How to Find a Mentor in 7 Steps (2024)

March 8, 2022

If you’ve ever thought “I need a mentor” this is the blog for you. We’ll provide guidance to help you find a mentor that will help you master your industry.

We interviewed Nic Reed and his mentor Mike Andes, and they shared their knowledge on starting a business and mentoring with us. Nic was employed by Mike at Augusta Lawn Care before becoming his first 3F franchisee. They have some great advice.

We’ll be discussing the aspects of finding a mentor including what a mentor is, the different types of mentors, what to look for in a mentor, how to find different types of mentors, and how to maintain mentoring relationships.

What is a Mentor?

A mentor is someone who is more experienced and that takes another person, commonly called a mentee, under their wing to help them grow. The mentor-mentee relationship will commonly involve seven dynamics to help the mentee grow:

Teacher: Good mentors help the other person develop the skills to be successful in their career.
Sponsor: A mentor helps the younger person find their way in the social environment.
Advisor: Great mentors will act as a sounding board to help young people look at different perspectives and offer advice.
Agent: Success is often about the number of people who buy into your narrative. A mentor will have already acquired more people in their professional network and will advocate for a mentee, assuming the idea or role is a good fit.
Role Model: A mentor should be someone you aspire to be like.
Coach: Mentors should help motivate and inspire you to be the best you can be. Sometimes we all need a good motivational speech or dose of harsh reality. It should help with your professional growth and build the relationship stronger.
Confidante: A great mentor will be someone who knows when to let you vent and when to offer a few tips. The pressures of building a career path, your own company, and your personal life can be a challenge at times. They’ll be there when they can, but they are busy too.

I reached out to Mike to follow up on our interview and he told me:

Nic was not our first franchise fee but he was our first 3F (Franchise Fee Forgiveness) franchisee. He worked at one of our shops for two years and we forgave the franchise fee. That’s where we really developed a mentoring relationship.

Keep reading to learn about different types of mentoring.

There are Different Potential Mentor Relationship Types

Depending on what stage you are in life, you may need a different type of mentor. You’ll probably read a lot of differing opinions because there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on how to define the roles a good mentor plays, but we’re going to define them as follows:

Career Mentor
Life Mentor
Professional Mentor
Business Mentor

We’ll discuss each of these in more detail below so you’ll know what kind of potential mentor to look for when you decide to pursue a mentor.

Career Mentor (Typically Early in Career)

A career mentor is typically encountered early in your career and helps you learn the ropes. They might be a family friend or your first boss out of college. This mentor-mentee relationship is typically going to be one that may stay with you the rest of your life especially if they are in the same industry.

Life Mentor (Personal Mentor)

A personal mentor will be someone who helps you navigate your personal life more effectively. I hope most people have had a few of these.

Some of the people from my own situation that have played this role are:

My parents, for teaching me I can truly accomplish anything if I put my mind to it.
My grandpa, for teaching me I can say anything as long as I say it with a smile.
My high school chemistry teacher (the only person I knew believed in me when I was struggling as a teenager).
Dennis Rodman, (from afar) shows how you don’t have to fit a particular mold to create an amazing career path.
My manager at Pizza Hut, for showing me that leadership skills are not dictated by position but based on a combination of professional skills and your ability to find mutually beneficial solutions.

These types of mentors can come from anywhere and are what help each of us develop our own varying perspectives. Make sure to communicate to them how much they mean to you. Many of mine died before I truly manifested the lessons they taught me.

Professional Mentor (Paid to Advise)

An iPad with colored pens on a desk

There are people who act as professional mentors either in person or through online platforms. They are paid extremely well but can give amazing advice. Many of the people we interview offer consulting to help others rise above their challenges.

This might not be the best place to start because the costs can add up quickly, but if you get good feedback and absorb their knowledge it can pay off quickly as you gain from their expertise.

Business Mentor (Often Called a Business Coach or Consultant)

If you just need someone to direct you on the path forward, a business mentor, business coach, or consultant can help you. When you look for a potential mentor that fits into this category make sure to check their references.

A good mentor might be from the same industry as you or they might be specialized. For instance, you might need a mentor for technology resources, accounting, or human resources. Even a specialized mentor should have experience performing their tasks in your field to be considered a potential mentor.

These mentors differ from professional mentors in that they may not have a mentorship concept currently on their agenda, but if you connect with them, a mentor-mentee relationship may form.

Keep reading for information on what to look for in a mentorship relationship.

What to Look for in a Mentor

Experienced mentors are all over the place, but they are busy and their time is valuable. Some of the answers to the question, “What does a mentor do?” include:

They are in a good spot in their career.
They give constructive criticism in a way that you find palatable.
You have common ground upon which you can connect.
They have an existing network that is larger than yours. This may be a personal network, in a specific industry, or across a variety of industries depending on what you are hoping to learn.
They have the time, desire, and energy to teach you new skills.
You enjoy having a casual conversation with them.
They need a personal assistant, employee, or intern.

When we asked Mike what makes him qualified to be a mentor, he told us:

I’m not sure I’m qualified (in a self-deprecating manner), but the things I accomplished so far including mowing lawns to pay my way through college, getting my MBA, and Augusta Lawn Care has 34 (now 77 and growing) franchises

Check out this portion of our interview with Nic and Mike below.

How to Find a Prospective Mentor

Most blogs will tell you the process of finding mentors looks something like the one below:

Identify your goals.
Reach out to potential mentors via email, letter, social media, or phone call (if you know them).
Ask for an initial conversation to help you get to know the potential mentors.
Schedule an in-person meeting or virtual coffee.
Discuss the industry, things you have in common, and goals.
Ask the more experienced person to provide a mentorship once you’re sure they are the right mentor.
Interact with them to ask for advice, keep them up to date with your career growth, and get feedback.

This approach might work best with family friends or when you are paying them. If you haven’t already built a relationship, they’ll probably ignore you though. So let’s set all of that aside and reimagine how to build a relationship with the right mentor.

Mike told us:

The first thing you have to do is ask and I don’t think that’s right. Absorb as much about them as possible from afar, then give first, ask later.

If we start with that, the process of finding mentors will look a little more like this:

Identify your goals and who inspires you.
Seek all the information you can about them.
1. Google them.
2. Follow them on social media.
3. Buy, and more importantly, read their book(s).
4. Interact with their posts by asking relevant questions.

This process may take a while, but you’ll be getting advice and guidance before ever meeting. If they are famous, you’ll probably want to accept that any guidance will be based on the knowledge they share with the world, but it never hurts to try to connect and build a deeper relationship.

Mike also told us:

The goal should be to figure out how to add value to the subject you want to be mentored by. They are typically extremely busy and are expensive to pay for their time. Just find a way to be close to them and you’ll learn from them.

When looking for a mentor, the next steps would be:

Look for a job or industry meetup that would likely connect you with the person or persons of interest.
1. For a job, look for one that would include directly reporting to the mentor you seek. Apply for it, and be prepared for the meeting. You have lots of knowledge. Use it. Be ready to show how you are a good candidate for the job.
2. Industry meetups tend to have keynote speakers and they announce who they are in advance. Most keynote speakers share their expertise, make it a point to connect with the crowd afterward and share their email addresses.
Follow up. Thank them for their time. Ask them questions you didn’t get to ask them in the meeting. Hopefully, they give you some guidance and request another meeting.

At this point, you haven’t truly asked for any of their time. If they are the right person to provide your mentorship, they’ll be aware you are actually interested in developing a working relationship. If they do not seem interested, don’t press it. You’ll have other places to look at as well.

