Fresh start, Oven Cleaning Service - testing the market?

[Mr Nathan]

Good morning!

I've been looking in to a few different things over recent months as over the years I have constantly battled with feeling restricted and imprisoned by employment. I keep landing back with Oven Cleaning and have been in contact with a few people around the country (away from my local area) who operate their own Oven Cleaning Company - to be honest the feedback they have given me is good and gave me some tips.

As I don't want to just simply leave my job and start, I am looking for ideas or help of ways I can possibly test the market in my local area?

Should I create a website and test the water with Adwords?

I have already produced a spreadsheet which includes names of other oven cleaners and their pricing in my area. I've also rated their website out of 10.

Thanks!

 

[mattk]

Rather than going to the time and expensive of building a web site, which you will then have to promote via SEO or ads, why not simply get out there and knock on some doors?

Go to an affluent area where people value their time and offer to clean their ovens for less than your cheapest competitor. Once you've completed your first tranche of bookings do the same, but up your price. Continue doing this until you see booking tail off due to your high prices. This will give you an idea of firstly, what percentage success rate you will have and what price point your can offer your service at.

Once you are equipped with that information then you can make an informed decision if this is a viable business and whether it is worth investing in things like a web site and AdWords.

 

[Ian J]

Rather than going to the time and expensive of building a web site, which you will then have to promote via SEO or ads, why not simply get out there and knock on some doors?

My local over cleaner bought into a franchise and he started off by taking a stand in the entrance of the local Sainsbury and handing out brochures and signing up people there and then - including me

 

[patientlady]

Hi Mr Nathan
Re door knocking - there are regulations
https://www.gov.uk/doorstep-selling-regulations

Do you yet have the correct insurance and equipment in place to be able to carry out the work?
good luck P/l

 

[estwig]

fb page and promote it via the local fb groups, this type of business is well suited to it, a small website optimised for Google My Business will do very well, get some some business cards and don't be shy giving them out. Reputation and trust are everything, get reviews on fb and google, get insured, take before and after pictures of everything you do and put them up.

Don't knock doors, stupid idea, you'll get arrested as people will think your casing their houses.

 

[Mr Nathan]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions so far, I will be looking over all ideas over the weekend.

I don’t have the skills or equipment yet to actually do the work hence I am seeking a way to test the market and see if there is sufficient demand before I invest

I need to some how get this information before I buy a van, dip tank and possibly training which is available. The training and equipment will cost around £3500 plus then van costs etc

 

[Mark T Jones]

TBH - Seldom I say this; but you can almost take the market for granted on this; though there will be good ideas on here to get to it.

Moving forward, it is important to structure your business in such a way that your are running and oven cleaning business, not dedicating your life to cleaning ovens, which will become deeply unpleasant over time!

 

[mattk]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions so far, I will be looking over all ideas over the weekend.

I don’t have the skills or equipment yet to actually do the work hence I am seeking a way to test the market and see if there is sufficient demand before I invest

I need to some how get this information before I buy a van, dip tank and possibly training which is available. The training and equipment will cost around £3500 plus then van costs etc

Three and a half grand. It sounds as if the real money is in selling the equipment and training - and it doesn't require you to get your hands dirty!

 

[estwig]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions so far, I will be looking over all ideas over the weekend.

I don’t have the skills or equipment yet to actually do the work hence I am seeking a way to test the market and see if there is sufficient demand before I invest

I need to some how get this information before I buy a van, dip tank and possibly training which is available. The training and equipment will cost around £3500 plus then van costs etc

The lady who does my oven twice a year, and she does a great job for £35.00, has a bucket of cleaning stuff, a cloth to cover the floor and a lot of elbow grease.

 

[estwig]

You do realise unless you pull your finger out get and this going in the next week or so, you've missed Christmas, which is your busiest time of year by a long shot. Nothing will happen after this until Spring.

 

[Ian J]

The lady who does my oven twice a year, and she does a great job for £35.00

That's cheap as I pay £55 or £60 but at least he dips my stuff in his tank

 

[Mr Nathan]

You do realise unless you pull your finger out get and this going in the next week or so, you've missed Christmas, which is your busiest time of year by a long shot. Nothing will happen after this until Spring.

I'm looking for a way to check there is sufficient market before taking the plunge. I already target April to start if it is viable, I don't want to just start with a bucket and cloth as I am immediately at a disadvantage versus competitors who have a dip tank and other tools which make the process a lot faster and finish pristine.

Pricing in my area is starting at £45 for a single oven then additional for hobs, microwaves, extractors, spare parts then larger ovens and aga's

 

[Mr D]

I'm looking for a way to check there is sufficient market before taking the plunge. I already target April to start if it is viable, I don't want to just start with a bucket and cloth as I am immediately at a disadvantage versus competitors who have a dip tank and other tools which make the process a lot faster and finish pristine.

Pricing in my area is starting at £45 for a single oven then additional for hobs, microwaves, extractors, spare parts then larger ovens and aga's

You probably won't find out there is sufficient market beforehand, there may well be competition you are unaware of and not everyone wants to pay to have the work done.

You could end up as some do, finding there is just enough work to not make money.

 

[Ian J]

My chap does quite a bit of work for landlords who need ovens cleaned after a tenancy - especially students

 

[Mitch3473]

Every man and his dog are at it nowadays but there is still money to be made. Everyone has an oven and everyone of them gets dirty. Not only that but there are extractor hoods and microwaves to upsell when you are in the house not to mention new bulbs, filters, seals and any other 'add ons' available.
Target areas will be student areas around unis, our Jewish communities use the service before passover and if you do a good job you'll have clients for life. Rental management firms, private landlords, property/estate agents plus the obvious private clients. Steer clear of the commercial side at least until you have been doing it for a few years.
It's a bit like car valeting in so far as it is a good service business if you build up a decent client base and most (70%) will be repeat work. It will take 3 years, maybe more nowadays, before you reach this stage though.
Prices these days are kept down because of the competition at about £35 upwards depending on your area/client base.
Just to put it in perspective, back in the late 90's early 2000's there were not many doing it and I was earning about £70 per clean, with add ons and was doing 3 a day. I doubt those figures or equivalent are around now.
Second hand equipment is available on the likes of Ebay etc etc, could even buy someones fully equiped business and transfer the equipment and van to your area to save you the bother.

 

[billybob99]

I had no idea you needed a professional to clean your oven.

I just buy a new one every 2 years.

 

[patientlady]

How long does it take to clean an oven, I would say at least an hour even using all the right equipment, by the time you have carried everything out to the dip tank etc. How many would you do a day? I would imagine, with arranging the diary, discussing and answering enquiries, driving to and from each appointment 4 cleans per day at best, if you were fully booked. There will no doubt be no shows and last minute cancellations
After purchasing the cleaning materials and the £3500 investment is £45 per clean to cheap? just a thought...

 

[Luciano@VineTec]

Not much else to add to some of the comments here other than to echo dont bother with websites or adwords just yet and go down the social media route.
People love to see results so clean your own, your families members, friends, even neighbours and show off your good work. You may have to do it for free initially but most people even family shouldn't have an issue with paying just enough to cover the material so it is only costing you your time.

And don't leave your job just yet. You may need to use evenings and weekends until you have enough business to sustain you.

Good Luck