How to Start a Cleaning Business: A 30-Day Plan With Real Numbers

Here's how to start a cleaning business in 30 days. Pick the cleaning services you'll offer, register and insure the business, set prices from your real costs, then win local customers who book every week or two. This guide covers each step: startup costs line by line, insurance and equipment. You also get a pricing formula you can check yourself and a plan for your first recurring clients, residential first and commercial later.

I'm Ben Okafor. I ran a crew in Minneapolis, and today I verify software prices and startup costs for TighterCrew. I've never run a cleaning company, so this guide leans on numbers we can source: public wage data, published startup budgets, official pricing pages and math you can redo with your own inputs. Sourced numbers link to their source, and example inputs are labeled as examples.

The 30-day plan, one line per step:

1. Pick your services and your niche (days 1 to 3).
2. Register the business and get licensed (days 4 to 10).
3. Get insured before your first clean (days 4 to 10).
4. Build your startup budget and supply kit (days 8 to 14).
5. Price your cleans so you actually make money (days 11 to 14).
6. Put every client on a written agreement (day 15).
7. Land your first 10 recurring clients (days 15 to 30).
8. Set up quotes, scheduling and invoicing (before your first paid clean).
9. Hire your first cleaner without losing money (month 3 or later, when the math says so).

It can be, if you price for your real costs and build a base of customers who come back every week or two. Startup costs are low, you can run the business from home, and demand for cleaning services repeats on a schedule. The flip side: low barriers for you mean low barriers for your competitors, every other cleaning company in your area.

So, is a cleaning business profitable? Three levers decide it: your price per billable hour, the billable share of your week (driving and admin aren't billable), and how many clients are recurring. A biweekly client is worth 26 visits a year; a move-out cleaning is worth one.

What a Solo Cleaner Can Realistically Earn

Start with a public benchmark. In May 2025, the median hourly wage was $17.07 for maids and housekeeping cleaners and $17.71 for janitors and cleaners, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wages release (published May 15, 2026) and the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. That's employee pay. As the owner of a cleaning business you'll bill more per hour, but you also pay the expenses (supplies, insurance, gas, software, your own taxes). And nobody pays for the drive between houses.

Here's the shape of the math with example inputs (not market data, not a promise). A solo business owner works 40 hours a week and bills 30, at a rate set with the Step 5 method. That owner keeps about $25 per hour worked before income tax. Over 48 working weeks, that's $48,000 of pre-tax owner pay. A higher billable share, a higher rate or a second cleaner moves that figure. Build your own numbers into a simple business plan before you quit anything.

Residential vs Commercial: Which to Start With

Residential cleaning is usually the easier market for a solo business owner to enter. Here's how residential and commercial cleaning services compare:

Start with residential cleaning, get to 10 recurring clients, then consider whether commercial services make sense for your business. Commercial cleaning businesses get paid in bigger chunks, but it's a slower market to sell into, and 30-day terms can squeeze a new company. If you bid on commercial contracts later, budget for the insurance certificates and specialized equipment in the table above.

A niche is a marketing message aimed at a target customer. "We clean homes" competes with every cleaning company in your area. "Biweekly cleaning for busy families on the east side" gives potential customers a reason to call and gives you a tight route. Choose one cleaning service to focus on and sell hard, and one or two services you offer when asked.

Before you choose, research your local market: find the cleaning businesses in your area and note the services they offer, the prices they post and what seems in demand. Write your niche down, then build on it. With the budget and prices you'll set below, that's most of a simple business plan: which cleaning services you offer, to whom, what they cost you and what you charge.

Cleaning Services to Offer: Standard, Deep, Move-Out and Airbnb

• Standard (recurring) cleaning. Kitchens, bathrooms, dusting, floors, weekly or biweekly. The base of a stable cleaning business because the demand repeats.
• Deep cleaning. Baseboards, inside appliances, detailed bathrooms. A good first visit to offer, priced higher because it takes longer.
• Move-out and move-in cleaning. One-time and often urgent, booked by landlords or agents. Good cash, little loyalty unless you build the agent relationship.
• Short-term rental turnovers. A more specialized service: tight windows, linens, restocking. Steady with a multi-unit host, stressful on a full schedule.

The right sequence for most new businesses: lead with a deep first clean, then convert the customer to recurring standard cleaning services (Step 7).

Should You Offer Green Cleaning?