They might give you some feedback or constructive criticism. If they offer either, don’t take it personally. It’s just a different perspective and an opportunity to learn. Use that feedback to help you find a mentor.

If you get the job or receive a favorable response, that’s your time to shine. You’ll want to:

Work on building the skills and achieving success using their advice.
Reach out again when you achieve a goal using the advice you got from them.
Thank them for the advice they gave you and share the impact it had.
1. If you worked with them, it probably impacted both your careers and they might already be aware they are developing a mentorship.
2. Either way, ask them if you can meet for lunch as a way to thank your mentor for their help

That’s the truth about how to get a mentor. It’s not just about asking for the privilege; it’s about adding value for both careers. We followed up with Nic in part 3 of the interviews and he offered some great information on Mike’s mentorship of him.

I actually met my goal back in August. I also hired my first employee. I’ve actually been investing more than I planned into growing the business to help it grow more.

Nic also told us that the mentorship continued with 30-minute coaching calls. He also said:

I also talk with a lot of the other franchisees to learn from each person’s perspective.

In regards to mentorship, Mika also told us:

I think franchising is kinda like a mentorship because the franchisor teaches you how to run the business their way. It is much stricter than a mentorship because you have to use their name, their colors, and their process, whereas a mentorship doesn’t control what you do.

Now that you understand the process to find a business mentor, let’s look at some of the resources available to find a good mentor both in person and virtually.

How to Find a Mentor for Adults

Adults will need to look for a potential mentor via some of the following resources:

Online
- Facebook Business Groups
- LinkedIn Groups
- Twitter
- Business Mentoring Sites and Apps
Work
Career Development Centers
Charity Work
Local Business Gatherings
Co-working Office Places
Think Tanks and Incubators

How to Find a Mentor Near Me

If you are looking for mentors near you, try the following options:

Limit Online Searches to Your Location
Work
Career Development Centers
Charity Work
Local Business Gatherings
Co-working Office Places
Think Tanks and Incubators

How to Find a Business Mentor

A business mentor can be found by looking in the following locations:

Online
- Facebook Business Groups
- LinkedIn Groups
- Twitter
- Business Mentoring Sites and Apps
Work
Career Development Centers
Charity Work
Local Business Gatherings
Co-working Office Places
Think Tanks and Incubators

How to Find a Real Estate Mentor

A man searching for a real estate mentor online

Some ways to find a mentor in the real estate industry include:

Go to continuous education courses.
Identify successful brokers in your town, and offer them a good deal to work under them and learn their ways.
Go to networking events and open houses to meet other real estate professionals.

How to Find a Mentor on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social network. Be social and join groups in your industry. Follow business leaders that interest you. Ask questions on their posts. Join the groups they are in and allow for meaningful connections. Develop a relationship and build it into a mentoring relationship naturally.

Use a “Find a Mentor App” or “Find a Mentor Website”

There are a ton of mentoring apps and websites listed on TrustPilot. Most tend to be industry-specific though.

Where Can I Find a Mentor for Free?

There’s no such thing as free. Everything costs time or money, but your best bet is family friends because they tend to already look at you favorably. Some call it nepotism, but it’s mostly people who like helping people they see as similar to themselves. You can try online, but that takes time.

How to Find a Mentor on Reddit

Reddit is a social network. You interact with people about subjects that interest you. Everyone in the group shares a common interest so you’ll eventually find people that you find insightful and can help advise you.

Some tips for using Reddit include:

Follow members that seem knowledgeable.
Ask questions.
Develop relationships and watch them grow into mentorships organically.

How to Find a Mentor for a Teenager

A man searching for a mentor

If you are a teenager and you have made it this far, kudos to you for wanting to learn how to find a mentor! There are some unique advantages that teenagers have over the rest of us. You are still in school and typically have larger social networks.

Some of the unique opportunities for teenagers to find mentors are:

Teachers, professors, and other educators
Boys and Girls Club
Guest presenters at colleges
Coaches
Youth activity leaders

Developing the Mentorship

Now that you know where to find a mentor, try this approach to develop the relationship:

Identify your goals and who inspires you.
Seek all the information you can about them.
Find a way to meet when they are a keynote speaker or apply for a job that reports to them.
Follow up, thank them for their time, and ask questions.
When you achieve a goal using the advice you got from them, reach out again.
Thank them for the advice they gave you and share the impact it had.
Offer to assist them or take them to lunch.

Mentoring Relationships Have Several Benefits for the Mentor Too!

Now that you know how to find a mentor for business, I should point out that finding a mentor can benefit the person who is guiding you as well as yourself. Some of the reasons someone might want to be a mentor include:

Helping others that are struggling
Building a legacy
Filling time in retirement
Building a team to help achieve more than they can achieve on their own

Go Forth and Become Titans of Industry

Image of successful entrepreneurs

A relationship where someone helps you navigate the challenges of the world can be an immensely rewarding relationship. When you find it, make sure to cherish your mentors for all that they do.

We are working on creating a section of the site to help people share their ideas, and seek mentors or mentees. Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list to get updates on the services offered.

Hopefully, these insights will help you to achieve your career goals. I want to try to do something different below. Let’s make this comment section a way to honor those who have touched our lives. Who have been the most positive influences for you?

Author

Brandon Boushy

How to Become a $1M/Year Real Estate Agent

Many people ask UpFlip how to become a real estate agent, so we’ve answered your question. In fact, there were more than 49,000 new real estate agents in 2021, but not all of them made it. If you want a real estate career, you need to follow some industry best practices. We talked to Santino Filipelli, who started Modern Realty in 2017. Today, he has a team of real estate agents working at his brokerage, and his top performer earned more than $1 million dollars. Santino told us: [su_quote]I got into the real estate business kinda on accident. I intentionally got my real estate license while I was in college to become a firefighter, but decided to stay and quit school.[/su_quote] He laid out a five-step process to becoming a real estate agent.

Enroll in Real Estate School, take your credit hours, and take a test.
Get your real estate license.
Find a broker.
Secure clients.
Close deals.

We’ll look at each of the steps, but first, let's take a look at the real estate industry so you can develop your knowledge about it.

Real Estate Industry Crash Course

Real estate is an excellent career choice, but it can have high fluctuations due to economic conditions. For example, nearly 1 million real estate agents left the National Association of Realtors (NAR) between 2007 and 2012. Since 2012, 500,000 new Realtors have joined the NAR, nearly ⅓ of those joining in 2021. So many people enter the industry that it is one of the ten most commonly started businesses according to the Economic Innovation Group. Statistics come from IBIS World unless otherwise cited.

Financials

Real estate agents and brokers are classified under the North American Industry Classification System code 53121. Nearly 1 million businesses split nearly $200 billion in revenue and have around a 21% profit margin. That means nearly $200,000 revenue and $42,000 profit per business. Let’s look at the revenue and expenses of real estate businesses.

Revenue for Real Estate Agents

Revenue is primarily driven by commissions on the sale of property. The average commission is around 2%, which means for $200K in revenue, a real estate agent needs to sell approximately $10 million worth of homes or businesses. That converts to approximately 10 to 40 homes in most places. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that brokers make approximately $62K per year, while sales agents average around $48K. U.S. Bureau of labor statistics screenshot

U.S. Bureau of labor statistics screenshot

Let’s look at the expenses for a real estate agent.

