With the back to school rush in full swing, and the winter season on the horizon, September is a busy month for new house cleaning businesses. 

Your clients need one-off return to school resets, ongoing seasonal services, and even pre-Christmas deep cleans, all within just a few weeks of each other, so are you and your team prepared to meet this demand head on? 

From settling on your core services to exceeding client expectations, here are the top five priorities to focus on to get your new cleaning business up and running in no time. 

Decide Which Services You Will (and Won’t) Offer

As a Domestique franchisee, you will receive everything you need to provide regular house cleaning services across your local area. 

These can be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending upon demand, and you may also offer one or more of these additional services:

• One-Off Cleaning Services: One-off, seasonal, and end of tenancy deep cleaning. 
• After Builder Cleans: Post-construction cleans for refurbished, renovated, and new-build homes. 
• Small Office Cleaning: For small businesses and home-based workspaces.

No matter what services you settle on, do bear in mind that you will never have to do any cleaning yourself. As a Domestique franchisee, your only job is to manage your team and to grow your business – not get your hands dirty.

Set Your Prices (and Stick To Them)

Since we operate on a franchise model, you will have the freedom to choose how much you want to charge per hour for your services. 

Your pricing packages must contain a Basic, Plus, and Premium service option, as this is the standard across our entire franchise, but you are encouraged to take your time when setting your prices. Don’t undersell your services in the first few months and then raise the price as you go – instead, make sure that they adequately cover the following and stick to them:

• Your time
• Your cleaners time
• Your supplies
• Your team’s transport
• Your taxes, insurance, and operational expenses

Arrange Your Cleaning Insurance Coverage

When starting a house cleaning business, you are entering an almost entirely unregulated market. 

Cleaning businesses like yours are not legally required to be insured, but accidents can happen, and having up-to-date coverage means that neither you or your clients are left paying for them out of pocket. We therefore recommend that all our new franchisees take out a public liability insurance policy to cover any accidental damage, as well as any additional policies that are relevant to their business. 

Don’t underestimate what a valuable USP being insured is in the home cleaning industry. Your clients are expected to trust you with access to their home, so reassure them that you will treat their space and belongings with the utmost care by showing them proof that your business is insured ahead of their first clean. 

Stock Up On Cleaning Supplies

Even a small cleaning business needs a full supply of cleaning products and equipment. 

If you don’t have the supplies needed to deliver an excellent clean then your clients may end up taking their business elsewhere, so stock your team up for success with: 

• Rubber Gloves: No one should handle cleaning chemicals without rubber gloves. 
• Microfibre Cloths: For use around the house, as well as scouring pads for burnt-on grease and tough stains. 
• Bin Bags: Your clients will expect you to empty all bins throughout the house. 
• Bathroom Supplies: To tackle limescale and soap scum, and leave each bathroom sparkling. 
• Multi-Use Sprays: Including antibacterial spray for use across the house. 

And any specialist supplies, such as oven cleaning products or carpet cleaning machinery, that your team will need to provide your chosen additional services. 

Cleaning Businesses That Go Above and Beyond

Your business isn’t going to become the go-to choice overnight. 

Even as part of the Domestique brand, you will still have to put in the effort to be the first name that people think of when searching for cleaning services in your area. You must cultivate an excellent reputation for being reliable and responsible, so earn those valuable client testimonials by: 

• Using Our CRM System: Follow up with your client’s post-clean to maintain a positive relationship and identify lucrative upselling opportunities.
• Remaining Communicative: Maintain open communication with your clients to understand their needs and make any accommodations. 
• Offering Discounts: Give potential clients an extra reason to choose you with seasonal discounts throughout the year. 
• Being Respectful: Train your team in how to interact with clients and respect their privacy on the job.
• Resolving Issues: Deal with any issues as soon as they are identified, and give assurances that they won’t happen again.

Join Domestique Franchise Today

Confident that you’ve got what it takes to run a successful cleaning business? 

We support entrepreneurs just like you to set up home cleaning businesses across the UK without the risks or costs of a traditional startup. 

Whether you’ve been planning this next career move for a while, or are interested in the opportunities offered by our franchise model, you can find out more (or apply to join us) by clicking here.