There is little secret out there that most carpet cleaners rarely discuss.  That is the role that general cleaning such as house cleaning or office cleaning plays in building their carpet cleaning business.  Or I might say that its means by which many if not most small carpet cleaners keep a regular flow new customers coming in month after month.

I’ve found through the years that most small carpet cleaning businesses will offer house cleaning services either directly or indirectly through another person or small company.  With the proper direction and planning, a person can start house cleaning as a part time job and build it into a commercial cleaning or carpet cleaning business over time.

It seems that in almost any medium size city or larger there always is a market for “trusted” house cleaners.  After all, with the majority of mothers working outside the house, most decide that paying for someone to do their regular cleaning frees them for more time with their family so is well worth the investment.  But the challenge most face is finding someone they trust to be in their home alone.  Lets face it, most anyone can be taught to clean houses or clean offices, but that challenge is finding trusted people.

So a good way to start up a full service cleaning business is to start with the regular general cleaning.  Using a specific plan, many find they can actually “fast start” a carpet cleaning business by using this technique.

For most of us in the cleaning business, we realize that winter is usually the slowest time of the year.  We just passed the holiday season and started a new year and most people simply want to contend with the lousy weather and they simply aren’t focused on cleaning their homes.  Of course if you live in the northern areas of the country, it is always a good time to try to pick up new contracts with commercial properties.  But after doing this for decades, I’ve found winter is always a good time to repair and replace equipment and focus on preparing advertising for the months ahead.

I’ve also found that many new people opt to start up a new carpet cleaning business during this time of year.  This is an especially good time to start if you are starting from scratch.  The season enables you to really give thought to setting up your business, learning the trade and purchasing the correct equipment for your type of cleaning.

Most experienced business owners will confirm that timing is very important.  So if you have been considering running your own business, this is the time to take the leap.  You can either start by trial and error and blow your budget on worthless equipment and supplies or follow a business plan which includes direction in equipment purchasing and advertising your business.

When starting out, its very important to control your expenses on both equipment and advertising.  Follow a good business plan and you’ll be ready to grab that spring time business

When opening a new business or expanding an established carpet cleaning business, it is always a good idea to consider buying used carpet cleaning equipment.  If your timing is right, you could save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on needed tools.

Given the fact that about 95% of all new businesses fail within a couple years and you realize that there should be a good flow of used carpet cleaning equipment on the market at any time.  Of course following a good carpet cleaning business plan will certainly increase your odds of success but there is noting wrong with taking advantage of those not savvy enough to seek help.  Of course there are always those who purchase equipment they don’t need.  But what you want to avoid is buying equipment that for certain niche type cleaning systems that simply don’t work.  One warning sign is if you see a lot of the same machines on the market, this warns you that there might be a problem.

There are certain pieces of used carpet cleaning equipment that you simply cannot go wrong with considering.  If your timing is right, you might find deals on used CIMEX floor machines or OP machines or portable extractors.  The best way to shop for used equipment is to research the items new and first determine if the specific machine will benefit your type of cleaning business.  As you know if you have read our business guides, we highly recommend you take any recommendations from distributors or sales people with the figurative “grain of salt.”

A good way to learn about the quality of any machine is to visit the online cleaning forums and ask the regulars what they think about any specific machines.  Then when you decide what you could use, keep monitoring the web for possible deals.

You can read more about buying used carpet cleaning equipment by clicking through to the article.

When someone is considering going into the carpet cleaning business, it is only natural to consider exactly what type of carpet cleaning business equipment they will need.  The possibilities are almost endless when you start checking with the newest technology available.

With the improving economy, I’ve had several guys ask me recently my opinion concerning purchase of a truck mount.  I do discuss this at length in the business plan but they thought since the economy is turning around maybe I’ve changed my mind.

You can easily spend anywhere from $75,000 to $120,000 for a new truck mount system while you can find used truck mounts at more reasonable prices.  The real question you have to ask yourself is if the truck mount is a sound investment and is it really needed?  There are many issues to consider before spending your hard earned money on carpet cleaning business equipment that you may never really need.