Real Estate Agent Expenses

A real estate agent will typically experience the following expenses:

Wages: 16-22% which includes a 5-6% commission to cover brokerage administrative expenses.
Office Supplies: 3-15%, with industry average of 3.6%.
Marketing: Typically under 2%. This seems like an opportunity for the real estate agent who learns marketing and expands it to the typical 8% of other industries.
Rent + Utilities: 5-6% of revenue.
Depreciation: Normally 1.5%-16%. Business owners will normally claim depreciation of vehicles, buildings, and equipment. This is an on-paper cost.
Other: These include all the miscellaneous expenses like taxes, software, gas, and payments to subcontractors like photographers. Here’s the breakdown of other expenses.

How to Become a Successful Real Estate Agent

Santino discussed the keys to success in real estate. He told us: [su_quote]Take the DISC test. People with high D and high I scores tend to do well, but you can’t be overbearing. You can still do well without it, but those personalities tend to do best.[/su_quote]

Check out our interview with him below:

We asked Santino how average and top performing agents perform. He told us: [su_quote]The top agent came on early and spent 3 to 4 hours being mentored. He made close to $1 million last year on:

84 transactions

$580K average home

2% average commission

He still blocks out his time and spends lots of time on lead generation.[/su_quote] It might help to write a business plan. Try out our BP template. He went on to tell us: [su_quote]The average has been in the $55 to $60 thousand, but before this hot streak it was more like $40K for the average real estate agent.[/su_quote] If you already have a source of wealth to drive your revenue, Santino also mentioned that you can almost buy your way to success as a sales agent or listing broker. He also suggested getting involved in professional groups to help with networking and improving your knowledge base. We’ll discuss some of the groups that can help you become a better real estate agent.

Join and Get Involved in Professional Groups

Becoming a real estate agent requires building a personal and professional network. Some of the best ways to build your network and expand your knowledge include:

Young Professionals Network (YPN): Helps real estate agents learn skills and best practices that help them be more successful.
National Association of Realtors (NAR): This organization provides a variety of certifications, ethic training, resources, meetings, and joining is the only way to become a REALTOR®.
Chamber of Commerce: Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and participate in your local chapter.
Federal Reserve: Keep up to date on economic and interest rate changes.
Volunteering: Santino suggests getting out and helping your community. Organizations like Habitat for Humanity are great for meeting construction professionals that can be useful connections.
National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB): This organization focuses on helping improve minority professionals’ results and community homeownership rates.
Federal Housing Finance Agency: Stay updated on laws impacting real estate.

Make sure to join the National Association of Realtors, and National Association of Real Estate Brokers because they provide resources and high quality backlinks that will help you throughout your career.

Industry Trends

Three industry trends currently impact real estate: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

High home prices tend to lower demand for housing
Rising interest rates tend to lower demand for housing
Tightening credit tends to make it harder to buy a home

[/su_note] “These will lead to a reduction of real estate agents.” Santino also discussed the impact of technology innovation in the market.

Real Estate Crypto & Blockchain

Santino told us he expects crypto to start making a bigger play in real estate, but warned: [su_quote]Lots of companies have tried to disrupt the real estate industry, but none have successfully changed it.[/su_quote] Before I continue, I should probably warn you that crypto is currently under-regulated in the U.S. Evaluate the risks carefully. There are a few ways that real estate and blockchain interact: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

NFT Titles
Selling metaverse real estate

[/su_note] Let’s look at each.

NFT Titles

Nonfungible tokens CoinDesks website screenhot

Nonfungible Tokens (NFTs) have entered the real estate market and are being used as a way to sell homes. While most companies have not gone to this approach, I would expect many to in the future because:

NFTs allow the creator to receive a recurring commission. If you are the first real estate agent to sell a house, you get a commission every time it passes hands. Sweet!
It reduces the time to close a sale.

The leader in the market is Propy which offers a monthly subscription for offer management, NFT title creation (currently approximately $200), and blockchain real estate agent certifications.

How to Become a Real Estate Agent in the Metaverse

The metaverse is a virtual world. It’s basically the world people unplug from in the movie the Matrix. Like the real world, it allows transactions including real estate transactions. Sandbox is one of the most popular metaverses where users can buy and sell land, but there are more coming out every day. I’m personally investing in Stageverse at the moment. Good news! You don’t need to have a real estate license to buy and sell metaverse lands. If you want to learn more about how to become a metaverse real estate agent, check out this Academicful blog. Let’s look at the first step of becoming a real estate agent.

Step 1. Enroll in Real Estate School

Every state is different, but there are some common requirements to start a real estate career. The first requirement is normally getting the proper education to take the real estate license exam. In some states, you can skip the entire pre-licensing course load if you are a licensed attorney, are moving from a state that has license reciprocity, or you have an apprenticeship with a broker. It should be noted that if you are planning on going into property management, many states have a separate licensing requirement for this. Check your state’s Real Estate Commission before booking the courses. You can find information on the real estate schools, course requirements, and licensing in the table below. If you have a criminal background, make sure to review the requirements really well because most states have background check and/or fingerprinting requirements. [su_table responsive="yes" fixed="yes"]

