Opening a cleaning company business plan. Opening costs. Schedule for opening a cleaning company

02.07.2023

How to open a cleaning company in Russia: a brief overview of the market + necessary equipment + search for personnel + initial investment + ways to advertise a business + useful tips.

Cleanliness is the key to health. A professional approach to ensuring cleanliness is the key to success in this business area.

Grandmothers-cleaners are gradually becoming a thing of the past ...

Demand, albeit "sleeping", seems to be in Russia, because how to start a cleaning company independently, more and more people are thinking. Let's deal with this today.

What you need to know before starting a cleaning company?

Firstly, it is necessary to deal with the very concept of "cleaning", which in Russia still sounds unusual and different people put different meanings into it. It's not just cleaning anymore.

Some perceive the cleaning company as the same cleaning lady who has completed certain courses and can meaningfully, but without a system and modern equipment, sweep or mop the floor. Yes, there is also a demand for such services in the lower price segment.

In 2014, the market "froze", but in 2018, according to experts, it will begin to grow again. Conclusion: to be successful tomorrow, you need to prepare for increased demand today. So, it's time to think about how to open a cleaning company.

Thus, in 2014, the Russian market for cleaning services was estimated at $200 million. Moreover, 150 of them were in Moscow and the Moscow region. Even up to 30 million - for St. Petersburg, and the rest - for other regions.

Since then, professional cleaning has also become known in the periphery, because the market has begun to slowly level off, which opens up new prospects in case of economic growth throughout Russia.

Choosing a target audience for a cleaning company

Having dealt with the region where we are going to open a cleaning company, we need to understand for which client it is worth doing it. Roughly speaking, the client can be either corporate or private. Corporate are divided into offices and premises of mass congestion of people (shopping malls, theaters, cafes, etc.).

This “cheat sheet” will help you understand which client to focus on, which shows who spends the most on cleaning in Russia:

As you can see, apartment cleaning occupies no more than 3% of the market, along with theaters and restaurants that cope with cleaning procedures on their own.

Hence the conclusion: you can open a cleaning company exclusively with a focus on a corporate client, and servicing individuals should be developed as an auxiliary direction.

Having dealt with the target audience, you should estimate the range of services that you will provide. Your entire business will depend on this, since all this requires personnel, equipment and supplies.

It follows from the infographics that it is not very profitable to open a cleaning company that deals only with cleaning premises and territory - most of them combine this activity with something else.

The reason is that the Russian market is still being formed, and you can’t rely on any one segment, it’s better to take 2-3 areas and develop them in parallel.

How to open a “humble” cleaning company: a rough business plan

You can open a cleaning company if you have a well-thought-out business plan.

Therefore, we have prepared examples for you. Then we compare the performance of a small company providing dry and wet cleaning services with a large company so that all the differences can be clearly seen.

So, in order to open a small cleaning company of a modest scale, which does not provide any exotic services such as fleet supervision, but only cleans the premises, you must be “in the know” yourself.

If you are already an expert in this matter, then you will not need courses, otherwise you will have to spend up to 20,000 rubles on them.

After completing the courses, the first step is to officially register your business.

If you want to work as an individual entrepreneur, it’s up to you, but it is believed that real profit in the cleaning business can only be obtained if you open a cleaning company (on a simplified taxation system) with 1-2 employees besides you.

This will allow for greater flexibility in working with the state while retaining the benefits of small businesses such as lower tax rates, government grants, lower rental costs, and more.

Cleaning is good because, according to the laws of Russia, this activity does not require any certification. Before you open a cleaning company, you need to study GOST R 51870-2002.

Initial investment in a cleaning company

It all depends on the scale of your future activities and the market segment that you have chosen for yourself. In general, for a mediocre cleaning company in the LLC format, 290-350,000 rubles are enough. starting capital. For individual entrepreneurs - 70-90,000 rubles.

It is believed that in Moscow such a volume of investment pays off in 8-10 months. That is less than a year. For a full-fledged cleaning company that provides a full range of services, it will take 2-3,000,000 rubles, and the payback, if there are regular customers, will be about a year.

You need to understand that cleaning the premises as a business is too heterogeneous. Companies paired with five-star hotels make a very serious income, but their cleaning services are of the highest quality.

Supermarket employees have low qualifications, and average ones have average business centers. All this must be taken into account in advance, calculating the level of initial capitalization.

How to start a cleaning business in Russia?

Before opening a cleaning company, experts recommend checking the soil by talking to local entrepreneurs: do they need cleaning, what kind of cleaning do they need, how much are they willing to pay, etc.

Otherwise, you may be out of luck, because the demand is not consolidated. Such is the specificity of the cleaning business that “word of mouth” and personal acquaintances always come first here.

The most important expense item for a small cleaning company is the office, although at the initial stage you can do without it at all. The current level of technology development allows you to work in the "home office" mode, and go to the client for cleaning.

If the cleaning "office" is very small, from one person, then you can simply answer on your own mobile phone without looking up from cleaning. Opening a cleaning company in this format is the easiest. However, if you plan to enter the cleaning business for a long time, then you cannot do without an office.

The optimal office should have the following premises: the director's office (you can meet clients there), a staff room (primarily managers), a warehouse for inventory and workwear, as well as a separate room for washing machines and a tumble dryer.

Even if you do not intend to provide dry cleaning services, you will have to wash your overalls all the time, especially after each dirty cleaning, as required by GOST and common sense - who will hire a cleaning lady who looks like a slob herself?

Thus, for a modest office, an office area of 15-20 square meters will be enough. m. According to market participants, one should focus on premises with a price of 1,000 rubles per square meter (that is, 15-20,000 rubles per month).

You should not look for an office in the city center, you can also on the outskirts - you go to clients for cleaning, and not they to you. This means that you can sacrifice your own convenience for the sake of economy.

