Blog | Self-Employed House Cleaner
Get In the Driver’s Seat!
Get the tools and ideas you need to start your dream🌟 cleaning business. Use this blog to start and build a house cleaning business that puts you in the Driver’s Seat of your work and life!
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The Giving Season: Customer Gifts, Tips and Gratitude + bonus thank you notes
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Get in the Driver’s Seat!
Rolling into your inbox with valuable tools and take action tips to build your dream 🌟 house cleaning business. Plus products and services I think you might like.
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Latest Posts
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Stainless Steel Surprise
Discover how one zombie mistake with Windex™ solved a stubborn house cleaning problem.
Plus the value of mistakes and how to learn from them so they lead to greater understanding and solutions in your cleaning business.
Free Your Time with Mobile Check Deposits
Get the lowdown on mobile check deposits and how they can help you save time each week.
Find out about tips for successful mobile deposits including fees, delays and security concerns with mobile check deposits.
Includes a video to get you started.
Continue reading…Self-Employed House Cleaner’s Deep Guide to Cleaning Business Partnerships
Business partnerships are like marriages. You start out with the warm, rosy glow of the honeymoon period .
Then comes the day to day work of decisions and yes, some disagreements.
If you have the right partner, there can also be growth, mutual respect and healthy profits.
Just like marriages though, unfortunate things can happen and the partnership may break.
Discover ways to set-up and maintain a strong cleaning business partnership with this Deep Guide.
Even if you’ve been in a business partnership for years, there are things you can do now to make it better, now and in the future.
How To Get Ahead Of The Game With Partnership Taxes
If you work with the right person or persons, a business partnership can be a great way to build a thriving house cleaning business.
However, a business partnership brings with it more paperwork, responsibilities and things you need to be aware of like taxes.
Making your way through tax requirements for partnerships at the federal, state and local level can be a lot of work.
Plus there are special rules for married couples who work together in a business.
To get ahead of the partnership tax game, you and your partner(s) need to be very clear about all of the taxes you’re expected to pay.
Continue reading…3 Insider Secrets To Make Natural Stone Countertops Gleam
Are you challenged by your customers natural stone countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms? You do an okay job with them, but you want to do better?
Uncover “3 Insider Secrets” to make your customer’s natural stone countertops gleam. Find out how to safely clean these surfaces.
Use the secrets to make your cleaning business a local stand out and add a glow 🌟 to your bank account.
5 Ways To Energize Your Cleaning Business With QR Codes
Looking for a way to energize marketing in your cleaning business? QR codes can be small and mighty doorways linking prospects and current customers to information you want to share with them.
Get 5 proven tips for using QR codes for your business you can use on marketing materials like business cards, flyers, your website and social media.
Also get ideas to protect people who use your QR codes. Learn about steps you can take to keep them and your business safe from hacks and scammers.
[Includes a #6 BONUS TIP to make your cleaning business zoom!]
How To Deal With Unsupervised Kids When You Clean Houses
Since COVID-19 started, there are often more people in the homes you clean. That includes kids who may or may not be supervised by their parents.
Some unsupervised kids can create bigger messes and bigger headaches for house cleaners. Discover some ways to get your customers help with cutting down clutter and extra work.
Continue reading…3 Profitable Ways To Be A Wood Laminate Floor Hero
What do you need to be a wood laminate floor hero for your customers?
Find out the how to tell the difference between traditional hardwood floors and wood laminate floors.
Get tips on how to care for wood laminate floors. Learn how to bring back the just installed shine to dull, streaked laminate floors.
Turn your customer’s wood laminate floors into a profitable extra service.
What Is Self-Employment Tax? And Why You Should Care
Federal self-employment (SE) tax or estimated tax is one of the most important taxes you have to deal with as a self-employed house cleaner, housekeeper or maid service owner.
If you fail to pay this tax, you have to chew through a sour mess of penalties, interest and fines.
Discover more about SE tax, when it kicks in, how to prepare for it and ways to pay SE tax.
Plus, see the list of business deductions you can use to lower your tax bill.
Also find out more about SE tax in your state. Get the information you need to get started with state SE tax and stay out of trouble. Continue reading…
Residential Cleaning Or Commercial Cleaning ⎯ How To Do Both
Is it possible or even desirable to combine residential cleaning and commercial cleaning as a self-employed cleaning business owner?
Find out how residential and commercial cleaning differ and why they are considered different businesses.
Get tips on how to add daytime commercial cleaning accounts that can fit in with one or two person house cleaning business schedules.
Discover your small cleaning business advantage when it comes to local offices and retail businesses.
Continue reading…Do You Need A Home Occupation License For Your Business?
You’re licensed, bonded and insured. You are ready to start your house cleaning business.
