Is cleaning business profitable? Clean business, or how to open a cleaning company

Cleaning is the provision of cleaning services at a professional level. Cleanliness is needed always and everywhere - in an apartment, in a factory or in an office. But not everyone has the time and opportunity to fully and regularly manage it. That’s why starting a cleaning company from scratch is always promising and profitable.

Cleaning company. Business from scratch

Like any enterprise, this also requires preliminary preparation. So, how to start a cleaning company? A business plan, drawn up competently and in detail, will help calculate all costs, payback periods and profit margins. And also avoid unnecessary expenses and unnecessary hassle.

I have my own specificity as it relates to a business plan for a cleaning company. The points that must be studied and taken into account are the following:

type of activity - that is, what kind of premises you are going to clean and how often;
goal: will you work on order with already known clients or search for them spontaneously with the help of advertising;
selection of employees: you already have a team, and if not, then where will you look for it;
purchase or rental of necessary equipment and auxiliary means;
rental of premises;
methods and types of advertising, as well as competition.

All these points require detailed consideration and explanation.

Live in a small town? Do you want to start your own business, but are not sure whether it will pay off? Ours will help you navigate and choose the right direction for your business!

Demand and competition

In the list above, this item is in last place. But in fact, it’s worth thinking about this even before you start working in a given direction. There is no doubt that cleaning services are in demand. For example, a lot of large companies are registered in the USA, providing a wide range of services in this area. Their annual turnover is about 30 billion dollars, and that's saying something! Russia is not America, that’s clear. However, the demand is still quite high, as is the competition.

Problems with competing firms arise mainly in megacities. It would seem that there is room to expand here: there are a huge number of commercial enterprises, factories, cafes, clubs, shopping centers, and just private apartments that require regular cleaning. But there are also plenty of people who want to do this; look at reality soberly.

Therefore, in order to cope with the competition and make a profit from your endeavor, you must be aware from the very beginning: everything must be at the highest level. If the staff is experienced, polite and qualified, if the equipment is modern and reliable, if the detergents are high-quality and environmentally friendly.

Figuratively speaking, Aunt Masha from the next door with a rag, mop and bucket will not be able to provide you with the required level.

Another thing is remote regions and small towns, where cleaning companies are few and far between. This is not a plowed field on which, if you want to work and earn money, it is quite possible to grow your own golden tree.

Where and how to organize a cleaning business?

Choosing a room

So, you have monitored the market and possible competitors, you have not changed your decision and are starting your own business. First, you need a room - at least so that the staff has a place to change clothes, and you have a place to store equipment. You can accept orders anywhere via telephone and the Internet; renting an office for this purpose alone is pointless.

Your first the office must have at least three rooms:

staff room with locker room and rest area;
small warehouse;
your office.

You also cannot do without a bathroom with a shower and, preferably, a small kitchen. The office can be located in any part of the city. As practice shows, customers rarely visit the company - on the contrary, you will go to them to assess the facility and the scale of work required on it.

Equipment for a cleaning company

There is an office - now we need cleaning equipment and inventory. It is assumed that you will start small - major cleaning of offices and apartments.

For this you need:

window cleaning kit - about $200;
professional vacuum cleaner - $500-600;
a cart on which a bucket with a wringer is placed, a set of necessary detergents, a garbage bag, and other small tools - $200-250;
unit for deep cleaning of carpets - $200-270;
mop and broom - modern, about $50;
various disinfectant solutions and detergents.

A washing machine would also come in handy to tidy up staff uniforms and other fabric materials – covers for chairs, armchairs, curtains, etc. It will cost an additional 500-600 dollars. That, in fact, is all you need to provide to start a cleaning business from scratch.

The total amount will depend on what brand of equipment you will purchase, new or used. Don’t forget also that you can save additional money at first by renting expensive equipment - but this is only at first.

How to recruit a good team?

