Once you have decided on starting your house cleaning business, got a set of supplies, and worked out prices you need to think about how to get customers. Marketing and advertising is an important key to your success. But before you start advertising your services there is one more important thing to look at. Cleaning houses means that customers let you in areas that usually no stranger gets access to - their privacy of their home. It takes a lot of trust to let somebody they do not know enter their house and walk into every room with potential access to every drawer and every box. Home cleaning businesses need to be aware of this and treat customer concerns accordingly. Let's have a look at business license, business insurance, and bonding License, Insurance and Bonding The first step in gaining a customer's trust is to be "licensed, bonded and insured". Get licensed and registered as a business with your state, county and city. Legal requirements for a business registration are different from state to state. Most states offer the needed forms and information on their website. In some states you can even go through the complete registration process online and do not have to leave your home. The second step is to attain liability insurance for your business. If you break an expansive vase at a customer's house by accident, the damage can go way beyond the embarrassing moment of reporting the damage to the owner of the house. The financial impact could wipe out your business if you are not insured. Insurance gives the customers peace of mind. They know you will be able to meet liability claims - even though everyone hopes that it never gets to that point. Liability insurance will set you back about $400.00 per year on average. Prices will vary depending on where you live and depending on your business. A smart step can be to work with an independent insurance agent that can compare several providers at the same time. Be aware that if you hire staff that it affects your liability insurance, too. Bonding offers an additional level of protection. You can obtain bonding coverage from either an independent bonding company or through your insurance agent if they provide these services. Being bonded is not the same as obtaining insurance. Be aware that a bond for a sole proprietorship that has no employees or independent contractors is totally useless. Bonding only makes business sense if hiring staff. Being licensed, insured, and bonded is also a great marketing tool and separates you from many competitors. It shows customers that you are serious about your business and that can make the little difference they need to give you their business. Part III of our article series about starting a house cleaning business will go deep into marketing and advertising. Please look forward to read that article soon. |