1) Equipment for a cleaning company

This is one of the most problematic moments at the start of a cleaning company in Russia. Some advise buying only new equipment, while others recommend limiting yourself to used equipment for a start, they say, the main thing here is the quality of personnel and consumables, and not equipment.

Choose what is closer to you, but still mops and rags must be clean, otherwise the client will be dissatisfied.

Consumables and simple Russian-made equipment are available in a wide range.

A mandatory set of equipment for a small company in Russia is as follows:

№	Name	Expenses (approximate)
1.	Flat MOP (mop)	1,500 rubles
2.	Professional trolley with wringer function, mesh for solutions and cleaning compounds, trash bag.	From 6,500 rubles
3.	Scraper	500 rubles
4.	Dry wipes	200 rubles
5.	Vacuum cleaner with wet cleaning function	20,000 rubles
6.	Window cleaning kit	2,000-3,000 rubles
7.	Optional: floor scrubber (instead of a vacuum cleaner with a wet cleaning function, replaces 1-2 employees)	70,000-500,000 rubles

Total: 31,700 rubles (excluding scrubber). When buying a cheaper vacuum cleaner, you can meet 30,000 rubles.

On your own, you can wash your clothes at home. If you have a car, then the issue is resolved, if not, then you will have to cooperate with someone.

Many organize this business specifically for one customer - for example, a business center, where they themselves rent a small room or receive permission to store equipment in the back room with the consent of the building owner.

2) We select personnel for a cleaning company

If you are at the very start and intend to do the cleaning alone, then you may not even read this paragraph. Otherwise, you will need to hire 1-2 cleaners. Most likely, you will have to pay for the training of beginners, which will cost 4,000-25,000 rubles. Consulting services are provided by large cleaning companies.

The course includes both training in working with equipment and the basics of safety when working with toxic substances.

In addition, employees will be taught how to properly clean, according to the system, what types of cleaning are, how wet cleaning differs from dry cleaning using a vacuum cleaner or scrubber, etc.

That is, at the output you will get a full-fledged cleaner - an expert in cleaning of any type.

The work of an ordinary cleaner is considered low-skilled, therefore it is not paid very high, although the shortage of personnel in Russia contributes to the fact that real specialists with work experience can be expensive.

To start a business, you can focus on employees who are ready to work for 10-15 thousand rubles per month + bonuses.

You can find someone for the minimum wage, but then, most likely, the quality of cleaning will suffer, because only the same grandmothers, who are often poorly versed in technology, will go to such a salary, and they will have to work with technological and modern equipment.

To understand if it's time for you to expand, there is a formula according to which one cleaner is able to clean an area of 9,000 sq. m. For 8 hours of a working day, an employee can clean about 800 square meters. m (in office centers - 500 sq. m).

By calculating the area of \u200b\u200bthe "mileage" of employees, you can find out if you have enough hands. If there are fewer people than required, then the quality of cleaning will suffer.

3) We are looking for clients for our cleaning company

The best option is if you have previously found a client for whom you will create your business, and only then will you scale it up by hiring new employees and purchasing additional equipment for other types of cleaning.

Market players claim that the best option for small cleaning companies is word of mouth or "presentations": go to offices and see where is the dirtiest, offer them to do the cleaning for free or at half price, subject to a review (video review) on your website or on specialized resources.

You can also leave your handouts near the entrances to business centers or malls.

Although this does not give a high conversion, it is free (until competitors rip them off). A more thorough advertising campaign will cost too much.

Many are trying to learn promotion of cleaning services in social networks but it's hard to say how effective it is.

Much more justified is contextual advertising, which is shown to the target audience: if a person is looking for a cleaning office by entering the query "cleaning Moscow", then your ad will be shown to him.

Paid ways to promote cleaning services will cost from 10,000 rubles per month.

Do not forget about fixing all the agreements with the customer in advance, down to the smallest detail. Here it is desirable to describe not only the types of cleaning, but also the fixation of property rights, so that you are not later accused of stealing personal belongings.

Therefore, prepare in advance the forms of contracts indicating the list of your services and terms. The contract is usually signed for a quarter or a year, but there are also one-time payments.

*An example of a standard contract for the provision of cleaning services

What is the payback of microcleaning business?

The price for 1 square meter of professional cleaning in Moscow starts from 50 rubles per square meter. m, although semi-professional cleaning can be found cheaper. In large business centers, the price can even be 100 rubles/sq. m and above, but you should not count on this, because such customers are served only by well-known large brands.

…First, we will have to dump, otherwise there will be no orders. So it is worth focusing on 30-40 rubles / sq. m. m.

Minimum expenses: 30,000 (cleaning equipment) + 15,000 (office) + 20,000 (personnel: 1 cleaner + outsourced accountant) + 10,000 (advertising on the network) = 75,000 rubles in the first month and 40-50 thousand rubles monthly.

Income: 50,000 (30 rubles per 1 sq. m of cleaning = 1667 - this is how many square meters you need to clean per month to pay for yourself and one assistant). This is without taxes.

If you intend to work more thoroughly and are ready to spend money on high-quality equipment (the same scrubbing machine), rent a car, expand your staff, engage in full-fledged self-promotion, then the starting capital of 300-350,000 rubles will pay off with about 5,000 square meters. m cleaning per month.

If we take into account the scale of business centers and retail space, then this figure looks quite acceptable, but your competitors may already be working there, so it’s better to prepare to fight for a client.

The standard margin in the cleaning business is 25-35%, depending on the services provided: one-time general cleanings are expensive, but they are rarely ordered in Russia, and weekly cleanings provide a small, but regular income.

So, regular cleaning of a three-room apartment in Moscow will cost 4,000 rubles, and general cleaning after repair is almost twice as much - 7-7.5,000 rubles. In general, the average cleaning company pays off in 9 months, taking into account the crisis.

How to open a cleaning company with style?

As promised, the performance of a tiny cleaning company is comparable to an industry giant that buys its own cars right from the start, has a large staff and is ready to provide cleaning services of any complexity.