Qualified personnel are the key to the success of your company. You need to approach this issue very carefully, because reputation in your case is one of the main guarantors of the influx of regular, profitable customers. It needs to be supported from the very beginning. You need to hire:

two or three efficient, neat, experienced and polite cleaners. They should know their business and not be rude to clients;
a driver who would take them to sites and pick them up from there;
in the future - assistant secretary, helping to negotiate with clients, monitor inventory purchases, etc.

What else do you need to consider? The driver must either bring his own vehicle, or you will have to hire a car - usually a minibus is required, there is no saving here. Good companies often organize seminars and master classes for staff on how to learn how to work with new equipment and cleaning products. Keep an eye on this if you don't want to fall behind your competitors.

You can select personnel through friends or on the Internet by arranging interviews. Don’t be afraid to assign a probationary period to strangers - this is your business and your money that you invest in it.

How much do you need to invest to start a cleaning business?

If you are starting from scratch and have practically nothing, you will need at least 150 thousand rubles. This should be enough to rent a small room (15-17 thousand rubles), purchase equipment and detergents (approximately 100-120 thousand rubles), and advertising.

At first, you will only be able to clean small rooms and apartments. But over time, you will be able to expand the range of your work, staff, and raise the level of services.

However, these are only one-time costs that you will not be limited to. Don't forget also about:

monthly taxes, from which it is better not to evade (depending on the region and type of activity, method of registration);
payment for rent of premises (also depends on the region and area);
payment for Internet, telephone and advertising (at least 1000 rubles);
staff salaries (about 15 thousand for cleaners and at least 20 thousand for drivers);
purchase of necessary equipment and materials (about 7 thousand rubles);
other small expenses, for example, coffee and water, soap and paper for the office, etc. (from 2 to 4 thousand rubles).

All together this will amount to approximately another 150 thousand rubles per month, no less. This is how you calculate your profit - subtract the amount spent from the amount of concluded and paid contracts, the remainder is an indicator of the profitability of your activities. Based on this, set the price for your services.

As a rule, cleaning one square meter in an office or apartment costs from 40 to 170 rubles, depending on the region and the client’s requirements. Thus, if you clean premises with a total area of 5 thousand square meters per month at the minimum price, your net profit should be approximately 50 thousand rubles.

What are the payback periods?

With proper business management and the presence of regular customers, they will range from six months to twelve. Why from six, if according to the above calculations only three are obtained, subject to minimal investment? Because it won’t be long before you can sign contracts for cleaning as many as five thousand square meters. This still needs to be achieved.

To speed up these deadlines and increase your income, it is important to acquire a good client base as quickly as possible and enter large facilities - restaurants, gyms, large enterprises. And this can only be done with the help of high-quality advertising.

How to advertise your company?

You need to start carrying out advertising campaigns even before opening a company. People should know that very soon a company will appear in their city that will bring cleanliness and comfort to their apartment, bar, cinema, bank, store, etc. To do this, you can use the radio network, the Internet, and distributing leaflets in public places. Don't forget about discounts and bonuses in honor of the opening!

Next, you should take care of constant advertising on billboards throughout the city. You should be everywhere, you should be remembered and recommended to others. Also conduct demonstration campaigns when visiting potential clients. But don’t get too carried away—it’s not worth cleaning half the city for free just to attract customers. As well as promising something that you cannot fulfill.

In general, this is a really profitable and promising business with a lot of advantages - you can start without an office or staff at all, taking on all the main chores and involving your relatives in this business. Over time, you will certainly achieve success, and no one will reproach you that cleaning is not prestigious.

Cleaning has established itself as one of the most successful options for doing business with maximum profitability with minimal initial capital. With these advantages, the cleaning business has a variety of niches that can be chosen by both the cleaner and the cleaning organization.

Stages of starting a business

Initially, you should decide whether you will be a single cleaner or immediately want to open a cleaning company with a minimum staff of 10 people. Although there are cases where a cleaner started on his own and gradually expanded his business, having learned all the secrets of cleaning from experience.

