Are you looking forward to starting your own cleaning business in Kenya but don’t know where to start?
Keep Focus!
Cleaning businesses are in high demand in cities (Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa) and their outskirts. Corporate businesses and personal residences such as family homes are constantly looking for someone to clean their places at affordable prices. This article will inform you about everything you need to become a successful cleaning agent in Kenya.
What you need to be a cleaning agent in Kenya
1. Register your business on e-Citizen
Navigate to the e-citizen website, locate the “create account” option and click on it. Creating an e-citizen account is a simple five-step procedure listed below.
- ID Verification
- Personal Details – You will key in details such as your name as it appears in your ID and your ID number.
- Email Verification
- Mobile number verification
- Passport photo upload
After this, you will do a name search and pay a fee of KES3,500 to activate your account. This fee is renewed yearly.
2. Licenses you may require in your cleaning service business operation
- National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) license.
- City Council permit
- Staff insurance
3. Purchase cleaning equipment and chemicals
Buy top-notch equipment that will make your clients prefer you over your competition. Ordering your equipment may lead you to online stores such as Amazon, Ali Express or Alibaba that may have products absent in the Kenyan retail market. You will need
- Vacuum cleaners
- Dry cleaners
- Antiseptics
- Detergents and soap
- Cleaning cloths
- Brushes, moppers, dusters
4. Advertise your services
To get clients, you will need to set up a good marketing strategy that includes having your website and utilizing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so that your potential clients can find you easily. With a good marketing and branding strategy, you will pull in many clients leaving you with no option but to expand your business.
5. Register for Insurance
While in this hustle, client property may get damaged, and you may end up paying unreasonably high amounts of money. Looking towards having insurance is a good way of mitigating monetary loss in case you damage any property while cleaning.
Many insurance companies are looking to give good deals to professional cleaners. Do a risk analysis and ensure that the insurance will be of value to you.
6. Find a means of transport to your cleaning destination
This may not be critical. Nevertheless, having an efficient means of transport will make you punctual, and clients can count on you.
7. Employ other cleaners under your established brand
Once your cleaning company is well established, stable and reaping profits, expand your business, train and employ more cleaners.
Also Read: 15 Highly Lucrative Small Business Ideas for 2023
Services you can offer as a cleaning agent.
As a cleaning agent, you must focus on one niche in the cleaning enterprise, specialize and understand your core market. Below are examples of cleaning market opportunities you can focus on.
- Fumigation and pest control (cockroaches, bedbugs, mosquitoes, rats, snails).
- Domestic cleaning (family houses) and estate cleaning
- Industry cleaning
- Office cleaning
- Space planning and clearing
- Mattress and Rag cleaning
- After party cleaning
- Move in/Move out cleaning
How much can you earn from a cleaning business?
Depending on where you are cleaning, and the size of the area, most city cleaners charge up to KES10,000 per cleaning session and a minimum of KES1,000. This price range is determined by the quality of your cleaning service and your marketing skills. When you are the best, clients will flow in no matter the price you charge.
Challenges in the cleaning business industry
- Pricing and cost of operation – Some clients may not be willing to pay the amount you are offering your service for. In such situations, you will have to choose between walking away or compromising your profit margins.
- Getting clients – It will take you three to nine months to get a reasonable clientele. Until then, you will have to survive on motivation, hope and DISCIPLINE.
Conclusion
The cleaning business is not saturated. The country is striving to create more jobs for people and consequently, more cleaners are required at the workplace. Jumping into this niche as early as possible will enable you to establish a good foundation that will spell monetary success.