How to open such a large company in Russia? The principles are the same as before, therefore we will not repeat ourselves, but the costs are higher. Such companies are usually created to help hoteliers or companies that serve large residential complexes and shopping malls.

To open a cleaning company in this segment, the staff will be at least 12 people:

Imported equipment for wet and dry cleaning of all types to open a cleaning company of this level will also cost a pretty penny:

TOTAL COSTS:			RUB 1,628,000
Equipment for cleaning wide range of services
Name	Price	Qty	Cost in rub.
Battery Scrubbers for dry and wet cleaning	180 000	1	180 000
Cable scrubber for dry and wet cleaning	34 000	5	170 000
Networked scrubber dryer for dry and wet cleaning	105 000	2	210 000
Industrial vacuum cleaner for dry and wet cleaning	25 000	10	250 000
polisher	30 000	2	60 000
professional hair dryer carpet drying	20 000	3	30 000
Cleaning carts and buckets wheels for dry and wet cleaning			20 000
Cleaning equipment for dry and wet cleaning			30 000
Detergents, household chemicals			50 000
TOTAL:			RUB 1,000,000
Computers, office equipment, furniture
Name	Price	Qty	Price
laptops	-	-	60 000
mini-ATS (4 tubes)	-	-	15 000
MFP (printer+scanner+fax)	-	-	15 000
Furniture (tables, chairs, sofa)	-	-	38 000
TOTAL:			RUB 128,000
Transport
Name	Price	Qty	Price
Car "Sobol" 2008		1	300 000
VAZ 2104 2011		1	200 000
TOTAL:			RUB 500,000

Taking into account the costs of advertising, business registration, depreciation of equipment for dry and wet cleaning, etc., without which it is impossible to open a large cleaning company in Russia, the final estimate will look something like this:

Cleaning company expense item	Amount in rubles
Total:	RUB 2,200,000
Registration of activities in the IFTS	12 000
Purchase of equipment for dry and wet cleaning, computers and office equipment, office furniture, detergents, vehicles	1 628 000
Recruitment (advertising)	10 000
working capital (financing activities until payback)	450 000
Conducting an advertising campaign	100 000

Adjusted for inflation and devaluation, the purchase of equipment for dry and wet cleaning and hiring staff can cost as much as 3,000,000 rubles.

With a projected payback of the project of 550,000 rubles per month, it is necessary to serve about 15-20 corporate clients (this is about 100 orders for dry and wet cleaning monthly).

This video will show you how to create a successful

a cleaning company with an income of 3,000-7,000 dollars:

Summing up the features of opening a cleaning company

Investments in a small cleaning company can be recouped in a couple of months with an average cleaning return of 35%, an average company in 8-10 months with a return of 25-30%, and in the case of a large office, a return of 20-25% is considered a big success and 12-15 months for payback.

In fact, this market is very unstable. If you are lucky enough to receive a large order for dry and wet cleaning, for example, from a large government agency, then even a large cleaning company can pay off very quickly - in just a couple of months.

But the opposite result is also possible - small orders at high costs. The most important thing is a preliminary analysis of demand in the segment and locality where you intend to work.

So find the answer to the question How to open a cleaning company? it's not that hard. It is much more difficult to correctly calculate everything in advance, analyze the "sleeping" demand for dry and wet cleaning, determine the optimal advertising channels, etc.

Cleaning itself is by no means the most difficult task. But if all this is done correctly, then the result will not be long in coming: in this area, the payback is one of the fastest, therefore, in the USA and Europe it is considered one of the most attractive for investments.

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This article will discuss how to open a cleaning company from scratch step by step.

To begin with, having registered a business (individual entrepreneur or LLC) with the tax office, you should begin to study:

target market;
work of competing companies.

What do you need to start a cleaning company? It is necessary to decide to whom to provide services:

commercial organizations;
private individuals (washing floors, windows, walls, dust control).

More profitable work for legal entities is the maintenance of various industrial buildings, warehouses, offices. There are fewer private clients (usually they are quite rich people, or single men who are busy with work), in addition, the profit here is less. But the first option is more difficult, it will also require more investments.

Cleaning happens:

one-time (including capital, including after repairs);
daily;
specialized (carpet cleaning, etc.).

So, it is approximately clear how to open a business Cleaning company. It is advisable to choose one direction, gradually expanding the scope of its activities. Gradually, a fairly large client base will be built up. It is necessary to take into account the presence of competition - other firms providing the same services. To begin with, it is recommended to study the activities of companies in this area: the list of services provided, prices, experience in the cleaning market. After that, you need to create a list of services provided, select suitable targets, think over a business strategy, and resolve the issue with prices, which will allow you to get more profitable customers. You will need to open a web page or a website with a detailed description of the services of the company (IP), contacts for communication. It is quite appropriate to advertise on television - it will pay off in a couple of weeks - a month. Promotion through print media will cost even less. The creation of the site must be entrusted to professionals who can make an online cleaning order form. All this will allow you to quickly find new customers. Now it’s approximately clear how to start a cleaning business.

Step one– registration of a business, determination of the services provided, study of the work of clients, creation of a website.

cleaning company staff

Recruitment

The next stage is recruitment and training. Employees need to be carefully selected as they determine the image of the firm, the customer experience and, ultimately, the income generated. Recommendations from friends or advertisements are suitable for hiring employees. When the recruitment is completed, the employer teaches the cleaners how to properly use modern equipment, detergents, and conducts briefings. Hiring, training, control of work can be completely shifted to the manager. Applications of clients are accepted by the employer himself, or he finds a dispatcher.

