Form an Alliance or Go Solo?
So you’ve been working as a cleaner for homes or maybe some kind of commercial enterprise, and now you’re wondering: should I stay as a solo operator or branch out and become a business owner?
We are going to explore the pros and cons of that choice.
Most people view any sort of cleaning job as unskilled labor, partly because it doesn’t require formal training or any kind of degree. But cleaning is physically demanding, and manual labor performed over time—crouching down on all fours, hunched over scouring and scrubbing, picking things up and down to vacuum, dust and mop—can lead to repetitive injuries and chronic pain even if you are careful.
Your body may only have so many hours of work in it.
Not to mention that the job exposes you to chemicals compounded over time, and it's a competitive field in terms of pricing and business.
However, cleaning is always in need and is essential to people's health and safety. I don't care how good the robots get, it's going to take some time before they have the sensitivity and ability to move things to clean, notice blemished areas, and get into cracks and crevasses to really make a place shine. Robotic vacuums sound great, but they bump into furniture and don't suck up the dust off the bookshelves. Human capital is always needed.
The pros of being solo are that it's low cost to start, you can create your own time schedule, and you don't have to answer to anyone. But you're also earning money per hour and there are only so many hours you can do.
If you start thinking of yourself as a business operator, you can hire other people, get more accounts, and spend more time on marketing, sales, and operations, and less time exerting elbow grease on your knees. You can also charge higher rates by becoming licensed and bonded which in turn will position you to be able to get corporate and government contracts that are only available to licensed janitors, thereby allowing you and your workers to earn closer to a living wage.
PopUP CleanUP is always looking to pair with great service providers. We want to empower you to create greater equity doing what you do. Elevate with us here.