80% of new businesses fail, but janitorial or pest control?

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Yes, 8 out of 10 businesses fail within the first couple of years, typically because the fixed expenses end up eating you alive. Or sometimes, the person ends up working such long hours, he or she is not even making minimum wage, and decides it isn't worth it.

So, I kind of like the idea of starting a janitorial service. Outside possibility, think it's worth talking about. I'm a man, so I'm going to call it a janitorial service. If I was a woman, I might call it a maid service or professional house cleaning.

Pest control, I do worry about the chemicals, but I'm 53 years old and therefore have less time to be affected by them. Plus, I think I could be more responsible than average with the chemicals. Of course, sensory issues remain.

In both these businesses, there is no store front. And that's a key part. It's mainly outfitting a vehicle, some equipment, and then the first, second, and third forays at advertising.

Your ideas, please.

And I welcome ideas about other businesses.

How are your sales skills? I'm working as a printer at the moment and apparently there's pretty good money in print broking. Basically involves a lot of networking between clients and printers but the advantage for the broker is that they don't have to invest in and maintain expensive printers. Essentially you build relationships with reliable print services and onsell them to clients.

I didn't need networking skills or marketing skills to launch my house cleaning services back in 1993; I just made some flyers, put them up on noticeboards at nice markets like Wholefoods, and people started calling. I bought some supplies, got in my car and drove out to meet my first clients. It was a very simple start.

Once I had enough steady people in place to be working every day, I needed no further advertizing, and word-of-mouth started spreading, so that when someone did drop out or I quit a person, I already had a recommendation from someone else. One of my clients alone was responsible for recommending me to I think it was four friends of hers, and those four friends recommended me too -- I think I had more than a dozen people that sprang from that one client's initial word of mouth as the years went on; kept me busy for years. I continued in steady work for the next 15 years before relocating, but some of my very first clients loved me so much they had actually become friends and I'm still in touch with them.

The good thing about domestic cleaning services over pest control is that a homeowner wants someone to show up every two weeks or weekly no matter what, whereas pest control is something you have to work harder to keep getting booked for, unless you land multiple contracts with, say, apartment complexes or office buildings.

But when a person who needs their home cleaned regularly books you, you're booked indefinitely, thus you have steady work all sewn up right into the foreseeable future. Multiply that by another home to clean for each day of the week, and each week of the month, and you have your entire income steady, no more advertizing, even, unless or until you quit one of your clients or they let you go and you have one spot to fill.

You just advertize or put a flyer or business card into people's door jambs until you have a regular booking for each day you want to work. Example: Susan on Monday, the Hendersons on Tuesday, Alan and Janice are Wednesdays, etc etc. If these people are only every other week, then keep flyering until you get a second set, Alice on the in-between Monday, Bob and Joan every other Tuesday. This is what I did and I never looked back. I made a steady living from there on out, and word of mouth spread so that I barely needed to advertize again when a spot came open.

To get steady work with pest control you will need more constant advertizing and marketing skills.

Also, with home cleaning, it's perfectly okay to just show up in your car, if you're a one-person operation and not aiming to become Molly Maids. Clients do not think that's unprofessional looking, although they might if you're a pest control guy and show up in an unmarked vehicle. With being just a domestic cleaner it's not expected to have logos on your car you use for the business.

It's okay for a guy to describe it as "house cleaning services" if you're only going to do domestic situations, as the word "janitorial" implies more that you're up for hire to office buildings and schools rather than family homes. Unless you do want to just get contracted to office buildings and not homes. I had a male friend who cleaned homes and he just called it "house cleaning services" and called himself a house cleaner just like I did (I'm a woman).

Get your taxes organized -- gas and supplies won't be half as painful a cost as paying your quarterly estimated taxes plus your self employment tax on top of that. I went to plain old H&R Block the first year, and found that filing as a regular 1040 individual plus deducting expenses/a Profit and Loss/Net Profit form, as a sole proprietor owner operator, was sufficient, and very simple too. After that, I did my own taxes following the model of H&R Block's initial paperwork for me. Make sure you put away about 25% of everything you make in a separate account, so that this is your tax and self employment tax and the rest is your earnings to live on.