In total, several groups of employees will be required. Cleaning is better performed by women, respectively, teams should be formed from four women aged 25-50 years, the foreman can be a man who can carry heavy loads and move heavy objects. Let the dispatcher take orders. A driver is needed to deliver the working group to the site. A large company will need a director, accountant, secretary, senior shifts. Staff turnover is quite likely, especially among cleaners, since this work is not prestigious, not everyone is able to hold on to it. In addition, for a small salary it is difficult to find decent employees who are not prone to theft (and this is very important, since it determines the reputation of the company). It is recommended to conclude a material value agreement with the cleaners. Some firms pay for work in the form of a salary, sometimes it is a percentage of the order amount (usually about 20%).

Initially, it is recommended to hire a minimum of employees, and perform administrative functions yourself. This will reduce costs at first and reduce the payback period. Further, the number of people can be increased depending on the actual size of orders. And if the demand for services increases sharply for a certain period, it is possible to resort to outstaffing - hiring third-party personnel.

The cleaning business starts with people. When looking for them, you need to pay attention, first of all, to the presence of sufficient work experience (maids, cleaners), skills in handling equipment, inventory, benevolence, accuracy, pleasant appearance, modesty, and the ability to behave, especially if you have to clean the objects of private clients. If the skills are not enough, it is desirable to retrain the staff. Inexperienced cleaners need to clearly explain in detail the principles of organizing modern cleaning. Training is possible independently by the head, or it should be a referral to special courses.

Equipment

When preparing to open a cleaning agency, you should purchase everything you need to carry out activities:

professional vacuum cleaner;
battery and network scrubbing machines;
carpet dryer;
various small inventory;
detergents, cleaning products;
garbage bags;
office equipment.

Most likely, you will need a car (it is better to buy a minibus or several). It should be noted: everything must be of excellent quality, especially since there will certainly be orders for cleaning upholstered furniture, carpets, and they are not cheap and require careful treatment. It is advisable to purchase goods of well-known Western brands. Here is a summary of how to start a cleaning company from scratch. All this is important to foresee in advance, before opening the office. If you study in detail the necessary information, think over the nuances of the work, it will be much easier to act later. For example, in the shopping center, the shoes of people who come there in the winter leave chemicals used to sprinkle the streets of the city. If you do not remove them in a timely manner, parquet, marble coatings will become unusable. It will be possible to prevent this by treating the floors with solutions at night, and during the day it is required to eliminate the emerging dirt. This is a whole science, before starting to carry out activities, it is necessary to carefully study the entrepreneur, then explain these nuances to the working staff.

Cleaning service

Business plan

Before starting a business, a cleaning company must come up with a business plan. Without it, successful activity is impossible. You will need to describe in detail the costs, estimated income. In principle, the field of cleaning is simple, the risks are minimal, and no special investments are required. It is necessary to officially register (tax, pension fund), keep records. Most likely, you will need an office space, and for it - permission from Rospotrebnadzor and firefighters. There are quite enough rooms for inventory, a reception room, a locker room. Of course, you need a business plan from scratch for a cleaning company. It is important to ensure high-quality communication (cellular and landline phones, the Internet) in order to take orders on time, solve problems with employees and customers.

What is a cleaning company as a business? This is a staff, rented or purchased office space, a set of equipment, inventory, a valid viable business plan. Everything is simple. The cost estimate is roughly as follows:

400,000 - equipment, inventory, detergents;
100,000 - office equipment, computer, furniture;
300,000 - vehicles and fuels and lubricants;
20,000 - advertising spending;
300,000 - advertising company
10,000 - working capital;
50,000 - rent of premises
50,000 - salary to employees;
5,000 - utilities.

Total 1,235,000 rubles.

Cleaning service

Income

In the calculations of income, expenses, all the little things are displayed, they try to predict the demand for the service. So, the primary costs will amount to 1,235,000 rubles. In the future, expenses will decrease, they will be equal to approximately 180,000 rubles. per month.

Incomes are painted something like this: let the cost of cleaning 1 “square” of area be about 25 rubles. There are daily orders - well, then when taking into work 500 sq. m revenue will be 12.5 tons. (for a month - already 375 thousand "wooden"). Taking into account expenses, the income will be almost 200 thousand rubles. This is an approximate business plan for a cleaning company with calculations. Be sure to indicate income, expenses, approximate payback periods. When setting prices, choosing a pricing policy, one should take into account how much the actual consumers of services are willing to pay, starting from the cost of cleaning from numerous competing companies. If you wish, you can always find examples on the global network in which everything is described in more detail. There you can download a business plan for a cleaning company for free. There are more than enough examples on the Internet. You will need to carefully study them, draw conclusions for yourself. In any case, you should give priority to such an indicator as the profitability of a cleaning company and think carefully about everything so as not to be a loser. Being a winner in practice is not as easy and fast as it seems. Attention should be paid to this.

Having properly organized the cleaning business from scratch, it will be possible to recoup the invested funds fairly quickly (a little more than six months). Compared to production, it is much more profitable, and you don’t have to wait years for a return on investment. In addition, there is no threat of a financial crisis.

What's next?

What does a cleaning company do? Cleaning of offices, retail space, apartments, private houses, industrial premises. In order to effectively develop the company, to attract the attention of potential customers, you need to find your own characteristics in a “pure business”, some kind of zest. It is also important to plan effectively. It is recommended to focus on long-term cooperation with customers. The company will be able to earn credibility by the quality of cleaning. Having won a reputation, you need to maintain it, constantly improve. You can gradually introduce additional services. Cleaning services include, in addition to cleaning itself, dry cleaning of upholstered furniture, washing of bedspreads, washing of windows, facades, stoves, refrigerators, garbage collection, and disinfection. Customers will eventually increase, although costs will also increase. To ensure savings, it is recommended to rent a not very large office.

It is important to understand that pitfalls are possible, but you will have to work without interruption, instantly solve any problems, maintain the trust of customers (for example, if they are permanent, it will be useful to send them greeting cards for holidays, birthdays). So it will be necessary to constantly improve in the areas of marketing, psychology. Employees will need to be trained on a regular basis. They must be able to communicate with customers. Over time, positive recommendations will appear, which are akin to advertising. A cleaning company is a constant struggle for customers. Having organized everything correctly, it will be possible to achieve success and profit.