	Approved Schools	Take Exam	Apply for License	Age Requirement	High School Required?	Criminal Record	Past Rejections, Revocation Limitation	Number of Pre license hours	Types of Licenses	Continuing Education Requirements	State Abbreviation
How to get a real estate license in Alabama	Go for ones with high success rates	Exam Centers $73 exam fee	Instructions for applying for license	19+	Required	No Felonies	None in Last 2 Years	60	Temporary License and Permanent Salesperson's License	30 hours in first year, 15 hours every 2 years after getting permanent salesperson	AL
How to get a real estate license in Alaska	List of schools	Exams are on specific days $100 fee in major cities	Find forms for RE Salesperson and Broker	19	Not Specified	Eligible 7 years after completion of sentence	Not Specified	40	Salesperson, broker, and broker associate options	30 first year, 20 every 2 years	AK
How to get a real estate license in Arizona	Find Licensed RE Schools	Pearson VUE $75 fee	License $60	18	Not Specified	Disclose all, no felonies allowed, fingerprinting	Not denied in 1 year or revoked within 2 years	90+6 hours contract writing	Not Specified	24 hours every 2 years	AZ
How to get a real estate license in Arkansas	AR Licensed RE schools	Pearson Vue $75 fee	License $86.25 residents, $161.25 non-residents	18	Not Specified	Background check, decided on case-by-case basis	Not Specified	60	Not Specified	18 in first 6 months, 7 per year	AR
How to get a real estate license in California	CA Approved RE Courses	Apply for Exam or Exam/License	Apply for Exam or Exam/License	18	Not Specified	fingerprint+background check, any crime can disqualify you	Not Specified	135 hours (3 courses at college or RE school	Not Specified	45 hours every 4 years	CA
How to get a real estate license in Colorado	Colorado Broker Education	PSI Exams	Apply for License	18	Not Specified	background and fingerprinting	Not Specified	168 hours	Broker License Only	24 hours every 3 years	CO
How to get a real estate license in Connecticut	CT approved Pre-licensing education	CT PSI Exams	CT Licensing	18	Not Specified	Not Specified	Not Specified	60 hours, 120 and 2 years experience to become broker	salesperson, broker	12 hours per year before May 31st	CT
How to get a real estate license in Delaware	Email DE DPR	DE Pearson VUE Exam	Apply for License	18	Not Specified	Allowed after conviction is waived, which takes 5 years	Not Specified	99 hours	Not Specified	Before April 30th of even number years, you need 21 CE hours, first batch is prorated.	DE
How to get a real estate license in Florida	FL Licensed Schools Search	FL Pearson VUE Page	Get your FL Real Estate License	18	Yes or GED	Background check and disclose convictions	Not Specified	63 hours	Not Specified	45 first 2 years, and 14 every 2 years after	FL
How to get a real estate license in Georgia	GA License Real Estate Schools	Administered by AMP $121 Fee	Apply for GA License	18	Yes or GED	Pass Background check	Not Specified	75 hours at RE school, 10 quarter hours, or 6 semester hours at an accredited college	Not Specified	25 hours first year 36 hours every 4 years	GA
How to get a real estate license in Hawaii	Go To Course Search and Download the providers	HI PSI Exams	Forms to Apply	18	Yes or GED		Not Specified	60 hours	Not Specified	20 hours every 2 years	HI
How to get a real estate license in Idaho	ID Real Estate Courses	ID Pearson VUE Exams	Follow this checklist then apply	18	Yes or GED	background and fingerprinting	Not Specified	90 hours	Not Specified	19 hours every 2 years	ID
How to get a real estate license in Illinois	IL Approved Courses	PSI Exams	Illinois Dept. of Financial & Professional Regulation Online Portal	18	Yes or GED	background check	Not Specified	75 hours	broker	45 hours after passing test and 24 hours every 2 years	IL
How to get a real estate license in Indiana	PA Approved Providers	Indiana PSI EXAM site	IN License Application	18	Yes or GED	background check	Not Specified	90 hours	Not Specified	30 in first 2 years, 36 every three years after	IN
How to get a real estate license in Iowa	Iowa information on RE Licensing			18	Yes or GED	background check	Not Specified	60 hours+36 in class hours	Not Specified	36 hours every 3 years	IA
How to get a real estate license in Kansas	KS Requirements for RE Licensing			18	Yes or GED	background check	Not Specified	60 hours	Not Specified	12 hours every 2 years	KS
How to get a real estate license in Kentucky	KY Real Estate Commission			18	Yes or GED	background check	Not Specified	96 hours or 6 credit hours from a college	Not Specified	48 hours in first 2 years, then 6 hours every 2 years afterwards	KY
How to get a real estate license in Louisiana	LA Real Estate Commision			18	Yes or GED	background check	Not Specified	90 hours	Not Specified	45 hours in the first 180 days + 4 years by Dec 31, then 12 hours each year by Dec 31	LA
How to get a real estate license in Maine	Maine Real Estate Commission			18	Yes or GED	3 notarized letters of recommendation	Not Specified	55 hours	Non-renewable entry level sales agent, associate broker, broker	Have to complete the pre-license associate broker and complete another exam before license expires. The associate broker will require 21 hours every 2 years	ME
How to get a real estate license in Maryland	MD Real Estate Commision			18	Not Specified	Good character	Not Specified	60 hours	Not Specified		MD
How to get a real estate license in Massachusetts	MA Real Estate Licensing Page			18	Not Specified	Not Specified	Not Specified	40 hours	Not Specified	12 credits every 2 years	MA
How to get a real estate license in Michigan	MI Real Estate Licensing			18	Not Specified	Not Specified	Not Specified	40 hours	Not Specified	18 every 3 years	MI
How to get a real estate license in Minnesota	MN Real Estate Licensing			18	Yes or GED	Not Specified	Not Specified	90 hours or 3 classes, you can take the test after first and complete others in first year	Need sponsor from brokerage	15 hours per year	MN
How to get a real estate license in Mississippi	Warning MS RE Commission has a page from 1998			18	Not Specified	Not Specified	Not Specified	60 hours	Need sponsor from brokerage	30 hours in first year, 16 every 2 years	MS
How to get a real estate license in Missouri	MO Real Estate			18	Yes or GED	Background check (after passing test)	Not Specified	48 hours, be a licensed attorney, or be granted a one-time sitting.	Not Specified	24 hour Missouri Real Estate Practice Course (MREP) after passing test, then 12 hours every 2 years	MO
How to get a real estate license in Montana	ME Real Estate Licensing			18	10th grade or higher		Not Specified	70 hours	need sponsor	12 CE hours per year	MT
How to get a real estate license in Nebraska	NE Real Estate Commision			19	Yes or GED	Background check	Not Specified	3 courses/66 hours	Not Specified	18 hours every 2 years	NE
How to get a real estate license in Nevada	NV Real Estate Commision			18	Not Specified	Background check	Not Specified	120 hours	Not Specified	24 hours every 2 years	NV
How to get a real estate license in New Hampshire	NH Real Estate Licensing			18	Yes or GED	Background check	Not Specified	40 hours	Not Specified	15 hours every 2 years	NH
How to get a real estate license in New Jersey	NJ RE Licensing Info			18	Yes or GED	Background check	Not Specified	75 hours	need sponsor	12 hours every 2 years	NJ
How to get a real estate license in New Mexico	NM Regulation and Licensing Department			18	Not Specified	Background check and fingerprints	Not Specified	90 hours	Associate broker	36 hours every 3 years	NM
How to get a real estate license in New York	NY Real Estate Agent Page			18	Not Specified	No Felonies	Not Specified	75 hours	Not Specified	22.5 hours every to years	NY
How to get a real estate license in North Carolina	NC Real Estate Commission			18	Not Specified	background check	Not Specified	75 hours	provisional license, full license	90 additional hours for full license	NC
How to get a real estate license in North Dakota	ND Real Estate Commission			18	Not Specified	fingerprints, background check, and credit check with fee	Not Specified	90 hours	Not Specified	9 per year	ND
How to get a real estate license in Ohio	OH Real Estate & Professional Licensing			18	Yes or GED	Felonies may prohibit licensing	Not Specified	120 hours	Not Specified	30 hours every 3 years	OH
How to get a real estate license in Oklahoma	OK Real Estate Commission			18	Not Specified	good moral character	Not Specified	90 hours	Not Specified	45 in first year the 21 ever 3 years	OK
How to get a real estate license in Oregon	OR RE Broker Licensing			18	Yes or GED	fingerprints and background check	Not Specified	150 hours	Not Specified	30 before first renewal and then 30 every 2 years	OR
How to get a real estate license in Pennsylvania	PA Real Estate Commission			18	Not Specified	pass background check	Not Specified	75 credits or major in real estate from 4 year college	Not Specified	14 hours by May 31 of next year, then 14 every 2 years	PA
How to get a real estate license in Rhode Island	RI Real Estate Agent Guide			18	Not Specified	pass background check	Not Specified	45 hours plus a 3 hour certificate for lead poisoning mitigation	Not Specified	24 hours every 2 years	RI
How to get a real estate license in South Carolina	SC Real Estate Agent Info			18	Yes or GED	Not Specified	Not Specified	60 hours, test, then 30 more hours before applying for license	Not Specified	10 CE hours every 2 years by June 30th	SC
How to get a real estate license in South Dakota	SD Real Estate Commission			18	Not Specified	Not Specified	Not Specified	116 hours	Not Specified	30 hours for each of the first 2 renewal periods, then 24 hours every 2 years	SD
How to get a real estate license in Tennessee	TN Affiliate Broker (RE Agent)			18	Not Specified	Not Specified	Not Specified	90 hours	Not Specified	16 hours every 2 years	TN
How to get a real estate license in Texas	TX Real Estate Commission			18	Not Specified	fingerprints and background check	Not Specified	180 hours	Not Specified	90 hours post license and 2 four-hour legal update courses in first 2 years and 18 hours every 2 years after.,	TX
How to get a real estate license in Utah	UT Div. of Real Estate			18	Yes or GED	fingerprints and background check	Not Specified	120 hours	Not Specified	18 hours including 12 hour new agent course, 18 hours every 2 years after	UT
How to get a real estate license in Vermont	VT Real Estate Agent Requirements			18	Not Specified		Not Specified	40 hours	Not Specified	16 hours every 2 years	VT
How to get a real estate license in Virginia	VA RE Commission			18	Yes or GED	fingerprints and background check	Not Specified	60 hours	Not Specified	30 in first two years, 16 hour every 2 years after	VA
How to get a real estate license in Washington	WA Real Estate Brokers license			18	Yes or GED	fingerprints and background check	Not Specified	90 hours	Broker license	90CE hours in first 2 years, then 30 hours every 2 years	WA
How to get a real estate license in West Virginia	WV RE Comm			18	Yes or GED	fingerprints and background check	Not Specified	90 hours	Not Specified	7 hours each year	WV
How to get a real estate license in Wisconsin	WI RE Comm			18	Not Specified	Not Specified	Not Specified	72 hours or apply for an RE apprentice by working with broker for 20 hours a week	Not Specified	18 hours every 2 years	WI
How to get a real estate license in Wyoming	WY Real Estate License			18	Not Specified	fingerprints and background check	Not Specified	54 hours	Not Specified	45 hours every 3 years	WY
How to get a real estate license in Washington D.C.	DC Salesperson guide			Not Specified	Yes or GED	Not Specified	Not Specified	60 hours	Salesperson	15 every 2 years	DC