Well almost…
There is one license you may have forgotten about—your home occupation license. Home Occupation licenses are required in some cities, towns and counties but not in others.
Discover the ins and outs of getting a Home Occupation license or permit for your home-based cleaning business and stay on the right side of the law.
Continue reading…“Do I Need To Be Certified To Clean Houses?”
Do you need to be certified to clean houses?
Find the answer to that common question.
Plus learn about certifications you need for specialty cleaning like post-construction cleanup, medical cleaning, green cleaning and crime scene cleanup.
[Includes a listing of specialty cleaning certificate courses.]
Continue reading…How and When To Raise Your House Cleaning Rates
Have you been cleaning houses for years and never raised your rates?
Does the thought of raising your house cleaning rates make you tremble with fear?
Get proven tips on how and when to raise your house cleaning or maid service business rates.
Continue reading…“Do I Need A License To Clean Houses?”
Do you need a license to clean houses?
Get the long and short answers to that common question.
Includes licensing information in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.
Get started with licensing your house cleaning, housekeeping or maid service today.
Self-Employed House Cleaner’s Guide to Car (and Bus) Tax Deductions
As a self-employed house cleaner, you have to travel a lot for business.
Discover proven ways to reduce your tax bill with business travel deductions, including how a home office makes a big difference.
Plus travel expense tax links for CA, UK, AU & NZ.
Continue reading…The Giving Season: Customer Gifts, Tips and Gratitude + bonus thank you notes
How do you wrap up the year?
Get ideas on how to accept customer gifts and tips during the holidays with grace, style and gratitude.
Plus how to take time off to rest, reflect, recharge and prepare for the New Year ahead.
+ bonus thank you notes
Continue reading…Top 10 Records Self-Employed House Cleaners Need To Keep
Are you paddling in a river of disorganized business papers and getting nowhere fast?
Discover 10 important records to keep for your house cleaning business.
Plus get tips to create a simple recordkeeping and records storage system (paper or digital) that keeps your cleaning business afloat.
Continue reading…9 Magnetic Marketing Tips for Self-Employed House Cleaners
Discover 9 magnetic marketing tips to draw in your ideal house cleaning customers.
With a solid marketing system in place, you can attract customers who are good for your business and help you reach your financial goals.
Find out which marketing method surprised me the most.
Continue reading…Self-Employed House Cleaner’s Deep Guide To Insurance
Umbrella liability? Surety bond? Workers Comp?
Do you need to be insured even if you are just cleaning a few houses?
If you find business insurance for house cleaners confusing. You’re not alone.
This deep guide to cleaning business insurance parts those rain clouds and adds rays of sunlight to these questions.
Continue reading…7 Steps to Batch Clean Your Customers Homes
Discover a proven seven step work flow for detailed cleaning in your customers homes.
Tasks in each step are part of a batch workflow. Those batched tasks are easy to remember and repeatable in each customer’s home.
The result is the same deep level of service each time you clean your customers homes.
Continue reading…Why Your Cleaning Business Needs It’s Own Bank Accounts—And How To Get Started
Should you bother setting up a separate business bank account? After all you could just use your personal account, right?
Not so fast!
Find out why your cleaning business needs its own accounts and what you will need to get started.
Continue reading…Why You Should Create A Money System For Your Cleaning Business
What can a Money System do for you?
Discover ways a money system helps you pay bills on time and sleep at night.
Includes a bonus interview between financial coach, Keina Newell and one of her self-employed clients. Continue reading…
The Dirty Dozen: 12 Things Not To Do In Your Cleaning Customers Homes
What are the Dirty Dozen and why you should avoid doing them in your cleaning customers homes?
12 tips to leave your customers homes and your business reputation spotless.
Continue reading…When You’re Done Cleaning Your Customer’s Home, You’re Done (Until The Next Cleaning)
The second most important rule of cleaning is knowing when to stop.
Learning this rule will save you countless hours of valuable cleaning time in your customers homes and a lot of irritation.
Do your best work and don’t stress out about what comes after.
Continue reading…Your Roadmap to Paying Sales Tax And Use Tax (On Time And In Full)
Sales tax. Use tax. What’s the difference?
Get tips on how to set up a painless tax collection system.
With a clear roadmap so you pay your taxes on time and in full.
All it takes is a little planning and breaking down your big trip into a series of small stops along the way.
+ Bonus forms to get you started.
Continue reading…Should You Do Laundry For Your House Cleaning Customers?
Have you fallen down a laundry chute?
Are you washing your cleaning customers laundry for free?
There are two ways to climb out. The quick way and the profitable way.
Discover how to do both.
Continue reading…Get Paid First
In order to grow and thrive, your business needs cash to pay for business expenses, taxes and self-employed you.