Imagine the weekly income you will have to earn to pay off equipment costs that could rival your mortgage payment?  What if you could set up a carpet cleaning business with just an investment of $5,000 to $10,000 instead?

So the point is that anyone thinking about buying carpet cleaning business equipment should first sit down and consider a good business plan.  Learn from someone in the business and you’ll be able to target your “type” of carpet cleaning which will enable you to be profitable instead of just busy.

There is an old saying about putting the “cart before the horse” and if you get into buying equipment before laying out a good business plan, you are doing just that.   As a piece of advice, never ask the owner of a truck mount how he values his equipment.  While no one likes to admit an error in judgement, I know many owners of truck mounts that opted for lighter and better cleaning systems in recent years.

Target your specific cleaning niche first and then consider what carpet cleaning business equipment is necessary.  This is all part of using a good business plan.

My business guides are full of techniques to obtain free advertising.  Honestly speaking, I’ve used all the methods I suggest for years with great success.  But sometimes even an “Old Dog” can learn a new trick.

I should mention that a few months ago I moved and now live in a rather large 55 and over community.  I decided to work my business part-time and spend more time with the grand kids.  So as I always suggest, I bought the least expensive means of advertising in the community’s monthly mailer just to get started.  I printed up a flyer and I had it inserted into the mailer which goes to each home.  So that part really can’t be called “Free Advertising”, but it led me to even a better source of advertising.

I quickly got enough jobs to pay for the ad so after a couple days I was in “profit.”  But this is when I found a new trick.

Years ago I gave up on using door hangers or placing flyers in the doors of neighbors.  I’m not saying that doesn’t work in some areas, just not for me.  But as I was working on local homes, I noticed neighbors driving by slowing down to read my simple magnetic sign on my truck.  Some even stopped and wrote down the phone number but most just drove off after reading.  I realized I was wasting a great opportunity here.

I bought a plastic information holder of the type that real estate agents place at curbside of their listings.  The boxes are transparent plastic and weather proof.  Then I printed up about 25 flyers describing my services.  I stopped parking in driveways and always park in the street.  I hang the advertising box from my driver’s side window with a paint bucket holder and place a big note on the box reading “Take One”.  I also randomly scatter 3 to 5 magnetic business cards just below the window on the door of my truck.

As you might expect, the higher traffic areas generate more interest then dead end streets but I’ve been able to get entire streets calling me for work.   Closed  community residents like to deal with someone they know their neighbors are already using.  The key to this is approaching any secure community in your business area and asking to advertise in their newsletter.  Your only cost is the initial cost of the plastic box, you can get a supply of magnetic business cards for free if you read my business guides.  Then use your printer or a copy machine to run off some brochures.

I expect this would work well in just about any neighborhood.  Especially when working on busier streets.  Try it out and let me know the results.

If you have read any of my business guides it didn’t take long to see that I really value the proper use of the internet.  Today, if you are not taking advantage of a simple web site to promote your business, you are really missing the boat.

I always used my web address in advertising on my trucks, business cards and all types of advertising.  There is no doubt it brought me tons of business which I would never have seen without it.  My sites have developed into retail outlets in recent years but the main purpose was always to present a detailed description of my services.

I have to admit that years ago it was quite easy to get lost in the hidden costs of creating and publishing a web site but today things are much easier.  Most guys when starting a business are interested in getting their new equipment and getting to work.  Who wants to waste time trying to figure out the details of making a website.  After all, you have to find a web host who isn’t going to rip you off.  Then you have to either learn how to actually create a web site or hire someone.  Most new business owners are concerned of any “hidden costs” that will kill them before they can get into profit.  This is the point where most guys decide to place their website on the back burner so to speak as they go about trying to earn a living.

But the simple fact is that you should rate getting a website right up to buying your first business cards.  In fact, you should have the site before you buy those cards.  I cover all this in the carpet cleaning business plan on site but I know there are still guys who don’t buy into this at all.  Your website serves as a full business brochure and enables you to use less expensive means of advertising while sending interested people to your web address where you “sell your specific service.”

