Recently, I was at home when I looked at the fan in my bedroom and realized that it could use a good cleaning. My son, who usually does this job, no longer lives with me, and cleaning fans is not my forte.
Then a thought came to me: if I only knew a young man in the community whom I could pay to clean my fans. That thought sparked the idea of how young men can start a fan-cleaning service business to earn some money to help offset some of their basic needs.
In this series, I am going to share 12 lucrative business ventures that young men can pursue with little to no up-front financial investment. Boys as young as 15 and as old as 20 can do this while attending school.
Instead of idling away their time on games and social media, teenage boys and even girls can clean fans in their neighborhood to earn income to further their education, etc.
So, how does this work?
In this climate, most homes have at least one fan per room. Hot atmospheres tend to increase dust particles, which leaves fans dirty easily. Hence, plenty of people would have their fans cleaned to reduce dust intake, especially while they sleep.
Thus, one of the first things you can do to be successful in this business venture is to start cleaning the fans that are in your home. If you are a teenage boy in a tropical country, perhaps that’s already your job.
The only difference is that you will clean these fans with your clients in mind, doing an excellent job so that your brand is recognized, and your neighbors will not only be repeat clients but will also recommend you to their family and friends.
During the practice stage of your fan cleaning business, pay attention to how long it takes to clean a fan so you can estimate your per-fan rate.
After you have mastered the art of properly cleaning fans, you can ask your relatives and immediate neighbors if they will allow you to clean their fans for a fee.
Expanding your fan cleaning business
After you have cleaned your neighbors’ fans, you can start spreading your wings by printing a few business cards or flyers and going door-to-door to promote your business.
With your neighbors’ permission, you can use them as references for your potential clients. For example, you can say, “I’ve cleaned fans for Ms. Mary, the Johnsons, and the Hamiltons.
As your fan-cleaning business expands, ask your parents or relatives to let you use, or help you acquire, a central space for people to drop off their fans and pick them up after cleaning.
The next step in building your fan-cleaning empire is to go to small businesses, offices, churches, and schools in your area and offer your services.
Most companies have several fans, including industrial ones, so you should save up some funds and either rent or purchase a power washer to start cleaning them much faster.
As your business grows, you can employ your peers to help you operate the business. Most family members and friends will be so proud of you that they may do so without charging a fee.
Materials needed to start your fan cleaning business
As a student, you will need to manage your time wisely, including factoring in assignments, home chores, church activities, and fun time. You should reduce the hours you spend playing with your friends, especially as your business is in the start-up phase.
In addition to the time commitment, the following items will be necessary to start your fan cleaning business.
- Soap
- Water
- Wash cloth
- A small bucket or container
You can save up your lunch money and purchase the items you need, but since you are just starting, ask your parents to use some of their soap and water, etc.
As your business continues to grow, you will need to acquire inventory and equipment to improve efficiency, as discussed further in this article.
Cost for cleaning a fan
Especially when you are just starting, you are not going to make a ton of money to buy a lambougine. It is essential to consider the business’s longevity by pleasing your clients while making a profit.
Remember that there are different types of fans, so each will have a different cleaning cost. Examples of fan types include regular, remote, desk, ceiling, and industrial fans.
Most people have fans to clean but do not have the time; thus, they are likely to pay JMD $1,000 to have a regular standing fan cleaned. Depending on the size of the industrial fans, you can charge about $1,500-$2,000, and $500 for a desk fan.
You can apply a discount to people with more than two fans, or even implement a referral system.
The prices above are suggestions; you will need to decide on the cost based on your time, material costs, your expertise in cleaning the fans, and the economic situation in your community.
How to manage your money
- Create a budget to manage and track your income, expenses, and profit.
- Return 10% of your money in tithes, and give a free-will offering.
- Invest most of the funds in establishing your brand and expanding your business in the initial stages. Create a logo, social media accounts, and a website if necessary. As soon as you have a business name, secure the social media handles and possibly the web address, even if you don’t plan to create content or the website yet.
