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| Here's what our members are saying...
"A quick note to say thank you for website and your recent
reply to a question I had. I'm just getting started in this business, and with
your help I am feeling more confident with each day that passes. Once again
thank you."
Steve Dodd
Commercial Cleaning Services
Broken Arrow, OK
"I had my first strip and wax
job and it happened to be a VERY picky Client. Well I have the advantage of
living very close to Steve and Jean. Steve offered to come and help. With
Steve's help we completed the strip and wax job. I learned so much and I am
extremity grateful for Steve and his commitment to helping his members succeed.
Steve and Jean you both are a GREAT blessing to our industry and an example of
true selfless individuals that I am proud to know. Thank you for all you do."
Matthew Kitzmann
Air Quality Solutions
Rochester, MN
"Steve, thanks for your help. I can't even begin to tell you
how valuable your site and help has made a world of difference to how we do
business."
Rocky Lozano
Big Sky Mountain Enterprises
Great Falls, MT
"Steve thanks for all your
help. I got the contract. Just to let you know this site has been fantastic. I
have been in business for 4 months here and I have secured 6 contracts with your
help and info. Keep up the great work."
Tim Daniels
All Green-All Clean
Long Beach, MS
"Jean and Steve, this is a big thank you for your knowledge and expertise in operating your company. There is an old familiar saying, 'only in America'. Well that is how one should feel about The Janitorial Store. 'only at THE JANITORIAL STORE'. Where else can one go to find the wealth of information that you provide daily? Where else can one have experience people like you and people like Sharon Cowan, Dick Ollek and Debbie Sardone, just to name a few, share their knowledge of how to run a successful business. These are people who have been there and done that. Thank you and continue doing what you do best."
William Briggs
One Briggs Janitorial
Service
Woodbridge, VA
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Business Planning Articles
It takes more to running a successful cleaning company than just a broom, mop and elbow grease. It takes proper planning so you get your cleaning business started off on the right foot and to keep it running smoothly.
You have to find the right niche for your business and learn how to develop a network to market your cleaning services. Having a successful business means knowing how much to charge, what additional services you can offer existing customers, when you should "fire" a customer, how to get up and running on a shoestring and ways to finance your business.
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Obtaining Federal Government Contracts for Cleaning Companies (Part One)
Jean Hanson
Did you know that the United States Government has contracts with small businesses worth over $1 trillion a year? They are the single largest "customer" for the janitorial industry. Add state and local government contracts to this and you have huge potential to add to your client base. Before you start the application process, you need to understand how getting a government contract works. As with most government decisions, winning a janitorial contract requires going through bureaucracy involving very specific procedures and requirements. Learn the steps in order to get a government contract. You may find that your business is not eligible for government contracts or that you don't even want to try. . . .
keep reading
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ONLINE VIDEO: Telephone Call Log and Cleaning Customer Complaint Log
Jean Hanson
Are you letting phone calls to your cleaning business fall through the cracks? Is your receptionist writing down your messages on post-it notes? Are your notes getting lost? Watch this short video, which shows how to keep a daily telephone call log to track all incoming calls. You should also keep a customer complaint log to track all complaints that come in. Find out what the log should contain so you and your employees can follow up and resolve the problem. . . .
keep reading
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The Two Most Important Things You Need To Do For Your Business Today
Sharon Cowan
It sounds simple doesn't it? Only 2 important things to do for your business today! How about get more clients? No. How about purchase new equipment? No. Well, how about moving to an office? No, none of the above. There are only 2 tasks that if neglected can make or break your business today. Now I know you are really scratching your head wondering what those can be. . . .
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Should You Target Property Managers or Owner Occupied Buildings?
Steve Hanson
One of the things you've probable learned about marketing your cleaning business is to figure out who your target market is. For those of you targeting office buildings, you've probably discovered that there are actually two groups of people you want to consider marketing to -- 1) property managers, and 2) building owners. . . .
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AUDIO: 10 Steps to Developing an Annual Business Retreat For Your Cleaning Business
Jean Hanson
Have you ever wanted to get away to spend time thinking about your business and planning for the future? This 5 minute audio podcast gives you 10 steps to get you started on creating your own business retreat! Remember the old saying, you should be working ON your business rather than working IN your business? This is why it is so important to make time to get away and work ON your business. It will also give you the time you need to figure out how to fit your business into your personal life and make the necessary adjustments. . . .