[/su_table]

How Long Does Real Estate School Take?

If you’re wondering how long a real estate course is, it can be from three credit hours per college course to 168 hours for the pre-licensing course. Luckily, there’s 168 hours in a week, so you can get real estate courses done in a month no matter what state you're in. Most allow online courses. Iowa definitely requires in-person real estate courses for a portion of their real estate pre-licensing courses, but others might have other flexibilities. Make sure to check your state’s full requirements in the table above.

Step 2. How to Get a Real Estate License

Getting a new real estate license has other basic requirements including:

A high school diploma or GED
Pass the real estate exam
Submit fingerprints
Pass background checks
Find a broker sponsor if required
Get errors & omissions insurance if required (Our preferred insurance provider is Simply Business.)
Turn in the application and pay the fee
Take continuing education classes

Most states have a real estate commission that specifies the licensing exam requirements, background checks, license reciprocity, and additional education requirements. In Georgia, you would just search “Georgia Real Estate Commission” to find the governing agency. It works with every state. That’s how I compiled the list of links for you. Each state has differences in how they handle the application process of a new real estate agent. The information about most of these requirements is in the table above, but the real estate exam warrants more discussion.

Real Estate Exam

After you complete your real estate school, you’ll need to take a proctored real estate licensing exam. The states use one of three providers for the real estate exam: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

Pearson Vue
PSI
AMP

[/su_note] Most states use a two-part licensing exam that costs under $100 and allows two to three hours. You can have a break between the two parts, but you have to pass both to become a real estate professional. The sections include:

National portion: Licensing exam focused on the general business tools and knowledge you will need for a successful career in any state. You’ll need to understand terms like sales agents, listing brokers, asking price, sales price, and other real estate terms that are consistent in any state.
State exam: Licensing exam focused on professional regulation in your specific state. These are critical to understand before sales agents perform their first transaction for clients.

How Long Does It Take To Get a Real Estate License?

Becoming a real estate agent will normally take three to six months from the time you complete the real estate pre-licensing course until the time you are able to work as a sales agent in a real estate brokerage. Next, you’ll need to find brokers to learn from so you can feel confident as you start interacting with potential buyers, sellers, and get your first real estate transaction under your belt.

Step 3. Find a Broker

Sanitno explained to us that finding brokers that develop their people is one of the most critical factors impacting the success of a new career. He also gave us some input on what to look for when considering brokers. He told us: [su_quote]You get what you pay for. Higher costs tend to equal better support. If you develop a good skill set, find a broker with lots of support and learn from them. Find one that will help with leads and ask how they teach their team.[/su_quote] Some of the questions you should ask brokers include:

Caps: What is the maximum I have to pay each year to a broker?
Splits: What percentage of each paycheck goes to the cap?
Additional Fees: Are there any fees that I need to know?
Growth: What opportunities are there to grow beyond just selling real estate?
Training: How do you help new agents adjust to all your systems?
Earnings: What are the highest and median pay of agents under you?

He also told us that you should consider a boutique brokerage firm because they are more likely to help support new agents after they receive a passing grade and meet all the license requirements. [su_quote]Don’t just search for the biggest names. Look for the ones that will build you.[/su_quote]

Find a mentor

Looking for a mentor can be highly beneficial to new agents. Santino told us: [su_quote]Look for a mentor. The pay won’t be great. It takes at least a year or two.[/su_quote] He suggested researching the brokerages in your area that seem to have a good brand. Working for a more experienced agent will help you learn how to become a millionaire real estate agent.

Step 4. Secure Clients

Finding clients can be hard until you develop a reputation for yourself. Santino suggests working with a team but warned us to be cautious: [su_quote]Join a team. Be wary though. If they don’t give you credit for the sales, it won’t build your resume.[/su_quote] He also explained that a large portion of securing clients is getting your name out there as a successful real estate agent on Google and seeing where they are listed. Then make sure you are on all those platforms, too. The screenshot below shows all of Santino Filipelli’s web presence.

Step 5. Close Deals

Once you’ve found clients, you want to focus on helping them buy or sell a house. That means you’ll need to do things like:

Show homes
Submit and review offers
Help clients secure financing
Communicate with escrow and inspectors
Close on the property

As you develop experience, you’ll want to improve your effectiveness with managing clients. Let’s look at how to do that.

Systemize the Real Estate Business

Santino told us every agent should consider adding the following people or systems to their business to let them focus on serving the customers more: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

Setup a CRM
Get a virtual or real assistant
Hire a transaction coordinator
Hire people for outbound calls

[/su_note] He said: [su_quote]Followup Boss is one of the best CRMs out there.[/su_quote] He also mentioned Dotloop and SkySlope. He also mentioned that if you can be the buyer’s and seller’s agent on a transaction, it makes more money, but warned: [su_quote](In) some states, dual representation is illegal.[/su_quote] At this point we’re going to answer some frequently asked questions.

How to Become a Real Estate Agent with No Experience

You don’t need experience to become a real estate agent. You just need to go through the real estate licensing process. That means:

Take the required pre-license courses.
Pass the real estate exam.
Pass a background check.
Get your Errors and Omissions insurance.
Get your license.

How to Become a Luxury Real Estate Agent

Luxury real estate agents follow the same process as any other agent, but are focused on providing services to high net worth individuals. That means you’ll need to carry yourself more professionally, have a nicer car, speak with proper grammar, and network at higher end locations than other agents.

How to Become a Commercial Real Estate Agent

Becoming a commercial real estate agent follows the same process as other real estate agents. You’ll want to focus your continuing education on commercial real estate and try to get on with some of the commercial real estate companies like CBRE and Colliers.

How to Become a Millionaire Real Estate Agent

Becoming a millionaire real estate agent just requires selling lots of houses. Realistically, to make $1 million from commissions, you would need approximately $50 million in sales. To make $1 million after expenses and taxes, you need to sell approximately $109 million in sales. If you are investing profits to earn higher returns, you can reduce these numbers dramatically.

How to Become a Real Estate Agent Part Time

You can become a part-time real estate agent by taking the necessary classes and the state licensing exam, then get your license. Most real estate agents are their own boss, so you control the hours. It might be harder to find a broker and make a profit if you only work part time, though.

How to Become a Real Estate Agent without a Degree

Real Estate agents don’t have to go to four year colleges in most states. Most only have to take a few courses to get started. People who get majors or master’s degrees in real estate tend to have better connections and make more money, though.

