My wife and I had been cleaning for someone else, subbing out work and using their supplies and equipment. They lost some of the car dealership contracts and we were out of work. We took our last checks and bought some business cards, equipment, supplies, and then hit the phones to contact potential customers. I don't know now exactly what we spent, but I'd say $400 or less to get going. Although having never cleaned an apartment (we cleaned offices, not things like ovens, refrigerators, bathrooms on any regular basis) we decided that was the industry to shoot for. Day work, somewhat regular volume of work as people are always moving, and lots of potential clients out there. I made 5 phone calls, got 3 appointments to meet the management, and landed 2 large communities, one being a property management company with many communities spread around.
Eight years later, and we're still cleaning in our own business, though we eventually switched our focus to cleaning private homes. Not bad for $400 or so.
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