Consider it only if you'll market it and price it. Green cleaning services can be a real niche market for families with kids, pets or allergies, but "eco-friendly" means nothing if your products say otherwise. Choose products with a third-party label, such as the EPA's Safer Choice program, which certifies cleaning products and lets you search certified all-purpose, floor and bathroom cleaners. List them on your website and keep their cost in your pricing.

This step can look intimidating when you're starting a cleaning business, and it's usually simpler than it looks. Rules vary depending on where you live, so treat this as a checklist, not legal advice.

Business Structure: Sole Proprietor or LLC?

A sole proprietorship is the default when you work for yourself without registering anything else. It's simple, but the law treats you and your cleaning business as one, so your personal assets aren't separate. An LLC (limited liability company) is a separate entity registered with your state. It can help separate business and personal assets and looks more established to commercial clients, but it costs a filing fee and sometimes an annual fee. The SBA's choose a business structure guide says an LLC protects your personal assets in most instances, and that fees vary by state. In Florida, for example, forming an LLC costs $125 and the annual report costs $138.75, per the state's Division of Corporations fee page (as of November 2026).

An accountant or attorney can help you decide whether an LLC fits; either way, open a separate bank account from day one.

What Licenses Are Needed to Start a Cleaning Business?

In most cases there's no specific federal license to clean homes or offices; what you need depends on your state, county and city. Typical licenses and registrations you'll need to check:

• A general business license from your city or county, if your area requires one.
• A DBA ("doing business as") registration if you operate under a name other than your own legal name.
• State registration if you form an LLC or corporation.
• State or local rules for cleaning or janitorial work, which some places have and many don't.

The U.S. Small Business Administration's apply for licenses and permits guide can help you find the state and local agencies. Then check your Secretary of State website and your city or county clerk. Never pay a third-party "license service" for something your city issues directly.

License fees vary too much to average, so research your own. Two state examples (as of November 2026): Florida charges $50 to register a fictitious name (its version of a DBA), valid five years, per its fictitious name FAQ and fee schedule; Texas charges $300 to file a certificate of formation for an LLC, per the Secretary of State's Form 205 instructions. Some states also run janitorial registrations: California, for example, requires employers with at least one janitorial worker to register every year with the Labor Commissioner.

EIN, Sales Tax and Local Permits

• EIN. The IRS issues your Employer Identification Number. You need one if you form an LLC with more than one member or hire employees, and many sole proprietors get one anyway to avoid handing out their Social Security number. Apply directly on IRS.gov, not through a paid filing service.
• Sales tax. Rules differ by state, and there is no single official list. Two examples: Texas taxes the charge "to clean a home, office, warehouse" or other building, with a narrow exception for a household's own employee, per the Texas Comptroller; New York lists cleaning services among taxable services performed in and around a home, per the New York tax department (both checked November 9, 2026). Check with your state department of revenue before you set your cleaning rates, because sales tax changes what you charge.
• Local permits. Some cities require a home-based business or zoning permit if you're running the cleaning business from your house. Your city clerk can tell you.

Starting in Canada: Registration and GST/HST

• Registration. Business registration is provincial. A sole proprietor working under a name other than their own usually registers it: Ontario Business Registry (CA$60 online, per Ontario's fee page), BC Registries, Alberta trade name registration, Saskatchewan's Corporate Registry at ISC and, in Quebec, the Registraire des entreprises, which requires registration within 60 days of starting if your business name does not include your first and last name. Fees and steps change, so confirm them on the registry's own page.
• Business number. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) issues a business number (BN), which you'll need for GST/HST and payroll accounts.
• GST/HST. Cleaning services are generally taxable. You stay a small supplier, with no obligation to register, while your taxable revenue stays at or under CA$30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters; go over CA$30,000 in a single quarter and you must register from that sale. Small suppliers can also consider registering voluntarily, which lets you claim input tax credits on supplies. See the CRA's when to register page.
• Municipal licences. Some cities require a business licence for home-based or mobile services. Check with your city.

Don't clean a single home for money until you're insured. One broken item or one slip on a wet floor can cost a small cleaning business more than months of work.

General Liability and Bonding

General liability insurance covers claims of property damage or injury to others caused by your cleaning work. It's the first policy most cleaning businesses buy, and many customers will ask you to provide proof of it.

A janitorial or surety bond is different: it protects your client if someone on your team is accused of theft. Many homeowners like to hear "insured and bonded," and some commercial cleaning contracts require it.

