How Much Should I Charge When I Start a Cleaning Business

By John F Smith

Starting a business is quite an easy thing if one has already made up his/her mind about something. Like for example, when setting up a cleaning business. But there are still so many things to think about and go over before finally opening it up. One of the most important is as to how much I charge when I start a cleaning business. This is one of the most crucial because it is in the pricing that customers look into before patronizing a service. There are certain parameters when starting out a pricing list for a newly opened business.

One is the area of the business. Area means that the rent, the bills, and the other important charges should be properly totaled and generously fractioned to the number of expected customers. Next, one must ensure that the pricing is competitive enough. This will entail that one is to do dirty work. Move around check out the same businesses, and get their pricing. And lastly, improve your services against competitors. Design some hot offers and deals as you open up the business. This will entice customers and if you do your homework, they will come back for more.

Having a very competitive business as cleaning services is basically service and customers. So it is very important to improve not only the service but how one can deal with his/her customers. Doing so will bring your return of investment (ROI) in less the time than you have allotted. That happening, the business is definitely a success!

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4 Sound Methods For Building Your Customer Base

By Robbi A. Gunter

Doing business the same old way, day in and day out--maintaining the status quo--equates to nothing more than a mediocre business. In today's competitive environment, you must continually reevaluate your business. Build a strong, enthusiastic customer base and you will flourish.

One successful approach to increasing your customer base is to learn about the customer. Know about their families, company histories, hobbies; use intuition and natural bonding processes. Women specialize in these says Aliza Pilar Sherman, in Selling Like a Girl (2008); men can be trained. Make your customers feel valued says mediator Elinor Robin, Ph. D. "customers soon forget what was said and charged; they remember how they felt."

First, it's easier and less costly to keep an existing client. It is a fact that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. Building a loyal customer base is imperative for a growing business. Create realistic expectations and always live up to them or exceed them. Customer service is the lifeblood of a successful organization. APCO's CEO, Margery Kraus strives for a 95% satisfaction ratio in customer feedback. "An easy was to stay in touch is to survey your client/customer base. Use the survey results to gauge how well you are doing and make any necessary adjustments." Survey your customers electronically.

Use customer case research (CCR) to let your customers make the case. Chart the trail of circumstances, events, people, experiences, actions, or thoughts that led them to buy a product or service. Let them tell their stories in their own words. CCR concentrates on the customers other experiences. Review shopping lists, vendor files, and catalogues used. Create relatedness.

A third method is recommended by Barb Mulhern, president of LR Editorial & Consulting, Inc., an editorial and safety consulting firm; simply put: "diversify. When I started out, 90% of my business came from one client." There were nerve-wracking weeks when contracts were due for next year's service "and I realized the importance of having more than one major client. We signed them eventually, but in the 15 years since I learned how to find many customers. They are your bread and butter."

The fourth method of building your customer base is to become a media maven. Learn print, electronic media, broadcast (TV and radio) and all other arenas. Trade shows, customer events, mail and web services. Learn to trim and pare your message--then everyone should hear it. Learn to deliver a 60 second elevator speech to show a total stranger what you do. And try splitting advertising costs with suppliers. You'll reach more prospects.

Robbi Gunter is a staff writer for Strong Business Credit, a free educational web resource for small business owners and businesses seeking to obtain business financing and credit cards.

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Seed of Success - Can One Man Make a Difference?

By Lee Walters

Growing up in a middle class family of seven was a learning experience which caused me to reflect often about the whole issue of success and motivation.

Our family was a microcosm of the varying income strata ranging from wealth to low middle-class. I studied the motivations (or lack of) of those within these strata and here is what I discovered: somewhere in the life of those who strive to rise above is an underlying reason which causes them to need to excel. Their reason is governed by two factors, desire for more and fear of loss.

These types are, in a word, driven. They can not sit still until they achieve a certain goal and once that goal is achieved they create a new goal larger than the first. Those of us who want to succeed can learn from these motivated people.

I learned from my Uncle Charlie (the millionaire of the family) who gave me great advice. On one occasion I was visiting his factory and he shared some thoughts. He told me that since the Federal Reserve started creating mini depressions I could count on recurring booms and busts in the economy and should plan accordingly. As I look back on his business I see exactly how he followed this advice.

While the economy was booming he saved cash and when the economy took a down-turn he would get a great price on new equipment and a new building. This happened every time!!! It amazed me; others would be acting like Chicken Little saying "the economy will never recover this time" or "it could take 10 years to pull out of this one" but Uncle Charlie just kept on building right through the seeming worst of times. His business grew larger and better every time.

