I. Defining your
market.
There is no question
that to succeed in business you have to identify and target the market and the
first step is defining what services you wish to offer.
- Do you invest and go on
site?
- Do you clean only at
your location?
The difference on the
surface seems to be only resources (money) however, to an extent it
defines the market your going after. Offering on site cleaning services
lends itself to larger jobs where the volume justifies going to the
location or a job that requires the blinds be cleaned and replaced
quickly. There is flexibility and there is a healthy investment if you
have to buy the van along with your blind cleaning system.
Offering services based out
of one location reduces the investment and from a marketing perspective
puts more emphasis on partnering with area maid cleaning services and
janitorial companies. These type of companies typically do them by hand
because there is not enough volume to justify the investment of a blind
cleaning system. Partnering with several of these companies can be a good
niche in your market.
One good way to help
you define the market in your area is to survey potential clients. Who
should you call upon? Below are some suggestions:
- Hospitals
- Schools and Universities
- Restaurants
- Maid cleaning services
- Janitorial companies
- Nursing Homes
First you have to
find the right person in the organization. That may be the maintenance
manager or the housekeeping manager. This can be
done in person or by phone.
- May I speak with the
person responsible for cleaning and maintaining your blinds and light
lenses?
Once you have
contacted the appropriate person the following are some questions you may
wish to ask:
1. How are your
blinds and light lenses now?
2. How often do you clean your blinds and light
lenses?
3. When was the last time you had your blinds and
light lenses cleaned?
4. How many blinds do you have in your complex?
5. What is the largest blind you have?
6. Would you be interested in the service if it
became available in your area?
Surveying the Maid
and Janitorial services the questions would be somewhat different.
1. Do you currently
offer blind and light louver cleaning as a part of your service?
2. How many blinds do you currently have to clean
now?
3. How do you currently clean blinds and light
louvers?
4. Do you clean many offices where there are
smokers?
5. Have any of your clients mentioned allergy
problems with employees?
6. Do you think it would be an asset by offering
this service?
Be sure to record your
contacts and answers to help your analysis and for start up business this
is critical information for your business plan.
II. Pricing
Check the yellow pages and
find the competition in your area. They may be listed under various
categories. If you have access to the internet you can expand your survey
to other cities with similar demographics using a search engine like
www.dogpile.com. Also, while taking your survey, names of companies who
offer blind cleaning services may be mentioned, keep a record of the names
and do a pricing survey of the companies.
Knowing the pricing
in your area is critical and the best way to find out is just to ask for
prices from people currently in the business. You may want to ask some of
the following questions:
1. Do you clean
blinds on site or do I have to bring them to your location?
2. Are there different prices for different kinds of
blind?
3. What type of equipment do you use to clean the
blinds?
4. How do you charge?
The more information you
can get the better. Pricing depends on what the market will bear and
varies. To form some number the following are some prices taken from a
cross section of area's.
Pick up and delivery
charge:
$35-$50 minimum
Plastic and Aluminum
blinds:
$2.50 per linear foot for blinds up to 6 feet in
height
$3.00 per linear foot for blinds over 6 feet in
height
Wooden and Fabric
Blinds:
$3.00 per linear foot for blinds up to 6 feet in
height
$3.50 per linear foot for blinds over 6 feet in
height
Plastic Vertical
Blinds:
$2.50 to $3.00 per linear foot
Fabric Vertical
Blinds:
$3.00 to $3.25 per linear foot
or
$1.75 to $2.25 per slat (based on height, weight,
etc.)
* Plastic Light
Diffuser Covers
$2.75 to $3.50 for 2' X 4' standards
* Parabolic Light
Diffuser Covers
$3.50 to $4.25 for 2' X 4' standards
* NOTE: It is critical to
use DI water to rinse do to spots generally caused by water containing
lime and other minerals.
III. Profits
Ultrasonic Cleaning of
blinds and light louvers is extremely efficient saving time and labor.
Wiping a blind down by hand or using a spray washer takes much more time
and doesn't clean the products very well. The average blind takes about 3
to 4 minutes to clean ultrasonically and it is this efficiency that
produces high profit margins. Below is a conservative example:
Assumptions:
- Average 15 blinds per
hour
- Average charge per blind
is approximately $10.00
- 6 hours per work day
- 5 day work week
- 90 day vacation
Expenses:
- Ultrasonic Power
Corporation Blind Cleaning System: $10,595
- Part time employee 32
hours per week @ $5.15 for 9 months: $ 5,932
- Advertising Expenses:
$2,000
- Phone, insurance,
accounting expenses and misc.: $5,000
Total: $23,527
Once you have
established a customer base that fills the 15 blinds per hour for 32 hours
this would be your first years figures:
- 15 blinds per hour X
$10.00 per blind: $150 per hour
- 6 hour work day X $150
per hour: $900 per day
- 5 day work week X $900
per day: $4,500 per week
- 4 weeks per month X
$4,500: $18,000 per month
- 9 month year X $18,000:
$162,000 per year
- Expenses
$23,527
- Potential Income:
$138,473 per year
IV. Advertising
Advertising your
services is of course very critical and there are the obvious ways:
- Yellow Pages
- Radio
- Newspapers
These can be
expensive. There are some other ways that can be less expensive.
- Doing a Mailing using
post cards offering a percentage off the first cleaning.
- Networking with your
clients asking for referrals.
- Business Cards
- Calling local newspapers
to see if they spotlight businesses.
V. Financing
Obtaining financing for the
start up business can be more challenging however, not impossible. Your
first step should be developing a business plan presenting the information
you have compiled into a presentation that makes sense and is believable.
This is essential when applying for a small business loan at a bank.
Use the resources
that are at your disposal. In most cities across the country there are
offices for the Small Business Administration, they provide information
for starting a business.
Leasing offers some
advantages in managing cash flow, and in other areas.
Download and Print "Marketing
your Blind Cleaning Business"