Being self employed as a sole operator, no employees, is a very simple business to run, and if you pick something in which clients want you back on a set-in-stone basis rain or shine, you don't even have to constantly market yourself. Also, the good thing about any work in which multiple people pay you rather than working for one person, is that if you don't like someone you can drop them and your income drops by only that one fraction of the whole. It's less scary than working for just one "boss" and if you lose that job or contract you've lost your whole income.

Hahahhahhh, oh dear oh dear oh dear! Little do you know.......I was in Texas. And not only did I easily find work despite the "cheap labor market", but I also commanded an extremely healthy fee. Because I was hardworking, reliable, friendly, discreet, trustworthy, and word of mouth on a good worker spreads fast.

Another thing I have to tell you, I had a MALE friend who did exactly the same thing I did. Yes In Texas. And yes putting his flyers on noticeboards and his business card in door jambs. And yes pulling up in his normal car. He does great, he had more work than he could handle. Because of all the same values. He has a good manner about him and people only had to meet with him once after calling him up, to take him on.

He wasn't the only male cleaner I heard of doing this either. I had two other friends who did it but gave up only because they were musicians who started getting more gigs and making money their preferred way.

Sure "mileage may vary" but I've got not just my own experiences but those of my MALE friend to simply advise the OP that it's perfectly possible to launch into this with decent levels of success rather than failure.

One more thing -- I launched during a supposed bust/recession.

And about landscaping?

Again you show your complete ignorance of anything at all that goes on "in Texas."

Matter of fact, most people who can afford one in the first place tend keep their landscapers hired on year-round on something like a once-a-month basis because, sorry to burst your bubble, but there are in fact still overhanging trees to trim, bushes to trim, weeding to do, weed control of lawns, flowering plants to dead-head, and yes, actual grass to mow. People have lawns, at least in central Texas. People still have border bushes out of control and needing to look nice on Christmas Day. LOL on you pal.

This is another thing I would know more the truth about than you, as I was there in the houses many times on the days that the gardeners were scheduled too.

Dude. I GET that you want to warn of downsides and issues.

But you're way over on the "not gonna happen" line and I'm posting to let the OP know I personally made it happen -- yes in TEXAS -- and not only me but male friends.

It's not that complicated to be a sole operator cleaner and trust me NOBODY cares if your car is just a car. Because, it's not that kind of business at that level, and I ought to know.

Now if you claim you're "Jack the Knack Cleaning Company Ltd -- Trust Our Teams!!" and you show up in a plain car, that would raise eyebrows.

But SINGLE OPERATOR self employed house cleaners for private domestic family home situations use their own unmarked cars ALL the time.

If you don't want to believe me then that's incredibly rude of you to try to invalidate what I actually LIVED to be true. I lived this stuff and so did my male friend. You're trying to invalidate that it CAN be done, and done in the way I and my friend both lived the reality of.

I'm not returning to this thread to argue with you about a reality that IS perfectly viable. Because you seem bent on denying the viability. The viability is real and quite frankly you're being a dick about things you don't even know specifically about.

OP, take my story and that of the male cleaner too and don't worry about it. The guy who is refuting what I'm saying didn't actually do this, for a living, in Texas.

I actually did. Who do you want to listen to and consider more? The person who actually lived this out in real life and found it to be viable -- for guys too -- or the 29 year old "all theory" guy who has had zero actual life experience of this at all?

He's young enough to be my son and he's trying to tell ME what's viable or not.

I have an idea for a business I'm seriously considering starting when we get the probate settled. It's a genius idea from what everybody I've mentioned it to says, and I only know of one other place that has this and that's in Georgia and it's not exactly like I plan to offer my services.

