squeaky clean

[insanity is humanity]

Well i want to start a cleaning business soon after i graduate high school this year. I have a idea of what im going to do at first its just going to be me until i can pay for a house like totally buy it out (hopefully a duplex or triplex so i can rent it out.) Then i will start hiring people. Basically i am going to do a wide range of services for a low price hopefully there will be a lot of clientel because of this. I know how to clean of course and everything about that. I just want to do this without a degree. Mainly because i know it can be done and i dont want to be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to have a good credible degree. Any comments and suggestions would be appreciated especially advice.

 

[synergy1]

If I could go back in time, this is how I'd approach it too. My only minor recommendations would be :

-Minimize debt, but if you need to take out manageable amounts to get get off the ground, it might be something to consider.

-Pick up a skill that can pay off later while you are at it. If you turn out to be good at running your business, thats good enough. Never stop learning.

Good luck.

 

[dasein]

Would consider a trade and specialized, rather than general home cleaning, or start with trade and then branch into home cleaning. Look into appliance repair, HVAC, chimney sweep, roofing, carpentry, home caretaking for seniors franchises, etc. Many construction and other home businesses overextended and failed in the recession, leaving gaping holes in some areas. Undifferentiated home cleaning has 0 barrier to entry, and with immigrants working all day for $20-30, no matter how cheap you price, there will be cheaper, it's risky in many areas with high illegal immigration. In fact, in the current landscape, I'd avoid most unskilled labor due to this. You are definitely on the right track though, good luck.

 

[Bible_Belt]

0 barrier to entry

Good point. An example of a business with a barrier to entry would be something that required special equipment.

Take for example, a simple business like mowing yards. Most people think that's a child's endeavor. But a commercial quality zero-turn mower is $10-12k; you'll need at least two, plus a trailer to haul them and a truck to pull the trailer. You'd need another couple thousand bucks of trimmers and edgers.

If you could make a profit at that level, you'd have to reinvest it in more equipment, either to have more employees or to add new services like building patios, retaining walls, transplanting large trees. You'd need a $20K tractor, a $5k trencher, probably a small dump truck.

It just goes on and on. That's how you build wealth in most businesses - you accumulate the expensive equipment required to operate the business. Most millionaires don't have anywhere near a million bucks in cash; it's usually almost all in property.

On that note, start looking for used equipment you'll need. A lot of it will be from businesses going under and liquidating. Buying their stuff at a discount can be a good deal, but also try to understand why they didn't make it so you don't repeat somebody else's mistakes.

 

[Albatross953]

Plus one bible belt.

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