How to Become a Real Estate Broker

Becoming a broker requires more education and experience than a real estate agent. They also have to take a different exam. The primary difference between a broker and salesperson or agent is that the broker can: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

Offer price opinions
Supervise agents
Perform all roles an agent can
Manage property assets

[/su_note]

Santino’s Favorite Books

At UpFlip, we believe that reading is an important part of your growth so we ask each business owner what their favorite books are and share them with you. Santino suggested the following books. If you haven’t picked these up, grab them today: Check out the interview we've done with Santino's on our YouTube channel: [su_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhvLB-MtVnY"]

Are you ready to start your real estate career?

Real estate can be a highly rewarding field because you get to help people become homeowners. It can also be stressful because you work weird hours and buying a home is one of the biggest decisions most people make. As long as you’re willing to put in the work, are fairly pleasant, and responsible you can make a decent living as a real estate agent. Where are you thinking about getting into real estate? If you’re already in the industry what tips do you have for new agents?

Business ideas

Cleaning Certificate Basics: 45+ Cleaning Business Certifications

How would you like to start a business off with lots of high quality recommendations? When you get a cleaning certificate, you’re doing exactly that—and you build a good rapport for your business early. A cleaning certificate is a great way to show customers that you are a professional cleaning company. They also give you access to marketing tools and other benefits that will help your cleaning company. In addition, they provide links to your website from industry experts. You can’t beat that! We’ll discuss the benefits of cleaning certificates, the process of getting a cleaning certificate, and the different organizations that offer cleaning certificates. We’ll share more than 45 cleaning certifications that you can choose to develop skills and increase your brand value.

Should I Get a Cleaning Certificate?

If you are in the cleaning industry or thinking about starting a cleaning business, you might want to become a certified cleaner. Completing a course and test can help you because: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

You’ll save money by reducing the amount of wasted and damaged supplies.
Proper safety training will reduce on-the-job injuries.
You’ll learn more efficient ways to clean.
Each certification communicates that you adhere to industry best practices.
Most certifications come with brand assets you can use in marketing.
As a member of the certifying organization, you will receive a high-quality backlink to your website. Most top-performing cleaning companies have hundreds or thousands of backlinks. The ones you can get fairly easily are worth getting.
People pay more for better quality.

[/su_note] All of these combine to give you a competitive advantage. You’ll be able to use your industry knowledge, safety training, and marketing tools in a way that you can compete even if you do not offer the most affordable price. Next, let’s look at the process of choosing a certification.

How to Get Cleaning Certifications

Cleaning industry organizations expect you to complete specific steps before receiving a cleaning certificate. The certification process follows these steps:

Compare cleaning certifications to verify you meet the requirements.
Become a member of the industry group.
Take certification course(s) or independently study for the certification exam.
Take the certification exam.
Become a certified cleaning professional.
Take continuing education courses to maintain your certification.

There will be some differences in how each company handles these steps. We’ll look at each step, so you know what to consider.

Compare cleaning industry certifications

You’ll want to compare cleaning certifications based on the following factors: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

What is the reputation of the organization?
Is the certificate and training relevant to your cleaning business?
How much experience or education does the certificate require?
Does the certification require you to take a specific cleaning certification class or can you study independently?
Will the course be a specific length or at your own pace?
Is the exam timed or at your own pace?
What is a passing score? Most exams are 70%, but some are as high as 85%, while others are compared to other test takers.
Can you get the cleaning certification online or do you have to take a proctored exam?
Do you have to be a member to take the exam? Is there a discount for joining?

[/su_note] We’ll answer most of these questions when discussing the best cleaning certification programs. Next, we’ll discuss becoming a member of the industry group.

Should I join cleaning organizations?

Yes. They can be highly beneficial. Most of them are fairly inexpensive for the basic membership version, and you get benefits like:

Discounts on software for your cleaning business
A publicly viewable member profile
Free online cleaning courses with continuing education credits
Discounts on certification exams
Updates on workplace safety and government regulations
Discounts to annual conferences and in-person housekeeper training
Free branding materials
A high-quality backlink to your cleaning business

Most memberships pay for themselves. I strongly suggest you consider investing in them to fast-track your business.

Study for the cleaning exam

Screenshot of United States Department of Labor website

Most of the tests will not be so easy that you can pass them without studying. They will either have online classes, in-person classes, or suggested study materials. I suggest you use them. A combination of online and suggested reading normally works best for the cleaning certifications you might pursue. Some courses like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Specialist Certificate Program require 68 total course hours. At the same time, other certifications do not have a time requirement before you take the certification test. Next, it’s time to take the cleaning test.

Take the certification test

To get a certificate in cleaning you will always have to pass a test. The tests are normally timed, multiple-choice, and require a score of 70+ to pass. Depending on whether the cleaning classes and the exam are packed together, you may be able to take the exam at home or in the same classroom where you took the classes. You’ll need to schedule the cleaning test and pay the certification testing fee if they are not packaged together.

Now you are certified

Assuming you passed the cleaning business certification test, you will receive your certificate. The company will either provide an online certificate or mail the cleaner certificate to you. There’s one more thing, though.

Continuing education credits

Some certifications will require you to submit proof of completion of cleaning certificate courses each year to remain certified cleaners. This is where the memberships pay for themselves. Each course is normally $50+, while memberships usually cost less than the total of all the continuing education.

Organizations Offering Cleaning Certifications

Organization offer certification for cleaning business

Cleaning services can cover a broad spectrum of skills. What certifications you’ll want or need will vary based on your own cleaning business. The primary organizations that offer certifications for cleaners are: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association (IJCSA)
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA)
Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC)

[/su_note]

Free Cleaning Certificate Courses Online from IJCSA

If you are looking for a janitorial certification, consider becoming a certified janitor through the IJCSA. It’s one of the least expensive ways to get a commercial cleaning certification. In fact, you can get all 12 certification course offerings for the cost of the membership. That’s less than $20 per certification course. The IJCSA requires a membership which you can get for around $250. If you are a cleaning business owner, I would suggest taking this approach to get the Master Certification for yourself and your management staff. Then have employees take the ones they specifically need including:

Customer Service Certification: Softskills are critical to business success. Learn about customer-focused business practices.
Chemical Hazards Certification: Learn how to read MSDS sheets.
Bloodborne Pathogen Certification: This one is required for all businesses and employees before they start.
Residential Cleaning Specialist: Focus on industry best practices for homes.
Green Cleaning Certification: Learn how to actually comply with green cleaning requirements.

This is the closest you’ll get to free janitorial certification or free cleaning certification from a reputable training company. [su_table responsive="yes" alternate="no" fixed="yes"]