I've done some checking about the legalities and costs, so it's very doable and I can make a profit. I'm going to buy a puppy and send him to drug school, and go with him and take him to homes or apartments or wherever the owner of the property calls me to and run him through the place and let him check for the kids or tenants or whoever's drugs. I'll charge a basic fee up to a certain square foot and also travel mileage since I live in the country. Parents can call me when they are frantic that they think their kids on drugs and stoners can call me after a big party when they are wanting to make sure everything is found and disposed of or even if somebody hid their own stash from themselves and has the money to pay me to find it for them. I won't be legally bound to do anything except have the owner sign a form telling me they are contacting law enforcement to dispose of the drugs and I will be legally in the clear. I seriously doubt that somebody is going to lose a huge quantity and ask me to come find it for them, it will be mainly small amounts.

I have talked to a rehab facility in the area that does teen addiction issues and they will reccommend me to parents in exchange for me handing out their literature to parents who call me to check up on their kids.

It sounds silly and like nobody would ever use it, but a lawyer told me that it can be set up in a way that I don't have any responsibility for anything found and I can do this at an affordable price so people can actually call me when they lose something at home or someplace too. I've heard people furious so many times because they lost their weed, and sometimes they have lost more money than what I would charge to come look for it. And parents who search a teenagers room but still have suspicions can have me come out and run the dog around and give them a definate yes or no about whats in the house.

I'll have him trained to find drugs, guns, and cash. I've talked with the trainer and the training is affordable and something I can do. I already have dogs and he said that having him in a home with other dogs would be perfectly ok and won't have any effect on his ability to do his job.

So, it's just a matter of getting off my ass and getting started with it as soon as probate is finished.

One other company I was considering, because my best friends father owns a pottery and they have done that for several generations, is to have him learn to mix cremated remains into the pottery and make a pot, or a statue or whatever out of somebody's dead relative instead of putting them in a container. They are doing all sorts of things with the remains lately, and this is a great idea. We could do it for pets too. The family would bring the ashes to us and he would make whatever it is. He would need to practice, but we can get two or three wild boars cremated and he could use those to practice adjusting the formula with to get something that works well. He would do the artistic work and I would do the marketing and such.

I have several other ideas, but those are two that I wouldn't have to lay out a lot of money on, and not having to put too much money up front is a pretty important part of this.

_________________
I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

New businesses can fail because of many factors, most of the time because of immature leadership or unrealistic sales projections.

Some believe that they will be millionaires overnight and that there is an unlimited market that will just buy as much as possible. Some believe that there is no competition, but in fact there is - you are at least always competing against other companies/products for the consumers money.

Do you have a plan? Do you know how to get customers come to you instead of anyone else? Do you already have connections? Are you sure you are a sales person and can deal with that? Do you have enough money to last until you go from a negative to a positive income? Do you have insurance? Do you know how to survive if you become disabled ? (il.e. gets one leg crushed in a car accident while heading to a customer). Retirement plan? Pensions? Do you need some skills before you start? All those things that employers used to take care of for you - that's entirely up to you as a business owner.

That kind of stuff you should have already answered. If you make a plan and know your business, the market and your competitors, you will be way better of than most others and your chances of making it will be higher.

How is your driving skill? For people who live in larger cities, there may be job opportunities to be a Courier or Expedite Driver. These drivers generally work as Independent Contractors and sometimes own their own vehicle. Couriers tend to remain local, while Expediter Van Drivers will drive much farther, often going interstate.


http://www.indeed.com/cmp/HackbarthDeli ... ?q=courier

HACKBARTH DELIVERY SERVICE, INC. - Houston, TX
Contract
A well-established family owned Logistics Company with locations in 26 markets is looking for independent contractors to do daily deliveries. This work will require that you have a cargo, extended, or Sprinter Van * Must be at least 21 years of age. * Must have a cargo van * All couriers must successfully complete a background and drug screen. * A high school education or equivalent is required. * Must be able to read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public
New independent contract couriers must meet the meet the following requirements: Driving experience driving the type of equipment that the driver will be assigned to operate. No more than 3 moving violations in the last 3 years (in any type of vehicle)No at fault accidents within the last 3 years (in any type of vehicle)
Required experience: * Driving: 1 year
Please send information expressing interest to : IC @hackbarthdelivery.com
Required experience:

Own a Cargo Van