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A lot of people believe that they can set up and operate a cleaning business that will reap big profits with a few dollars and some cleaning supplies. The reality is most of these startups fail in a couple of months. As with any business, it takes hard work and time to develop a profitable cleaning business. However, armed with the detailed information in this new book, you can have your recession-proof cleaning business up and running quickly. You will learn how to build your client list quickly, properly bid on jobs, organize your schedule, and maximize your time and profits. You will learn everything you need to know BEFORE starting your cleaning business. A cleaning service can be run part- or full-time and can easily be started in your own home. As such, these businesses are one of the fastest growing segments in the service economy. This new book will teach you all you need to know about starting your own cleaning business in the minimum amount of time. Here is the manual you need to cash in on this highly profitable segment of the service industry. This new book is a comprehensive and detailed study of the business side of cleaning. This superb manual should be studied by anyone investigating the opportunities of opening a cleaning business and will arm you with everything you need, including sample business forms, contracts, worksheets and checklists for planning, opening, and running day-to-day operations, and dozens of other valuable, time-saving tools that no entrepreneur should be without. While providing detailed instructions and examples, the author leads you through finding a location that will bring success (if necessary), buying (and selling) a cleaning service,pricing formulas, sales planning, tracking competitors, bookkeeping, media planning, pricing, copy writing, hiring and firing employees, motivating workers, managing and training employees, accounting procedures, successful budgeting, and profit planning development, as well as thousands of great tips and useful guidelines. By reading this book, you will become knowledgeable about basic cost control systems, Web site plans and diagrams, software and equipment layout and planning, sales and marketing techniques, legal concerns, IRS reporting requirements, customer service, monthly profit and loss statements, tax preparation, public relations, general management skills, low and no cost ways to satisfy customers and build sales, and auditing. In addition, you will learn how to draw up a winning business plan (the Companion CD-ROM has the actual business plan that can be used in Microsoft Word), how to set up computer systems to save time and money, how to hire and keep a qualified professional staff, how to generate high profile public relations, and how to keep bringing clients back. The manual delivers literally hundreds of innovative ways to streamline your business. Learn new ways to make your operation run smoother and increase performance. Shut down waste, reduce costs, and increase profits. In addition owners will appreciate this valuable resource and use it as a reference in their daily activities and as a source for ready-to-use forms, Web sites, operating and cost cutting ideas, and mathematical formulas that can be easily applied. The Companion CD-ROM contains all the forms in the book, as well as a sample business plan you can adapt for your own use.
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April 28, 2009: "How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Cleaning Service" is a thorough and helpful book for anyone thinking about operating a cleaning service to make a successful living. Beth Morrow details the types of business opportunities available and guides readers to the most appropriate based on their needs, skills, and wants. She also highlights the market potential, customer base, and competition for residential and commercial operations, assuring the reader is fully aware of what to expect.
Morrow includes some Business101 information about the pros and cons of different ownership structures. She also gives advice on hiring a good lawyer and accountant, and applying for the business name and license. One of the most helpful parts of Morrow's book is her explanation of creating a business plan, specifically the financial plan. She even includes a chapter that details how to set appropriate fees. Morrow spends a good number of pages describing an effective hiring process, and employee management as well as other aspects of human resources. This chapter, the marketing chapter, and the chapter on client relations provide great insight for new business owners. She also explains effective ways to set up an office space, find good suppliers, and includes cleaning tips. The book includes worksheets and checklists that help with early start-up and operations. Overall this book is extremely helpful and I would recommend it for anyone thinking about opening any kind of cleaning service.Reader Rating:
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March 30, 2009: How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Cleaning Service is the most thorough and comprehensive guide of its kind on the market thus far. With an analysis of everything from startup costs and taxes to setting fees and billing, this book gives its reader absolutely everything he/she needs to get their business started quickly and effectively and set-up for long-term success.
Perhaps one of the best components of this excellent guide is Chapter One which gives a clear picture of what cleaning business owners can expect and asks would-be entrepreneurs to seriously consider whether the cleaning business is right for them. This 'look before you leap' approach will prove to be helpful to many readers. I also loved the numerous case studies written throughout which help drive the book's points home with real-life examples. Any new business owner quickly learns that unless the public knows about their business, the phone isn't going to be ringing. Author Beth Marrow methodically addresses this issue in Chapter Eight (Growing Your Business Through Marketing) and provides a comprehensive strategy for effectively spending advertising dollars. Lastly, the 20 worksheets and checklists the author provides in the appendix are invaluable and will save cleaning business owners hours of their time.