What to Consider when choosing Cleaning Business Opportunities in Canada
Commercial and residential cleaning services are one of the fastest growing business opportunities in Canada. Besides the fact that this is a high demand and seemingly recession-resistant service, the start-up costs are typically lower than other types of businesses.
If you’ve given much thought to investing in a cleaning business, there are several factors that you should consider in making your decision.
Franchise vs Independent ownership
Owning a franchise may have a greater start-up cost than starting the business on your own, but there are some very real advantages to going the franchise route. Most franchisors offer considerable support and training, and you’ll have the good and established reputation of the business behind you which should make it easier to attract new clients. This will be especially important if you are offering commercial cleaning services, but even on the residential side, many homeowners feel more comfortable hiring services from a company that already has an established brand.
Residential vs. commercial cleaning
When comparing cleaning business opportunities in Canada, one of the first choices you’ll have to make is whether you wish to focus on residential cleaning, commercial cleaning or both. Start-up costs, revenue streams and market share are a few areas you might want to consider when looking at the different options. Cleaning people’s homes, for instance, may have a lower start-up cost. If you are interested in larger, contract-based cleaning businesses, then commercial cleaning services may be of interest.
Choosing your target market
Especially if you decide to go with a commercial cleaning business, you will likely want to specialize in a specific niche market. Good franchisors often already have a specific focus such as office buildings, shopping malls, healthcare facilities, sporting arenas, etc.
If you gain a reputation for specializing in a certain market, it will be easier to market your services to similar types of businesses and gain new customers in the same industries.
What services will you provide?
The word “cleaning” actually encompasses a wide variety of services and most business owners cannot possibly offer all of them – especially if they are just starting out in their business. It is important therefore, to choose the services that you are going to offer.
Examples of more specialized services include carpet cleaning and window cleaning. It is often a good idea to offer maintenance contracts for these types of services to be conducted at regular intervals. Commercial clients frequently seek out cleaning businesses that offer specific services.
By offering more niche services you can set yourself apart from the competition and help establish your reputation as a franchise owner.
If you are considering cleaning business opportunities in Canada, then congratulations – you are looking into a growing and vibrant industry. You don’t have to be an expert in the beginning, but it’s important to keep all of these considerations in mind.