Workers' Comp Once You Hire

Workers' compensation covers employees hurt on the job, and each state sets the rules. Examples from state agencies (checked November 9, 2026): New York requires it from 1 employee, per the NY Workers' Compensation Board; Georgia from 3 employees, full or part time, per the Georgia SBWC; Florida from 4 employees for non-construction businesses, per the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation; and Texas lets most private employers opt out, but they must report it, per the Texas Department of Insurance. In Canada, provincial boards run workers' compensation. In Ontario, the WSIB explains when you must register, and business owners outside construction can apply for optional coverage. In BC, WorkSafeBC requires you to register once you employ anyone, and a sole proprietor with no workers can buy optional Personal Coverage. If you're elsewhere, check your own province's board.

For coverage types, published costs and how to get a certificate of insurance, read our cleaning business insurance guide.

How much does it cost to start a cleaning business? Less than most trade businesses, more than a bottle of spray and a mop. Below are three budget levels, priced line by line from official fee pages, Insureon's published premium medians and Home Depot list prices (all as of November 2026, before tax and shipping). The totals are the cash your business needs in its first month, not your first-year cost. Pick the right level and use it as the cost page of your business plan.

For context, Jobber Academy publishes a minimal startup estimate of about $685, and Method a range of $2,000 to $6,000 (both as of November 2026). These are third-party figures, not TighterCrew's, because neither sources every line.

Bare-Bones Budget

This level fits you if you're a solo owner doing residential cleaning from home with your own car. The goal is to start legal and insured, with only the equipment and cleaning supplies your first 5 to 10 clients need.

Standard Budget

For a solo business owner who wants a professional look from day one. Include an LLC, a bond, the same equipment kit as the bare-bones budget, 500 door hangers and a booking tool.

Team-Ready Budget

For a business owner who plans to hire in the first few months: everything in Standard, plus a second equipment kit, workers' comp and software for more than one user.

Where each line comes from (all as of November 2026):

• Registration. Florida charges $50 for a fictitious name (Sunbiz fee schedule), $125 to form an LLC and $138.75 for the yearly LLC annual report (LLC fees). Your state and city will differ; check them with the SBA guide in Step 2.
• Insurance and bond. Median premiums paid by cleaning businesses that bought through Insureon: general liability $59 a month ($705 a year), janitorial bond $9 a month ($112 a year), workers' comp $114 a month ($1,364 a year), per Insureon (page updated October 12, 2026). Medians, not quotes; some insurers ask for the full year up front, which raises the first-month cash. Details in our cleaning business insurance guide.
• Equipment, one kit: $243.41. Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe NV360 vacuum $149.99 + O-Cedar EasyWring spin mop and bucket $39.97 + Libman deluxe maid caddy $10.48 + Gorilla Ladders 2-step steel step stool $42.97.
• Supplies, one kit: $105.00. HDX microfiber towels, 24-pack $9.98 + Simple Green all-purpose concentrate, 1 gallon $9.98 + Stoner Invisible Glass, 32 oz $4.60 + Scrubbing Bubbles foaming bathroom cleaner, 32 oz $4.28 + Libman grout, kitchen and all-purpose brush set $12.42 + HDX nitrile gloves, 120-pack $19.98 + HDX shoe covers, 12-pack $11.98 + HDX 13-gallon trash bags, 200-count $19.82 + 2 HDX 32 oz spray bottles at $5.98 = $11.96.
• Marketing. Staples door hangers, 3.5 x 8.5 inches, printed 2 sides: $112.99 for 500, $139.99 for 1,000. We didn't price a website: a Google Business Profile, which costs nothing, does the job of a website until you have customers.
• Software. Jobber prices from Jobber's pricing page. The totals use month-to-month billing; annual billing is cheaper per month but is paid up front.
• Mileage. IRS standard mileage rates: 72.5 cents per mile for January to June 2026, 76 cents from July 1, 2026. Not in the total, because it depends on your route.

The arithmetic. Bare-bones: $50 + $59 + $243.41 + $105.00 = $457.41. Standard: $125 + $59 + $9 + $243.41 + $105.00 + $112.99 + $49 = $703.40. Team-ready: $125 + $59 + $9 + $114 + $486.82 + $210.00 + $139.99 + $199 = $1,342.81. Over a full first year, coverage alone at the Insureon medians is $705 (general liability), $817 with the bond, and $2,181 with workers' comp.