Choosing a niche is an interesting question! If you are still thinking about your own company, then the niche is of decisive importance and depends on your initial capital:

Window cleaning is one of the main parts of the cleaning business. To clean façade windows, for example in office buildings, owners often seek professional help. Washing them requires climbers and special equipment.
Carpet cleaning and dry cleaning are the most popular methods of making money in the cleaning industry.
Cleaning the premises after renovation or construction work.
Cleaning work in private premises.
Cleaning of offices and large industrial premises.

If you decide to seriously start a cleaning business, there is good news: no special permits or licenses are required.

To open a cleaning company, you need to go through the following steps:

You will need to undergo state registration to register as a legal entity.
On the legal side, it is necessary to draw up job descriptions for your employees; agreement on the provision of cleaning services; flexible price list (so as not to shock clients with exorbitant prices or, conversely, not to lower their “self-esteem”); commercial offer and business cards (advertising is the engine of progress); technological map for cleaning the facility.
Document flow necessary for maintaining the accounting records of your organization: estimate, invoice, invoice, approved procedure for paying wages and, accordingly, filing tax and accounting reports.

How to recruit staff?

You calculate the staffing depending on the objects for work: if the plans include small office premises and private houses, then 10 people, in addition to the director, are enough to start with:

Accountant. Here, it is desirable to have one employee who will handle both personnel and accounting; it is even better to hire him as a part-time employee.
Lawyer. Again, depending on the company’s staff and the scope of services it provides.
Manager for working with documents and attracting potential clients.
Cleaners, who ideally should have an appropriate uniform with the company logo.

Cleaning company clientele

At the dawn of opening your own organization in the field of cleanliness, you need to think not only about documentation and personnel, but also about the clientele. To start a business well, you must have potential clients or at least know about their consent to cooperate together.

You can start looking for clients by taking a comprehensive approach:

If you have a fax, you can send it to companies that may especially urgently need your professional help: restaurants and cafes, shops, medical institutions.
Your manager can call potential clients.
Business cards can be left in establishments that are attractive for business, for example, in a cafe or at the reception of private clinics.
Advertise your establishment in institutions where companies turn to recruit staff, for example, an employment center or recruitment agencies.
If an organization is being created quite large or plans to further increase turnover and sales, it makes sense to create a website and subsequently order advertising in search engines.
Promotion can be organized on thematic forums, in groups of popular social networks.

*Calculations use average data for Russia

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

Objective of the project– opening of a cleaning company in Rostov-on-Don. The main source of income for the establishment is payment for professional cleaning services. The cleaning company offers a wide range of professional cleaning services for commercial and private premises.

The target audience– corporate segment, represented by shopping and entertainment centers, offices, restaurants, cinemas; private segment.

TO benefits this business should include:

Demand for this type of service;

Relatively low level of competition, low barrier to entry into the market;

The predominance of the corporate segment makes it possible to conclude long-term service agreements, which guarantees a stable income.

Investment costs in the amount of 1,578,400 were allocated for the purchase of specialized equipment, the purchase of a car, the arrangement of a sales office and the formation of a working capital fund. Project payback period- 11 months. Profitability business in the first year of operation will be 12%.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY AND COMPANY

The market for cleaning services in Russia appeared relatively recently - about 25 years ago, thanks to the arrival of large foreign companies. The introduction of cleaning services began in Moscow and St. Petersburg - these local markets still remain the leaders of the domestic cleaning services market and occupy almost 60% of the total volume.

The activities of cleaning companies represent a set of measures aimed at cleaning and maintaining cleanliness in commercial and private premises. Recently, this type of service has been gaining popularity, which is due to the demand for professional care of premises, problems in organizing your own cleaning services, active construction, and the fashion for outsourcing.

Professional kit for creating business ideas

3. DESCRIPTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES

Potential clients of a cleaning company are both individuals and legal entities. The target audience in the segment of services for individuals is families with an income level above 30 thousand rubles for home cleaning; in the segment of services for legal entities - commercial facilities for various purposes to maintain cleanliness and care of the premises.