- Invest a portion of your funds for college or future endeavors.
- If you are from a financially struggling family, or you just want to help out, contribute to your school expenses and give your parents a well-deserved break. Additionally, if your parents allow it, contribute to household bills, such as the water bill.
- Enjoy the fruits of your labour. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so if you want to go somewhere or buy yourself something nice, do it. After all, you have been working hard.
Important Points to Note
- Pray and ask God if this is the business that He wants you to participate in. If the answer is yes, get into the habit of continuous prayer for your business, clients, etc., and ask your family and friends to pray for you.
- Create a vision for your business. Decide why you want to start a fan cleaning business, and have an idea of how you want your business to look in the next 3-5 years. Share the vision with your employees so they can help achieve it and remember your why when you feel like giving up.
- Your fan cleaning business is your responsibility; thus, the buck stops with you. This means the decisions you make will affect you, whether they are positive or negative.
This is especially important when you choose to hire people to assist you with your business. Don’t just hire someone because you grew up together or because they attend the same school as you.
If your friend is lazy and irresponsible, don’t hire them. Hire people who are responsible and understand the importance of doing the work.
It’s okay to trust people and still check.
- It is essential to mitigate the risk of mishandling or misplacing your client’s fans or accessories, and to return your clients’ fans in the same condition in which you received them.
Hence, you will need to create a system to record the accessories that come with the fan and the fan’s condition.
A simple spreadsheet can be used to do this, and both you and the client can sign when the fan is picked up and dropped off. To avoid errors, you can also use a tagging system when fans are being dropped off at your fan cleaning centre.
- As you grow and better understand your customer base, ask an adult to help you draft a policy for your business that protects you and your clients in the event of any unfavourable outcomes.
Seek assistance in drafting a contract to employ people, and have your employees read and sign the contract, even if they are friends and family.
- Your fan cleaning business, or any business for that matter, will require hard work and dedication. Like anything new, you will make mistakes; however, it is essential to understand that mistakes are part of the learning process, and you will find that as you learn, you will improve over time.
Don’t give up. Be positive, ask for help, and exercise some tenacity.
- Be honest and responsible. Let your word be your bond. When people know they can trust you, they will continue to do business with you and recommend you to others.
- Be confident and represent yourself and your business well. Dress nicely, even if you are wearing a t-shirt, and make sure your place is clean and organized.
- Be creative. Let people know they are getting excellent service when they bring their fans to you.
- Be attentive. If you listen carefully, your customers will tell you if they need additional services, such as rug cleaning or even vehicle cleaning. If you find that some customers are likely to wait for their fans to clean, offer drinks and light snacks, etc.
If you don’t have the help you need, try not to grow too fast, because your fan cleaning business should not distract you from your schoolwork.
- Communicate with your clients. Let your clients know your hours of operation and if anything changes from what you agreed on. Don’t allow the client to call and can’t reach you, even though you said you would be available.
It takes weeks to build a customer and seconds to lose one. A disgruntled client can harm your business.
- You don’t know everything, so seek mentorship and ask trusted adults to guide you in areas where you are unsure. Remember that the greatest businesspeople have mentors to guide them in running their businesses successfully.
- Treat your team well. Don’t let youth or ego rob you of the opportunity to build a great team to work with. There is a difference between a boss and a leader, and how you treat your staff will reflect on how they treat your clients.
- At your age, you may face some negativity from your peers. Some may laugh and jeer that you are cleaning fans for a living. Stay focused and block out the negativity.
There will be more people rooting for you than those who are against you. Stay the course, because the ones who laugh will eventually see the fruits of your labour.
Everybody started somewhere, so start small, and if you do a good job, people will ask you to do other services.
Finally, the fan-cleaning market is not saturated, so if you are in Jamaica or anywhere else in the world that uses fans, your business can succeed.
All the best with your fan-cleaning business.
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