To make things easier for those just starting out, I’ve finally got some help available for a quick website to help promote your business.  If you want to do-it-yourself, I highly recommend hawkhost.com web hosting business.  I personally use them and their service is great and dependable and their costs are very low.

Now if you want a bit of help, I have started a basic web site service to help you get online.  All your total costs are presented upfront and you are guaranteed of getting your site online within a few days and not weeks or months as is the case with some large companies.

Whichever way your decide to go, just be sure to view your web site as the basis of any advertising for your new business.  You won’t be disappointed.

This is a question which comes up from time to time.  If you have read my carpet cleaning business guide, you know my best advice is never listen to a salesman or equipment distributor.  They’ll sell you everything and anything in stock and you’ll fill your garage in no time at all with useless tools.

Your selection of tools should be related directly to what services you provide.  For example, I provide low moisture carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning and hard surface cleaning of floors and counter tops.  When I first started out I would buy decent upright machines which were on sale and then replace them when they broke.  After a few years I changed my strategy and started buying the best equipment I could get my hands on (and afford).  For my business, I had to be ready for dry carpet and upholstery cleaning (vacuums), water extraction, carpet shampooing, tile and grout cleaning.  So my equipment fell within those categories.

So if you were to check my truck on any given day, you would find a ProTeam Upright vacuum.  This machine is very lightweight yet does a great job and holds up to abuse very well.  I’d have my small Eureka canister for furniture or mattress cleaning.  As a backup vacuum, I carried an older consumer type vacuum.  Only about 20% of my business at any given time was commercial but I would also have a Hoover backpack vacuum for commercial jobs and large homes.  Through the years I’ve found that backpack has helped me out of many jams.

I only use water extraction in “flooded” situations or for the occasional customer who desires this service.  But it is always a good investment to carry.  There are several options by Sanitaire which will do the job nicely.  I suggest being very careful here since you can spend a few thousand dollars on water extraction equipment which you’ll never use.

My main carpet cleaning machine is a Cimex floor shampooer and I do smaller jobs with a Challenger 1/2 HP oscillating machine.  I also have a cordless drill kit I use for steps and furniture cleaning.  In the past 5 years these two machines have been able to do 95% of all jobs with 100% customer satisfaction.  You can check out my business guide for details on how to make this system work for you.

Beyond the machines mentioned, I have a good variety of brushes and chemicals that make this work.  No magic here but with the equipment above you can surpass the business of those guys who spend $75,000 on truck mount systems.  I know since I’ve done it for years.

I hope this helps give newbies an idea of what is needed to do the job.

Recently I read an article about those guys who think using “bait and switch” tactics will keep them in the green.  It brought back many memories from competitors I’ve known over the years who thought this was the only way to compete.

I can’t tell you how many customers I’ve gained over the years from those type of operators.  Some of my favorites have been the $6 per room or the $79 ‘whole house special.  When they add up their “extra’s” the $6 room goes up to $79 and the ‘whole house special’ says maximum of two rooms of carpeting’.

I’ve found that in the majority of cases the home owner will accept most price increases over the advertised special, especially if they have taken time from work to be home for the scheduled cleaning.  The scam artists are well aware of this.   When you think about it, its just common sense.  When the operator plays his game and and walks away after the job making his inflated fee, he feels he has won another one.   But what these operators don’t appreciate is that same customer will look for someone else for their next cleaning.

For years I advertised that “I’ll fix the problems the big guys create” and reference ‘long drying times’, ‘returning spots’, ‘padded invoices’, ‘bait and switch scams’, and so on.  I never advertised a price and always promoted my personal service.  Every time I presented an estimate, it included everything.  You’ll make a lot of friends real fast if you take $10 off an estimate for some reason.  But never add to the estimate.

If you are new to the carpet cleaning business, don’t fall into the ‘bait and switch’ trap.  Yes, you’ll make some fast cash from inexperienced home owners, but you won’t last in this business.  Follow a good business plan and always focus on quality service and the business will grow.

After helping others start their businesses for over three years now, a very interesting thing happened to me the other day.

