Special Edition: Launching Your Cleaning Biz

If you’re just starting out in the cleaning business, this one’s for you!

Yesterday I got this email:

“Hey Logan! I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the course! There is a lot of great information and value in there, and I am now super eager to begin my own Airbnb cleaning company!

The main obstacle that I now face is where to begin, more specifically - customers or cleaners. Which one should be my first “order of business,” so to speak? Or maybe it’s something else like setting up back-end stuff (LLC, GMB profile, website, etc.)”

This is a great question! While I don’t know the perfect order of operations for each new cleaning business, I’ll explain exactly what I did.

But first, a quick poll to see where you’re at in the business

Step 1: Building Your Website and Legal Foundation

My very first step in starting a cleaning business was to create an LLC and website to make things official. This is certainly NOT the right way to start for everyone, but it was for me.

You can easily create a website through Booking Koala (what I use) or Carrd.co as a starting point. And an LLC can be filed in as little as 5 minutes with Bizee (which I have also used several times. Highly recommend).

You might be thinking “Why would I need an LLC for a cleaning business?” By creating an LLC (or other legal entity) you are protecting your personal assets from any liabilities caused by your business operations.

In short, you can’t lose your home if your business goes under. It’s important. Check out Bizee today to get an LLC or similar for your business

Step 2: Start By Finding Your First Cleaner

Once my website was created the next best step for me was to find a good cleaner! My approach was simple, post on Facebook and say the following: “I’m looking for a good cleaner for my home/airbnb, does anyone have any recommendations?”

A simple post like this (preferably in a Facebook group of some sort) will get you several comments and DMs from cleaners in your area! Most importantly, you’ll get several recommendations which are worth their weight in gold.

Once you have a few cleaners who seem like they might be a good fit (strong recommendations, +1 year of experience, etc.) hop on a call with them and let them know that you’re looking to fill cleaning jobs!

You’re not necessarily hiring them full-time yet—just building a network of independent contractors. So it’s okay that you don’t have customers yet. All you’re doing at this stage is building your rolodex of cleaners.

Set the expectation up front that work will be slow at the beginning but you hope to give them a steady flow of jobs as your business grows!

Step 3: Attracting Your First Customers Through Word Of Mouth

The third and final piece of this initial set up is finding customers! To start (in my opinion) the best way to do this is through word of mouth. Let people know you’re starting a cleaning business!

Here’s how I would do this if I were just starting out: if you know a few folks who own an Airbnb, be completely honest with them and say something like the below.

“Hi (name), I’m starting my own Airbnb cleaning business. I have a new cleaner and would like to do a test clean. Would you allow us to clean your Airbnb for free (or a steep discount)?”

Yes, this approach will cost you some money because you will still need to pay the cleaner BUT this is a good approach for two reasons:

1. You can see how each cleaner operates and what is truly involved in every clean

2. If a cleaner does a great job, you leave a good impression with your friend or family and they could start to refer you some business

Until you have a few good reviews and recommendations built up, you might want to consider doing free or discounted cleans to win some business. To build something of value here, it will take investment.

Ask around in your personal network too! You might be surprised how many quality referrals you’ll get from friends or family. My very first customer came as a referral from a friend!

Wrapping It Up

Wrapping up, here are the first 3 things I tackled before officially launching my cleaning business

1. Build your website and protect your assets (I used Booking Koala and Bizee)

2. Find reliable cleaners (start with a post in Facebook groups)

3. Attract customers via word of mouth (offer free or discounted cleans to start)

Did this help clarify your next steps? Let me know by answering this quick survey and tell me what else you’d love to see covered!

Until next time,

Logan

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