The range of cleaning services should be formed based on the target audience and demand for certain types of services. According to statistics, the largest share by type of service is occupied by comprehensive daily cleaning, followed by cleaning of the surrounding area, garbage removal, and cleaning after repairs.

Ready ideas for your business

Daily cleaning includes dusting, cleaning mirrors, and mopping floors. Cleaning the surrounding area involves washing windows, facades, removing garbage, removing snow/leaves/grass (depending on the season), and maintaining the cleanliness of architectural elements. We also offer general cleaning, which means removing dirt from walls, washing baseboards, removing local dirt from various surfaces, cleaning tile joints, washing windows, and so on. Particular attention should be paid to this type of service, such as cleaning after renovation - recently this type of service has been in demand. Cleaning after renovation includes: removing construction waste, washing windows from plaque, thoroughly removing dust from various surfaces and heavy dirt, washing floors, cleaning furniture, washing chandeliers, etc.

Some cleaning companies offer special programs and types of services. Such services may include cleaning before the birth of a child, washing advertising structures, cleaning after holidays, outstaffing (personnel rental) and others. The presence of such specific types of services sets the company apart in the market. Many cleaning services are expanding their range of services, offering clients dry cleaning of furniture and carpets, disinfection of premises, or the provision of a house assistant.

Ready ideas for your business

The range of cleaning services is quite wide, but limited by funds, since many services require expensive equipment. At the initial stage of creating a cleaning service, it is recommended to select the main services, namely:

Daily cleaning of premises – from 5 rubles/m2

General cleaning of premises – from 50 rub./m2

Cleaning furniture and carpets – from 40 rubles/m2

Window washing – from 20 rub./m2

Household assistant - from 45 rubles/m2.

In general, the range of services is individual for each client. The contract is drawn up indicating a list of necessary services, the price of which may vary depending on the scope of work.

4. SALES AND MARKETING

Marketing promotion of a cleaning service may include a number of activities aimed at different target audiences:

1. Direct marketing will be effective in the corporate segment. For advertising you will need to prepare handouts. You can also cold call a circle of potential clients.

4. Creation of a website that allows a potential client to independently study the list of services and price list.

When planning an advertising campaign, you should consider what selection criteria are used by potential clients. The most significant are: the cost and range of services provided, reputation in the market, personnel qualifications, and flexibility of work schedule. You should pay attention to these parameters in presentations and other promotional materials.

Ready ideas for your business

Promotion tools can be different - it all depends on the target audience and the budget allocated for advertising. Most cleaning business owners admit that the most effective way of promotion is word of mouth. To make it work, ask your first customers to leave a review about the company - in return, offer some kind of bonus, for example, a discount on your next visit. Loyalty programs should be developed that offer promotions and discounts for ongoing cooperation. Concluding contracts for regular maintenance will provide the company with constant employment of personnel. Declare the environmental friendliness of your cleaning products – there has been a recent trend towards “green cleaning”.

Another tool used in marketing is analysis of competitors' pricing policies. Table 2 presents a comparative description of three large cleaning services in Rostov-on-Don. Based on the collected data, you can form your own prices for each type of service and develop a marketing strategy. For example, in the Rostov market, the “house help” service is represented in a small share - to include such a service in the list, no additional costs will be required for the purchase of special equipment. And in case of low demand for this type of service, the employee will be able to perform another type of service.

Taking into account the average market cost of services and prices of competitors, a price list was created:

Daily cleaning of premises – from 10 rub./m2

General cleaning of premises – from 70 rub./m2

Cleaning the premises after construction and renovation - from 70 rubles/m2

Cleaning furniture and carpets – from 80 rub./m2

Window cleaning – from 115 RUR/piece

Household assistant - from 50 rub./m2.

Table 1 – Cost of cleaning services in Rostov-on-Don

To promote the cleaning service in Rostov-on-Don, it is planned to conduct an advertising campaign aimed at informing city residents about the opening of a cleaning service. Advertising will be carried out on radio for 2 weeks. The cost of 1 minute of advertising on radio in prime time costs an average of 3,500 rubles. The minimum number of repetitions per day is 6. The duration of one advertising message is 30 seconds. Based on these parameters, an advertising campaign on radio will cost an average of 88,000 rubles.

