As more than half a million businesses start every month, starting your own small business is a competitive affair. If you’re looking at starting your own carpet cleaning business, you’ll find there’s plenty of competition already out there. To have a unique presence and to take up space in the ideal niche, you need to look into setting yourself apart.
Here are five ways to become the best carpet cleaning business in your area.
1. Learn About the Field
When you want to get involved in any kind of industry, it’s important to learn the history, latest trends, and what the local economy looks like. Carpet cleaning is also a skill that requires an understanding of how the equipment works and what the costs and benefits of each are.
If you don’t know much about materials or the how to clean them, you could risk making a mistake on a client’s carpet. You need to get to know which types of stains can be cleaned with which types of solvents and which could put the material at risk.
Different carpet densities require different methods of cleaning. Believe it or not, there are even training programs that can help you get the skills you need to become a professional carpet cleaner.
See what Astrobrite Carpet Cleaning has to say if you want to get a feel for what the industry looks like.
2. Be Above Board
Beyond merely printing up some business cards and opening up a shop, there’s a lot that goes into starting a new business. You need to usually register the business with state and local offices, file the right tax forms, and even consider incorporating.
You’ll have different requirements for running a business than you do being an individual citizen. If you get incorporated, even if you’re the sole proprietor and employee, you’ll be entitled to protections that can help you to do business.
As your business grows, you need to be aware of the legal ramifications of hiring employees. You have to pay taxes, withhold taxes for them, and pay for insurances like workers compensation.
You should also be insured in case anyone gets injured because you left a floor wet or a piece of equipment goes haywire. Insurance can help you protect your equipment and to protect your assets in case of a lawsuit. Personal liability is important when considering protecting your business.
3. Choose Your Equipment Wisely
Before you start a carpet cleaning company, you might want to spend some time researching and studying the equipment in the industry. TAlk to some sales reps and get to know what they have to say about the variety of machines, solvents, and other equipment that you’ll need. Your carpet cleaning business will be highly technical and you need to invest your money wisely in the right materials.
Every carpet cleaning business will have their preferred equipment or a brand that they prefer to work with. Reach out to the brand that you prefer to work with to have a sales rep you can rely on. They’ll likely be assigned specifically to your business and will provide guidance on how to build your arsenal.
While some carpet cleaners will focus on doing residential work, others will focus on working in commercial spaces. Find a niche that works and shape your equipment arsenal around that
4. Find Your Target Market
Speaking of finding your niche, you need to decide where you prefer to work and the clients who you prefer to have. Every company will have a preferred type of job and will have equipment that is meant for that industry.
If you’re starting a new business, start with customers for whom price is the number one factor. You’ll build a strong client base quickly by undercutting your competitors. Get some volume and build a small clientele so that you can grow and price based on what you should be charging.
Once you’ve got a level of comfort, you can then target service-oriented customers who don’t mind paying more for high quality. You’ll have a much more relaxing experience working with them than the high pressure of volume-based work.
If you can’t decide who your customers are, try to imagine who you would want to work with. Outline their wants and needs and start shaping your marketing efforts around that. You can’t be everything to everyone, so start by focusing on your ideal customer rather than casting an impossibly wide net that lets customers fall through.
5. Get Online
The first place for you to start marketing your business for free is with search engines. When people are looking for a carpet cleaner, the first place that they’ll go is to Google or their preferred search engine. If you don’t have a strong online presence, you’ll be losing out to other companies.
Start by building a web presence with a website where you offer your basic services, quotes, and feedback from your first and most loyal clients.
Then create a page on Yelp and Google My Business. Once you have your profile filled out, reach out to your most loyal customers to ask for reviews. Offer discounts for referrals to spread the word.
With some positive reviews on your site, customers will see high rankings and search engines will rate you higher. You’ll also be buffered against the odd disgruntled or unenthusiastic reviewer who fails to leave good feedback.
Get on social media and connect with businesses and potential customers so that you can start getting your name out there. Potential customers might need to see your name a few times before they trust that you’re the right choice for them.
Starting a Carpet Cleaning Business Takes Focus
If you want to own your own carpet cleaning business, you might think it’s as easy as buying some equipment and setting up a phone number. However, with the rate of failure for so many new businesses, you need to find ways to stick out from the crowd. By coming up with a strong niche and backing it up with knowledge and experience, you can ensure you outlast the other competitors in the field.
If you’re looking into finding ways to fund your business from the get-go, check out our guide for tips.