Conclusion

So, the article addresses the question of what is a cleaning company. First of all, it is personnel, a certain organizational structure. In addition, it is necessary to have an office, utility rooms, inventory, necessary equipment. And of course, the start of work is impossible without drawing up a business plan, which calculates:

expenses
income
profitability.

What is cleaning services? They can be basic (actual cleaning in the house, apartment, office, at a manufacturing plant) and additional (carpet cleaning, garbage disposal). The list of services is different, here the management itself chooses what to give preference to. In any case, you need to think carefully about everything, purchase equipment, inventory, select and train employees. Only then can you be sure that the services are of sufficient quality, and the client will also be satisfied.

* Calculations use average data for Russia

From 750 000 ₽

Starting investments

1 125 000 ₽

116 250 ₽

Net profit

8-15 months

Payback period

Together with the general growth of the civilized society, the services of cleaning companies begin to seem indispensable. But unlike many foreign countries, the cleaning market in Russia is still poorly saturated.

Cleaning is a relevant and promising direction for starting your own business. The activity of cleaning companies is a set of measures aimed at ensuring cleanliness in the premises. In Europe, the business of cleaning apartments and commercial premises has existed for a long time and is considered highly profitable, and the niche is almost full. The first cleaning companies appeared on the domestic market about 25 years ago, and the direction itself has just begun to develop.

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In recent years, this type of service is gaining popularity in both the private and commercial segments. In the rhythm of modern life, more and more everyday tasks are outsourced. Enterprises use the services of third-party employees who perform work that is not included in the specifics of the staffing table. Many companies have practically abandoned the practice of keeping full-time cleaners and use cleaning services. Private clients actively use the services of cleaning the apartment after repair and the services of regular cleaning of housing.

Due to a wide range of potential consumers, this business is promising and, if properly organized, can bring a decent profit. How to open a cleaning company from scratch and build a successful business on it? All basic questions will be answered by a step-by-step guide.

How to assess the relevance and prospects of a business

The market for cleaning services in Russia appeared relatively recently - about 25 years ago, thanks to the arrival of large foreign companies. The introduction of cleaning services began in Moscow and St. Petersburg - these local markets are still the leaders of the domestic market of cleaning services and account for almost 60% of the total volume.

The annual growth rate of the Russian market of cleaning services is 30%. The Moscow market shows growth of 68% and the market volume is more than 15 billion rubles a year. The turnover of the Russian market of cleaning services at the beginning of 2016 amounted to 222.13 billion rubles. Today, about 1,500 companies operate in the regions of Russia, and about 700 companies operate in Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to statistical studies, in 2016 cleaning services entered the top 5 most demanded services in the domestic market.

The growing demand for professional cleaning leads to a constant expansion of the client base. Maintenance of commercial real estate accounts for 80% of the entire market. To date, the main users of the services of cleaning companies are shopping and entertainment centers. But in the segment of individuals, these services are just beginning to gain popularity.

The main customers of cleaning services are commercial retail premises (supermarkets, shopping centers, etc.) and office premises (banks, offices, business centers, government agencies).

The structure of the client base of cleaning companies

The main reasons for the growing popularity of cleaning services:

Actively ongoing construction and an increase in the commissioning of areas (residential and commercial) expands the circle of potential customers. The number of shopping and business centers, as well as new buildings, whose residents use the cleaning service after repair, is increasing.

Demand in the cleaning services market was supported by those companies that refused to hire traditional cleaners in favor of outsourcing. This step, according to experts, can bring savings of 20% for the company.

The rhythm of modern life sometimes does not leave working people time for high-quality cleaning in the apartment. In this regard, people turn to specialized companies for cleaning services.

More and more people are aware of the need for professional maintenance of buildings and structures. Today, cleaning companies use modern technology, carefully select cleaning products. Thanks to this approach, the time spent on a full cleaning is significantly reduced.

And all this despite the fact that the cost of cleaning services remains at a fairly affordable level, allowing almost everyone to use the work of professional cleaners.

Few entrepreneurs have appreciated the profitability of the business, so competition in the market is growing very slowly. The threshold for entering the market is quite low. Statistics show that in recent years the number of cleaning companies has remained unchanged: every year new companies enter the market, but the same number leave it. The main trend in the cleaning services market is the consolidation of companies and the expansion of the range of services, due to which the market is growing. At the same time, small enterprises also survive, as they are able to flexibly and quickly respond to changes in market conditions. The profitability of this business is in the range of 12-15% when it comes to daily work, and 25-40% for special work.

Before planning to open a cleaning company, you need to assess the level of competition in your city. To do this, check the number of cleaning companies operating in your area and evaluate the range of services they offer. To calculate the prospects for cleaning services in your city, you should also find out the number of business centers, shopping malls and offices - this will be the approximate circle of your commercial clients. An approximate picture can be obtained using online services that display companies on electronic maps. Knowing the population of the city and taking into account the fact that about 8% of households use cleaning services, you can assess the prospects for working with private clients.

Advantages of the cleaning business:

The market of cleaning services is in the stage of active growth. Cleaning services have long been familiar to potential consumers and have experience of successful application in various regions of Russia;

The basis of the client base is legal entities, therefore, with a high level of corporate service, you can count on long-term cooperation, which will provide the company with a stable income;

Relatively low level of competition and low market entry threshold: investments may be limited to the purchase of cleaning equipment.

What services do cleaning companies provide and how much does it cost?

Potential clients of the cleaning company are both individuals and legal entities. The target audience in the segment of servicing individuals is a rather narrow stratum of the population, which is families with an income level above 30 thousand rubles for housing cleaning; in the legal entities service segment - commercial facilities for various purposes to maintain cleanliness and care in the premises.