It is planned to attract corporate clients by showing a presentation of services in a personal meeting. In this presentation, it is necessary to reflect the main advantages of outsourcing cleaning, as well as the main advantages of your company that distinguish you from your competitors.

It is also planned to create a website and naming to develop a logo and company name. These costs will be about 20,000 rubles.

An additional promotion tool will be distributing leaflets and posting advertisements around the city. The development of the layout will cost 1000 rubles. Printing 1000 pieces of single-sided A6 leaflets – 3200 rub. In total, this promotion tool will cost 4,200 rubles.

5. PRODUCTION PLAN

To locate the company's sales office, as well as store all equipment, it is necessary to rent a room with an area of 40 m2. The cost of renting such premises in Rostov-on-Don is about 25,000 rubles.

Sales volume is calculated as the market average for a city with a population of more than 500 thousand people. Based on the standards, an employee cleans 600-800 m2 per day. With 4 employees working in shifts, the maximum workload per month is 11,250 m2 per employee or 45,000 m2 for the entire cleaning staff. The average price of the service is 50 rubles/m2. With a workload of 50%, the company’s monthly revenue will be 22,500*50=1,125,000 rubles. It is planned to reach such indicators in the fourth month of operation of the cleaning service.

6. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN

To implement the project, it is expected to register an LLC. The form of taxation is the simplified tax system with the object of taxation “revenue” at a rate of 6%. Types of activities according to OKVED-2:

81.1 Activities for complex maintenance of premises

81.2 Cleaning and tidying activities

43.39 – post-construction cleaning

96.01 – washing and dry cleaning of carpets and textiles.

A license to provide this type of service is not required.

Registration of all necessary documents takes up to 1 month and costs about 6,000 rubles.

To achieve the planned sales volume, a staff of 6 employees is required. Cleaning service operating hours are from 8:00 to 22:00. Cleaners work in shifts. The wage fund is 141,000 rubles per month, including social benefits of 183,300 rubles.

Table 2 - Cleaning company staff and payroll

Qualified personnel are the main key to the success of a cleaning service. That is why it is necessary to pay special attention to personnel selection. The most suitable candidates are responsible, conscientious women and men aged 25-40 years. Cleaning specialists must be interchangeable. Each cleaner is provided with special clothing - the average cost of one set is 2,000 rubles.

If an entrepreneur plans to expand his business, then he should take into account the costs of staff training. Currently, various cleaning courses and schools have been created in Russia, which provide training programs and advanced training for cleaning service personnel. Training 1 person will cost an average of 3,000 rubles.

It is also necessary to purchase a truck that will transport cleaners and all the necessary equipment to provide services. The cost of a used gazelle will be approximately 300,000 rubles.

7. FINANCIAL PLAN

The financial plan includes fixed and variable costs. To start a project, it is necessary to calculate the amount of initial investment. To do this, you need to determine the costs of equipment and machinery.

Table 3 – Initial investment

The initial investment for opening a cleaning company is 1,578,400 rubles.

Table 4 – Equipment purchase costs

Name	Amount	Cost of 1 piece, rub.	Total amount, rub.
Equipment
Industrial vacuum cleaner
Scrubber dryer

Professional hair dryer for drying carpets
Cleaning trolley
Bucket on wheels
Other cleaning equipment
Detergents (household chemicals)
Set for washing windows and office equipment
Steam cleaner
Sweeper
Clothes for cleaning ladies
Car GAZ Gazelle
Total			945200

The purchase of equipment will amount to 945,200 rubles, and the cost of setting up an office on average will be 65,000 rubles.

Table 5 – Monthly expenses

Thus, monthly expenses were determined in the amount of 346,348 rubles. The cost of services consists of monthly expenses and the cost of the equipment used. The average cost of cleaning 1 m2 is 31.5 rubles. For a volume of 22,500 m 2 per month, the cost of work will be 708,750 rubles.

8. EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS

The payback period for the project with an initial investment of 1,578,400 rubles is 11 months. The net monthly profit of the project upon reaching planned sales volumes will be about 100 thousand rubles. It is expected that the planned indicators will be achieved in the fourth month of operation of the cleaning service. Return on sales in the first year of operation is 12%.

9. POSSIBLE RISKS

To assess the risk component of the project, it is necessary to analyze external and internal factors. External factors include threats related to the economic situation in the country and sales markets. Internal – the effectiveness of organization management.

Let's list the main risk factors when creating a cleaning company and ways to respond to threats. External risks include:

An increase in the cost of services, which entails a decrease in marginal income. It is possible to mitigate the risk by creating a reserve margin on the cost price, which will compensate for rising costs without increasing the cost of services;

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

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 meeting place with the client.

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 cleaning company's expenses and profits.
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 marketing, 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 develop 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.

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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Evgeny Smirnov

# Business ideas

A cleaning company is a promising business in many Russian cities. Competition in this niche is currently quite weak.

Cleaning is a promising area for starting your own business. In Europe, the business of cleaning apartments and commercial premises has existed for many years, is considered highly profitable, and the niche is almost full. As for the domestic market, the first cleaning companies appeared here at the end of the last century, and the direction itself has only just begun to actively develop.

The cleaning company cleans premises both inside and outside, regardless of their purpose. In simple terms, the activities of cleaning companies are a set of measures aimed at ensuring cleanliness in the premises.

In recent years, this type of service has become increasingly in demand due to the increased demand for professional cleaning, as well as the problems that companies have to face when creating their own services.

Main advantages

The cleaning business has the following advantages:

The market is in a stage of active growth, the niche has not been filled, so there is an opportunity for the development of new companies. Despite this, cleaning services have long been familiar to domestic consumers and are in demand among them.
The main client base is legal entities seeking cooperation on an ongoing basis.
The low level of competition and minimal investments significantly simplify the process of entering the market.

As already noted, you can start with a small investment. Major expenses include funds for equipment, which can also be borrowed or leased, and hiring staff.

How to start a cleaning business

In order to open your own cleaning company, you need to obtain permits, purchase or rent equipment, and hire qualified specialists.

Close attention will have to be paid to employee training, because the main difference between a cleaning company and regular cleaning is high professionalism and the use of specialized equipment. You need to make sure that you have highly qualified specialists working for you who can cope with the tasks assigned to them.

The main mission of a cleaning company is to make the place where people stay not only clean, but also safe.

Franchise business

One of the ways to organize a cleaning business for apartments and premises is to buy a franchise. This greatly simplifies the process of creating a company and allows you to receive full support from the franchisor: development scheme, advertising strategies and plans.

What is it and why is opening a franchise cleaning agency considered the best option for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Opportunity to use the franchisor's experience. He already knows where the biggest problems can arise and how to deal with them. The entrepreneur gets the opportunity to contact the franchisee for information support, rather than solve problems by trial and error.
Launch scheme. Any franchise includes information about where to start a business, step-by-step development and features of organizing work in a new branch.
Discounts or special conditions for the purchase of equipment (provided that the franchisor is its manufacturer).
The ability to use an already promoted website as an advertising platform for your own company.
Profitability. Any franchise usually includes an approximate payback time for the company, which makes it possible to evaluate all prospects and opportunities.

When choosing a franchise, you should definitely pay attention to the ratio of the lump sum fee and what the franchisor offers. For example, if a step-by-step development strategy is not offered, then such a franchise is of no use. Even the possibility of using a corporate identity will not help if a person does not understand how this field of activity works and does not receive help from the head office.

Each company independently determines the cost of a franchise, taking into account many factors: the popularity of the brand, how much effort the head office spends on preparing a partner, etc.

It is easier to develop a ready-made business if there are no competitors under the same brand in a given city or region. Therefore, you should make sure that the central office will not sell the right to establish a cleaning company near you in the near future. Otherwise, part of your effort will be spent competing with a company that follows the same strategy as you.

