My Story: Why I chose to start an office cleaning business.
As the case with many today, I was ‘down-sized’ several years ago; long before the 2008 recession.
I was scared. I had a 3 year-old daughter, a pregnant wife, and just enough cash to keep food on the table. I managed to do some remodeling work for a while to pay the bills, but it was an unreliable income stream; I needed something more regular.
My commercial office cleaning company experience began with asking my chiropractor if I could clean his office (it was not being well cleaned at that time). His answer was yes, and that was the go-ahead that I needed. Let me say at this point that I knew nothing about how to make money cleaning offices. But it dawned on me that here was the perfect moneymaking opportunity.
First of all, it was something that I could build up on a part-time basis. Second,there was no expensive investment in equipment. Third, it was something that I could start at home and build up slowly and expand as opportunities presented themselves. I could quickly start making money by cleaning offices.
With that in mind, I approached my tax accountant and asked if I could clean their offices. They did not need a cleaning service, but one of their other clients was looking for a cleaner! I had already worked at the chiropractor’s office for several weeks when I made this second attempt to acquire another business. Using the chiropractor as a good reference and the fact that I was known to my tax accountant as a reputable individual, I acquired my second cleaning contract. Once again, I knew nothing about how to start a commercial office cleaning company, but I already had found a way to add a steady predictable $400 per month to my income.
Now, $400 may not seem like a lot of money, but remember this: it was $400 that I didn’t have before. And it was $400 that I would have that month, and next month, and the following month, etc. I never dreamed of the income stability that would occur when I figured out how to make money by cleaning offices.
Now I began to get brave. I selected a number of small office buildings, looked up their addresses, and sent an introductory letter to each of those business. I simply addressed the letter to the office manager, told a little about who I was and listed my two clients as references. Nothing happened! I was slightly depressed, I thought this would be easy money!
And then two months later I found a message on my answering machine. It was the office manager from one of the companies I contacted. They had been growing increasingly unhappy with their present cleaning service, would I stop by and give them a bid?
THAT was over a decade ago, and that small start-up business now generates 6 figures a year, keeps many students and others employed, and has allowed me to live better than any job I could imagine.
“I really should go find my old boss and thank him for letting me go!”