Certification	Study Time	Pace	Test Format	Test Time	Pre-reqs	Cost	Renewal Period	Notes
IJCSA Business Membership	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Approximately $250 Per Year	Annually	Prereq to take certifications
IJCSA Master Certification (IMC)	20		250 Questions including 110 essay plus oral questions	4	Must pass all other certifications first	Free with IJCSA Membership		Requires all other certifications
IJCSA Residential Cleaning Specialist (RCS)	26	Work at own pace	online	4	(CSC), (CHC), (BPC)	Free with IJCSA Membership	3 years	Overview of house cleaning industry. It requires the customer service, bloodborne pathogens, and chemical hazards certifications
Carpet Cleaning Certification (CCC)	10	Work at own pace	online	2		Free with IJCSA Membership
Bloodborne Certification (BPC)	1	Required by Law Before Working	Online	1	Required by Law Before Working	Free with IJCSA Membership	1 year
IJCSA Janitorial Custodial Certification (JCC)	10	self paced	Online	1		Free with IJCSA Membership
Medical Cleaning Certification (MCC)	40	self paced	Online	3		Free with IJCSA Membership
Biohazard Cleaning Certification (BCC)	40	self paced	Online	4		Free with IJCSA Membership		If you want to clean crime scenes, this is the certification for you! Includes OSHA Hazwopper certification.
Mold Inspection & Remediation Services (MIRS)	80	Set time of 40 hours, but self paced.	Online	2		Free with IJCSA Membership		Able to legally perform mold remediation
Green Cleaning Certification (GCC)	4	self paced	Online	1		Free with IJCSA Membership		Adheres to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 31000. May qualify to work on buildings with HACCP Standards Certification, ISO Certification, LEED Certification, and CFGS Certification.
Green Cleaning Masters Certification (GCMC)	15	self paced	150 questions, 75 are essay questions	3	GCC, CHC	Free with IJCSA Membership		Tests for greater comprehension of green cleaning
Chemical Hazards Certification (CHC)	4	self paced		1		Free with IJCSA Membership		Master the mechanics of MSDS sheet.
Customer Service Certification (CSC)	1	self paced	online	0.5		Free with IJCSA Membership		Freshen up your soft skills. Every cleaning company should require employees to go through customer service training at least once a year.
Complete All Courses	231			26.5		Free with IJCSA Membership		Effectively the same as one semester at full-time college. Allows you to work on most cleaning projects.

[/su_table]

Occupational Safety & Health Administration Certification

Occupational safety and health administration

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) offers three safety and health fundamental certifications that professional cleaners may need each employee to complete. The three certifications are for the :

General industry: Good for working on commercial properties that require OSHA training.
Construction industry: Needed if you’ll be doing construction cleanup on major construction sites.
Maritime industry: Good for cleaning companies that will be cleaning or power washing boats.

If you aren’t working on large commercial properties, you might not be required to have these. It doesn’t hurt to have them, though. Let’s look at each.

General Industry Safety & Health Fundamentals Certificate Program

The Safety & Health Fundamentals for General Industry requires at least 68 hours across seven courses including:

39 hours in the following courses:
- OSHA #511: Occupational Safety & Health Standards for the General Industry (26 hours)
- OSHA #7500: Introduction to Safety & Health Management (5.5 hours)
- OSHA #7505: Introduction to Incident (Accident) Investigation (7.5 hours)
Minimum of 29 elective hours across four of the courses listed on the general industry certificate webpage. Some that make sense for cleaning industries include:
- OSHA #7845: Recordkeeping Rule Seminar (4 hours)
- OSHA #7205: Health Hazard Awareness (6 hours)
- OSHA #7210: Pandemic Illness Preparedness (5.5 hours)
- OSHA #2255: Principles of Ergonomics (18 hours)
- OSHA #7215: Silica in Construction, Maritime, and General Industries (7 hours) Good if taking either of the other OSHA certificates.

Find courses that work for you on the Occupational Training Institute searchable course schedule.

Maritime Safety & Health Fundamentals Certificate Program

If you clean boats or other facilities on the water, you should consider taking the Safety & Health Fundamentals for Maritime certification. It requires a minimum of 77 hours including:

48 hours in the following courses:
- OSHA #5410: Occupational Safety & Health Standards for the Maritime Industry (35 hours)
- OSHA #7500: Introduction to Safety & Health Management (5.5 hours)
- OSHA #7505: Introduction to Incident (Accident) Investigation (7.5 hours)
Minimum of 29 elective hours across four of the courses listed on the maritime industry certificate webpage. Some that make sense for maritime cleaning companies include:
- OSHA #3115: Fall Protection (18 hours). Working on the water creates challenges most cleaning companies don’t encounter.
- OSHA #7215: Silica in Construction, Maritime, and General Industries (7 hours). If you didn’t take this with the general industry certification, you probably should take it now.
- OSHA #7100: Introduction to Machinery and Machine Safeguarding (4 hours). Workers will probably be working around unique equipment. They should learn equipment safety.
- OSHA #7115: Lockout and Tagout (7.5 hours). Anyone working around electrical equipment should understand lockout and tagout. It protects against electrocution deaths.

Construction Safety & Health Fundamentals Certificate Program

Construction cleanup companies should consider getting the Safety & Health Fundamentals for Construction certification. It requires a minimum of 68 hours of training including:

39 hours in the following courses:
- OSHA #510: Occupational Safety & Health Standards for the Construction Industry (26 hours)
- OSHA #7500: Introduction to Safety & Health Management (5.5 hours)
- OSHA #7505: Introduction to Incident (Accident) Investigation (7.5 hours)
Minimum of 29 elective hours across four of the courses listed on the general industry certificate webpage. Some that make sense for cleaning industries include:
- OSHA #7845: Recordkeeping Rule Seminar (4 hours)
- OSHA #7205: Health Hazard Awareness (6 hours)
- OSHA #3085: Principles of Scaffolding (22 hours). You’ll probably have to get on scaffolds to reach places that can’t be reached by a ladder.
- OSHA #7400: Occupational Noise Exposure (7.5 hours). Construction sites can damage the hearing. Make sure to understand how to protect yourself.

You should be able to get an OSHA cleaning certification online. Unless you are doing construction and maritime cleaning, I would not expect you to need more than one of these OSHA certifications. However, check with each property owner to establish their requirements for subcontractors.

International Sanitary Supply Association

The ISSA has more than 10,500 members grouped into the following categories:

Associated service members
Building service contractors
In-house service providers
Distributors
Manufacturers
Manufacturer representatives
Residential cleaners

You can get ISSA cleaning certifications and ISSA accreditation for your business through their subsidiaries:

Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS)
Cleaning Management Institute (CMI)
Association of Residential Cleaning Services International (ARCSI)

Commercial Cleaning Business Certificates from CIMS

CIMS is a management standard for how to operate a cleaning business. They have two levels of certifications for a cleaning business:

CIMS Certification: This cleaning business certification focuses on operations for building service contractors, in-house service providers, and facility managers.
CIMS Green Building Certification: This cleaning business certification focuses on operations for facility managers, in-house service providers, and building service contractors that will be working on U.S. Green Building Council LEED Projects.

Both cleaning certifications require cleaning services to:

Submit an application and a $500 (approximately) non-refundable fee.
Create processes for the cleaning business that include written standards and proof of application for:
1. Quality Control
2. Service
3. Human Resources
4. Health, Safety, and Environmental Stewardship
5. Management Commitment
6. Equipment, Supplies, and Tool Policies
Approve the assigned auditor for their cleaning services.
Paying additional fees including:
1. $995 (estimated) certification fee for ISSA members or $1,695 (estimated) for non-members
2. Assessment fees based on complexity of the commercial cleaning business
3. Expenses for the cleaning business auditor.
Allow a CIMS Certification Expert to evaluate their business in person.

After this process is complete, you will be certified assuming you meet the standards, which you can find here. I would recommend taking the green building certification when you decide to pursue these cleaning certificates because there is no point in paying for the audits twice.

Cleaning Management Institute (CMI)

The Cleaning Management Institute offers numerous certifications for cleaning companies to prove their knowledge, but the most popular cleaning certification program is the Certified Custodial Technician. This certificate program has three levels of certification for the industry today. Here is an outline of the program:

Basic version: Pay course fee (about $315), take the course, and score 80% or better on the exam. Learn more about the janitor certification.
Advanced Clean Certification: Pass the basics course, pay another $315 (estimated), take a course on advanced techniques, and score 80% or higher to pass the CPI Custodial Advanced certification.
CMI Custodial Expert: This 20 hour in-person ISSA cleaning certification requires completing the basic and advanced cleaning certificate online before you can participate in the program and become a certified janitorial expert. Find locations to take the cleaning course and advance your career.