Business from scratch

Before opening a cleaning company from scratch, you need to carefully study this area of activity, develop a step-by-step development strategy, and only then take action. This will allow you to save money on opening, as well as approximately estimate how quickly the investment will pay off and in what direction you need to move.

What you need to know before opening a cleaning company

The peculiarity is that it can be organized with a minimum of funds and effort. To do this, it is enough to register an individual entrepreneur or LLC, purchase a set of equipment for work, find clients and you can get started. As your clientele expands, you can hire additional employees, buy equipment, etc.

The specifics of the job should also be taken into account. Cleaning is usually carried out on holidays or weekends, especially for large companies. The schedule usually has to be drawn up individually, adapting to the needs and wishes of each client.

Where is the best place to open a cleaning company?

Of course, entering the markets of large metropolitan areas, where dozens of established companies already operate, is difficult and futile. It is best to choose areas and cities where the level of competition is not too high, and the number of clients will allow you to build the necessary client base for payback and profitability.

How to choose your target audience

To select a target audience, you need to decide which clients you plan to cooperate with. Interaction with legal entities is simpler than with individuals. The reason is that large companies are well aware of the importance of professional cleaning, the quality of which largely determines the image and prestige of the company.

But ordinary people rarely hire a cleaning company. This is due to the peculiarities of the mentality: our people are not used to being served by servants. Even if they have the means, most compatriots find it difficult to come to terms with the presence of another person in the apartment.

Accordingly, all novice businessmen who decide to create a cleaning company should focus on mid-level organizations, as well as large commercial structures.

Business registration

To open a cleaning company you do not need to obtain any special permits from government authorities. It is enough to register as an individual entrepreneur or LLC, after which you can begin your activities.

Which form of ownership to choose

Initially, you need to decide on the legal form of activity of the cleaning company - LLC or individual entrepreneur? From a legal point of view, there are no restrictions, but the nuances of each form must be taken into account.

Individual entrepreneur	Limited Liability Company
Minimum tax and more freedom.	The need to submit reports to the tax office and 13% tax.
He is responsible with all his property even after the closure of the individual entrepreneur.	Only the founders of the LLC are liable for obligations within the framework of their authorized capital.
Lack of accounting.	Since 2013, all companies must maintain and submit accounting records, regardless of the chosen form of taxation.
If there are no employees, then there is no need to submit reports for them.	It is necessary to submit ERSV and 4-FSS every quarter.
Registration of entrepreneurs is carried out at the place of residence.	Company registration is carried out at the location of the main office. To operate in other cities, you need to register branches.
It is difficult to obtain loans and investments.	Investments and loans are more accessible.

When deciding to create an LLC, it is better not to use a sample charter downloaded from the Internet, but to hire an experienced lawyer who can develop it according to your preferences and wishes. But if this is not possible, use the standard document:

Download sample

OKVED cleaning services

When submitting documents to the tax office, you must correctly indicate the OKVED codes:

70.1 – cleaning and maintenance of industrial and residential premises and equipment;
70.2 – cleaning and cleaning of vehicles;
70.3 – activities for carrying out disinfection, pest control, deratization work;
00.3 – cleaning the territory and similar activities.

Sample business plan with calculations

A sample business plan with calculations will help you understand the features of this type of activity, present the work process and payback period. You can create a ready-made business plan for a cleaning company from scratch or use our example.

Business plan

The goal of the project is to open a cleaning company. The main source of income is payment for professional cleaning services.

Expenditure part

Registration of an enterprise costs from 1800 to 5000 rubles. You will also have to spend about 200 thousand rubles on equipment, but these costs can be reduced if you take out everything on credit or lease. You can also save on rent, since there are no special requirements for the condition of the premises: not clients will come to you, but you to them.

When creating a list of initial expenses, you should also take into account the salary for the first time:

driver – 20–25 thousand rubles;
cleaners – 2–4 people, 18–20 thousand rubles each.

