a 220 V or 230 V cable no more than 20 m long for operation, which is suitable for small and medium-sized rooms;
- battery batteries (from 120 thousand rubles) are distinguished by maneuverability and ease of use in rooms with furniture and warehouse equipment;
- with a seat or standing place for the operator (from 420 thousand rubles) are used for continuous cleaning of hypermarkets, hospitals, large production workshops;
- single-disc (about 30 thousand rubles) for washing hard-to-reach places, stairs, window sills and other small-area coverings are necessary for enterprises providing cleaning services for multi-storey buildings or private cottages.
The most versatile of them are battery-powered devices, for which the presence of furniture in the room is not a hindrance, which means they can be used for washing areas for various purposes. For example, the GhibliRolly 7 scrubber dryer can be used in small spaces with a 230 V connection.
To clean carpets and furniture, you need a professional vacuum cleaner. They can perform dry or wet cleaning; there are also models that combine both types of work and are even capable of sucking up liquid dirt. Vacuum cleaners come in different types:
- construction ones (from 10 thousand rubles) absorb concrete dust, shavings, large fragments of debris and often have increased wear resistance and a stainless steel body;
- for dry cleaning (from 5 thousand rubles) differs from household models in power, cord length, noiselessness;
- detergents (from 20 thousand rubles) can be used both dry and wet cleaning, and due to their compact size they are often used in everyday life;
- water vacuum cleaners (from 7 thousand rubles) suck up large amounts of liquid, which is necessary in production in various fields of industry;
- backpack (from 15 thousand rubles), convenient shoulder design, used in rooms with narrow passages: airplanes, cinema halls, stairs;
- brushes (from 25 thousand rubles) cope best with long-pile carpets, which is important for hotels, kindergartens and administrative institutions.
The most functional for small cleaning companies are washing vacuum cleaners with dry cleaning capabilities. For example, the Delvir WDC PLUS model combines both functions and additional dry cleaning.
To eliminate odors, fungi, mold, rust, and greasy stains from surfaces, use a professional steam generator. For this equipment there are various replaceable attachments that expand the scope of use. The BieffeMagicVapor steam generator has an iron-shaped attachment that allows you to iron and steam clothes and bedding.
Since services are provided on the customer’s premises, transport in this type of business is much more important than an office. The car must be well-groomed, clean, ideally a minivan with company advertising on the body. A used PeugeotPartner, for example, costs about 400 thousand rubles on the secondary market. It is better to hire staff for home cleaning without special equipment with personal transport, compensating for the costs of depreciation and fuel.
5. Selection of consumables
Professional cleaning requires special products that differ from household ones in concentration, strength of impact on dirt, safety for others and large packages:
- universal cleaner for all types of surfaces - 4500 rub./10 l, depending on the concentration, enough to wash 400–1000 sq. m;
- product for carpets and upholstery fabrics - 2000 rub./10 l, enough to clean 300-600 sq.m.;
- sanitary area cleaners – RUB 3,000/10 l;
- air purifiers – 6,000 rub./10 l;
- stain removers - 1000 rub./l;
- for glass, mirrors and display cases – 2000 rubles/10 liters for 300–600 sq.m;
- for wood and parquet – 3000 rub./5 l per 50 sq.m.
In addition to chemicals, you will need cleaning materials (rags, rags, napkins, sponges, microfiber), rubber bands and mops, bottles and spray bottles for detergents, garbage bags, and gloves.
6. Recruitment
The attractiveness of the cleaning services sector for workers is that such employment does not require special skills, is often paid on a piece-rate basis, and can be easily combined with study or main work on a shift schedule. However, like any personnel in the field of personal services, they are required to have a medical book, uniform, and a liability agreement.
Salary depends on the volume of work and frequency of site visits and averages 15 thousand rubles. To maintain accounting, personnel records and pay taxes, an LLC needs an accountant, half-time or visiting. The responsibilities of a customer service manager (visiting the office, concluding contracts, accepting orders, advertising) can be performed by the business owner, but as volumes increase, additional staff will be needed.
7. Do you need your own office to conduct business?
Home office space is one of the hottest trends in small business, suitable for taking calls, solving problems remotely, advertising, and even storing equipment and cleaning supplies. Since meetings and discussions take place on the client’s premises or by telephone, there is no point in renting commercial space.
Of course, a successful company with a well-known name needs office space with a customer reception area, a small warehouse, a place for administrative staff to work, and a laundry room. But at the initial stage, all these functions are assigned to the premises (residential or not) of the business owner.
8. Search for clients and advertising
The overall size of the cleaning services market is huge, and to properly position a company, it is necessary to choose a specific niche. Specialization in cleaning commercial areas or residential cottages, industrial premises or medical centers require completely different platforms for advertising and finding clients.
