How To Start a Carpet Cleaning Business
If you’ve thought about starting a carpet cleaning business, you’ve come to the right place. There aren’t too many steps between you and your new carpet cleaning business, but there are a few steps you need to know to get started. Here’s what you need to know.
#1. How To Form a Carpet Cleaning Business
Starting a carpet cleaning business is similar to other small service businesses that generally don’t require a license. However, you may need a business license in some states. You can look up business license requirements to find out about your state’s rules and regulations. That’s step number one.
Then, you need to form a business entity. Many states require just an LLC or C Corp, depending on how big you expect your business to get, and all you have to do is file the right paperwork with your state to form the right type of business for you and register for an EIN. An Employer Identification Number is the number that identifies your business for tax purposes, similar to a social security number. You can register yourself for an EIN or hire a service like LegalZoom to do it for you. They also can act as registered agent, which means someone will handle all business legal paperwork for you for a small fee.
After you have your EIN, you can open a business bank account, decide on a process for doing your business taxes and accounting (1800Accountant is a basic way to get started with helpful advice, or you can hire in an accountant), and you’ll want a lawyer on retainer for legal advice as well as an insurance agent to find the right types of insurance for your business. Each professional you hire should be able to walk you through the process that’s right for your business, so all you have to do is find the right professionals and answer their questions.
#2. How To Hire Staff for a Carpet Cleaning Business
Your insurance agent will recommend business liability and workers comp insurance as a baseline for your carpet cleaning business. You’ll want insurance coverage in case anyone is injured or you have any claims of damage against your business, so you don’t end up personally liable for charges.
Once you have insurance, post an ad to hire carpet cleaning staff in your local paper, or on local job boards. Or, you could start cleaning yourself. Many carpet cleaning businesses start as one-man businesses and expand with time. One important reason to have workers comp insurance for a carpet cleaning business is that there can be a lot of heavy lifting of machines and furniture. You may want to specify when you bid out jobs whether you will move the furniture or not, and charge accordingly.
#3. Purchasing Carpet Cleaning Equipment
Carpet cleaning equipment can be as simple as rented carpet cleaning machines from the local hardware or grocery store, or a set of machines you buy and service for a large team.
Carpet cleaning supplies and equipment are available in a range of sizes and for everything from homes to industrial cleaning jobs at industrial carpet cleaning supply companies.
You’ll need the following carpet cleaning supplies:
- carpet cleaning machines
- disposable boot protectors and/or gloves
- carpet shampoo
- spot cleansers and rags
#4. How To Manage a Carpet Cleaning Business
After you form your carpet cleaning business, you’ll need a plan to grow your business, and software to keep everything organized. Check out our handy guide on how to write a cleaning business plan, which can be adapted to a carpet cleaning business. The best support you can give yourself in running a carpet cleaning business is to find a good business software to manage your scheduling, invoicing, payment processing, and contacts for you. Then you can focus on the clients.
Yottled is a top small business software just for businesses big and small. With Yottled you can get a white-label website or a scheduling and payment software that integrates with your existing website. You also get great client management tools and invoicing all in one place. As you grow, you can expand your services to larger carpet cleaning jobs and more clients, and Yottled will grow right alongside you.
