The “competition” is not your competition.
I get emails from folks wanting to start a contract cleaning service, and one of their biggest fears is challenging the already existing “competition”.
Their concerns usually go something like this…
“Rod, I would love to start an office cleaning service but there are so many companies already in the business!
To a start-up business person this would seem to be a big problem. However, the opposite is true: Because, when you see a lot of other companies, that means THERE IS A LOT OF BUSINESS TO BE GOTTEN.
There are two reasons this is a good thing:
1. Nothing will make your bank account fatter than a lot of demand for a service you offer. You can have the best service in town but it means nothing unless there is a demand for that service!
2. When there is lots of competition in your area that usually means you can very easily ‘outdo’ many of the other firms. This is because many of them are offering substandard service.
Remember, your competition is NOT necessarily better than you!
There is a real possibility they are only getting business because there is so much demand for cleaning services! The best companies don’t get every single call from companies needing a cleaning service, that’s not realistic. Which means that these “other” companies are not necessarily as good or better than you, they’re simply in the ‘right place at the right time’.
So, what does this mean for the new kid on the block?
For starters, just by opening your ‘doors” you will be eligible to get a share of the business. However, if you know how to work your business properly, you can acquire a large share of the business.
As I said before, aside from the top one or two cleaning companies, everyone else probably offers an average or lesser service, and the public is receptive to a quality level of service. By just getting your business started and doing all the little things correctly, you can “trounce” the lesser office cleaning companies and even challenge the big guys (if you choose) down the road.
The ‘competition’ is not your competition, your fear of challenging them is the one thing than can defeat you.
