Any cleaners here that do commercial only?

BIG WOOD

MLPW
Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
13,157
Location
Georgia
Name
Matt w.
If so, do you like it?

If I ever move out of this corner of Georgia, I'd like to start a fresh business that does commercial only. I'm about burned out on tip toeing around my customer's houses just for a few hundred dollars. I have this $1600 commercial job today where I have the whole building to myself with no fancy hardwood floor to worry about, no stupid corner guards to mess with, no steep ass driveway to worry about, and no basements and 3rd floors to maze my Fking hoses through their museum of expensive Sht! I could talk all day about the annoyances of residential jobs that slow my day down. Commercial just doesn't have those

All I want is one commercial job/day or every other day to work at my own pace.

Keep in mind I've been very successful with growing my residential customers with and I have a 50% repeat customer base that is in a hurry to get me to come again to clean. Another pet peeve is them rushing me to get on the books the same week they call.

Commercial business model sounds so much better. Am I the only one who's thinking that?
 

Desk Jockey

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Messages
64,833
Location
A planet far far away
Name
Rico Suave
It is much better. Bigger jobs, less windshield time, reliable pay.

The negative is you work when they don't. So weekends, early evening.

The other thing is you can get multiple complaints about "chemical odor". Everyone has different sensitivity and its possible to get a few that smell, this or that.

Speed in processing and drying will also be a concern. Most property managers will want it all done at one time or at least huge chunks done at a time.

Overall if you don't mind the hours you definitely have the opportunity to be more profitable, with a much higher hourly rate.
 

Kenny Hayes

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
7,877
Location
Yukon, Oklahoma
Name
Kenny Hayes
🤷🏼‍♂️WahLah

1631570783329.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: BIG WOOD

Kenny Hayes

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
7,877
Location
Yukon, Oklahoma
Name
Kenny Hayes
It would have been so easy for me to expand to residential, real easy. But every reason you mentioned and more kept me from doing it. (corner guards wasn’t a factor)
 

Mikey P

Administrator
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
112,308
Location
The High Chapperal
If so, do you like it?

If I ever move out of this corner of Georgia, I'd like to start a fresh business that does commercial only. I'm about burned out on tip toeing around my customer's houses just for a few hundred dollars. I have this $1600 commercial job today where I have the whole building to myself with no fancy hardwood floor to worry about, no stupid corner guards to mess with, no steep ass driveway to worry about, and no basements and 3rd floors to maze my Fking hoses through their museum of expensive Sht! I could talk all day about the annoyances of residential jobs that slow my day down. Commercial just doesn't have those

All I want is one commercial job/day or every other day to work at my own pace.

Keep in mind I've been very successful with growing my residential customers with and I have a 50% repeat customer base that is in a hurry to get me to come again to clean. Another pet peeve is them rushing me to get on the books the same week they call.

Commercial business model sounds so much better. Am I the only one who's thinking that?



all the carpeted offices and cubicle farms are vacant. Zoom doesn't need you.



Your trash truck idea stands a better chance
 

PrimaDonna

Megatron
Joined
Jan 2, 2008
Messages
2,865
Location
NorthEast, USA
Name
MB
clearly you aren’t charging enough for residential.

If your that successful, have a good rep and repeat….raise your prices. Lose some customers, but make more doing less of the dog and pony show.

Or if your making more, you may learn to like/tolerate the extra shit cause your making so much it’s worth the hassle….
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BIG WOOD

Nomad74

Boy Sprout
Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
23,461
Location
Redding
clearly you aren’t charging enough for residential.

If your that successful, have a good rep and repeat….raise your prices. Lose some customers, but make more doing less of the dog and pony show.

Or if your making more, you may learn to like/tolerate the extra shot cause your making so much it’s worth the hassle….
I’ve been getting tough with people. It hurts me inside to do it, but I’m in business to make money. I had a repeat customer call me to clean her office. I’ve cleaned her house multiple times and she always drives me nuts. Very type A and is in denial of her little yappy dog that pisses everywhere. Besides what you guys think about me, I’m not thrilled everytime I pull up to a job and its an all day piss project.

Anyway, she wanted me to clean her office that was only about 300 sqft and it could only be done on a Saturday. I told her I also work everyday and am trying to keep my weekends free for my family. But I agreed to do her office for my $200 minimum. She didn’t like that and decided to shop around. Fine with me.
 