There are two ways to start a cleaning business. The first option is to open a company for a specific client (a shopping center or a large facility from 1,000 sq. m), with which there is already an agreement. At first, the company will work for this facility, and only then it will expand its activities to the foreign market. Heads of cleaning services advise first of all to find a potential customer, and then to recruit personnel and purchase equipment for a specific object. Almost all companies receive their first orders through personal connections - advertisements are ineffective. The second way is to choose some narrow niche, since large customers can be divided among the giants of the industry for a long time. In this case, small cleaning firms can act as “fish-sticks” of large companies, receiving from them “generous pieces” in the form of orders that large firms for one reason or another cannot fulfill. Naturally, for a certain percentage of the order.

The complex of cleaning services should be formed based on the target audience and demand for certain types of services. According to statistics, the largest share by type of service is occupied by complex daily cleaning, in second place is cleaning of the adjacent territory, garbage collection, and cleaning after repairs. The best option to start is to look for an object for daily cleaning. Income from one-time orders is greater, but it is unstable, and rent and wages will have to be paid regularly.

Ready-made ideas for your business

Daily cleaning includes dusting, cleaning mirrors, cleaning floors. Cleaning of the adjacent territory involves washing windows, facades, garbage removal, snow/leaf/grass removal (depending on the season), maintaining the cleanliness of architectural elements. General cleaning is also possible, which means removing dirt from walls, washing skirting boards, removing local dirt from various surfaces, cleaning tile joints, washing windows, and so on. Particular attention should be paid to such a type of service as cleaning after repair - recently this type of service is in demand. Cleaning after repair includes: removal of construction debris, washing windows from plaque, thorough removal of dust from various surfaces, heavy dirt, washing floors, cleaning furniture, washing chandeliers, etc.

Some cleaning companies offer special programs and services. Such services may include cleaning before the birth of a child, washing advertising structures, cleaning after holidays, outstaffing (staff hire) and others. The presence of such specific types of services favorably distinguishes the company in the market. Many cleaning services are expanding their range of services, offering customers dry cleaning of carpets and furniture, disinfection of the premises or the provision of a housekeeper. When expanding, many cleaning firms develop new directions, taking on technical, plumbing, electrical functions and tasks, doing administrative support, servicing storage rooms, wardrobes, etc.

Ready-made ideas for your business

For further development, cleaning companies can choose a technical direction, when the company takes on the functions of plumbing, electrical, carpentry, etc. support. Many follow the path of administrative or information services - the service of wardrobes, luggage storage, navigation, and so on.

The range of cleaning services is quite wide, but limited by funds, since many services require expensive equipment. At the initial stage of creating a cleaning service, it is recommended to choose the main services, namely:

daily cleaning of the premises - from 5 rubles / m2

general cleaning of premises - from 50 rubles / m2

cleaning of the premises after construction and repair - from 70 rubles / m2

cleaning of furniture and carpets - from 40 rubles / m2

window washing - from 20 rubles / m2

home assistant - from 45 rubles / m2.

In general, the set of services is individual for each client. The contract is drawn up indicating the list of necessary services, the price of which may vary depending on the scope of work. Usually the contract with the customer is signed before the end of the calendar year. It also notes that at the cleaning site, the customer must provide a service room for storing inventory and chemicals, which is also equipped with wardrobes for personnel.

It is worth considering the peculiarity of the mode of operation of cleaning companies. As a rule, most of the orders fall on weekends, holidays or at night, when cleaning is carried out in the presence of the customer's security staff. In addition, you must remember that each of your potential customers works according to their own schedule, which they will most likely have to adapt to. Thus, the technological process for each object is determined individually, taking into account the fact that you cannot keep a double staff just because on one of the days your two clients intersect in the schedule in time.

How to find cleaning clients

To find customers, you need to use various promotion tools. Cleaning service marketing may include a number of activities aimed at different target audiences:

Direct marketing will be effective in the corporate segment. For advertising, you will need to prepare handouts. You can also cold call a circle of potential customers or send out a commercial offer.

Creating a website that allows a potential client to independently study the list of services and price list - this type of advertising can attract both corporate and private clients.

When planning an advertising campaign, you should consider what selection criteria are guided by potential customers. The most significant are: the cost and range of services provided, reputation in the market, staff qualifications, work schedule flexibility. These parameters should be paid attention to in presentations and other promotional materials.

Promotion tools can be different - it all depends on the target audience and the budget allocated for advertising. Most cleaning business owners agree that word of mouth is the most effective way to promote. In order for it to start working, no matter how trite it may sound, it is necessary, firstly, to provide high-quality services (the standards are prescribed in GOST R 51870-2014 - “Professional cleaning services - cleaning services. General technical conditions”). Secondly, you need to ask the first customers to leave a review about the company - in return, offer some kind of bonus, for example, a discount on the next visit. Loyalty programs should be worked out, involving promotions and discounts with constant cooperation. The conclusion of contracts for regular maintenance will provide the company with constant employment of personnel. Make a statement about the sustainability of cleaning products – there has been a recent trend towards “green cleaning”.

Another tool used in marketing is the analysis of the pricing policy of competitors. Study the level of prices and offers on the market, identify the weaknesses of competitors. For example, in the local market, the service “home assistant” is represented in a small share. Add this service to your list. This will not require additional costs, and in case of low demand for this type of service, the employee will be able to perform other work.

Ready-made ideas for your business

Practice shows that work with potential customers should be carried out even before the opening of a cleaning service. As already mentioned, this business is built on the needs of customers.

How to start a cleaning company from scratch

The algorithm for creating a cleaning company consists of the following steps:

business registration;

choice of premises;

purchase of equipment and consumables;

recruitment.

Let's take a closer look at each stage.

Registration of a cleaning company

To implement the project, registration of an LLC is expected. Form of taxation - USN with the object of taxation "revenue" at a rate of 6%. Types of activities according to OKVED-2:

81.1 Integrated maintenance activities for premises

81.2 Cleaning and cleaning activities

43.39 Post-construction cleaning

96.01 Laundry and dry cleaning of carpets and textiles.

No license is required to provide this type of service. Registration of all necessary documents takes up to one month and costs about 6,000 rubles.

