General Business and Finance Blog

Sounds simple enough doesn’t it ?… couple of buckets, handful of old rags and some aerosol spray. Get a few flyers photocopied and away you go!
Statistically in the UK 85% of new businesses fail in their first year so starting an oven cleaning business, as any other business, needs careful thought, planning and number crunching.
There are two basic ways of starting an oven cleaning business. You could start your oven cleaning business on your own with help perhaps from your family and your local friendly bank manager or you may consider investing into an existing oven cleaning or, even better, an oven valeting franchise. We’ll look at the franchised route to business in a moment but let’s first investigate starting on your own.
There are many aspects to starting your own oven cleaning business. The first thing to take into account as this is a mobile service is which vehicle will be appropriate. Will this be a car or a van ? Will whichever you choose look right in the eyes of your potential customers?
You’ll then need to investigate what equipment will be required to actually do the job.
Then there are things like insurances in case something goes wrong… Not just third party liability insurance but also cover in case the oven you’re working on (that may cost hundreds of pounds to replace) gets broken!
Of course you’re going to need a name to ‘trade as’ and this name will need some thought and investigation so it doesn’t infringe any existing oven cleaning business’ trademarks or registered marks.
A massive consideration when thinking about starting an oven cleaning business is who is going to teach you what can and can’t be done ? Will this person have the right qualifications to teach other people what to do? Has the person or company got ISO accreditation for example? All very important questions to ask.
Then you’ll need to look at continuity of materials and supplies. With the rapidly changing rules and regulations regarding oven cleaning business trade waste, you’ll need to find out if it’s possible to dispose of waste legally and, if so, where and at what cost. There’s maybe a bit more to starting your own oven cleaning business than might have been immediately apparent.
All of the steps above should be carried out diligently and this is before you’ve even considered getting customers to use your oven cleaning service!!
You may be aware that advertising doesn’t come cheap and mistakes can be very costly indeed. An enormous amount of time, effort and money may be required to even get a couple of inquiries in to your new and unheard of oven cleaning business.
At this point it all looks doom and gloom but, there is an alternative way of owning an oven cleaning business with significantly less risk… invest in an oven cleaning or oven valeting franchise.
Investing in an oven cleaning and oven valeting franchised business may well give you what you are looking for. An oven cleaning business that you own but a business that operates under a far larger corporate image. There are over 700 franchised brands in the UK alone operating in many different sectors of business. Some you may have heard of any many that you haven’t.
An oven valeting franchise ‘ticks all the boxes’ as the majority, (if not all), of the potential problems of struggling to set up on your own have been overcome by the holding company. The company is known as the franchisor.
The franchiser will have many years experience in establishing oven valeting businesses in the UK and possibly abroad as well. The franchiser will know all of the tried and tested methods and systems required for an oven cleaning and oven valeting business to be successful. The franchiser will have a strong brand image that will have been built over many years utilizing various local and national marketing initiatives to ensure franchisees get off to a flying start and quickly establish a profitable oven valeting business. Quality initial training and on-going help and support will be readily available especially if the franchiser is a full member of the British Franchise Association (BFA).
An oven valeting business operated under a franchise license is therefore an excellent route to market with massively reduced risk.
There are many information portals relating to starting in business generally and many relating to operating franchises.
A site to check for sure on investing in an established and market leading oven valeting franchised business is http://www.ovenu.com. Simply click the flag of the country where you are to find out more.

For the cost of cleaning supplies and a stack of marketing materials – you can be well on your way to starting a Home or Office Cleaning business! A cleaning business is flexible and versatile in many ways. You can offer your services to small business offices, churches, day care centers, private homes, and much more. Due to the ease of start-up and low overhead costs, the cleaning business is often crowded and can be very competitive in some areas.   Here are a few things you will want to keep in mind if you are considering a Home or Office Cleaning Business:

1. What range of services will you offer?: This is one service based business where it may be best to keep your list of services as flexible as possible. Where one client may want to hire you for a weekly deep cleaning of their home, another client may need a one time service of clearing a cluttered garage. Someone may want a laundry service while another wants carpet cleaning. Be open to your clients needs and wants.

2. In what ways can you set yourself apart from the rest?: A home-owner or business in the market for a cleaning service ultimately want just two things – a clean home or office and peace of mind. How good you are at providing those things will determine the success of your business. When a person allows you into your private space, they are trusting that you will not steal or do anything else to betray their trust. As a small business owner, you do not have the brand recognition of a larger cleaning company, so you will have to work harder to gain clients. To give them peace of mind it may be wise to insure and bond your business, keep an up-to-date copy of your driving record, and criminal background check. You should offer to show any new client this information.   As society grows more conscious of the environmental impact of certain chemicals, people are moving towards eco-friendly or “green” alternatives. You can reach that demographic by offering green cleaning solutions and child-friendly methods. This will be very important for families.

3. How can I market and advertise my cleaning business: When it comes to advertising – you will want to concentrate your efforts to high volume social places. Your local grocery store, day care facility, church or shopping plaza are ideal locations. Consider spending the money to run a print ad in your towns newspaper and CraigsList.com is another great (free) alternative. Building your word of mouth reputation will be important, offer to clean the homes of friends and associates in exchange for a testimonial of your services. You may also want to consider marketing a contract deal to local apartment complexes, Realtors and credit unions. These companies will always need a reliable service to thoroughly clean apartments and homes after leases end, evictions and foreclosures. In fact, specializing in foreclosure clean-up may prove to be highly profitable.   Though the overall start up costs of a cleaning business are very low, you don’t want to make the error of skipping over the important steps. Make sure to register your business legally with your county, state and the IRS. Purchase a domain name and establish a website. Finally, you are a cleaning professional and must present yourself as such at all times. Although you are cleaning messes, your appearance should remain tidy!