Uncle Charlie was one of the most honest and decent persons I have ever known and this was a great factor in his success. When he said he would do something he did it. If a customer had an issue he solved it. He stood behind his work! Everyone knew they could count on him.

Uncle Charlie grew up during the great depression and watched as people were laid-off their jobs. He decided the only way to avoid such an occurrence in his life would be to own a business.
He reasoned that business might slow down but he would still have some customers needing work. He was right. There is always movement in the economy...ALWAYS. It NEVER stops completely!

What motivated Uncle Charlie?

Motivation involves two things; desire to better our situation and desire to reduce discomfort. Some call it simply greed or fear. I think that is too simplistic...base, really. The term greed is far too negative in my opinion. To call Uncle Charlie greedy because he wanted to provide a great service for his customers and a great legacy for his family would be very, very wrong.

He became quite wealthy in the process and that was a result of excellence in all his dealings. His was a win, win, win, win, win...always win for everyone who knew him. If you dealt with him you were getting a quality product at a fair price. If you worked for him you were getting a fair wage (above union rates!). Complete honesty is what you got from Uncle Charlie.

Uncle Charlie just like everyone had to wrestle with desire for more and fear of loss. He recounted stories of equipment breaking down, or workers being unreliable and leaving him responsible for large work orders. Through it all he rose to meet difficult situations.

Desire for more and fear; there is always a battle raging between these two motivations. Sometimes fear motivation wins out and people do NOTHING. Sometimes the desire for more wins out and great things are accomplished. If anything is to be accomplished one must forge ahead and do it.

If Uncle Charlie had focused on fear he might have said to himself "a machine could break down or an employee could quit or I could make a mistake" and if he had let that fear take over, his business might never have been started!

But, Uncle Charlie was the type of person who once he got the idea he was going to do something it was going to happen. Here is an example; sometime during the 1930s he went to university to study chemical engineering. At that time the only chemistry textbooks were from Germany and were written in German! So, Uncle Charlie learned German and passed chemistry!

Only three in his entire class accomplished this. Oh yes, his family did not have much so he worked his way through school. HE WORKED HARD!

Uncle Charlie believed that there is a solution for every problem. He loved devising methods for production. He loved creating new more efficient systems. He loved creating products for his customers. He loved his family and taught them well. I remember meeting a woman who had met one of Uncle Charlies' sons and she raved about what a real gentleman he was. That instruction came straight from the top. I don't mean Uncle Charlie. I mean THE ONE above him.

I learned much from Uncle Charlie and I hope I am properly sharing the advice of this great man.

Let me quickly recap:

1. There is a solution for every problem

2. Our boom and bust economy is artificially created by the actions of the Federal Reserve. Plan accordingly: save during the good times and get bargains which apply to the growth of your business during the downturns.

3. See the big picture and do not let an occasional glitch stop you.

4. Focus on a positive outcome because your goal is just like every part of life; the vast majority is positive with a little adversity thrown in to spice it up.

5. Be honest in all your dealings and stand behind your work.

6. Constantly strive to improve.

7. Let Love be your driving force...for your family, customers, employees. . .do your best to treat everyone right.

Looking back I realize Uncle Charlie had some major things figured out. He has left this world but his business continues to grow larger and better.

Larger and Better...seems a good goal to me!

I hope sharing a little about Uncle Charlie helps you on your way to success.
He has certainly helped me!

Lee Walters http://www.online-business-builders.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Walters

How to Get Rich Fast - Entrepreneurs Sell the Sizzle

By Martin Thomas

In sales they tell us to sell the sizzle, the sizzle of the barbecue is what makes the sale. What is meant by that is that people make decisions based upon perceived benefits rather than concrete benefits. We buy things for what we perceive to be the enhancements and these are suggestions and not necessarily exact benefits.

To get rich fast an entrepreneur always looks for a demographic market base. That is a large group of people in the same "boat" with the same problems questions, concerns and issues about a particular problem that an entrepreneur can solve in the form of a product or service.

The bigger that market demographic is the larger the potential wealth. So not dissimilar to an oil company that hire a geographer to plot high potential sites for oil deposits. An entrepreneur can plot high potential markets by looking at needs and solutions of any particular idea.

Another way to get rich is to explore new ideas that are doing well that you can add a twist or unique improvement that would allow you to compete. This is typically done by looking at the advertising being done in any particular field and watching for new products that are doing repeat and long term advertising. This is a sure sign the company is selling their product well and you too can then get involved. This style of commando environmentalism is very efficient and has made vast fortunes for people. The reason being that being quick to spot a high selling new product or service and launching your own competitive version of it is easy to do because you can see where the target company is advertising and get insights about what they are doing even before you waste your own money experimenting with the audience.

