As per various reports, the domestic cleaning market alone in the UK is worth between £3 billion and £9 billion per year, and the overall cleaning industry contributes £24 billion to the UK economy. These stats make it quite a competitive niche. Yet there’s a lot more potential for new businesses to enter the market and gain a fair share, because the industry is growing.
Let me explain how it makes sense for new micro business entrepreneurs to enter a competitive market and gain a market share.
Finding the most profitable type of cleaning business in the UK should be your first step in getting started and this article will shed light on how to find profitable cleaning business ideas.
How to Find the Most Profitable Cleaning Service Ideas in the UK
A general perception is that the people with good disposable income can afford a cleaner but not the majority of working class due to the recession bites. However, the truth is that working class needs a cleaner as much as an elite does, even those having working from home burnout need support in maintaining the house. With the fast pace lifestyle and increased workplace pressure, people prefer an hour or two of peace over £50 every week.
Depending on your location, you may charge £15 – £60 per hour. The rates depend on several factor including the locality, number of bathrooms, pets, how frequently the service is required, length of cleaning appointment, cleaning products etc. But the profitability lies in the choice of clean in services that you offer. Knowing your ideal type of cleaning business, you can better start a profitable cleaning business.
Generally, cleaning company can be either of these three main types:
Domestic Cleaning
Cleaning people’s homes either when they are at home or while they’re at work. You can start this type with single person and can expand as some client come in. Not much investment is needed and even you can start with a budget under £100.
The whole investment is in human capital, yourself (as an administrator, marketer and may be a driver too) and one or two cleaners in your team.
You do need to spend some time in research and finding the working class neighbourhoods. Check for your competitors in these areas, and offer a relatively low cost service or bundle up your offers in a way that your service looks more valuable to the clients.
Commercial Cleaning
Yes, it’s a bigger one with more profits, whereby you are supposed to get the whole building or multiple buildings cleaned. Here your role is more managerial than on the ground and you do need some hard cash investment in order to buy equipment and promoting your business further.
Commercial cleaning is not limited to the janitorial work in offices and residential buildings, instead it has a wider scope, i.e. commercial kitchen cleaning, warehouse cleaning, commercial HVAC and duct cleaning, sanitization services, move in and out cleaning, and at some point adding building maintenance services can give an edge to your business.
Specialised Cleaning
Other than the above two, there are lot of niche clean markets, i.e. window cleaning, cleaning services for schools and educational institutes, car cleaning, deep cleaning, carpet cleaning, windows cleaning, chimney sweeping, walls and ceiling cleaning, parking lot cleaning, sports venue cleaning and a lot more.
The specialised or the niche cleaning services are the ones considered to be most profitable, however, some of these may require a substantial investment too, so choose wisely.
The Next Steps
Once, you’re done with the right selection of a profitable cleaning business idea, here are the next crucial steps to be taken.