There will always be homes, offices, materials, clothing tools, and equipment that need cleaning. Funnily, not many people are interested in doing the actual work. Hence you may have to develop an idea on how to start a cleaning business.
At the same time, you may have to learn the strategies and the simple steps it takes. Therefore, this article first creates a checklist of what you need to start a cleaning business in Nigeria.
More particularly in Nigeria, starting a business may otherwise require some amount in the capital. However, we want to focus on starting the home and corporate cleaning business with no money.
Furthermore, statistics by Visual.ly show that a family can save up to 30 days a year by hiring a cleaning service. As of 2020, the global vacuum cleaner market was worth $10.01 billion while gaining 6.6% in the last decade.
Benefits of Starting a Cleaning Business in Nigeria
The cleaning industry is wide and highly profitable, covering both private and commercial cleaning services. But what are the core benefits of turning your interest in cleaning into a profitable venture?
- Cleaning is a regular service that people need continually at predictable intervals.
- Everyone at one time or the other needs the service of a professional cleaner. Even when people begin to clean by themselves, they may not sustain it over time.
- Women naturally spend more time cleaning. So, as more women find their careers, the world needs more cleaners.
- Cleaning in developed countries is lucrative as they are more willing to spend more.
- Generally, people find cleaning to be painful and stressful at the same time.
Therefore, it is instructive to learn how to start a successful cleaning business in Nigeria. More importantly, you will learn the strategies of building a business from scratch.
7 Simple Steps to Start a Cleaning Business with Zero Capital
1. Do a market research
The first step that should follow your conception of a business idea is market research. Meanwhile, the beginning of your business is one of the most fundamental lessons to learn. At times, it may require you to educate and train yourself on the actual cleaning skill.
Apart from technical skills, I have good background knowledge on how to operate your business. In addition, find out what is currently acceptable in the market while taking notes. You may search for free resources online to get a global perspective on the cleaning businesses.
2. Find a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and Build it
Now that you have decided to start a cleaning business learn this fact: Ideas are common. Therefore, you must first find a unique way to offer your services to stand out. USPs are what gives your business the edge over other similar businesses, starting from your locality.
A good way to implement this step is starting from the facts you obtained from the initial market research. For instance, private cleaning, such as home cleaning, is different from commercial cleaning (offices and hospitals). In detail, below are 7 peculiar cleaning services to consider:
- Interior home cleaning
- Exterior cleaning
- Pool cleaning
- Eco-friendly cleaning
- Rental property or Airbnb cleaning
- Project cleaning
- Waste disposal and recycling
- Graffiti cleaning
- Car or boat cleaning
- Boat and RV cleaning and much more.
3. Prepare a market for your cleaning service
It is important to have a ready market or create one before launching the business at all. Therefore, in learning how to start a cleaning business without much capital, you need to learn and find a market.
Cleaning business, in general, needs both individual and corporate clients to pay. So, start to identify and discuss with this potential client, ts including family and friends. Furthermore, tailor your business plan towards satisfying the already identified needs in the market.
4. Create a Business Plan
A business plan contains all the strategies for success, from the idea to the profit and sustainability stage. It must also state your budget, define your business operation, and analyse your projected results. Meanwhile, you need also to draft your price list for different classes of projects.
On the other hand, create a unique brand name for your new cleaning business. Apart from the name, state the USPs, define your potential audience and other details about the business. Some of the qualities of a successful brand include;
- A brand name that gives an instant idea of what the business identity
- The brand must sufficiently describe your business
- A unique brand name that no one else is using
- It must be able to promote the brand
- A brand should sound and read well in a way that potential clients can remember it.
5. Market your cleaning business brand
Part of the startup process is to market your brand to the identified audience or potential clients. There are different modern methods of marketing your cleaning business that hardly costs a dime. For instance, you can use
- Word-of-mouth to ask people about any cleaning help they might need
- Create an online presence starting with Google My Business. This tool is perfect for creating an online directory that can increase potential clients’ chances of finding your business. In addition, you can join an online marketplace
- Digital marketing using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others
- Cold calling local business owners, projects and families who may need your service
- Pitch your business to family and friends who already trust you
- Local adverts in dailies and magazines
- Share fliers to promote the business brand
- Referral system where existing clients put in a good word with others. These reviews can go a long way in creating a great reputation for your business.
6. Start cleaning by yourself
Doing the cleaning job solo can save many funds at the beginning of the business until things stabilize. Meanwhile, it means you must be ready to input the time, energy and other important. In addition to what you can do alone, you may employ family members to assist you. The initial tools may also be some of the items and devices you already have.
For instance, useful items include mops, brooms, towels, scrubbers, sponges, spray bottles, protective gloves and disposable tools. As you do the job, you may also start setting some money aside as your own wage. Over time, you can save a substantial amount to buy a washing machine or a vacuum cleaner for more effectiveness.
7. Do an excellent job
The most effective tool to promote your business is to do an excellent job. No matter how much people spend to promote a business, it is easy to lose a dissatisfied customer. Therefore, in all that you do, do your best to satisfy every customer to the best.
Also, it takes organization and consistent improvement to run smooth business operations. You can also install cleaning software to organize your business for better performance. Apart from organizations, the software can also save you the stress and human resources required to run the day-to-day business.
For instance, you may need to keep track of clients’ requests, accounting notes, payment tracking and confirmation, and process orders. Some advanced features of cleaning software include customer surveys, marketing automation, clients review, and manage the business.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, you can take advantage of the cleaning industry by starting a cleaning business in Nigeria. Nigeria also has a tremendous advantage for your business to succeed. Whether for private or commercial service. Besides, the nature of the cleaning industry indicates that you can never run out of business. However, the success journey of this cleaning business will depend on identifying the right clients and satisfying them. Following that, you will have to put in a lot of effort and perform excellently and consistently.
Which of the steps above do you consider too difficult to handle?