If you would like to discover a verified list of Million Dollar Corporations offering you their products at 75% commission to you. Click the following link to learn how you will begin compounding your capital right now. click here to learn about the EasyCorporateMoney.com program Copyright Jack Reynolds - Syndicated with rights to reprint, the only condition is you MUST print this author resource box as part of the article. You may not alter the point size or edit in any way.

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10 Tips for Successful Startups

By: David Byrd

It can be a very emotionally filled time when you venture out and start your own company. You will experience extreme highs and lows. There will be fear and second guessing, terror when you think things are falling apart, and excitement and joy as a fledgling idea transforms into an actual business – and it’s yours! No two startups are the same and yet they have many things in common. The following are some tips for success that will help you with any startup.

1. Only start a company to do something you have a passion for.
Make work something you enjoy?! Most think that work is just for money, and starting your own business is to make more money for yourself. Your new business will steal almost all of your time, patience, and attention in the first few years. If you don’t love what you’re doing, not only will it destroy your company, it will take you down too.

2. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
It’s not pessimistic if you plan for the worst. You are not mentally preparing to fail or anything like that. You are being careful and dutiful when you ask questions like, “If I can’t sell enough product, what will we do?” Even before the beginning, you need to plan your exit strategy. How many losses can you sustain without permanently damaging yourself? When is too much money invested too much? It doesn’t have to be all bad. How much of percentage of shares are you willing to take. What is the minimum amount you will accept in a buyout? The point of planning the end at the beginning is that you are doing it when clear-headed and not steeped in the emotions of the time.

3. Use what you know.
It can be easy to justify big purchase of equipment, hardware, and software simply because that’s what businesses have, or you will need it eventually. Start your business using your three year old laptop, do the budgets in excel, manage the database in access. Stick with what you have, what you know, and what is familiar. You can always upgrade as needed later.

4. Can you be too good at raising money?
Getting a startup off the ground requires money, usually a lot of it. So raising money is an important skill to have. However, it cannot be the only reason for your company. For example, if you get a mass of investors involved in product with limited sales potential, regardless of what happens, your investors will want a return on their investment.

5. Watch the eggs; keep them out of one basket.
Especially when capitalizing on a niche market, limiting the scope of your business can be very damaging in the long run. Make sure that your company is not too dependent on one particular market. If that market isn’t robust enough to support your company, changes, or disappears, you may find that your company cannot change fast enough for its survival.

6. Beware the only preferred shareholder.
The two most common times to really need money are at the beginning of an enterprise and when expanding. Venture capitalists can get you that money, but tend to only want to invest in a company that is already worth a lot. When you get down to sign the paperwork to make them a shareholder and take their cash, make sure to read and understand the bit about “preferred shareholders.” You probably already know this means that the preferred shareholder (the VC) gets their money back first in cases of buyouts and such. After that, you and the other shareholders divide what money remains. This seems fair, but if your company is sold when its value is down, the VC will get all their money leaving little left over for you.

7. Don’t hire top managers too soon.
If you were a freelance manager, why would you want to work at this fledgling new company? You probably wouldn’t. Businesses that are attractive to managers are business with customers, cash flow, and recognition. Yours probably does not have little to any of those. Even if instincts tell you to get someone in the hot seat instead of you, ask yourself if this is really the best time. Try to wait for the moment when the business will pay for the manager, rather than getting a manager to make the business pay for itself.

8. Use a lawyer, but not too much!
There are many, many pitfalls in starting a business and a lot of them can be avoided with the selective use of a lawyer. There are many companies on the internet offering standard, boilerplate contracts and waivers that are a godsend to new business; saving them countless dollars that are needed elsewhere at the beginning. Shop around and find a business lawyer so you’ll have one when you really need it. Use the internet and take care of all the legal details you can, then call your lawyer to look it all over as a double check. It will be vastly less expensive that hiring him to do everything for you.

9. Unless it’s your product, don’t put a logo on it.
Money is the lifeblood of a startup. Its presence will make things happen while its absence will guarantee failure. Don’t spend money on frivolous things. A big case in point is putting your logo on shirts, not for sale, but to give to friends and customers. Yes, you are getting your name out there, but no, that little will not make a difference. Save your money for other parts of your business that truly need it.

