Starting and Building a Business

With the right funding and the proper Marketing ploy along with all the good service tips, sure sounds like a money maker to me.

I think it's hard to start from cold turkey... you have to work for someone to gain enough experience.

What I see everyday is people starting a full blown business with no back ground, no experience, no money..  Doug you're 100% right when you say you have to walk before you run

Over the last 31 years I have started and run four business's.

First in San Diego area, then Dallas, then Wisconsin and now in Lexington, Ky.

Carpet cleaning is SUPER easy to make money at, however ONLY if you have THE WORK..LOl

So many DO make the mistake of counting chickens before they hatch, it takes WORK people, plenty of work, but one thing I do that has worked the BEST for me over the years is: When you are being paid and the customer is raving about your work, THAT is the time to hand them three small brochures about your company, ASK them to tell thier freinds and family, TELL THEM you want to grow your business.

So many people just talk and don't ASK or give them a tool  to HELP you, if you do great work they WANT to help you.

WE give $10.00 referral cards redeemable at the time of cleaning for EACH customer they have referred us to. USUALLY they THROW the 10 dollar cards away... WHY???????? Because they say telling thier freinds about our cleaning makes THEM look good.

As much as I am for doing the BEST job, that is second in importance to how you HANDLE customers. What do you do to make them remember you? Just the cleaning? Humm, works sometimes but more often it will be something you SAY or discuss with them that will make them remember you.

The other day Bri, my daughter was cleaning for a old fart biker with a big belly and a gray beard. HE grumpily asked her is she was any good at cleaning and IF she could handle the job. She looked him in the eye and said, "I can probably handle this machine and cleaning job BETTER than you handle your Harley."  He belted out a big laugh and told her, he would NEVER forget that.

ANother time a customer stood their watching every move, Bri spun the handle around of the Conqueror and told her, if you are going to watch you might as well learn...LOL the lady loved it, again she will NEVER forget her.

Love your customers, remember THEY are your reason for success. Your attitude should be more like you are going to see a freind than a client. Many deny this, but it has worked very weill for us over the decades and also for those who worked with us and then went on to run their own businesses.

Great info up above, great thread!

PadMan

MR. STEAMER wrote: I noticed everyone had a lot to say... but no one mention MONEY... It takes money to build a successful business.... Start-up capital is one of the most important things... How much Capital should a beginner have to start a carpet cleaning business????

Steamer,

You hit the nail right on the head. Yes it takes money to start, run and grow a business. So this is why so many fail. After I take approximately $2,500 in selling a newbie a carpet cleaning machine they generally don't have enough left over to buy a cheap pre-sprayer.

It's a good thing I throw in the chemical or they couldn't afford to do the first job.

Yes, money is the stumbling block.

A beginner should have more $$ than I did starting out ...I was quite broke my first year

kinda depends on what equipment you start off with and whether it's paid for

I like to have at least $2000 sitting in case of break downs etc.

approx $500 kickin around for chems

and a good sized pile for advertising (not sure how much,I don't advertise alot)

but 5 grand after startup costs you should do o.k. but more is always better.

Being able to communicate and educate the customer on carpet fibre, dry times, carpet care (ie. importance of regular vaccuuming), cleaning method, frequency of cleaning, etc is vital.  This is what sets you apart from Mr. Discount carpet cleaner. 

Spend a few minutes to engage in small talk with the customer and also find out what areas they would like you to pay special attention to.

Lee made a good point uderpromise and overdeliver.  I like to do a walkthrough with the customer and point out EVERYTHING.  What each spot is, what will be used on it, what are the chances of getting it out, the condition of traffic areas and what to expect etc.  It takes a little bit extra time but it allows you to build repoire with the client, set their expectations and distinguish yourself as a professional. 

Have a company shirt with logo and proper pants (IMHO not jeans).

In terms of capital needed Mr. Steamer, that all depends on what your niche market is, what equipment you are going to use, how much you will spend on advertising, vehicle, and what your CREDIT is like.  For instance if you want to focus on residential and some commercial to start then you can get a 400 psi portable or a small truckmount and a half decent portable.  The cost variation can be extreme as we all know: from $1000 to $3000 for a portable and from $4,000 to $50,000 for a truckmount. 

Tough question, I'll try and tackle it when I have some more time. 

Good topic Mr. Steamer,

I would like to elaborate on some of the points that have been brought up.  Most of us do not have the capital to mass market advertise (throw the playdough up against the wall and see which sticks).  This usually brings the lowest common denominator customer who focuses too much on price.

WRITING DOWN a marketing plan and modifying it as you progress is essential.  Focussing on niche market(s) is also a must.  You can't be all things to everyone.  By doing this you emphasize "specialists in ......." in your marketing.

Have business cards and a 30 second infomercial explaining what you do when you meet people.  Give them your card (write a small incentive on there ie. 5% off) and ask for theirs as well.

Charge a professional rate.  By charging a professional rate you can spend time and do the job properly without feeling bitter towards the customer.  When it comes time to hire an employee if you choose to go that route, you have enough markup to make everyone happy.  This way you can trust your employee is not rushing to do the job or pressuring the client to purchase this and that service.  It is ok to upsell.  I'm just against the pressure sales.  Not good for your business or the industry in the long run.

Many clients ask me "are you sure this is your price because I had ...... in last year and they ended up charging me ......".  I always say that if they are being truthful about the condition of the carpets, then I am being truthful about my price.  If you get there and things are not as they seem, straighten everything out BEFORE you start the job.