How to Start a Home-Based Housecleaning Business, 2nd (Home-Based Business Series) [Paperback]

Laura Jorstad (Author), Melinda Morse (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Have you ever thought about starting your own home-based housecleaning business? Have you been hesitant to put your plans into action? This comprehensive guide contains all the necessary tools and strategies you need to successfully launch and grow your business.
Authors Laura Jorstad and Melinda Morse combine personal experience with expert advice on every aspect of setting up and running a thriving home-based housecleaning business. They explain how to get started, develop a service manual, screen clients, serve customers, learn from the competition, and set up a home office-as well as how to use the Internet to grow your business.
Learn all about:
Organizing your business
Getting clients and referrals
Setting your rates and services
Understanding and serving your customers
Selecting cleaning products-and treating stains
Billing and renewing contracts
Franchising

Use these special features and workbook pages:
Sample service manual
Room-by-room home-cleaning plans
Sample invoice
Service and payment record
Checklist of start-up requirements

About the Author

Laura Jorstad is a freelance writer and editor whose assignments have ranged from fly fishing to military history, self-help to science fiction. Born and raised on the Minnesota prairie, she now lives at the foot of the Green Mountains with her cat, Isabel.

Melinda Morse started her successful home cleaning business in 1994 to help pay for graduate school. She has since earned a PhD, expanded her business, and launched a successful writing career.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 2nd edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762738766
• ISBN-13: 978-0762738762
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Thought Out Description of a Small Business, November 18, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Start a Home-Based Housecleaning Business, 2nd (Home-Based Business Series) (Paperback)

Melinda Morse started a housecleaning business when she was in college, had $80 in the bank, needed an income, had to have flexible hours to stay in school, couldn't find a job. A friend suggested that she pick up just a few housecleaning jobs as a quick fix. She knew nothing about starting a business. In a few years she had learned a lot, probably more than she learned while getting her Ph.D.

This book starts at the beginning and talks about what's necessary to set this up as a legitimate business. It covers the legal, moral, and what I call the real rules about setting up a business. And don't kid yourself, it is a business with all the aspects of business that General Motors or IBM has. She presents a lot of sample forms in the book (If she had put these in Excell format on a web site somewhere it would be a great help.) that will help with expenses, what to do at each house, invoices, and keeping your ever present partner (if you wanted a parter or not) the IRS happy.

This book is very oriented to a house cleaning business - but house cleaning could well be considered to include janitorial, disaster clean up, etc. And the concepts she brings out are good for nearly any kind of small business. Good, well written book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good starter...., January 3, 2007

By 

Elayne - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Start a Home-Based Housecleaning Business, 2nd (Home-Based Business Series) (Paperback)

I recently read this book by Laura Jorstad and I'm new to the housecleaning business. Because I have no background in this profession, but am considering offering a service like this one in my local community, I found Jorstad's book to be a good place to start. She provides a very good Guide to Services, which seems fairly well thought out, but obviously would revisions based on the cleaning business you start. Overall, the book was easy to read and has good ideas. I think whenever you decide to go into business for yourself (any business) you should do as much reading and research as you can. Therefore, I would not limit myself to reading just this source, but consider other home-based, house cleaning businesses to get more ideas and better understand what lies ahead for you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, Basic Information, September 19, 2008

By 

C. OConnor (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Start a Home-Based Housecleaning Business, 2nd (Home-Based Business Series) (Paperback)

We found many of the tips useful when starting our housekeeping business. The author works by herself, however, and recommends as such so if you are planning to have a larger business with employees as we are then you will not find much information in that regard.