A cleaning business plan is indispensable to operating a successful service. Not having one is similar to expecting a driver-less car to reach its destination (of course apart from those cars built with the features to do that).

The point is, you need a good cleaning service business plan to be able to function effectively. That is what this article seeks to show you how to write one.

Commercial Cleaning Business Plan Sample Template

Your plan serves as a guide or roadmap to navigate the business towards success and profitability.

In addition to this are several more advantages to having a sample business plan for commercial cleaning services. If there’s anything you need to succeed in your business, it’s ‘Focus’. That is what a plan gives. So, how do you begin to write one?

It’s easy and we’ll show you how shortly.

Outline A Good Cleaning Business Plan

Certain steps are crucial to writing a great plan. These are the building block or structures around which you’ll need to add relevant content.

They include the Executive Summary, Objectives, Mission, Company Summary,  and Services sections.

Others are the Services, Marketing Analysis Summary, Strategy and Implementation Summary, Management Summary, Financial Plan, and Appendix Sections.

  • Executive Summary

As the name suggests, this is a brief section that introduces your entire plan. It only brings to the fore the most basic information which should interest the reader. The investor or financial institution reading the plan should be able to pick the relevant points from your summary.

As such, you’ll need to do a good job here to get their attention.

The executive summary for your cleaning business will either build interest or otherwise. An investor will know if your cleaning business idea is worth investing in or not. When writing your executive summary, certain sections will need to be included too.

The first section should introduce your cleaning service. Your contact information should also be highlighted here. Next are your products and services. The obvious problem you’d be solving is helping clients clean their surroundings.

There should be a clear market too. This is yet another section that must be included. No investor will invest in a cleaning service where there’s no demand for such a service.

Do you need financing for your cleaning business? This is where to state it. This section should tell the reader what type of investment or loan you seek for your cleaning business.

Other sections include the financials (such as sales forecasts, scales, and margins).

  • Overview and Objectives

To write this section of your cleaning business plan, you’ll need to know certain things. And that is, the type of cleaning service you wish to provide, and what (in terms of equipment or tools) you need to provide this service.

Others include working out who (in terms of your workforce) will be providing this cleaning service.

You’ll still need to include information if you will be involved in the provision of this service.

Finally, you’ll need to define who your clients are. There should be a clear demand for your type of cleaning service. Otherwise, your efforts might amount to nothing.

  • Mission

A mission statement is a purpose for which your cleaning business was established. It not only ends with its purpose but also answers the “why?” The mission is very vital to operating a cleaning service because it sets an agenda.

This agenda includes giving your workforce a definite goal to work towards.

For the target market, a mission helps come up with strategies designed to set its operations apart from its competition. This results in increased visibility and demand for your cleaning services.

  • Company Summary

Your company summary section should include a definite set of information. These should include your cleaning business name, its location, and its legal structure.

The legal structure includes whatever you decide to work with. So, your cleaning business could be a sole proprietorship, an LLC, a partnership or a sole proprietorship. It all depends on what works best for you.

Other contents of your cleaning company summary should include its management team, company history and milestones, goals & objectives, as well as its competitive advantage.

  • Services

All types of cleaning businesses provide service. These include several types.

Therefore, you must describe the type of cleaning services you plan to offer. With such services comes the need for pricing. You must state how these services will be priced. There should also be some form of comparative advantage.

In other words, you should include a comparison of cleaning services offered concerning your competitors.

The services section of your plan talks about the sales literature you intend to use. This should talk about your marketing materials, and how your website will aid your marketing efforts.

How will the cleaning orders be processed? Will certain equipment be purchased to help in processing such orders? You can talk about additional cleaning services you wish to introduce in the future.

  • Market Analysis Summary

A summary of market analysis must be included in your cleaning business plan. This section of your plan should include crucial aspects of the business such as industry description and outlook as well as target market (in terms of demographics of your targeted audience).

Other contents of your market analysis summary should include the market test results, lead time (that is the time taken to carry out a cleaning service once demand has been made), and competitive analysis.

  • Strategy and Implementation Summary

In this section of your business plan, you should include information on the path your cleaning business will take on growth. This has to do with the growth of sales, maintaining a competitive edge over other cleaning businesses, and creating a network of loyal clients.

One way to do this effectively includes the establishment of milestones. Milestones should come with budgets necessary for their full implementation. Doing this successfully will increase your chances of success.

  • Management Summary

The management summary of a cleaning service business plan simply describes the structure of the business. This section points out the individuals involved in running or managing the cleaning business. So, what should be contained in this section?

This section contains the head of the team or individual saddled with the responsibility of organizing the team.

Next is the team. You should focus on providing information on their educational background. Other things to focus on include their work experience, skills, achievements, and personal information.

Asides the team, your business structure is next. Your management summary should also provide information on the board comprising of the governing board.

Also include information on external professionals if you’ll be using their services.

  • Financial Plan

This section is crucial to your plan if you’ll be needing some form of investment for your cleaning service. A good financial plan should have an exit strategy where investors can make a profit. Being realistic is a key aspect feature of a good financial plan.

As such, a good financial plan should include a sales forecast.

You should also have an expense budget, develop a cash-flow statement, have income projections, and deal with assets and liabilities. There is a need to have a breakeven analysis too.

  • Appendix

This section usually comes last in your plan. This is where to include all necessary documents that highlight the areas discussed in much detail.

As such, your appendix should include relevant marketing materials, charts, tables, or graphs that interpret other sections better as well as cleaning equipment leases or building permits as the case may be.

Additional documents include credit history, detailed market studies, attorneys, advisors, accountants contact information, licenses, permits, contractual agreements, and so on.

These are necessary for a better understanding of your cleaning service business plan.

Creating a Budget

Having discussed key areas to include in your cleaning service plan, it’s necessary to talk about your operational budget. This is also an area that shouldn’t be overlooked. A budget is vital due to several reasons.

First, you need to be able to spend within the limits set. Going beyond this threshold could result in bankruptcy. This is a situation no entrepreneur will like to find themselves in.

To spend within set limits, you’ll need to review your budget every 6 to 12 months. This is in addition to streamlining or prioritizing your expenses. The best way to create an effective budget is by consulting a professional.

That way, you can maximize your start-up costs while achieving the desired impact.

Meeting All Legal Requirements

Your cleaning business plan must be in place before proceeding with legal requirements. These will involve registrations as well as applying for insurance among several other things.

As part of your overall plan, there should be some form of protection for your cleaning business. This is what insurance does.

Different states have different registration requirements. You’ll need to find out what applies to your type of cleaning business. Meeting all the requirements is of the essence and helps you launch successfully.

These are the basics of a cleaning service business plan. We’ve highlighted some of the key areas that must be included in a good plan. These are necessary for two main reasons.

First, it’s important to have a good plan to present to investors. Secondly, your plan serves as a guide to navigating your cleaning business towards profitability and growth.