Last edited:

Cleanworks

Moderator
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,927
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
I’ve been getting tough with people. It hurts me inside to do it, but I’m in business to make money. I had a repeat customer call me to clean her office. I’ve cleaned her house multiple times and she always drives me nuts. Very type A and is in denial of her little yappy dog that pisses everywhere. Besides what you guys think about me, I’m not thrilled everytime I pull up to a job and its an all day piss project.

Anyway, she wanted me to clean her office thet wad only about 300 sqft and it could only be done on a Saturday. I told her I also work everyday and am trying to keep my weekends free for my family. But I agreed to do her office for my $200 minimum. She didn’t like that and decided to shop around. Fine with me.
Got a call from Boss Optima again today. Wanted me to clean a sectional sofa. Told me the payout would be $85. They were a little shocked when I told them I needed $200.
 

Kenny Hayes

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
7,877
Location
Yukon, Oklahoma
Name
Kenny Hayes
I like doing residential. Prevacuuming, corner guards, floor protectors, cleaning the wood after finishing, all take time. Most cleaners won’t take the time.
33 years of being in this industry and being exposed to you guys has taught me the necessity of being different.
Cuz you guys are LOOZERS!
Did Jimmy type that for you, or just dictate it?
 
Joined
Jun 20, 2016
Messages
6,242
Location
Bc
Name
Jeff T
I’d say we do about 35-40% commercial… at least in revenue. It pays VERY well, but the hours are shit.
The further we get into this industry, it seems the more commercial we do. Heck, another 5 years, and we might only do commercial.
I do enjoy doing high end residential though. I enjoy the challenge, and the payout.
I hate section 8’s,
BUT, it’s only for PM’s. The few that ask us about price when we are onsite, almost fall over when we give them a quote. They seem to think I’ll clean their pigsty for 59$…
We’ve got another condo building on Wednesday, and for 7 hrs work, we will make 3200$…
 

Jim Pemberton

MB Exclusive.
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
12,020
Name
Jim Pemberton
If so, do you like it?

If I ever move out of this corner of Georgia, I'd like to start a fresh business that does commercial only. I'm about burned out on tip toeing around my customer's houses just for a few hundred dollars. I have this $1600 commercial job today where I have the whole building to myself with no fancy hardwood floor to worry about, no stupid corner guards to mess with, no steep ass driveway to worry about, and no basements and 3rd floors to maze my Fking hoses through their museum of expensive Sht! I could talk all day about the annoyances of residential jobs that slow my day down. Commercial just doesn't have those

All I want is one commercial job/day or every other day to work at my own pace.

Keep in mind I've been very successful with growing my residential customers with and I have a 50% repeat customer base that is in a hurry to get me to come again to clean. Another pet peeve is them rushing me to get on the books the same week they call.

Commercial business model sounds so much better. Am I the only one who's thinking that?

I know a few cleaners who did that, for all the reasons you listed.

...and some who regretted it, for all the reasons some of the others here listed.

It works best if you have a team of reliable people who happily work evenings and weekends.
Those types are usually people who want "fun money" or "student loan money" and have a full time job already that doesn't tax them physically.

Just be prepared for the 2 AM call that the machine broke down or the "no show employee" that forces you to go out and do it yourself.
 

Kenny Hayes

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
7,877
Location
Yukon, Oklahoma
Name
Kenny Hayes
I know a few cleaners who did that, for all the reasons you listed.

...and some who regretted it, for all the reasons some of the others here listed.

It works best if you have a team of reliable people who happily work evenings and weekends.
Those types are usually people who want "fun money" or "student loan money" and have a full time job already that doesn't tax them physically.

Just be prepared for the 2 AM call that the machine broke down or the "no show employee" that forces you to go out and do it yourself.
You could be describing building service contractors, but with anything, you target what
you want. Thus the reason my niche is churches and private schools. No late nights. Weekends yes, but only at my choosing. Again, as in residential, you don’t take every call or job that comes through. Oh, and you do have People.
 

BIG WOOD

MLPW
Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
13,157
Location
Georgia
Name
Matt w.
You could be describing building service contractors, but with anything, you target what
you want. Thus the reason my niche is churches and private schools. No late nights. Weekends yes, but only at my choosing. Again, as in residential, you don’t take every call or job that comes through. Oh, and you do have People.
I like your business model.

And Marty is just jealous he didn't think about that first
 

Kenny Hayes

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
7,877
Location
Yukon, Oklahoma
Name
Kenny Hayes
That’s the ticket for sure! No corner guards needed. You pretty much have to extract the nursery’s every couple months. I can get the spit up off with a crb, but I extract afterwards.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom