And what better business to get into than house cleaning? You can start a house cleaning business with little or even no expense and build as large as you want to take it. The best part is, there is a never-ending supply of customers waiting for you.

Many people start a house cleaning business as a way to bring in extra income on a part-time basis. This type of business is not hard to start and you can usually begin with your family and friends as your first customers.

For those of you that have already started this way, there are several ways to take the business you now have and generate even more income. You can use add-on services like windows cleaning; allowing you to charge extra for the windows in the whole house.

And there are also people that have done this and now want to take their house cleaning business to the enterprise level. If you’re one of those interested in saying good-bye to your corporate job and hello to your own business, there are specific steps you need to accomplish in getting your cleaning business built.

Starting any business (or even expanding) requires some investigating on your part. You may currently have a full-time job in a different or related field, you may be a professional cleaner working for someone else or you may have a one or two-person house cleaning business and want to expand.

There are many different kinds of cleaning companies that provide general cleaning, to very specialized service:

1. Residential House Cleaning
2. Janitorial Services
3. Window Cleaning Services
4. Construction Cleanup
5. Organizational Services
6. Carpet Cleaning
7. Computer Cleaning
8. Dryer Clean-Outs

You need to investigate which type of service you want to start or expand into. Consider the type of work that is done and who your customers are.

Make this a fun exercise and really do some daydreaming about how you see yourself enjoying this type of work. Too many people jump in and realize later on that they’re not happy or even hate the work!

Each type of service is relatively easy to get into with little or no cost (exceptions being carpet cleaning and
janitorial). Examine your funds and determine how much you’re willing to invest in yourself and your new venture.

This should be an enjoyable project for you and one that is very important to your future success. Be very creative and fantasize about how great or small you want your business to be. Record what thoughts come to mind as you go thru this process. Any concerns or negative thoughts? If you only get positive responses to your visualizations then take it to the next level and see what comes up.

To start any successful business, you need to be able to see yourself in the job and visualize exactly the kind of life you will build with it.

Imagine the steps you will need to go through to be in the kind of business you vision. How will you get through each step? Can you start part-time and increase the amount of time you spend in your business as you grow your customer base? How long do you think this will take?

If you’re comfortable with your visualized business, you’ll need to start making plans and setting goals for yourself to make it a reality.

The more you visualize and the more you document, the better chance you have of your dream becoming a success.

Author: Anne-Marie Moore
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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This article is an extract from the Advanced Window Cleaning eBook. It will attempt to give the budding window cleaner a brief introduction to window cleaning based on experienced professional window cleaners.

You are about to embark on running your own business and being your own boss. You can be up and running within a week with very little capital or even experience. Business name:

Before you start your lucrative new business you’ve got to think of a good business name. You’ll need something you won’t hate a month later after your business cards, stationary, and advertisements are already printed! Been there got the t-shirt.

A lot of new business owners choose their name (i.e. John Smith Window Cleaning Services) which is absolutely fine. As long as it’s memorable and to the point.

Once you’ve chosen a name check with company house to find out if that name is still available at companies house. If it is available, make sure the domain name is also available too at a domain seller (I’ll explain why later).

If you’re based in the UK you’ll want the “.co.uk” as well as the “.com”. Whichever country you live in you’ll need the domain address that corresponds with your local area, i.e. Australia would be “.au”.

Once you’ve purchased your domain name it needs to be hosted.

What is hosting?

Once your website is completed the site must be placed on a web “Server” (a computer which is permanently connected to the Internet). This means that your site can be accessed anywhere around the world at any time.

My favourite company is 1&1, but feel free to use the company of your choice. You may even get hosting from 123 reg too!

There are several different factors that go into the decision making process when deciding on the right name for your business, and no one could ever tell you what’s right for you, that decision is yours only.

The name you eventually decide to use may impact other aspects of your business and your overall marketing plan. For example, where will you will be placed in alphabetical ad listings such as the yellow pages? Most prospective clients don’t call every listing in the book, just one, or two, maybe three, if comparing price quotes and services.

Registering Your Business with Mr Tax Man

Once you’ve found a name for your business and you’ve got the domain name registered it’s time to tell Mr Tax Man than you have now started a business. The reason why you do this straight away is the fact that there are a series of fines for not letting them know.

As a new business, you have the choice of being a sole trader, partnership or limited company. I’ll give you a brief example of the 3.

Sole Trader

Being a sole trader is the simplest and easiest way to get started in business. Once you have informed the government agencies of your intentions to go self-employed, you can start to trade right away (subject to any specific licenses or insurances you might require).

As a sole trader, you can quickly adapt to changes in your business with minimal bureaucratic changes required and you have complete control over your business and accounting affairs. However, a sole trader is also responsible for any liabilities should anything go wrong. This means that any debts that the business has can be seen as your own.

Partnership

A partnership is very similar to being a sole trader. This is the type of business entity in which partners share with each other the profits or losses of the business undertaking in which all have invested. Not only do both parties share the profits, they also share the liabilities too.

Limited Company

Aside from sole trader status, most small businesses set up as Limited Companies. The term ‘limited’ derives from the fact that the company’s finances are distinct from the personal finances of their owners (unlike the sole trader or partnership arrangement).

Shareholders in limited liability companies are not responsible for company debts, although if required, directors may be required to guarantee loans or credit granted to the company. In essence it is a separate entity.

At this point, I’d ask you to speak to an accountant (chapter 3) to see which direction is best for you. Everyone’s circumstances are different. For tax reasons I chose to be registered as “Limited Company”. This may or may not be the best course for you. I’ll let you decide!

Franchise

So what does a franchise give you? A franchise gives you an established name, cooperative marketing with other franchisees, bulk purchasing power, training and management expertise and much much more. There are some early advantages of buying a franchise rather than building your own business from scratch. They’re the types of advantages solo entrepreneurs might reap — if they’re lucky — after years of hard work in the trenches.

Naturally, franchising has its drawbacks, too. Agreements between franchisors and their franchisees can seem a little rigid, especially to eager, innovative self-starters who expect to grow their businesses as they see fit.

One of the other drawbacks is finance. Franchises can be very expensive to purchase ranging from 9,999 for a mama and papa type franchise to 250,000 (minimum) for a McDonald’s fast-food type franchise. Ouch!

Financing Your Business

If you don’t feel that confident venturing out on your own and want to choose either the Franchise or License model, there are few bodies and organisations you can try tapping for financing your new venture.

Listed below: -

Small Firm Loan Guarantee scheme

DTI Grant for Research and Development

Business Link Access to Finance service

Enterprise Grants

Prince’s Trust

Author: Joe Polanski-Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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