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Human Resource To-Do's for 2010
Jean Hanson
With a new year here, it's time to take a look at your cleaning business, including how you handle employees and related human resource issues. The following is an "HR" list to do for the new year. . . .
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Do You Dread Cleaning Customer Phone Calls?
Jean Hanson
Many of us started our business by doing the cleaning ourselves. And because we were excited about our new venture, we took extra care to make sure we did a good job for our customers. We laid the foundation for good customer service because it was our name and reputation on the line. . . .
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Press Releases: The Best-Kept Secret To Free Advertising
Sharon Cowan
One of the most underutilized and best kept secrets in effective marketing is the use of the Press Release. It is an easy, no-cost way to spread the word about your business. A well-written press release can be used to describe events, grand openings, new services you provide, new personnel, or even new products that you are using in your business. . . .
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What is a Mastermind Group and Why Should You Join One?
Jean Hanson
You know what they say about free advice? It's worth every penny you pay for it! If we were to listen to everything that everybody told us, we would be all over the board with ideas. Let's face it: you don't know everything. Who do you listen to? Who do you trust? What makes person A's advice any better than person B's? If we all had crystal balls, the decisions we make might be much easier. Now it's time to enter the real world. Growing your cleaning business means you need the best advice available. Where do you get that from? . . .
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Part-time vs. Full-time Employees
Jean Hanson
One decision you need to make when hiring is whether to hire full-time or part-time employees. Easy question to answer you say? "Well, part-time of course. They are cheaper!" In many instances, this is true. You may be able to pay a lower wage and offer fewer or no benefits. In addition, it can be easier to find people to fill in for a part-time employee versus a full-time employee. In an industry as competitive the cleaning business, labor is HUGE in determining profitability. That is why so many positions are part-time. However, this does not mean there is no reason to hire full-time employees. . . .
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Attending Cleaning Trade Shows, Part Two
Jean Hanson
Trade shows serve a useful purpose for the commercial and residential cleaning service owners. Like most things in this world, it is all about your attitude going into it, how much work you put into it, and what you do with the knowledge you learn. In Part Two of this series of articles about trade shows, we will pick up where we left off and discuss the things you need to know while you are attending the show. . . .
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Do You Have Minimum Prices In Your Cleaning Business?
Steve Hanson
Many new cleaning business owners get started by taking on smaller sized accounts with low frequencies of service. For example, they may clean offices that are as small as 1,000 sq ft up to 5,000 sq ft. Generally the clients of these smaller sized buildings need less frequent service than clients that have much larger office buildings requiring 5 days per week service. . . .
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Attending Cleaning Trade Shows, Part One
Jean Hanson
As a small business owner, I'm sure you have received many invitations to attend a trade show. If you are anything like I was, these invites ended up in the proverbial "circular file." You probably thought they were for corporate big-wigs or for those who needed an excuse to attend a "convention" on the company dime, when in fact you were looking for a mini-vacation. Those thoughts are misconceptions. Trade shows serve a useful purpose for the commercial and residential cleaning service owners. Like most things in this world, it is all about your attitude going into it, how much work you put into it, and what you do with the knowledge you learn. In this two-part article, you will learn about what trade shows are, how to prepare for them, what to do while attending one, and the benefits you can achieve. . . .
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The Grant Process for Cleaning Companies
Jean Hanson
So you want to start a cleaning service or expand your current one. You have the knowledge, skills, and ambition to do so, but are missing one thing -- money. Personally financing your business is often not an option. How about a loan? While a common choice for many people starting out, sometimes loans are not possible due to your circumstances or credit rating or for whatever reason. Plus, they have this built-in disadvantage: they have to be paid back! . . .
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Why You Should Diversify Your Cleaning Services
Steve Hanson
The cleaning business is one of the most obvious examples of what we call being in a service industry, the key word being "service." There are thousands of cleaning services, and therefore thousands of competitors. On the surface, many of them appear to offer basically the same thing: trash removal, restroom cleaning, vacuuming, dusting, etc. You may have a superior "product" by having the best training, best equipment, best employees, and best management techniques, but in a competitive market, an extra edge will put you at an advantage. One way to get that edge is by offering additional services that other companies do not offer. Diversifying your services gives you an opportunity to taking advantage of potential sales. . . .
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How To Get Your Local Cleaning Business Found Online
Jean Hanson
Many cleaning business owners know the importance of having a website, but many don't know how to optimize it so that the local community can find them online. Here are some tips to consider when optimizing your website for local search. . . .
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