House cleaning alone might be limiting your business success. Eventually the market is too saturated if you have many competitors. Or there are just not enough customers with income high enough to spend parts of it on the luxury having someone else clean their house. So, what can you do to put your business on a better foundation?

Offer additional services that go beyond normal house cleaning. The advantage can be that you can ask for higher prices. We already mentioned the cleaning of refrigerators and ovens in an earlier part of our series of articles on how to start a house cleaning business. But these two pieces do not generate business by themselves. They are an add-on.

New Construction Cleaning: If you live in an area with a lot of construction going on you can eventually offer the initial cleaning of newly built houses before people move in. Removing the dust and dirt the constructions have left behind can be a great opportunity for one-time jobs, but if done right you can also sell your normal house cleaning services. If you are able to get jobs in new construction cleaning do follow-ups with the customers.

Important: If you decide to offer this type of service you will most likely need different kind of equipment. Bigger ladders and industry-grade vacuum cleaners should be part of your tool set. These kinds of jobs are not done in 3 hours and you will probably spend a whole day on a newly built house. Dust and dirt are only one piece. Stickers on Windows and bathroom equipment (mirrors, tubs, etc.) need to be removed. Eventually you will need help to get these jobs done in a short time. New construction cleaning jobs usually start at around $200.00.

Move-in/Move-out cleaning jobs are another kind of service you can offer. People hate doing those things. They want to get out of a house or apartment and just move into the new place. Cleaning is the piece they do not like to do in that moment at all. You have to catch their interest (which should be easy) with advertising how much time and hassle you can save them.

Basement cleaning and garage cleaning/organizing are great opportunities for cross-selling products. Consider to expand your business by offering shelf systems and storage solutions. The profit margin on storage solutions is much higher and eventually the whole thing turns into a completely new business opportunity for you. Think big when it comes to business opportunities. Storage solutions are in demand and most people do not really know where to start other than buying some cheap shelves. Look into products made by HyLoft for garage and basement storage.

Staff and Sub-contractors

You will probably start your house and home cleaning business as a one person company. But depending on your business success you will reach a point where business growth can come to a halt unless you contract out some work or hire staff on a permanent base. Or maybe you just want to have more time for yourself and want to concentrate on sales and need somebody to do the actual cleaning work for you.

Hiring staff or getting a sub-contractor are the available options. Keep in mind that each option carries a risk. Trust is one of the keys to your business success. Once you lose control over the work that has to be done you lose control over the trust factor. One single employee breaking the trust relationship with your clients can ruin your business. Choose carefully who you hire. If you choose to contract out some work, make sure to cover yourself with a good contract. Check references for the sub-contractor and rather choose somebody else if you dont feel comfortable with the candidates you interviewed.

Important: If you choose to go with a sub-contractor they need to provide their own business insurance. If you hire staff your own insurance rates will go up. Keep in mind that having employees means more administrative work for you as you have to deal labor related laws and requirements and also have to setup payroll. On the other side employees will be easier to deal with and you do not have to be scared that the sub-contractor snags away your customers. Employees and sub-contractors should wear decent attire and look presentable.

No matter which way you go make sure you spend enough time on training. Set the standard high and make sure that it stays high. Let customers know if someone different will do the actual work at their house. Be there the couple first time to make sure everyone is comfortable with the new situation.