August focus: Domestic Cleaning Service

Set Aside your Running Costs

If you were to work for an agency they would charge you a Management Fee from the amount that the client pays you. This is to cover the costs involved in supplying you with work and managing your clients for you. Since you are working for yourself you should still set aside the same amount that you would normally pay to an agency for their fees from each booking and use it to market and promote your own services and pay for the running costs of your business. The rates chart below usually averages out so that at the commencement of running your business you earn at least $18 per hour, and shortly thereafter (if you are looking after you clients properly) you will not need to spend so much money in marketing, advertising and promotions, thereby increasing your hourly rate.

If you intend to continue to work as a sole operator then you will find that you can increase your hourly pay to yourself provided you have few changes to your client base. Under these circumstances you will not have to set aside such a large percentage of your hourly rate in order to run your business. However, despite your best intentions things just sometimes may not go the way you might hope, so it would be wise to build up a reserve in case you hit lean times and can put this money to good use re-building your business..

Recommended fees to set aside for Running Costs

You should also study the article that is titled Business Promotion Simplified, as the application of this information will allow you to stay in business and run a profitable operation. If you are really well organised and are able to plan, you will find that your business will want to expand due to the correct use of this information. Then your business can really become profitable!

Keeping track of your Earnings

This is what a weekly timesheet looks like:

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 timesheet         Week beginning …(1)./………../………..                                     (2)  Week No. 1 / 2

Date       Code       Client Name and Number                                 Hrs         Total Paid     Biz Costs

…(3).   …(4)…   ………(5)…………………………………………….……..…………   ..(6)…       ……(7)……       …(8)…

………     ……….    …………………..………………………………………….…………..   ………..       ……………….      …………

And so on down the page…………

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How do I fill in my timesheet?

Commencing with item one (1), write the date for the Monday of the week you have just worked at the top of the page. You must always place MONDAY’S date in this section, even if the first day that you work is Wednesday.

Using the calendar that you have marked with week one and two from the first week you have worked, for item two (2) circle either 1 or 2, depending on whether the work was performed in a week one or a week two.

Where item three (3) is indicated, place the date that you actually performed the work in this section.

Next, place the code for the type of work that was done where item four (4) is indicated. Codes such as W for weekly, F for fortnightly, M for monthly, 1-off for one-off bookings, and extra W for weekend work or O for office can be used to identify what type of work has been done.

Place the CLIENT’S NAME and HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER where item five (5) is indicated.

Item six (6) requires that you place the TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS that you worked in this section.

Then, the TOTAL FEE PAID TO YOU BY THE CLIENT is placed where item seven (7) is indicated.

Finally, refer to the guidelines as to how much to set aside for the running costs of your business for how much you need to calculate for MARKETING FEES, PRODUCT COSTS, CAR COSTS, PETROL COSTS, INSURANCE COSTS ETC, and place this amount where item eight (8) is indicated.

Once you have done this for every job that you have performed in the week that belongs to this particular timesheet, add up your total hours, client fees and Marketing Fees across the bottom of the page, and the front of your Timesheet is complete.

It is recommended that you fill out the questions on the back of your timesheet as well. These questions relate to changes in your roster that your client asks you for, such as changes to the number of hours or the day of service. You can also keep track of the things that occur at the jobs you work at in case at any time in the future you have a problem with your client, you have a written record of everything that was said and done. By keeping a diarised account of everything that goes on in your business you can judge where you are making your errors, both in your work and in your marketing. This information will allow you to keep statistics on your business.

You can read in next article about: Insurance