Choosing a cleaning company

The cleaning company does not require large areas. There will be enough sales office and storage space for all equipment. To do this, you will need to rent a room with an area of about 40 sq.m. The cost of renting such a room will be about 20-25 thousand rubles. Naturally, both in the office and in the warehouse you can save. The dispatcher can accept applications from home, and the premises can be found by acquaintance. However, this option can be resorted to at the first stage.

For medium and large companies, the ideal option would be a single room with an office for the head, a hall for several managers, a meeting room, a warehouse for storing equipment, a utility room where a tumble dryer and a machine for washing cleaning materials and overalls are located.

Purchase of equipment for cleaning

All equipment can be purchased in specialized stores. For a small cleaning company, it is necessary to purchase equipment in the amount of at least 500,000 rubles. The table shows a list of equipment for a cleaning company.

List of equipment for a cleaning company

Name	Amount	The cost of 1 piece, rub.	Total amount, rub.
industrial vacuum cleaner
Scrubber dryer

Professional carpet dryer
harvest trolley
Bucket on wheels
Other cleaning equipment
Detergents (household chemicals)
Set for washing windows and office equipment
Steam cleaner
sweeper
Clothes for cleaners

It is also recommended to purchase a truck that will deliver cleaners and all the necessary equipment for the provision of services. The cost of a used gazelle will be approximately 300,000 rubles. To save money on purchasing a car, you can hire a driver with a personal car. Thus, about 650,000 rubles will have to be spent on equipment for the cleaning service.

Recruitment of personnel for a cleaning company

According to experts, people are the key to the effectiveness of the cleaning business. One of the main disadvantages of cleaning is a high turnover of staff. It is no secret that the profession of a cleaner is not prestigious. If employees are obviously hacking, being late for work, etc., then the client will definitely terminate the contract with the company. Ideally, it is good to have one team of workers for each site and one spare team.

At the initial stages of business development, the team can not be kept on staff, but be involved from time to time - when a client appears. In general, the issue of maintaining staff is traditionally one of the most painful for novice businessmen. There are two approaches to pay employees. In the first case, a fixed salary is paid, and you pay for their services, regardless of whether you managed to provide them with a job or not. In the second case, employees are paid a percentage of the order amount (usually about 15-20% per team).

Thus, the number of employees in a cleaning company is selected based on several factors:

number of daily orders;

stability of demand (if the entrepreneur does not expect an increase in the volume of work within a certain period, it is necessary to hire a smaller number of employees. And in the face of a sharp increase in demand, you can turn to outstaffing - hiring staff from outside);

the size of the rooms to be cleaned.

On average, a small cleaning company will require a staff of eight employees: a manager, 4 cleaners, a manager, a driver. You will also need the services of an accountant, which can be outsourced. It is assumed that the manager will control all business processes and promote cleaning services in the commercial segment. Also, at the initial stage, he is entrusted with the duties of a personnel officer - he recruits people to the staff, conducts questionnaires, interviews, and maintains document management. The manager should be responsible for taking orders and communicating with customers. Cleaners directly provide cleaning services. The driver delivers purchases of cleaning products and transports cleaners to the customer's address. The total payroll will be about 150 thousand rubles.

Qualified staff is the main key to the success of the cleaning service. That is why it is necessary to pay special attention to the selection of personnel. The most suitable candidates are responsible, conscientious women and men aged 25-40. Cleaners must be interchangeable. When forming teams, remember that equipment can weigh from 10 to 100 kg, which means that a physically strong person is needed to move it. It is advisable to appoint a foreman as a man who will help with the transfer of equipment and monitor the quality of the work. Each cleaner is provided with overalls (overalls, two T-shirts, a baseball cap, rubber and cloth gloves) - the average cost of one set is 2000-3000 rubles. Remember that workwear is the face of a cleaning company, so you should not save on it. Most often, a company logo is placed on it.

If an entrepreneur plans to expand the business, then he should take into account the cost of staff training. Currently, various cleaning courses and schools have been created in Russia at large cleaning companies that provide training and advanced training programs for cleaners. Training one person will cost an average of 3,000 rubles. You should choose such courses where they give knowledge on the principles of selecting chemistry and equipment, types of pollution, and cleaning technologies. The cleaner needs to understand what chemical composition and concentration will be required to clean the contamination from a particular surface.

How to calculate cleaning service revenue

The sales volume is calculated as the market average for a city with a population of more than 500,000 people. Based on the standards, an employee cleans 600-800 sq.m. per day. With four employees working in shifts, the maximum monthly occupancy is 11,250 sq.m. per employee or 45,000 sq.m. for the entire cleaning staff. The average price of the service is 50-150 rubles/m2. With a workload of 50%, the company's monthly revenue will be 45,000 * 50% * 50 = 1,125,000 (rubles). Please note that this figure is indicative: it will seriously depend on the number of orders.

How much money does it take to start a cleaning company from scratch

Initial investment

Thus, the cost of opening a cleaning service will be about 800 thousand rubles. In addition to initial costs, the business requires monthly expenses, the amount of which is 320 thousand rubles. The cost of services consists of monthly expenses and the cost of the equipment used. The average cost of cleaning 1 sq.m. - 31.5 rubles. For a volume of 22,500 sq.m. per month, the cost of work will be 708,750 rubles.

Monthly expenses

How much can you earn from cleaning

In this material:

A cleaning company whose business plan from scratch involves certain investments at the start is in demand in today's service market. The increasing division of labor and concern for their own health makes office plankton turn to the services provided by the cleaning company. And this is right, because professional staff with the help of special tools and devices in a short period of time will do what office workers will not be able to do.

Why is the demand for these services increasing?