10. Make it fun!
You have a passion for your business because it’s yours. Your employees may agree to some degree, but still a big part for them is their paycheck. To get the full potential out of your employees there are many management methods you could try, but most often the best one – for you and them – is to make it fun to come to work. Celebrate victories, birthdays, and Thursdays. Reward good sales, achievements, and people. Encourage ideas that make employees comfortable, happy, and productive. Guess what: you’ll have more fun too!

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Work at home business ideas to defeat inflation

By: toddie44
Work at home business ideas

Work at home business ideas to defeat inflation

With unrelenting, inflation driving the cost of living through the roof, there are some weapons you could use to defeat inflation and possibly smile all the way to the bank - smart work at home business ideas. If your question is "WHAT ideas?" ... you shouldn't be surprised to know that the answers lie within you. Find those answers and you'll be well on your way to drive inflation away.

Before you leap online to search for home business ideas, there are some questions you need to ask yourself. What are your strengths and areas of interest! What can you really do well that most others cannot. What are the things you enjoy doing? What are you aiming for? If you think hard, there's no doubt you will find your answers. When you do, you will be making an intelligent start and choosing the ideal work at home business ideas will be easy.

Whatever may be your financial objectives, any well managed, home business can get you there and there are numerous online as well as offline business options that you may consider. Either way, a computer with an internet connection will be an invaluable tool to conduct your business and ensure its success. Your own website may, or may not be necessary, but this will depend on the nature of the business you wish to run. Here are some work at home business ideas that can make inflation a thing of the past, provided you put in a lot of time and effort and stay focused until you succeed.

Daycare service - This is a much in demand, service and one that should have many takers. Most working parents with infants or little children are always on the lookout for a professional and reliable daycare service. You could extend this service to include household pets and conduct the same either at your own home, or have members of your staff take care of children or pets at their own premises.

Custom greeting cards - This is proving to be an extremely profitable business idea today and many people have successfully established custom greeting card businesses and managing them efficiently from their homes. There are several greeting card design software, programs on the internet that you can download which can help you to design and print greeting cards at home.

Article writing - If writing is your forte, you'll find that article writing is one of the profitable work at home business ideas. As content is considered 'king' in websites, there is a consistent demand for good writers, given the limitless number of well established and new sites.

Meal service - If you are a stay at home mom who possesses all-round culinary skills and have a penchant for cooking, you can offer homemade meals to households in the vicinity, and if logistically possible, beyond. People are ever eager to have homemade meals and a meal service that caters to this demand can be extremely lucrative.

Work at home business ideas, are many, and if you choose one wisely and give it your all, there's every reason you will succeed. One big advantage of a work at home business is that there are no limits to what you can earn, and when the big bucks roll in, you'll have the ammunition to defeat inflation.

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How to Start an Internet Business

By Tom Lindstrom

Wanting to work from home with an internet business is a great goal. Many companies operating today started with that same dream and found success. Some by trial and error and others due to planning and knowing how to start an internet business. In theory, there is no difference in starting an internet business than in starting any other type of business.

There is an old saying that goes if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail and that is true when starting a business. Having enough cash to last while you get the business up and running to pay the bills is one of the primary things that you need to consider. Not just for the business, as unless you maintain another source of income while starting a new one, you will also need living expenses.

A website will be the crux of your internet business and you can either build one yourself or pay someone to put together a quality site for you. It may not need to be earth-shattering with all the bells and whistles some sites are saturated with, but it does need to present a level of professionalism to agree with the presentation of the business you are offering.

If you are offering retail sales, then a secure shopping cart will be necessary and will need to be integrated into your website. Customers who cannot find a simple way to pay for purchases will simply become visitors.

Getting people to your site will be your next consideration because the phrase build it and they will come only applied to the baseball field in the movie. It will not work in business. Unless you are prepared with a large budget for advertising and marketing, you will have to look at alternative methods of letting the world know you are in business and ready to help them.

Marketing on a shoestring can be done, but you will need to be prepared to do a lot of things on your own.

By working from home you can usually establish your own hours and your own dress code, however a professional appearance will be mandated during the times you meet with customers or prospective clients. You will also have to have the motivation to get up and work from home even on those days you really do not feel like it, just as though you were working for someone else in their office. You have to show up in order to get your work done.If you are thinking of working from home, and you still have a full-time job, before walking away from it you may want to work from home on a part-time schedule to learn what it is going to take to solicit work and get it done on time once you get the contract. Depending on the type of work you do, if it involves having clients visit your home office, you will also have to consider the cost of liability insurance to protect you in the event of injury on your property.

Learn the best free home business marketing tips and discover how you can start and easily operate your own business from home.The Home Business Archive shows you how.Visit: http://www.tlmarketing.net