Do I need experience to start a cleaning business?

You don’t need years of cleaning experience to start a cleaning business. Plenty of people running one well never had it.

What you actually need

Three skills matter more than knowing how to clean:

• Screening people well. The cleaners are the business. Choosing the right ones is the most important thing you do.
• Pricing a job correctly. Price too low and nobody makes money. Price by guesswork and every job is a surprise.
• Answering the phone. Customers book with the company that responds. Remote doesn’t mean passive: somebody still has to pick up.

What happened when I did the cleaning myself

I cleaned houses myself when I started Patriot Maids, and I wasn’t very good at it. It’s hard on the body. Tile, vinyl and different kinds of hardwood all need different handling, and it’s easy to damage things. I’d come back exhausted, and reading how-to guides online is nothing like being out in the field.

What I was good at was finding customers, pricing and running the business. So I focused on that, and worked with independent professionals who were already great at cleaning. That one decision changed the entire business.

Spend one day cleaning anyway

Even so, spend at least one day cleaning alongside a professional early on. You’ll learn what a job really takes, and every conversation you have with customers and cleaners after that is more credible.

Common questions

What does the owner do all day, then?

Not cleaning doesn’t mean not working. You’re handling marketing, taking calls, figuring out what the customer actually needs, quoting, scheduling, customer service and solving problems. The cleaner’s expertise is the cleaning. Your expertise is running the business around it.

Do I need to know cleaning products?

Not the way a professional cleaner does. Knowing which product goes on which surface is their expertise, and that’s why you work with professionals. What you need to know is how to run the business: marketing, communication, scheduling, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Can I start while I still have a full-time job?

I did. I built Patriot Maids while I was still working as a software engineer. I missed calls sometimes and called people back on breaks and after work. Don’t put the job that pays your bills at risk to answer every lead instantly. Build steadily, and set up systems as you go.