How to start an eco-friendly cleaning business

The eco-friendly cleaning industry is growing at an incredible rate. 

If you are looking to join this green cleaning revolution, then this article is for you.

Sustainability & eco-friendly practices are the need of the hour. 

For a more significant positive impact, all viable businesses must try to implement it.

As far as the cleaning industry is concerned, 1 in 3 cleaning products has an ingredient that is harmful to humans or the environment. 

To combat his, eco-friendly cleaning is the way to go. (Source: Green Product Statistics)

In this blog post, we will discuss how to start your own eco-friendly cleaning business. 

We will also go over the steps involved in starting an eco-friendly cleaning company. 

And provide some helpful tips along the way!

Step 1 – Define your business plan for your eco-friendly cleaning business.

Are you aspiring to start a successful eco-friendly cleaning business? Your first step is to write down what you hope to achieve as a business.

Some of the eco-friendly cleaning services you can offer include –

Decide what type of equipment do you need to provide these services. 

Identify potential partners to source the equipment & other eco-friendly cleaning products.

Regardless, make sure that everything in your plan has a measurable metric.

This is a crucial step where you will be analyzing your business potential. 

Do a market analysis to see how the competitors are doing. And plan how you can stand out from them as well as be profitable.

It’s important to assess the risks involved before getting started realistically!

Step 2 – How much money does it take to start an eco-friendly cleaning business

This is a question with different answers. 

It depends on the type of equipment and services that you plan to offer. 

There are so many legal formalities & expenses involved in running any business.

So, you need to assess every aspect carefully and prepare yourself with a detailed plan.

There will be various costs involved like –

– Equipment, supplies, cleaning products

– Licenses & permits for your business

– Insurance coverage

-Employee salary

& so on.

Step 3 – Research your ideal audience

Eco-friendly cleaning services mainly attracts people who follow eco-friendly practices in their daily life. 

Analyze your market to see who your ideal customers are.

Depending on the service you offer, create an ideal customer persona. 

With this, you’ll be able to find out what your customers really need and want.

For example, an eco-friendly cleaning service for pet owners would have a different customer persona than the one offering a household or deep office cleanings.

Outline who your target audience is based on –

• where they live
• age range
• marital status
• Professional background
• Financial status, etc.,

Then dig deeper by finding out things like:

• Do they own pets?
• Do they buy organic food?
• What social media platforms do they use?

This will help you assess how they interact with eco-friendly products in general. 

This knowledge will go into your marketing strategy too!

Step 4 – Define your eco-friendly ethics

.Defining your service as eco-friendly and sustainable is a major step. 

The best way to do this is by defining your eco-friendly ethics and then living up to that in every aspect of running your business.

This will give you meaning, purpose, and sustainable success as an entrepreneur!

They may include:

• recycling paper products;
• using environmentally friendly cleaning supplies;
• avoiding the use of harsh chemicals or solvents for cleaning purposes;
• reusing water during jobs when possible (i.e., dumping it out after mopping);
• increasing awareness about sustainability with customers at home visits

Establish any such eco-friendly ethics you plan to follow in one place. 

As your business grows, make sure to keep a check on this. You can also revise & update it depending on any changes in the services you offer.

Register your cleaning business as a legal entity

Any business should register itself as a legal entity for paying taxes and for other reasons. 

It gives you protection to your intellectual property from legal issues.

There are many types of businesses that you can register as, but it is best to consult an attorney or accountant before choosing the right entity for your needs.

You should consider registering by:

– Sole proprietorship

– Partnership

– Corporation

– Limited Liability Company (LLC)

– Nonprofit Organization

Step 6 – Open a Business bank account

A business bank account is essential to operate your cleaning business efficiently.

With a business bank account, you will have the ability to –

• set up direct deposit for your employees
• make purchases without paying hefty cash advances with a credit card
• can accept payments from clients.

The downside of opening a business bank account is that many banks require you to put down some collateral or other security deposits to open an account.

Your best bet is to research around online for the best rates. 

Find one that offers low fees but also has excellent customer service ratings.

Some bank even offers eco-friendly accounts. 

Check all that before finalizing your bank.