There are a number of things you can do over the next few months to strengthen your cashflow and keep your business healthy.
(Includes bonus audio tips)
Continue reading…Make A Habit Of Customer Reminders
Discover how one simple habit can make your business better in 4 important ways.
The simple habit of customer reminders puts you on your customer’s radar the day before you clean.
Once your customer knows you’re coming, they can do all sorts of things like pick up clothes and papers and write a check.
That makes cleaning day go smoother for both them and you.
It all begins with a simple reminder call, text or email.
[includes a sample reminder template for you to use.]
Continue reading…Oops! How To Handle Breaking Something In Your Customer’s Home—Without Breaking Your Customer’s Trust
Oops! You just broke something in your customer’s home.
What steps can you take to make sure your customer is taken care of and your business avoids a major hit?
If you handle damage in your customer’s home with policies and a plan, your relationship with your customer may actually deepen.
Here are some steps to make that happen.
[+ An Oops! toolkit.]
Continue reading…5 Ways to Rock Your Customers First Cleaning
You only get one chance to make a first impression.
There are 5 ways to make sure your first cleaning is a fabulous experience for your new customer—and you.
[Includes a free bonus toolkit]
Continue reading…Build Your Work Fence
What is a “work fence”?
How can a work fence save your time, energy and sanity?
Discover what you need to build a work fence that makes you and your customers happy…and keeps you productive.
[+ Get my work fence list.]
Continue reading…5 Ways To Work Safe During The Corona Virus Epidemic
Corona Virus (COVID-19) holds special risks for self-employed house cleaners.
Discover 5 ways to keep working during the epidemic and stay safe. Continue reading…
Supercharge Your Cleaning Business Flyers
It is easy to overlook flyers as a way to generate leads for your cleaning business.
Flyers may be “old school” but they work if you are prepared to use them effectively and often.
This video discussion reveals ways to supercharge your business flyers. Continue reading…
Start A Cleaning Business From Square One-Part 2
Now that you have worked through the basics in Part 1, discover ways to progress to the next squares and build a cleaning business that fits your needs.
Start with your labor, public transport and strong plan to gather customer references, referrals, ratings and reviews.
Continue reading…Start A Cleaning Business From Square One-Part 1
Can you start your cleaning business at square one with no experience, no car or money?
Let’s dive into some practical steps you can take to begin your cleaning business journey while making money from day one.
Continue reading…Self-Employed House Cleaners Secret Mindset Tools
Self-employed house cleaners need two vital mindset tools to succeed.
Find out what they are and how to use them.
Continue reading…Cleaning Business Tax Basics
Business taxes don’t have to be scary.
Take a deep breath and find out which taxes you need to pay in your cleaning business.
Learn ways to prepare for them, pay them on time, in full and stay out of trouble.
Continue reading…Cleaning Business License Basics
A business license can do more for your house cleaning business than identify your business to the public and the tax collectors.
A business license can create a trust edge with potential customers and help you charge what you and your services are worth.
Continue reading…Cleaning Business Name Basics -Part 2
What are the next steps to choosing a cleaning business name that works as hard as you?
Find out more in this state by state guide.
Continue reading…Cleaning Business Name Basics – Part 1
A name is just a name, right?
Not always.
Discover some basic things to consider when choosing a cleaning business name.
The right cleaning business name works as hard as you do to introduce people to your company.
Continue reading…How An EIN Benefits The Self-Employed
An Employer Identification Number or EIN is a handy tax number that benefits self-employed business owners in a number of ways—whether you have employees or not.
Continue reading…2 Common Ways to Start Your Cleaning Business
The 2 most common business forms are the sole proprietorship and general partnerships.
They are both very easy to set up and maintain.
Yet, like everything else in life, “easy” comes with both benefits and downsides.
Discover some of the pros and cons of these two simple business forms. Continue reading…
3 Ways To Get Rock Solid House Cleaning Experience
Before you start your own house cleaning company, take the time to learn the skills you will need to succeed at another company.
3 ways to get rock solid cleaning experience is by working for other cleaning companies, hotels and home services brokers.
Just remember great cleaning skills are only one part of house cleaning business success.
Continue reading…NAICS Codes for Cleaning Services
What is a NAICS code?
Find out when and how is it used for cleaning businesses? Plus where to get a free code for your cleaning business.
Continue reading…The First Rule Of Cleaning For Paying Customers
The First Rule of House Cleaning is not what you might think.
The First Rule is based on what your customer values.
Avoid wasting time and money by using this rule on every cleaning visit to your paying customers.
Continue reading…Get in the Driver’s Seat!
Rolling into your inbox with valuable tools and take action tips to build your dream 🌟 house cleaning business. Plus products and services I think you might like.
You can unsubscribe anytime. Your privacy is protected.