Initial Investment

Before starting a project, it is imperative to calculate how much money is needed to open, taking into account the costs of equipment and technology.

Expense item	Price, rub
Cleaning equipment	200 000
Vehicle for transportation	300 000
Marketing	115 000
Registration of a company, preparation of all necessary documentation	6 000
Office equipment	65 000
Working capital	150 000
total amount	836 000

Thus, the initial investment for opening a cleaning company (subject to the purchase of all equipment and not taking out a loan) will be 836,000 rubles.

Monthly expenses

So, monthly expenses are determined at the level of 268,700 rubles.

Revenue part

Estimated monthly receipts

In order to understand what kind of profit you should expect, you need to start from the prices for certain services in a given market segment. If we take into account regional prices, we get the following:

Most cleaning companies also have minimum limits on the area to be cleaned - 40-60 square meters. meters. If the territory is more than 150 sq. meters, the client does not pay transportation costs.

Profitability and payback

With such calculations, the profitability of a cleaning company will be about 40%, which is a fairly high figure. Individuals will mainly pay in cash, while legal entities will pay by bank account. Of course, there will be less cash receipts from individuals, so you can take a 40/60 ratio.

Let's assume that a cleaning company can receive 90 orders from individuals and 20 orders from other companies per month. With revenue of 560,000 rubles, the net profit will be 117,000 rubles. Profitability is more than 20%, and the payback period is 12 months.

Selecting a room

On the one hand, you don’t have to worry too much about choosing a room. Clients will not come to you, and the office is needed only for registering a company, storing equipment, etc. On the other hand, the location will be important if most of the clients are located in a certain part of the city. This will save money on transportation costs.

List of required equipment

The list of necessary equipment depends primarily on the services that you plan to offer to clients. If it's a complete package, then you'll need the following:

industrial vacuum cleaner;
floor washing machine;
floor drying machine;
cleaning trolley;
bucket on wheels;
various cleaning equipment;
household chemicals;
window cleaning tools;
steam cleaners;
clothing for staff.

The amount of equipment depends on the number of clients that will be served simultaneously.

How to select personnel for a cleaning agency

The quality of work largely depends on the professionalism of the staff, so close attention should be paid to their selection. Workers must have certain experience. If a newcomer is hired, it is better to temporarily assign an experienced employee to him for supervision and training.

The appearance of the employees will also be useful, as it should evoke pleasant associations of professionalism and respect. Regardless of the qualifications of the personnel, they must undergo training. If a business is organized as a franchise, then the head office usually takes on such concerns.

If a cleaning company is opening from scratch, then you can send staff to specialized courses. There is no point in hiring a special person for training at the initial stage: it is only effective if there is a high staff turnover.

How to find clients

You can promote your own cleaning business both offline and online. In most cases, a new company receives its first orders through personal contacts and connections. It is worth trying to find potential clients through acquaintances, partners and friends.

Advertising of cleaning company and services

It is better to pay close attention to regular customers. One-time orders bring big profits, but instability does not end well. You can look for regular customers in office centers, shopping centers, and entertainment complexes. Communication with administrators, managers, and acquaintances is a proven approach that bears fruit.

It will be effective to use the Internet to promote your own company. This can be done through:

A corporate website, where all the information about the company, the cost of services and the features of the work will be provided.
Contextual advertising and social networks.
Advertising of a cleaning company on thematic platforms.

Ways of business development

Cleaning is a process that includes many areas, so there is a lot to expand on. The development of a cleaning company can take place in the following ways:

On-site dry cleaning of carpets and rugs, upholstered furniture at home.
Professional cleaning.
Cooperation with shopping centers, offices and stores.
Cleaning of windows, facades, etc. is excellent.
Organization of a carpet washing workshop.

If business in one city is successful, the brand has become recognizable, then you can think about expanding. To do this, you need to register a branch in another city and carry out everything by analogy with the original option. In addition, you can offer a franchise for those who want to open a cleaning business under your brand.