Step 7 – Get a business license for your eco-friendly cleaning business

To start an eco-friendly cleaning business, you’ll need to follow the steps of getting a business license.

A general business owner can apply for this through their city’s website or tax office. 

Starting as early in the process as possible will help ensure that any licenses are received before beginning work.

Getting a proper business license can be of great help to your business.

Only with a proper business license can you have a service contract with your customers. 

This will outline the terms of engagement.

This includes

• What they can expect from their eco-friendly cleaning provider
• What you provide for them.

You may also want to include an indemnity clause: if you damage something while providing services, the customer is responsible for covering those costs.

Step 8 – Choose the right eco-conscious resources for your cleaning business.

Being an eco-friendly cleaning service provider, your primary objective is to source eco-friendly products for cleaning.

There are many eco-friendly cleaning products available in the market, but not all of them will be good for your business.

It would be best to do considerable research before you make any purchases or sign a contract with suppliers.

From cleaning liquids to the equipment used, make sure to buy eco-friendly supplies.

Eco-conscious premises –

Any eco-conscious company needs eco-conscious premises, isn’t it?

Firstly, plan how your premises need to be. What is the purpose you would use them for?

The size and features of the place you use should depend on what you want to do. 

For every type of business, you may need different kinds of facilities. So, do research these before committing any money!

Make sure your premises follow eco-friendly protocols. 

Save as much water you can. 

Install water recycling units. 

Try using solar power panels. 

Buy equipment that consumes less power.

Step 9 – Focus on branding.

Branding your eco-conscious business is essential. 

It ensures your brand stays in people’s minds.

When they think of a cleaning need for their home or so, your brand should pop up their mind.

Branding involves creating aspects like –

• Relevant logo – Make sure it depicts your eco-friendly nature & the service you offer.
• Right name that says you do an eco-conscious business
• Consistent design – Follow similar designs for your website, products & premises to create a lasting impact.
• Social media – Choose a platform where most of your audience is. Showcase your brand there and try to get into the minds of your audience.

Step 10 – Launch your eco-conscious cleaning service.

This is the most significant step. 

It would be best if you got a consistent flow of clients for running a successful cleaning service. 

For that, you need to launch your services properly.

As a cleaning service provider, you would need a physical place to store all your equipment & run your business.

But, having a business website will help your potential customers find about your service.

Create a business website –

• The first step in creating a website is to buy a domain name. There are also .green domains that are a dedicated domain name for eco-conscious brands.
• Choose eco-friendly green website providers like GreenGeek, A2Hosting, Ipage.
• Website theme is one other aspect that helps you catch the attention of people. Select green themes for your website. Check out this article for some eco-friendly themes for WordPress. 
• Then, the rest is up to you to create useful content. Could you describe what you do and how you do it? This will help you market your brand better.

Business cards

Prepare eco-friendly business cards for your cleaning service company. Some options include :

Making eco-friendly business cards with recycled materials from the office or your home. 

You can use such paper as watercolor paper, cardstock, and scrapbooking papers for this purpose. 

However, for a large-scale business, this wouldn’t be feasible.

Ordering eco-friendly business cards online on sites like EcoEnclose

Neatly organize them in a box to hand out when it’s time to take appointments or meetings.

Step 11 – Market your eco-friendly cleaning business

Come up with a clear & sustainable marketing strategy.

Have an online presence on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter where most of your audience would be present.

Create a business profile on these channels with proper linkages so that people can easily find about your service.

As soon as possible, start building connections with other local businesses & influencers. So, you grow locally without any difficulty. Pay attention to getting some positive reviews from clients for gaining their trust too!

Build partnerships – Partnering up with other eco-friendly companies will help build credibility.

Marketing helps you reach potential buyers who

• are looking out for green options
• care about sustainability practices adopted by their vendors
• are thinking of following eco-friendly lifestyle, but couldn’t find help

Summary –

The green cleaning industry is a lucrative option for small business owners. 

I hope this article has given you an idea of how to start an eco-friendly cleaning business. 

By following all the eco-friendly protocols & business strategies, your eco-conscious cleaning business is sure to succeed.