Skeptics will think that in the office, workers can clean themselves if necessary. But it often happens that there are staff in the room, the authorities force them to clean up after themselves, but very quickly the carpet becomes covered with dirt, no one cleans dust, dirt and cobwebs under the table, cabinet and batteries, a persistent unpleasant smell appears in the room. It is enough not to clean the room for a week, as it becomes unpleasant to enter it.

The authorities have faced this problem more than once, so they are trying to allocate funds for the services provided by the cleaning company. Moreover, a poorly cleaned room becomes a source of pathogenic bacteria, especially if strangers constantly enter the room. Therefore, a well-cleaned office on a regular basis reduces morbidity and losses in production. Finally, when the room smells fresh, it is pleasant and easy to breathe in, the efficiency of the staff increases. The agency not only provides services to restore order, but is directly involved in improving the efficiency of labor at the enterprise and, as a result, increasing its profitability.

Where to begin?

How to open a cleaning company from scratch? We will have to purchase inventory, equipment, hire and train staff.

The first thing you need to decide is the need for an office. Potential customers will not go to the company's office. They dial a phone number, are interested in the type of service and their cost, and place an order.

To do this, you can put the operator on the home phone. But you will need a room to dry inventory, a scrubber-dryer, and store all these means for production. It may be some small office of 15 sq. m, the rent of which will cost 10-12 thousand rubles. per month.

It is not easy to organize a business from scratch, it will take a lot of effort and money investments. Reception of personnel can also be carried out on neutral territory.

To do this, you can advertise for a job, collect applicant applications by phone, set one day for an interview and conduct it in one of the offices of the business center, which is rented for half a day.

If you can somehow do without a good office and if you have a good garage, it will be enough, then without professional cleaning equipment for this project it will be impossible to get positive feedback and regular customers.

Office workers can also wipe the dust with a rag, but this does not make it much cleaner. The cleaning kit includes:

professional vacuum cleaner - 14-20 thousand rubles;
a flat mop, a modern analogue of a mop and a broom, costing 1.2-1.7 thousand rubles;
wringer trolley, equipped with a mesh for containers with solutions and a bag for collecting garbage, worth about 6-7 thousand rubles;
window cleaning kit - 2.3-2.7 thousand rubles;
scraper to remove adhering dirt - 420-480 rubles;
napkins for wiping dust - 180-250 rubles.

The cleaning business requires that every cleaner should be supplied with this kit, worth 24-32 thousand rubles.

If you plan to clean shopping centers or other large premises, you need to plan the purchase of a scrubber-dryer in your business plan, which will cost at least 80 thousand rubles. The cost of good models reaches 450-500 thousand rubles. But such equipment replaces the work of several cleaning agency employees, speeds up the cleaning process, while improving its quality.

This is not the end of the initial spending. The staff still needs to be trained and this must be done without fail. Training is carried out by large cleaning companies, the cost of which ranges from 5 to 20 thousand rubles. Choose a learning format that would teach:

What are the types of pollution?
how to choose chemicals;
cleaning technologies.

Based on the results of the courses, the cleaner must understand the composition of chemicals, the degree of their concentration in order to clean the dirt from a particular surface, clearly determine what is suitable.

In addition to equipped staff, you will need a vehicle that will deliver staff to and from facilities.

A passenger GAZelle is suitable, which can be purchased already with a run for 250-400 thousand rubles, or leased. You can also get by with a car. The main thing is that cleaners with a cleaning kit do not use public transport. The company must keep a certain brand and be solid.

For the first time, it can be added to the business plan that 3 employees will work at the same time. Schedule is week after week. Total will need:

3 cleaning kits - 72-96 thousand rubles;
training for 6 people - 30-120 thousand rubles;
scrubbing machine - 80 thousand rubles.

Teaching can be varied. For example, 2 people will take expensive courses for 20 thousand rubles, and 4 - for 5 thousand rubles. As a result, total training will cost 60 thousand rubles. Scrubber dryer can be chosen the cheapest, and it is necessary to take it when there is already a corresponding customer. For the first time, you can do without it. In this case, the total start-up costs will amount to 132-156 thousand rubles, excluding the car and office rent. But this is a ready-made enterprise that is ready to provide services and earn money.

Promotion, expenses and income

It is better to promote your cleaning company through the possibilities of the Internet by creating a one-page page and promoting it through contextual and targeting advertising. This is the cheapest, fastest way to get targeted clients for your cleaning business.

Pricing policy for the provision of services - 25-40 rubles. for cleaning 1 sq. m. It is cost-effective at this price to clean a room of 5 thousand square meters. It can be difficult to find one such premises, but if you take floors with retail outlets or offices for maintenance, then it is quite possible to get orders in one building at such a price that it would be profitable for the company to deliver cleaners there.

If we are talking about one-time trips, then the cost of cleaning should pay for the trip, the expense of funds, the work of the staff and still make a profit.

It is believed that the normal gross income of such a company ranges from 140-200 thousand rubles. The costs are:

rent - 12 thousand rubles;
phone expenses - 1 thousand rubles;
accounting support - 6-8 thousand rubles;
operator salary - 12 thousand rubles;
staff salary - 50-70 thousand rubles;
chemicals - 2-3 thousand rubles;
delivery costs - 12.tys. rub.
unforeseen expenses - 5 thousand rubles.

Expenses amount to 95-118 thousand rubles. Excluding taxes - 8.4-12 thousand rubles. - the profit of the enterprise is 36.6-70 thousand rubles. per month.

It is also possible to develop a business plan for a project with the purchase of only 2 cleaning kits and the training of only 4 employees. This approach will further reduce the required investment at the start of this project. Additionally, you can purchase everything you need as soon as you realize that the hired staff cannot cope with orders.

At first, the duties of the operator, driver, promotion manager will have to be assumed by the project owner himself. Subsequently, when there will be no problems with orders, you will have to work on the business, and not in it.

In this case, the cleaning business will have to expand: hire more staff and increase the number of regular customers.

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