| Becoming your own boss is the dream of many | | | | If not, then your will have to do that on your own. |
| people. Nowadays more and more people are starting | | | | You will also need to find out what licencing |
| small businesses to give themselves more control | | | | requirement your state, county, and town/city has |
| over their lives and self-satisfaction. Starting a carpet | | | | for businesses. Generally these are not very tedious, |
| cleaning business is relatively simple. Growing the | | | | but help ensure the local authorities know that you |
| business, however, requires a considerable amount of | | | | are doing business and that you may need to collect |
| work. | | | | sales taxes. |
| Research about starting a niche business in carpet | | | | Obtain a Tax ID number |
| cleaning | | | | I do not recommend using your own social security |
| Carpet cleaning is a broad business area to cover (no | | | | number. You can apply for a tax ID number through |
| pun intended ). First, research what type of carpet | | | | the IRS. |
| cleaning companies are operating in your area. Do not | | | | Get business insurance |
| let the number of businesses in this field scare you | | | | You will be having employees and going into other |
| off. Remember that most of these companies do | | | | peoples homes and businesses. It makes sense to |
| not provide the level of customer service that will | | | | have business insurance to protect yourself from |
| ensure repeat business | | | | damaging personal property. |
| Second, see if you can spot (sorry, just could not | | | | Purchase carpet cleaning equipment |
| help that pun ) a niche which does not have a lot of | | | | Go through this web site and others to find out what |
| competition. Areas to consider are office and | | | | equipment best suits your needs. Make sure you |
| business carpet cleaning, oriental rug cleaning and any | | | | purchase commercial equipment. Commercial cleaning |
| environmentally friendly cleaning services. | | | | equipment is expensive, but is much more durable |
| Create a business entity | | | | than similar models sold for the home market. Plus it |
| Do not make the mistake of skipping this step. | | | | gives your customers confidence that they are |
| Creating the right business entity provides you with | | | | dealing with a professional. |
| some personal protection law suits and creditors. | | | | Advertise |
| That does not mean people cannot sue you | | | | Word of mouth works best. But do not forget that |
| personally or creditors cannot go after you | | | | many people still turn to the Yellow Pages to find |
| personally, but if your business entity is structured | | | | professional services. Some areas for you to explore |
| properly, that scenario becomes more difficult. | | | | in advertising your business: 1) Word of mouth; 2) |
| First, find a good lawyer who is experienced in | | | | Yellow Pages; 3) flyers; 4) web site |
| setting up various business entities. These include | | | | Of all these, setting up a web site seems the most |
| Sole Proprietorship, Limited Liability Companies, and | | | | daunting. I will go into details on how to get a web |
| various types of Corporations. Many on-line resources | | | | site up and running in a future post |
| are available to research the pro/cons of each. | | | | Hire reliable people |
| Second, work with your lawyer to get the legal | | | | In the beginning, you will probably be working on |
| entity established according to the laws of your | | | | your own, but soon you will be attracting more |
| state. A good lawyer will generally draft up all the | | | | business than you can handle by yourself. Hire reliable, |
| required documents for about $2,000. Prices in will | | | | courteous workers will increase your profits by |
| vary greatly depending on the area where you live | | | | guaranteeing repeat business and word-of-mouth |
| and the experience of the lawyer. If do not want to | | | | referrals. |
| go through a lawyer, there are a multitude of on-line | | | | Most small business owners fail to pay enough |
| resources to help you find the right legal entity and | | | | attention to this step and almost guarantee that their |
| provide you with the proper legal forms to file. | | | | business will not be as successful as they want it to |
| Get a business licence and register your business | | | | be. Workers who are not courteous and have a |
| name | | | | generally sloppy appearance will cause you to loose |
| If you went through a lawyer, they will likely have | | | | repeat business. |
| already registered your business name with the state. | | | | |