< Janitorial Business Facts
What does it cost to start a janitorial business?
Usually about $20 in most states for a simple business license. You probably have most of the cleaning supplies you'll need such as sponges, cleaning cloths and spray-cleaners under your kitchen sink, and if you have a household vacuum that will work just fine in the beginning. You would probably want to buy a large trashcan on wheels, and a mop, mop bucket and wringer for tile floors, all of which you can usually get new or used on Craigslist for about 1/3 of the retail price (as I was writing this I went to the Seattle Craigslist and found all of these items for a total price of $90 - the average retail price is about $250). Of course as your business grows you'll easily be able to afford whatever tools and supplies you need and put your sponges back under your sink. :)Cleaning a building is easy, but first you have to know how to get your name out there so people can call you - and that's much of what JanQuest is all about - getting your name and your message out there correctly.
How can I compete against the big cleaning companies?
You can easily compete with the big companies because you can be much more responsive to your customer's needs. The huge skyscrapers have to hire big cleaning companies, but for every one skyscraper out there, there are 500 smaller buildings that also need cleaning.Most of my customers have dealt with the big companies at one time or another in the past, and most of them say, "Never again". They signed a contract with a salesman whose main objective was to get his sales commission, and then after the work began, they never saw that salesman again. Usually it turned out that the salesman over-promised and under-bid, the cleaners had to cut corners on the cleaning just to make a small profit on the account, and in many cases the big company asked for a price increase just a month or two into the contract.
You can do a better job of hiring the right people, you can train them better, you can supervise them better, and you can actually make much more money "per square foot" and "per hour" in smaller buildings than in the skyscrapers.
The big cleaning companies are slow; they're full of bureaucracy and levels of management; many of them are hampered by the fact that they have to deal with janitor unions; they're constantly looking for new contracts to replace the contracts they've recently lost; and they're constantly hiring new people to replace the employees they recently fired or who quit.
Don't worry about the big companies. You're the fast little sports car, they're the big, slow semi-trucks.
Is it really as easy to start my business as you say it is?
Starting your new business is very easy using my instructions and resource links. To prove this, I sat down at about 9am one Saturday morning and used my own guide to establish a new business. Here’s what I accomplished by 4pm in one day:
Decided on a new business name that works well with Google and other search engines.
Decided on a business address that works with search engines.
Decided on a business phone number that works with search engines.
Got a business email address.
Decided on a web address that works with search engines.
Made a high-performance Google Map for my new business.
Had business cards, letterheads, and 2 different Sales Magnet flyers ready to print.
Went online and went through the steps required to get my business license.
Started customizing the “Home” page of my website, and had it done by 4pm Saturday.
In one day I had my new business established and I was ready to start distributing my new sales materials to prospective customers.
Just a thought here - I need to make this very clear - this system is much more than just "how to start a cleaning business". It's also "how to build a cleaning business", and it goes far beyond just startup. I take you all the way to the point where you hire managers and free yourself up to do pretty much what you want to do with your time. You can take time off, take vacations, spend more time on sales - whatever you want to do.
Kit, if you have such a great cleaning business, why are you selling this package?
That's a great question. I have some reasons that might sound corny to some people, but they are my reasons, and you did ask... :)First, the fact that you're at this website means to me that you know you need to do something other than what you're doing - and I respect that. I fully understand when people want to break free from the uncertainty of employment and direct their own destinies. I believe very strongly in self-employment, and in people's inner need to rule their own lives. When you think about it, this "job society" didn't really exist until a hundred years ago - most people worked for themselves, and I think those people were better off for it, because there was nothing to hold them back.
Second, I'd like to use my experience to do something positive for people, and making it possible for them to create long-lasting family businesses is one way to do it. Call it "paying it forward" or "paying it back" - either one fits. I'm extremely grateful for what this business has done for me and my family; without it, I might still be tied to a desk job somewhere, worrying about the next pay cut or the next round of layoffs. I don't know how to cure diseases or solve the energy crisis, but I do know how to do this!
I want to help people who want to help themselves, and I'd like to know that the businesses that are created with this system will not only help you, as an entrepreneur, but will also create jobs for those who want to work for you, too. You can believe this or not, but it's true... I get a lot of personal satisfaction from this.
I'll always continue to own my cleaning business, but I also love to teach, and I know that I have something very valuable here for people who want to learn and get ahead.
I'm not very "high-tech" - will I be able to do the website work?
The best kind of technology actually makes everything easier. You don't need to know anything about building a website because it's already done for you - all you do is take out my sample stuff such as business name, address, etc, and replace it with yours. Every step is spelled out very clearly with short 5-minute videos and instructions. Then you just click on the "Publish" button and the free software takes you through the rest of the process. Since the design software and the internet hosting service (VodaHost and BlueVoda) are owned by the same company, it's very simple.To give you an idea of how popular BlueVoda is, over 3.7 million people have downloaded the design software, and their Community Forum has over 125,000 registered users.
