Imagine going home tired and exhausted from work. Immediately, lying down on the couch is the only thing you can think of, then you begin to realize that you’re inhaling dust in the air.
Books and toys scattered everywhere, the floor is unkempt – overall it’s just plain chaos. People definitely don’t want to go home to a place like this. In a fast-paced society like today where people are enormously busy, starting a cleaning business is immensely a fantastic idea.
In the US, requirements may differ from state to state. If you want to start your cleaning service company in the state of California, you may go to the local department that takes care of business registrations.
Here’s a list of the most basic requirements that you can try here before you can fully operate a cleaning service company in California.
Apply for business registration and comply with needed permits. A business license is considered the backbone of a business. It means that you are legally authorized by the state to engage in your chosen business. Aside from a license, business owners also have to comply with permits like fire code permits, hazardous materials disclosure, wastewater discharge permit, and a lot more.
Be prepared to create an Injury and Illness Prevention Plan. While cleaning is a harmless activity, there may be some chemicals used for cleaning which can be toxic. Accidents are also unavoidable so the state of California requires owners to create this kind of plan. To know more about this, you can visit the Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOSH) of California’s Department of Industrial Relations
Since you will be employing people, you have to get business insurance. The latter is very important because there are inevitable risks when cleaning such as slipping, falling, and a lot more. You will also be liable for damaged properties among clients. Having insurance is like having a back-up, you don’t have to worry about expenses caused by such situations later on.
The state of California is very keen when it comes to employee rights and classification. Be familiar with legal issues on employment such as illegal discrimination, workers’ compensation among others. Specific for cleaning businesses, take into consideration topics like hourly wages, child labor, and eligibility to work.
Be cautious not to violate the Internal Revenue’s law on the classification of independent contractors. Since you will be hiring employees, read through the guidelines of the IRS Form SS-8 or the Determination of Worker Status for Purposes of Federal Employment Taxes and Income Tax Withholding. You will see when to consider an employee as an independent contractor and when not to.
Aside from the IRS form, you can also check out further information on the Department of Industrial Relations and California Tax Service Center’s websites.
While these legal requirements and procedures may seem technical in nature, the hardest part of starting a cleaning business is the actual planning and operation. There is an equal chance of failure or success when starting any kind of business.