A buyer of my carpet cleaning business package contacted me and was unhappy since he couldn’t access some of the information on the CD.  Although I provide the information in several formats, this person didn’t have any word processor or any applicable software on his PC.  I did help him out by creating custom forms just for his business and supplied them in PDF format.  As most readers would know, adobe pdf readers are free online.

But then the new business owner complained he could not change anything since he couldn’t edit the PDF files.  Now I suspect he has taken my advice and spent some money on software but only time will tell.  But the entire problem made me seriously consider the situation of those starting a business today.

In very frank terms, if you are seriously going into business, you have to be prepared to spend some money on a trusted business plan, cleaning tools and equipment and computer software.  How will you ever followup with customers, make brochures, print ads and so on if you don’t have any basic software?

You might not consider it until after you read my business plan but advance preparation and the ability to print up advertising is very important if you want to have any customers.  So I’ve found a great deal on basic office software that anyone going into business should have.  Please take advantage of it, if you aren’t already prepared.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 [Old Version]

Click to View Product Details

$90.00

I frequently get inquiries from people interested in buying a franchise of my carpet cleaning business.  In fact, over the years I’ve had several offers to franchise my operations.  So needless to say, I’ve really considered the pros and cons of selling and buying a carpet cleaning franchise.

Lets look at the benefits of SELLING a business franchise to begin with.  If someone has a profitable carpet cleaning business and wants to expand his name on a national level, this is a win-win situation.  Other then legal fees, the owner simply has to commit his overall business plan to paper, write training articles and record some basic videos promoting his style of cleaning and he’ll have a basic franchise package.  The larger franchise operations usually provide reduced cost or free national advertising.  In most cases the franchise will develop a chain of businesses dependent upon him for cleaning products, equipment or both.  Plus, don’t forget the new franchise will usually be responsible for a certain percentage of his business sales each month as an on-going franchise fee.  As I said, a win-win situation for the franchise.

Now as for the new carpet cleaning franchise buyer.  The general benefits are that he gets a well-known name to market throughout his assigned geographic area.  He’ll get a business plan, training, advertising  information, products, equipment and a proven cleaning system.  In simple terms: its an entire business package.

But the reality of the situation is that this carpet cleaning franchise comes at a high cost.  Not all franchises are the same but consider some of the hidden costs that might be present.

The carpet cleaning franchise will have a business plan dedicated to that specific franchise.  It will promote that cleaning system, his cleaning products, his cleaning techniques and the franchise specific equipment to the full.  In most cases you will have to buy your supplies and equipment from the franchise at what they might refer to as “reduced pricing”.  It might very well be reduced from list price but in 9 of 10 times you’ll find buying any tools or supplies direct from distributors or manufacturers will save you much more.  But, you’ll be locked into the buying contract with the franchise.

Over the years I’ve had several guys object to my advice and buy franchise operations and without an exception, all have admitted their error after a couple years.  When you are starting out, many feel they will grow a business faster by the larger name recognition of using a franchise.  But even under ideal circumstances, paying a monthly fee for what ever reason, becomes a drag real fast.  The other problem seldom considered is that a franchise will direct you to specific equipment purchases.  Do you realize a truck mount water extractor and vehicle can run anywhere from $75,000 to $135,000.  Imagine just starting to pay that off and learning that better carpet cleaners today are using new machines and cleaning systems costing a few thousand dollars.  Worse yet, wait till your competition starts taking your jobs away by promoting low moisture cleaning for example.  At that point, what do you do with a truck costing you the price of a mortgage each month?

Okay, that is an extreme example but this has happened and is still happening.  Carpet cleaning technology has changed drastically in the past few years and all for the better.  When you are locked into certain equipment or business franchises, you are stuck.

I always encourage a person to remember why he or she wants to start a business.  You want to be independent, offer the best possible service and provide complete customer satisfaction.  You’ll find that is very difficult to achieve when operating a carpet cleaning franchise.  I suggest following a good carpet cleaning business plan which will explain the secrets behind this business and then buy equipment and provide services that are best for you and your clients.  Don’t worry about competing with big name franchise cleaners.  I’ve done it for decades and their standard level of service has steadily provided me with a good income.