It is an obvious fact that the parking lit cleaning industry is growing rapidly – thanks to the continuous increase in the country’s infrastructure. As the world population increase, so is the need to build more structures. However, there will always be a set of people that will be responsible for maintaining these structures. That is one reason the parking lot cleaning business has continued to grow over the last decade.
If you are considering also starting this type of business, you are on the right track. It is a good business guaranteed of helping you make a good income on monthly basis. However, to successfully run a parking lot cleaning business, you need more than just passion or cash. You need to know the ins and outs of the business. To help you start and run a successful parking lot cleaning business, here are some tips to help.
Tips To Help You Start a Parking Lot Cleaning Business
1. Choose a preferred niche to focus on
Starting out, you may need to work more with small clients and gradually add more as you gain more experience in the business. However, you need to first decide which area of parking lot business you want to focus on. Do you just want to be removing daily litter in lots and sidewalks, or you want to focus on cleaning asphalt and concrete? Crafting a unique niche for yourself will help grow your business faster.
Here are some niches you can consider in the industry:
- Junk and debris removing
- Restaurant patio and fast food parking lots cleaning
- Pressure washing for trash dumpster areas and entryways
- Add painting services and touch-up curbs and special parking areas
- Cleaning car lots for automotive companies
- Adding lawn mowing services to the business
2. Identify your target customers
While creating a parking lot cleaning business, your likely clients will be professionals, retailers, and other business owners who need to create a good business impression. Your customers can also include schools, property managers, hospitals, shopping centers, grocery stores, car dealerships, and organizations that have parking lots.
3. Register your parking lot cleaning business
This is another important thing you need to do. Register your business so you won’t have issues with the law. Know what licenses and permits you need and satisfy any requirements needed to register the business. You may also need to contact the Internal Revenue Service to obtain your EIN (employer identification number). The EIN is not only necessary to register your business but will also come in handy in the future when you need to obtain loans or hire employees.
4. Put your financing in order
This type of business will require huge capital to start. You will need to set your financing sources in order. You will need cash to purchase equipment and market the business. Creating a parking lot cleaning business may run up to $10,000 to build. You can get financing from a local bank or get a loan from private investors or commercial finance companies.
5. Invest in the right equipment
To provide a top-notch cleaning service, you will need the right equipment. Based on the niche you choose, identify what tools and equipment you will need and purchase. You may need the best sweeper in the market. But that doesn’t mean you should spend your whole budget on buying a sweeper. If you don’t have the financial capacity to get it brand new, you can consider buying used ones. They will also serve you well if properly maintained.
Investing in the right tools will not only help you deliver quality services but will also help save you some quality time and attract more customers.
6. Build a strong client base
You need to strife to increase your customer base on a consistent level. That boils down to having an excellent marketing plan on ground for the business. How do you set to market your business to people? How do you intend to make them know about the business?
Consider creating business cards, flyers, and a website to advertise your services. Contact retail management companies, schools, and other potential customers to drop your information with them. This will help pronounce your business all around and help you achieve your business goals faster.
7. Get insurance for your parking lot cleaning business
Some insurance you may need to include to offer protection for you and your business are:
- Business liability insurance
- General liability insurance
- Property insurance
- Employee benefits liability coverage
- Crime and fidelity insurance
- Employee dishonesty coverage
8. Identify possible future challenges
Whether a parking lot cleaning business looks simple or like a big task to you, the truth is that it also comes with its own share of challenges. Apart from this, every entrepreneur is bound to make mistakes at one point or the other in their journey, all these may sum up together to make challenging times more difficult for parking lot cleaning business owners. Some challenges to envisage include:
- Lack of experience
- Lack of capital
- Finding a suitable location
- Hiring technicians
- Navigating the highly competitive sphere
- Deciding and giving employee incentives
- Setting pricing
Identifying these possible challenges will help you better prepare for them as you devise a solution to scale through them.