For Canadian readers. Jobber does not publish CAD prices: it bills Canadians in USD (as of November 2026), so your card or bank sets the exchange rate. We didn't collect Canadian retail prices, so the table below converts the US lines for reference, except the Ontario registration fee (an official CAD price). Amounts are approx. CA$, USD converted at the Bank of Canada rate of 1.4113 (Nov 6, 2026), rounded to the nearest dollar; Canadian store prices and insurance premiums will differ.

As a Canadian reference point, the broker Zensurance says a small residential cleaning business may pay around $450 a year for general liability with a $2 million limit (Zensurance, undated figure, currency not stated on the page, consulted November 9, 2026). Incorporating a company instead of registering a name costs more; check your provincial registry.

How to Start a Cleaning Business With No Money

You can't start with literally zero, because coverage costs money, but you can start a cleaning business from home with very little:

• Use what you already own. A decent vacuum, a mop and your own car are enough equipment for the first clients.
• Ask for a deposit on first deep cleans. It pays for the cleaning supplies before you buy them.
• Start with tools that cost nothing. Our free cleaning invoice template and free invoice generator are ready to use; paid software can wait for recurring clients.
• Market at no cost while you're small. A Google Business Profile, a post in local online groups and word of mouth.
• Compare concentrates. A gallon of all-purpose concentrate costs $9.98 at Home Depot (Simple Green, as of November 2026) and fills many spray bottles. Check the label's dilution ratio, work out the cost per filled bottle and compare it with the ready-to-use version.

Your Starter Supply and Equipment Checklist

Buy cleaning supplies and equipment for the jobs you've booked, not the jobs you imagine.

• Vacuum with attachments (one that handles both hard floors and carpet)
• Microfiber cloths, color-coded (one color for bathrooms, one for kitchens, one for dusting)
• Mop system with washable pads
• All-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner and a degreaser
• Scrub brushes, grout brush, scraper for stuck-on grime
• Rubber gloves and shoe covers
• A caddy to carry it all and a step stool
• Trash bags and spray bottles with labels

What to Skip Until You Have Clients

• Branded uniforms beyond a simple shirt
• A wrapped car
• A commercial floor machine
• Paid ads
• A logo you pay a lot for
• A custom website
• Software with features you won't use until you have a team

Cash you keep while starting out carries you through a slow month.

Pricing decides whether your cleaning business works. Copying competitors' rates or picking a number that "feels fair" are two common shortcuts, and both skip what an hour of your work really costs.

Hourly vs Flat-Rate vs Per-Room Pricing

• Hourly. Easy to start with and fair when you can't predict how long jobs take, but clients watch the clock and you earn less as you get faster.
• Flat rate per visit. You estimate the time once, then quote a fixed price. Potential clients like knowing the number up front, and you win as you get faster. Most recurring cleaning services move to this model.
• Per room or per square foot. Easy to quote to potential customers over the phone, but homes vary a lot. Use it to offer a first estimate, then confirm with a walk-through or photos.

A practical plan: calculate your minimum hourly rate (below), estimate the hours for each home and quote a flat price from those hours.

Is $30 an Hour Good for Cleaning?

It depends on whether you're an employee or the owner. For an employee, $30 an hour is well above the BLS medians ($17.07 for maids and housekeeping cleaners, $17.71 for janitors and cleaners, May 2025). For an owner billing $30 per billable hour, it's usually thin. Here's why, with example numbers to replace:

• You work 40 hours a week but bill 30 (the rest is driving, quoting, buying supplies and admin).
• Your fixed business expenses (insurance, phone, software, marketing) come to $400 a month, about $92 a week.
• Cleaning supplies and gas cost about $3 per billable hour.

At $30 per billable hour: 30 hours x $30 = $900 a week. Subtract $92 of fixed costs and $90 of supplies and gas, and you keep about $718. Over 40 hours worked, that's about $17.94 per hour, before income tax and with nothing saved for slow weeks or broken vacuums. The rate looks fine on the invoice, yet the business owner earns less than many employees.

How Much to Charge for 2 Hours of Cleaning

Start from your minimum hourly rate (about $46 per billable hour with the example inputs below). Two hours of cleaning for one cleaner is then about $92; two cleaners working one hour each is the same 2 cleaner-hours.

• Set a minimum visit price. A 2-hour job still costs you the full drive there and back. That's why many cleaning business owners set a minimum that covers a short job plus the drive. Consider your own drive times when you pick yours.
• Check market rates before you publish. Thumbtack's house cleaning cost guide (updated October 20, 2026) puts the national average at $185 to $324 per cleaning, and $133 to $174 for a one-bedroom home. It prices by home size, not by the hour, so compare per cleaning. Well below that range for a small house, you may be underpricing; well above what your local market pays, you need a cheaper cost structure or a different niche. Prices vary depending on the city, so research local listings too.

A Worked Pricing Example

Here's the full calculation for your business plan. Replace each example input with your real numbers.

1. Your pay per billable hour. 40 hours x $25 = $1,000 a week. Divided by 30 billable hours = $33.33.

2. Fixed costs per billable hour. $400 x 12 months / 52 weeks = about $92.31 a week. Divided by 30 = $3.08.

3. Supplies and gas. $3.00.

4. Cost per billable hour. $33.33 + $3.08 + $3.00 = $39.41.

5. Add your margin. $39.41 / 0.85 = about $46.36. Round to $46 per billable hour.

Now price a home. Say a 3-bedroom house takes about 4.5 hours for a first deep clean and 3 hours for each biweekly visit after that (example estimates, time your own). The first cleaning is 4.5 x $46 = $207. Each recurring visit is 3 x $46 = $138, quoted as a flat price.

Taxes aren't in this example: set money aside for income and self-employment tax, and get an accountant to help you set the amount. The IRS self-employed individuals tax center explains self-employment tax and says you must file a return if your net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more.

What is the 80/20 rule in house cleaning? It isn't an official rule. People use it two ways. Most of the visible result comes from a small share of tasks (kitchens, bathrooms, floors), so focus on those. And a small share of clients often brings most of the revenue, so look after recurring customers first. Useful habits, not laws.

A handshake works until the first broken vase, locked door or late cancellation. A short written agreement protects both sides, and you'll look like a real cleaning business from day one.

What Your Cleaning Contract Should Cover

• Frequency and schedule. Weekly, biweekly or monthly, with the usual day and time window.
• Scope. The cleaning services you provide in a standard visit, what counts as an add-on (inside the oven, inside the fridge, windows) and what you don't do.
• Price and payment. Include the price per visit, when payment is due, accepted payment methods and any late fees.
• Cancellation. The notice required, and what happens if you arrive and can't get in.
• Access and keys. How you get in, how keys or codes are stored and who has them.
• Breakage and damage. How and by when the customer reports damage, and how you handle it with your insurance.
• Price changes. Your notice period before a price increase.
• Ending the agreement. How either side can end it.

Our free house cleaning contract template covers these clauses, each one explained. This is general information, not legal advice: have a local attorney review your contract before you rely on it.

Ten recurring clients turn a side hustle into a cleaning business: with 10 biweekly clients, you'll have about 5 cleans a week booked before any sales call. Focus your services on recurring residential customers in a small local area, and take one-time jobs only when they fit your route or can become recurring.

Google Business Profile and Reviews

Create your Google Business Profile in week one. It costs nothing and can help potential customers find you: it's what shows your business in Google Search and Maps when local customers search for cleaning services. Use your real service area, add photos of your work (with client permission), list the residential cleaning services you provide and answer every review.

Early on, reviews are your best local marketing. After every first cleaning that goes well, create a direct review link and send it in a short message. Never pay for or fake reviews.

Neighborhood Marketing That Still Works

• Door hangers that target the streets around your first clients. Every client you land in a neighborhood makes the next one cheaper to serve. Our free door hanger template is ready to print.
• Nextdoor and local Facebook groups. Post as a cleaning business where the group allows it, and answer potential clients' requests for cleaner recommendations quickly.
• Real estate agents and property managers. They need move-out and move-in cleaning services on short notice, and one good agent can send you several jobs a month.
• Referral offer. Consider, for example, a discount on the next cleaning for each referral who books a recurring schedule.

Turning One-Time Cleans Into Recurring Ones

• Offer the first deep clean as step one. "We start with a deep clean, then keep it that way every two weeks."
• Price recurring services lower than the first visit. They take fewer hours, so a lower flat price still pays your rate.
• Book the next visit before you leave. Don't wait for the client to call back.
• Offer a set day and time. Clients stick with a routine. So do you.

Before your first paid cleaning, you'll need a way to quote, track your schedule and get paid. You don't need expensive software while you're starting out.

Start at $0: Invoices and Templates

For your first cleaning clients, a calendar, a spreadsheet customer list and simple invoices are enough. Use our free cleaning invoice template or the free invoice generator, and browse our other free tools for service businesses. Create and send each invoice the same day as the cleaning, and follow up on anything unpaid within a week.

When to Switch to Cleaning Software

A spreadsheet breaks at about 8 to 10 recurring clients, or as soon as you hire your first cleaner. Signs it's the right time:

• You double-book or forget a recurring visit.
• You spend an evening a week on invoices and reminders.
• A new cleaner needs their schedule and client notes on their phone.
• Clients ask to pay online or by card.

At that point, field service software for cleaning businesses usually pays for itself in hours saved. Jobber covers quotes, recurring scheduling, invoicing, online payments and client reminders in one place.

What the plans include matters more than the sticker price. On Core you can send quotes and invoices and take online payments. Automated quote follow-ups, invoice reminders and automatic payment collection start on Connect, which costs $149 per month billed annually for 5 users (as of November 2026, per Jobber's pricing page). Recurring visits repeat on a rule, such as every second Tuesday, and if a client moves one visit the rest of the series stays as scheduled, per Jobber's visits help article. Card payments cost 2.9% + 30 cents in the US and Canada (as of November 2026).

Users rate it well: 4.6 out of 5 on Capterra from 1,489 reviews and 4.8 on the Apple App Store from about 22,000 ratings (checked November 9, 2026). Its TighterCrew research score is 8.3/10, built from public ratings, features for the price, contract terms and Canada fit. The most common complaint on G2 is subscription cost as the team grows (28 mentions), so price your cleans with Step 5 before you add users.

Hiring feels like growth, but it's also when a profitable solo cleaning business can start losing money. Do the math first.

Employee or Contractor?

This is a legal question, not a preference. In the U.S., whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor depends on how much control you have over how, when and where they work, among other factors. Check the IRS independent contractor or employee page, which weighs behavioral control, financial control and the type of relationship, and the Department of Labor's misclassification page before you decide. In Canada, the CRA looks at the whole working relationship, including control and who provides tools and equipment, per its page on determining the relationship. Misclassifying a worker can lead to back taxes and penalties, so get help from an accountant.

When the Math Says It's Time to Hire

Using the example price from Step 5 ($46 per billable hour), here's what a first employee could look like for your business. All inputs are examples:

• You pay $20 per hour.
• Payroll taxes, workers' comp and insurance add about $5 per hour (example input). For reference, the employer share of Social Security and Medicare alone is 7.65% of wages per the IRS, or $1.53 on $20; unemployment taxes and workers' comp come on top and vary depending on your state, so replace the $5 with the real load from your payroll provider and insurer.
• The cleaner is paid for 40 hours and bills 30 (drive time and setup are paid, not billed).
• Cleaning supplies and gas cost $3 per billable hour.

Labor cost per billable hour: 40 x $25 / 30 = $33.33. Add $3 of supplies: $36.33. Against a $46 price, that leaves about $9.67 per billable hour, or about $290 a week for 30 billable hours, before your own management time and the extra fixed costs.

So hire when you're fully booked and demand outgrows your schedule (you have a waitlist), not when you hope to fill one. If the margin is this thin, raise prices or tighten your route first, and consider starting part-time, with 15 to 20 billable hours a week of overflow clients.

These five mistakes, common in new cleaning businesses, follow from the cost math in this guide. Each shows up as a lower number in your pricing or a bigger insurance risk.

1. Underpricing. Setting a rate without counting drive time, supplies and fixed expenses, then learning months later that you earn less than an employee. Run the pricing math above, and put it in your business plan, before you quote anyone.
2. Cleaning without insurance. Saving a few hundred dollars and risking a claim that could close your cleaning business. Get covered before the first paid cleaning.
3. No written agreement. Arguing about a late cancellation or a broken item with nothing in writing. A one-page contract prevents most of these fights.
4. Offering too many cleaning services. Windows, carpets, laundry, organizing, post-construction: each one is a specialized service with its own equipment and pricing. Provide one service well first, then offer more.
5. Not tracking expenses. Mixing personal and business spending, then guessing at tax time. A separate bank account and receipts saved weekly fix this.