The next step is to assess the geographic area of the work. It is necessary to decide what distances the team is ready to travel and deliver equipment; this will outline the circle of potential clients and allow you to assess whether there are enough of them for the chosen niche.
Even if you have one or two customers for cleaning large areas, it is worth developing in the field of home services. This does not require the purchase of additional equipment or special consumables, nor does it bring much profit. However, this is an opportunity to earn reviews, fame, be heard and optimize processes within the company. The first clients may be friends, relatives, neighbors, or former colleagues of the entrepreneur.
After this step, you can order advertising placement. In the field of household services, promotion works well with the help of color booklets with detailed working conditions, clear pricing and realistic photographs of the cleaning process. Such materials are placed on laundry counters, in stores, bathhouses, and mailboxes.
For advertising among legal entities, electronic mailing lists, cold calls to offices, and participation in tenders work better. In addition, the company must have a professionally designed website, which details all services, time standards, equipment and cleaning products used, as well as a detailed price list and a form for writing reviews.
You shouldn’t give up on modern methods of promotion. For example, a channel on Youtube will introduce potential customers to the peculiarities of the company’s work, give advice on daily cleaning on your own, show the premises before and after cleaning, as well as reviews from happy clients.
9. Should I open a cleaning company as a franchise or start from scratch?
The businessman himself must decide whether to launch a business on his own or choose one of the ready-made franchises on the market. Each method has its pros and cons.
The franchisor will provide a carefully developed market analysis, business plan, marketing support, and often a ready-made online store for selling services. For this you will have to pay a lump-sum or marketing fee, and/or make monthly royalty payments as a percentage of revenue. However, you will still have to do most of the work yourself: search, hire, train staff, make purchases, interact with the client, place advertising.
You can independently start a cleaning business if you have entrepreneurial experience and preliminary agreements with at least one customer. In this option, the business owner decides what services to provide, what to specialize in, and where to make mistakes.
Popular franchises
In a service business without complex processes, expensive equipment and secret technologies, buying a franchise provides few additional opportunities. Sometimes the franchisor company provides discounts on the purchase of consumables and advertising assistance at the federal level, and then only subject to the presence of a recognizable brand. This is the main difficulty: there are many medium-sized companies on the market that sell franchises, but large players with well-known names do not do this. As a result, a businessman, when purchasing a ready-made business, does not receive anything beyond what he could organize on his own.
This is the reason that many cleaning companies have curtailed their franchising development programs - information in franchise databases has not been updated for several years or leads to sites whose service has been suspended. Of the “live” offers on the Russian market, only two are valid.
Financial calculations
Considering the low start-up costs, the return on investment of the business depends only on the entrepreneur’s activity in finding clients and promoting the services of his company.
How much money do you need to start?
To start work, you will need a sum for registration of an LLC, development of a logo and advertising materials; purchase of equipment; website creation and promotion; purchase of special clothing for personnel.
Monthly expenses
Expenses for the company's monthly operations consist of staff salaries, purchases of consumables and cleaning products, gasoline payments, advertising budget and tax deductions.
How much can you earn?
For cleaning office and retail space, one employee is required per 600 sq. m. m, which means 2 employees using a sweeper and washing machine, as well as manual equipment, can service a small supermarket with an area of less than 1200 sq. m. m. Monthly revenue from servicing such a facility will be 1200 sq. m. m*30 rub./sq. m*30 days=1080 thousand rubles. Net profit 1080-200=880 thousand rubles. However, for non-stop shift cleaning of such an area, it will be necessary to involve all personnel and take into account the purchase of a car for transporting equipment from 400 thousand rubles in the costs.
Revenue from household services is of a different order. Cleaning an apartment requires 2-3 hours of working time and one person, the minimum check is 1800 rubles. This means that during a working day, taking into account travel, one worker cleans 2 apartments, and five workers are able to service 10 apartments per day. This means the monthly revenue will be: 1800 rubles/apartment*10 apartments*30 days=540 thousand rubles. Profit for the month without operating expenses 540-200 = 340 thousand rubles.
Thus, if you open a business for a specific client, the costs will more than pay off in the first month of work, and if you occupy the niche of household cleaning - in the second month of work. However, it should be remembered that these figures were obtained taking into account the full workload of all employees, which in reality is extremely rare.
Conclusion
The scope of cleaning services in the country is close to saturation: the client chooses from many competing companies based on price, reviews, and market position. The niches of commercial and domestic cleaning are firmly occupied by companies with many years of experience and high quality services.
However, if you have a preliminary agreement for cleaning large commercial facilities, you can start your own business with a starting capital of 350 thousand rubles and recoup it in the first month of work. In the niche of cleaning private apartments, the entry point is smaller due to the lack of costs for electronic equipment, but the monthly profit is low, depends on the number of orders and employees, and is also subject to significant seasonal fluctuations.