Start A Carpet Cleaning Service - Business Ideas
Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.
One of the most common household decorative items is a floor carpet. Carpets are extensively used in commercial and residential spaces to provide an aesthetic look. The increased use of carpets has influenced the demand for carpet cleaning services.
If you are starting a carpet cleaning company, you will need quality equipment and an on-point marketing strategy to stand out from the competition. You will be challenged by managing customer quoting, invoicing, allocating labor, and collecting payments. Therefore, invest in the right software for managing business operations and tracking invoicing.
Starting a carpet cleaning service requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.
If you're interested in how to sell carpet cleaning, or selling carpet cleaning online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.
Want to learn more? You can check out our full guide on how to start a carpet cleaning service ➜
Key Stats
Startup Costs
| Min Startup Costs | Max Startup Costs | |
|---|---|---|
|
Office Space Expenses |
$0 |
$7,000 |
|
Employee & Freelancer Expenses |
$151 |
$352 |
|
Website Costs |
$223 |
$7,215 |
|
Business Formation Fees |
$5,600 |
$20,400 |
|
Equipment & Supply Expenses |
$63 |
$700 |
|
Vehicle Expenses |
$2 |
$4 |
|
Software Expenses |
$162 |
$3,094 |
|
Advertising & Marketing Costs |
$0 |
$1,000 |
|
Total Startup Costs |
$6,201 |
$39,765 |
Successful Businesses
| Business | URL | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
MOLLY MAID |
mollymaid.com |
87,635 |
|
|
The Maids |
maids.com |
177,621 |
|
|
COIT |
coit.com |
215,902 |
|
|
Chem Dry |
chemdry.com |
394,668 |
|
|
Vivid Cleaning Services |
vividcleaningservices.com |
937,381 |
|
|
KIWI |
kiwiservices.com |
940,393 |
|
|
Sears |
searsclean.com |
1,002,303 |
|
|
Zerorez |
zerorez.com |
1,031,989 |
|
|
NYC Carpet Cleaning, Brooklyn Carpet Cleaning, Oriental Rug Cleaning and Repair |
jlcarpetandupholstery.com |
1,376,786 |
|
|
Power Washing Pros |
pwpsla.com |
1,393,976 |
|
|
ServiceMaster by Wright |
servicemasterrestorations.com |
1,430,909 |
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Description |
|---|---|
|
Little startup costs required |
The cost to start a carpet cleaning service costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 39,765. |
|
Rewarding work |
Starting a carpet cleaning service can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about. |
|
No overhead costs |
To get your carpet cleaning service started, there are no costs associated with overhead, storage, packaging, etc. This will save you a lot of time and money! |
|
High customer retention rates |
Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer. |
|
High margins |
The gross margins for your carpet cleaning service are typically around 95%, which is considerably high and allows you to grow your business and manage costs easily. |
|
Quick build time |
The average time it takes to build your product is quick - typically around 8 months. This will allow you to bring your product to market faster. |
| Cons | Description |
|---|---|
|
Motivation of employees |
If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees. |
|
Stressful work |
This line of work can be stressful for both you and your clients. This type of transaction is a significant financial decision for your client, so expectations are very high for you. Although this career path can be very rewarding, it also comes with its challenges and stressful moments. |
|
Work can be repetitive |
You may find creating the same product over and over repetitive and tiresome. One way of avoiding this is to diversify product lines and revenue streams - this will keep things interesting! |
|
Time commitment |
With starting a carpet cleaning service, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business. |
|
Impatient customers |
You may offer an engaging user experience for your customer, but customers expect a lot and may be impatient if they aren't pleased with your product or service. |
|
You might struggle financially (at first)! |
If you bootstrap your business or choose not to pay yourself (or pay yourself less than you were making at your corporate job), this can be financially taxing. It's important to adjust your lifestyle and set a plan for yourself so you don't find yourself in a stressful situation. |
Marketing Ideas
-
1
Affiliate Program
Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.
Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.
The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.
-
2
Direct Sales
Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.
For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.
-
3
Word of mouth
Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.
Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.
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