Food is big business. According to the National Restaurant Association in Washington DC, there are over 730,000 food service establishments, serving over 50 billion meals and doing 290 billion dollars in business each year. Over nine million people work in the industry, earning over 70 billion dollars annually in wages and benefits.

To protect public health, cleaning duties in food service areas are done according to written procedures and are regulated by federal, state and local laws, with regular inspections required to assure compliance. Food service cleaning is a life and death matter for individuals, families, groups and businesses. (more…)

Filed under: Food Service, Safety by William Griffin
Originally Published: CBM September 1999

How do the carpets look in your accounts? If they look clean and are free of spots, you’re obviously doing a good job. However, if they don’t look so good, those accounts are at risk of being cancelled. You’re leaving the door wide open for another contractor or a professional carpet cleaner to walk in and take that business away from you.

I’m sure that in your mind you have plenty of good reasons why, the carpets are dirty or spotted. But it doesn’t solve the customer’s problem. And it doesn’t do anything to keep a competitor from using those same dirty carpets as a selling point and as an opportunity to get in the door and put you out in the street. (more…)

Filed under: Carpet, Self Employment by William Griffin
Originally Published: CBM September 1999

Bidding potential accounts is one of the most critical yet frequently misunderstood and feared aspects of operating a cleaning business. No matter how long you’ve been at it, or the type or size of your business, you simply can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to learn something new about figuring out what to charge and finding new customers.

Knowing that if you bid too high you won’t have any accounts adds a few levels of stress to the process. If you under bid, you may get the job and yet still lose money. Then you face the possibility of not being able to do the work, pay your people or make a reasonable profit. So it’s easy to understand why the subject of bidding and estimating is always of interest to contract cleaners. I could list a hundred suggestions to help you bid more accurately and be competitive in the market place. But all the tips in the world won’t do you any good if you don’t use them consistently. Thus, this report discusses the ten best tips for better bidding. (more…)

Filed under: Bidding and Estimating by William Griffin
Originally Published: CBM September 1999

In The Beginning

When I began this business, I had little idea what was needed in the way of equipment, so I went to a large janitorial company in the city and asked for their recommendations. That initial purchase included a Pro squeegee handle, two lengths of metal channels (8″ and 12″) with rubber blades, a brush, a telescoping pole that extended 14 feet, a strip washer, and some generic window cleaning detergent. That initial investment was under $50 in 1978, and would cost under $100 today. I experimented with various equipment through the years and purchased new equipment as it became available. (more…)

Filed under: Self Employment, Window Cleaning by cbadmin
Originally Published: CBM September 1999

Washington Construction Bulletin, published by Construction Market Data, a Southam Company, at (800) 424-3996, or (425) 822-1291, is published weekly. If you want to pursue jobs in construction clean up, or want to be aware of where new facilities are being developed and who will be contracting out the services, it carries all the information you need to make bids including who to contact, location, etc. Construction Market Data is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and has offices in 25 states. (more…)

Filed under: Bidding and Estimating by William Griffin
Originally Published: CBM September 1999