25 Tips to Succeed in Gutter Cleaning Business

Gutter cleaning business: Leaves and other debris clogging your gutters can result in damage to your home’s woodwork. In the winter, trapped water will freeze and expand in gutters, possibly ruining them. Clean your gutters at least once a year unless you have overhanging trees, in which case you’ll need a twice-a-year cleaning. To clean high gutters with a ladder, you’ll need to ensure the ladder is stable and then methodically clear the gutter by hand. To clean gutters from the safety of the ground, make a homemade gutter vacuum using a wet/dry vacuum, then pass the gutter vacuum over the gutter to remove debris.

Read on: 22 Top Strategies to End a Living on Roof and Gutter Cleaning Business

Gutter cleaning business

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1. Get your business plan

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns.

2. Know the costs involved

A gutter cleaning business can be started for less than $2,000, especially if business owners already have some equipment. Business owners need:

• A vehicle that can transport a ladder
• A ladder (24 or 32 feet is sufficient for most jobs)
• A ladder stabilizer (to keep the ladder off the gutters and for safety)
• Buckets and tarps (for collecting debris)
• Heavy-duty rubber gloves
• Insurance

See also: 11 Strategies to Make Money on Gutter Cleaning Service

Business owners may also want a pressure washer for quickly cleaning downspouts, and a leaf blower for quickly cleaning dry debris. These aren’t absolutely necessary.

Those who don’t have a vehicle that can carry a ladder can start out renting a truck whenever they have a job. Once the business generates enough income to purchase a larger vehicle, business owners can get something that will hold a ladder.

Gutter cleaning business

3. Know the ongoing expenses

The ongoing expenses for a gutter cleaning business are minimal. They include fuel, vehicle maintenance, and insurance premiums.

4. Know the targeted market

The primary market for a gutter cleaning business is homeowners who can afford to contract out at least some home maintenance. These tend to be middle, upper-middle, and upper class homeowners.

Gutter cleaning business

5. Know how they make money

A gutter cleaning business charges homeowners for cleaning out their home’s gutters. Business owners will frequently base their fees on how many linear feet of gutters a home has, although they may calculate a flat rate for the whole job. It’s also common to charge more for second-story gutters than first-story ones.

As an example, assume a business owner charges $1.00 per linear foot for first-story gutters and $1.50 per foot for second-story gutters. On a two-story house with 80 feet of first-story gutters and 45 feet of second-story gutters, the price would come to $147.50 (80 ft. x $1.00 + 45 ft. $1.50). The business owner may quote $150 to the customer for this job.

Read on: How to Succeed in Top 60 + Business

6. Know how you can charge your customers

Gutter cleaning costs vary quite a bit. The Roofer’s Helper mentions charging $75 for a typical ranch house and $100 for a standard two-story home. Shoestring Profits gives an example of $45 for a garage and $120 for a two-story home, or $165 for both. Some businesses charge even more than this.

The best way to determine how much to charge is by simply requesting quotes from competitors. Business owners should price themselves similar to or slightly below other companies in their area.

7. Know how to make profit

Business owners might earn between $200 and $300 in a full day, but this doesn’t necessarily translate to a $75,000 annual income. Work is seasonal, with most customers wanting their gutters cleaned in the fall. It can be difficult to schedule a full day of work the rest of the year.

Gutter cleaning business

8. Know how to make your business more profitable

There are many ways that business owners can increase their revenue. Many business owners offer to make minor gutter repairs while working, and some offer gutter guards. It’s also common for gutter cleaners to offer leaf removal, window washing, and skylight cleaning services.

9. Give your business a name

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name.

See also: 21 Strategies to Manage Pressure Washing Service Business

10. Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Gutter cleaning business

11. Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

12. Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

13. Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

Read on: 12 Tips to Make Money Opening Pressure Washing Services Business

14. Learn how to promote & market your business

Because a gutter cleaning business serves a defined geographic region, marketing methods should be focused on reaching homeowners in the area. Business cards, flyers, yard signs and local search engine optimization are all effective ways to promote a gutter cleaning business.

Once they’re established, business owners can sometimes get multiple jobs at once by talking with homeowners associations. Many HOAs will pass on gutter cleaning specials to their members if the price is decent and the company has a good reputation. By getting several jobs close together, business owners can afford to reduce their price slightly and they can get more jobs done in a day.

Gutter cleaning business

15. Know how to keep customers coming back

Business owners who are professional and charge a fair price will see a lot of repeat customers. In this industry, just showing up on time and doing good work goes a long way.

16. Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

• All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
• Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
• Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Using our website building guides, the process will be simple and painless and shouldn’t take you any longer than 2-3 hours to complete.

Read on: 19 Tips to Start Handyman Business

17. Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems for the year to find the best phone service for your small business.

Gutter cleaning business

18. Analyse the business

Anyone who likes being outside may enjoy running a gutter cleaning business. Business owners shouldn’t be afraid of heights, since they’ll spend much of their time up on ladders. And, while it can be a dirty job, they’ll get to spend their time outside working on people’s homes.

19. Know the Challenging

Business owners spend as much time cleaning gutters as possible, and they’ll try to line up multiple cleanings in a single day. When not cleaning gutters or driving to customers’ locations, business owners spend time marketing and disposing of debris.

20. Get some skills and experiences

While gutter cleaning isn’t the most complex work, it is more involved than many people assume. For example, there are several ways to clean gutters. The best method depends on the debris being removed and roof slope:

• Leaf blowers can be used for jobs that have low-grade roofs and only dry debris.
• Scooping from the roof is possible for jobs with low- and mid-grade roofs.
• Setting up ladders about every 6 feet is best for jobs with steep roofs.

Of course, business owners should know how to safely walk on roofs and use ladders. The Roofer’s Helper also points out several other items to consider, such as where debris is dropped and how to clean outlets.

Business owners who don’t have experience cleaning gutters may want to spend a season working for another business in the industry, as this lets prospective business owners get paid while gaining experience. Alternatively, there are several videos on YouTube that provide all necessary information. Lowe’s has a popular one.

See also: Top 38 Cleaning Business Services

Gutter cleaning business

21. Know the growth potential for the business

A gutter cleaning business can be a small one-person operation or it can grow into a large company with services in multiple locations. MJ Richardson in Syracuse, NY is an example of a smaller gutter cleaning business that serves the surrounding area. We Get Gutters is a much larger company with locations in 37 states.

22. Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

23. Get some insider tips

Business owners who don’t have experience might want to begin by offering to clean family members’ and friends’ gutters for free. Business owners can practice before charging someone for their time, and they can post a sign in front of each home they work on to advertise their services. Doing just a few homes around town will give business owners exposure in several different neighbourhoods and developments.

Read on: 6 Tips to Start Roofing Business

Gutter cleaning business

24. Know how and when to build a team

Many business owners start out working by themselves, and some decide to never hire employees. Those who do bring on workers do so as their customer base and revenue grows.