Small Business Idea: Green Cleaning for Homes, Office, Commercial Facilities

Ahhh, the American Dream! To own our business and be the boss! Is a Green Cleaning business,  focused on protecting our environment, the way to go?

The American Dream is the core of who we are as Americans. Because of the freedoms we have, coupled with our hard work we have the opportunity for prosperity and success. Thankfully the USA tax law actually encourages business ownership. It is often easier to decide to go into a business than it is to decide WHAT business to go into.

If you are like Albert Einstein and believe “The environment is everything that isn’t me”, eco-minded and enjoy cleaning, perhaps the answer is a green cleaning company, after all no matter the economic situation, cleaning still happens. It is recession proof!

Green Cleaning is all the rage, as with anything eco-oriented in todays’ market.

Cleaning residential and commercial properties with green or environmentally friendly cleaning products is good for the earth. An extra benefit is that the building occupants are protected from toxic chemicals, whether they are your family members and pets or your clients, a.k.a., building tenants and office workers.

Many homeowners and building facilitators who want to use green cleaning products will seek to hire green house cleaning professionals to clean with the safest products. For those not yet enlightened it provides a great opportunity to have a unique selling proposition (USP) that is value add and thus easy to market.

Pros and Cons of Green Cleaning Business

As with anything there are pros and cons to include in your evaluation. Some of the reasons a green cleaning business is an attractive business idea include:

• A green cleaning business is relatively easy to establish.
• Startup costs are minimal. There are little to no capital expenditures required.
• In addition to providing the service, the business can also easily be environmentally sound because green cleaning products reduce waste, reduce or eliminate chemicals and are better for humans and animals.
• It is an easily scalable business as you only need to add staff whenever you want to expand your business.
• You can easily add to your services to provide a well-rounded experience for your clients at your pace as you establish yourself and subsequently grow.
• You can further refine your focus as you target households and/or businesses.
  Purchasing green cleaning supplies, such as the Fluffy Microfiber Duster by CleansGreen®, helps with marketing, attracting customers, as well as ensure the health of the cleaning team are not impacted by the traditional toxic cleaners.

On the flip side there are some potential challenges of starting a green cleaning business, including:

• You really need to enjoy cleaning, coupled with a perfectionist touch.
• Education is recommended to develop a thorough knowledge of green cleaning techniques and products.
• It is hard physical labor if you do all of the cleaning yourself. The primary cleaning hours are nighttime if your clientele is commercial in nature.
• Trust oriented relationship with your customers is paramount. To help fast track this you can become bonded and insured as you work in others’ homes and offices.

Evaluating Green Cleaning Company

In fully evaluating if a green, ecofriendly cleaning business is the right small business idea for you, it is great to run through the following checklist. This check and balance process enables you to flush out the details as well as refine your primary business direction. So ask yourself:

• Have I chosen a business that is based on what I love doing?
• Is this a business that fits into my current life or the life I wish to maintain?
• Am I leveraging my knowledge by building a business on what I already know and am good at?
• Considering my financial status is are the required start-up costs within my ability? If not what resources and from whom do I need to launch the business?
• Have identified a product or service that is in demand but within my geographic area is currently under-provided?

Green Cleaning Business Development Roadmap

Once you have refined your small business idea for a green cleaning company, the next step is to move forward and do it. The following ten steps will establish your roadmap and help you get started:

(1) Develop a Business Plan
(2) Get Business Assistance and Training
(3) Determine the Legal Structure of Your Business
(4) Register a Business Name (“Doing Business As”)
(5) Finance Your Business
(6) Choose a Business Location
(7) Get a Tax Identification Number
(8) Obtain Business Licenses and Permits
(9) Register for State and Local Taxes
(10) Understand Employer Responsibilities

A key element of your green cleaning business will be the cleaners you select to use in your operations. Green Cleaning Products has developed a great suite of Cleaning Kits for you to use to familiarize yourself with commercial grade cleaning products available for your business. Even better is that every kit contains a different color cleaning microfiber cloth designed to match the color of your cleaner. This color coded system will save you money, as well as being the best way to eliminate cross contamination of germs and chemicals.

These are available from Amazon or directly from Green Cleaning Products.