(1) Download the free design software; (2) Load the pre-made pages into the software; (3) Follow the instructions to customize your pages; (4) Click on Publish and in a few steps you're on the web. I don't know of any of our customers who have taken more than 8 hours from start-to-finish.
How did you get into the janitorial business?
It was 1977 and I was 22. "Real" college wasn't going to happen for me, so I went to trade school to be a machinist, and the year I graduated, Boeing laid off 30,000 machinists. I found an office job but it had no real future, and my wife and I already had credit-card debt.
We had an old Toyota that was always falling apart, we used firewood to heat the house, and I took two-minute showers to save on electricity. My wife didn't work because she was disabled. We were having a very tough time paying the bills, and the country was right in between the two worst recessions of the 20th century.
I knew I couldn't keep doing what I was doing, because life was getting more expensive every day, so I had been looking at dozens of businesses. But they all cost too much and they all interfered with my day job; I couldn't afford to just quit my job and start a "day" business.Then one day my boss came into the office, took his finger and swiped a bunch of dust off of a file cabinet and said, "You know, a guy could start a cleaning business for almost nothing, and if he would just do what he says he'd do, no one would ever fire him. I've been through 3 different cleaning companies in 2 years."
And a big loud bell went off in my head. I got a business license and a box of business cards, worked at it for a year, and after a year I was making about 50% more in my business than I was making at my day-job. One morning I thanked my boss for giving me the janitorial idea, and on that day I quit my job and went full-time into my own business. By then we were debt-free, we were putting money into our savings, and we've never looked back.
You do not want to go through what I went through when I started my business. I underbid (and got contracts but made no profit), I overbid (and didn't get contracts), and I hired every "wrong" person in Seattle (and I lost accounts because of it).
But I learned from my mistakes - and that's what this system is all about - skip the mistakes that cost you time and money - and go straight to what really works.
When you first got your driver's license, did you also design and build your own car, your own vehicle to help you get around town? No? Then why would you try to design your own vehicle for getting through life?
Trying to build a business without help is like trying to pin the tail on a very large donkey - there are a thousand wrong spots, and only one that gets you the prize.
What is the Training Video like?
The video is based on my own company's video that we give to our new employees, and it gives them a huge head-start on their actual "hands-on" training in a building. The video-camera follows me through all the basic steps - calling in to their supervisor, keys, alarm systems, building security, collecting trash and recycling, dusting, vacuuming, restroom maintenance and more. Along the way I give dozens of examples and tips on what is (and is not) acceptable, staying organized, getting the work done in an acceptable timeframe, what to do if there's a problem, etc. It's a great way for a new employee to learn 90% of what he needs to know before he even shows up for his first night of training.
This video is delivered to you in the download. We also host the video online - just give or email the link to your new employees and they can watch it on the Web. This hosting is free and costs you nothing.
There's also another 30-minute video that shows you how to maintain floors, in which I scrub, refinish and high-speed buff a tile floor, explaining every step along the way. This video is also hosted online and you get that link, too.
Is there any kind of agreement or contract?
There's are terms of purchase, of course - it's fair, and it protects both parties. Be sure to read it either now or when you're making your purchase.
I have enough money to buy a franchise - why shouldn't I buy one?
Several reasons - the first one being that you have someone sharing your profits from the very beginning. Add up the startup fees and the various ongoing fees that all franchises charge, and you have to work like crazy to make any money. Many franchises don't even allow you to bid on accounts - you have to choose from accounts that their salespeople have signed up. I've looked into about a dozen franchises over the years, and if any of them were a good deal, I'd have bought into one. When you really read the fine print in franchise agreements, you'll realize that there are just too many things working for the franchiser and against the franchisee. You don't need a partner - which is what a franchise really is.
Why should I clean office buildings and not homes?
Office workers have a structured environment in the workplace - in homes, teenagers and pets don't! Office workers have to stick with a certain code of ethics in the workplace (be clean, be professional, etc) - home-owners don't! There are very few cleaning "surprises" in office buildings - there are definitely cleaning surprises in homes! Office people and building managers are actually much easier to work for than homeowners - homeowners can be so incredibly picky it's ridiculous. And you don't have to worry about scheduling office cleaning, whereas trying to schedule house-cleaning is a huge daily task.
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Note: If you live in Western Washington State, or own a janitorial service in Western Washington State,
or if you plan to establish a janitorial business in Western Washington State, or if you are a franchisor
or franchisee doing business anywhere in North America, or if you operate or plan to operate a business
that sells business products or services such as my company does, no matter where that business may
be located, I'm sorry, but this package is not available to you. I tell so much about my own cleaning
business in this package that I would be creating my own competition if I let you use this information.
The purchase agreement spells this out very clearly, and violating that agreement will result in legal actions.
* Your results may vary from the results reflected on this website.
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