startinghomebiz.com

What will I be doing ?

There are more than 30,000 carpet-cleaning services in U.S., many operating as home-based businesses. A carpet-cleaning service, as you might expect, cleans carpets and rugs using special equipment. Typically, a home-based business will use the home as an office, but work from a vehicle parked at the customer’s location.

What will I need to start ?

You can start your carpet-cleaning service with just business cards or fliers passed to neighbours. Then, as a job, you rent a carpet-cleaning machine and buy the needed shampoo. As your business grows you can find used and new professional carpet-cleaning equipment at wholesale janitorial suppliers liste in metropolitan telephone books. These services can also suggest cleaning supplies.

Who will my customers be ?

Customers for your carpet-cleaning service include homeowners, companies and office buildings. Most carpet-cleaning services specialize in a specific market, focusing marketing on home owners or apartment dwellers, office complexes, retail stores, shopping malls or government offices. If your business is located in a large city and you have many competitors, you will specialize more than if your business serves a town of 10,000.

You can reach your customers through mailing lists, fliers, small service ads in newspapers and ads in the yellow pages of area phone pbooks.

How much should I charge ?

You will calculate the prices of your services using an hourly rate, typically $25 to $50. However, you will quote the customer prices based on the size of the carpet cleaned and the need for cleaning. That is, you may charge 15 Cents to 25 cents a square foot with the lower price for light cleaning and the higher price for carpets needing more work to clean.

Many carpet-cleaning services make pricing eadier for the customer by quoting by the room. A 10 x 12-foot room of 120 square feet will range from $18 to $30, at 15 cents to 25 cents a square foot. So, the room rate can be quoted at $18.95 to $29.95 and require about a half-hour to clean. Most per-room rates require a minimum number of rooms, typically three, to reduce the time lost to setting up and taking down equipmnet at a site. In addition, some carpet-cleaning services add a specific price per-room for moving furniture to clean the carpet.

How much will I make ?

Initially, you’ll spend up to half of your time ,arketing your business. But you will soon reduce that to 15 to 25 percent of your time through repeat and referral business. Overhean expenses will range from 20 to 40 percent of every dollar you take in, depending on the value of your equipment and how much you spend on marketing your services. A home-based carpet-cleaning business can earn $15 to $25 net per hour dedicated to the business.

How can I get started ?

You can learn the skills required for efficiently cleaning carpets by working for a carpet cleaner or janitorial service. Doing so, you will also learn what equipment and supplies to use. If you maintain a good relationship with your employer, he or she may even help you establish your noncompeting business and even give or sell you accounts.

Contact the Carpet and Rug Cleaning Institute (706-278-3176). Franchises in this field include Rug Doctor (800-678-7844), Von Schrader Co. (800-626-6916) and Chem-Dry Carpet Cleaning (800-841-6583).

The SIC code for carpet-cleaning services is 7217-04.

From the book of Dan Ramsey, Title : 101 Best Home Businesses, CAREER PRESS, 3 Tice Road, P.O. Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417, 1-800-CAREER-1, 201-848-0310 (NJ and outside U.S.), FAX : 201-848-1727

You should check these out :