You can also check out the free materials included in ISSA CMI Cleaning Professional 101.

How to Become a Certified House Cleaner with ARCSI Cleaning Business Certifications

ARCSI is the residential cleaning arm of the ISSA and offers two cleaning certifications:

ARCSI Professional House Cleaning certification (PHC): An eight-hour online certificate that covers the knowledge you need to clean homes. You can get a single online certificate or unlimited certifications for growing businesses. Take the PHC course on ISSA Learning Portal. Get more details about the residential cleaning certification.
IICRC/ARCSI House Cleaning Technician Certification (HCT): The house cleaning technician training & certification is actually an IICRC certification, but the only available courses are from ARCSI. It claims to be both online and in-person, but the online course is not available at the time of writing. (The online certification course will become available in 2023). The course is $275 for IICRC and ARCSI members or $575 for non-members. There is also an $80 exam fee. Additional certifications are only $200 regardless of your member status.
1. If you only get one exam, this would be a good one to choose because you’ll be listed on two major players' websites if you become a member of each.

Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC)

The IICRC mostly focuses on certifying inspection, cleaning, and restoring floors, carpet cleaning jobs, and other surfaces. They offer a house cleaning technician certification, which we discussed earlier, but some of their most noteworthy certificate of cleaning programs include the Master Designations. There are three master tracks including: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

Master Textile Cleaner (MTC)
Master Fire and Smoke Restorer (MSR)
Master Water Restorer (MWR)

[/su_note] Each of these programs shows an in-depth understanding of the techniques used for specialty cleaning jobs. They are sure to advance your career and help you make more money by offering better services and techniques than other successful cleaning businesses. Let’s look at how to become a master textile cleaner first.

How to become a Master Textile Cleaner

To become an IICRC Master Textile Cleaner requires five certifications plus three years as a certified cleaner. The IICRC requires the following five steps to achieve the Master Textile Cleaner (MTC) designation:

Pass three certification tests:
1. Carpet Cleaning Technician (CCT) or Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technician (CCMT): The CCT is focused on application of cleaning skills for carpeted floors and other surfaces, while the CCMT is focused on the management of floor cleaning.
2. Upholstery and Fabric Cleaning Technician (UFT): This certification is focused on understanding fabric and cleaning challenges related to different methods and chemicals.
3. Odor Control Technician (OCT), Carpet Repair and Reinstallation Technician (RRT), or Color Repair Technician (CRT): Choose one of the three. The OCT is also required for the MSR, while the RRT is required for the MWR. If you live in an area prone to floods, you might want to do the RRT first.
After 12 months of IICRC certification, you obtain Journeyman Textile Cleaner (JTC) status.
Complete the other two certifications from Step 1c.
Complete three years of IICRC Certification.
Become a Master Textile Cleaner (MTC).

Each certification runs about $80, so it will cost approximately $400 plus annual renewal fees and continuing education credit costs.

How to become a Master Water Restorer

To become an IICRC Master Water Restorer requires five certifications plus three years as a certified cleaner. The IICRC requires the following five steps to achieve the Master Fire and Smoke Restorer (MSR) designation:

Pass three certification tests:
1. Carpet Cleaning Technician (CCT) or Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technician (CCMT): The CCT is focused on the application of cleaning skills for carpeted floors and other surfaces, while the CCMT is focused on the management of floor cleaning.
2. Water Damage Restoration Technician (WRT): The WRT focuses on understanding the processes to repair property after water damage.
3. Carpet Repair and Reinstallation Technician (RRT): The RRT teaches you how to remove and reattach carpet using industry best practices.
After 12 months of IICRC certification, you obtain Journeyman Water Restorer (JWR) status.
Complete the following certifications:
1. Health and Safety Technician (HST): The HST is focused on hazard risk assessment and prevention while operating your own cleaning business.
2. Applied Microbial Remediation Technician (AMRT): The AMRT is focused on the mold and sewage remediation techniques and how to perform them while preventing potential health risks.
3. Applied Structural Drying Technician (ASD): The ASD focuses on the techniques for cleaning and drying customers’ property after water damage. Also focuses on proper health safety for your workers while cleaning the client’s home or office.
Complete three years of IICRC Certification.
Become a Master Water Restorer (MWR).

Each certification runs about $80, so it will cost approximately $400 plus annual renewal fees and continuing education credit costs.

How to become a Master Fire and Smoke Restorer

To become an IICRC Master Fire and Smoke Restorer requires five certifications plus three years as a certified cleaner. The IICRC requires the following five steps to achieve the Master Fire and Smoke Restorer (MSR) designation:

Pass three certification tests:
1. Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration Technician (FSRT): The FSRT is focused on scoping, mitigating, cleaning, and documenting residential and commercial fire cleanup.
2. Upholstery and Fabric Cleaning Technician (UFT): This certification is focused on understanding fabric and cleaning challenges related to different methods and chemicals.
3. Odor Control Technician (OCT): The OCT teaches you to remove odors from mold, smoke, chemicals, and urine.
After 12 months of IICRC certification you obtain Journeyman Fire and Smoke Restorer (JSR) status.
Complete the following certifications:
1. Health and Safety Technician (HST): The HST is focused on hazard risk assessment and prevention while operating your own cleaning business.
2. Carpet Cleaning Technician (CCT) or Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technician (CCMT): The CCT is focused on application of cleaning skills for carpeted floors and other surfaces, while the CCMT is focused on the management of floor cleaning.
Complete three years of IICRC Certification.
Become a Master Fire and Smoke Restorer (MSR).

Each certification runs about $80, so it will cost approximately $400 plus annual renewal fees and continuing education credit costs.

Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI)

The BSCAI creates four courses that help people prove their knowledge of the cleaning, safety, and management of buildings. If you perform work for government agencies or large business complexes, you might benefit from these certifications. The two most commonly recommended are:

Registered Building Service Manager (RBSM): At about $275, this course is a great way to familiarize yourself with OSHA safety, employee management, floor care, and more.
Certified Building Service Executive (CBSE): With a cost of about $50, this course is a good one to help build a more successful cleaning business. It includes business law, industry considerations, inventory, employee management, quality control, taxes, and more.

Sanitation Cleaning Certification

If you specifically need sanitation certification, consider the following courses and certificates:

IJCSA Medical Cleaning Certification: Covers bloodborne pathogens, chemical hazards, covid, PPE and more as it relates to cleaning companies. Learn more.
Certified Health Care Environmental Services Professional (CHESP): The Association for the Health Care Environment offers this certification.

Specialized Cleaning Certification Organizations

Portable Sanitation Association International (PSAI): Certifications for sanitizing porta potties.
North American Power Sweeping Association (NAPSA): Certifications for street cleaning.
Pool and Hottub Alliance (PHTA): Pool cleaning certifications
National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO): Certifications for sewage and pipeline cleaning.
United Association of Mobile Contract Cleaners (UAMCC): Power washing certifications

Which Certification Will Help Your Own Cleaning Business?

The goal of this blog is to provide you with as many cleaning certification options as possible. Each cleaning business will need to consider how each certification fits within your own business. What cleaning certifications would help your business most?

Business ideas

How to Start a $2M/Year Remote Cleaning Business

Have you ever wondered how to start a cleaning company? Cleaning businesses are some of the easiest businesses to start, but some people would prefer to just manage the business, not do the actual cleaning. Here, we explain how to start a remote house cleaning business without needing to do any cleaning yourself.

We talked to Neel Parekh, who started MaidThis in 2013. He built his remote cleaning concept into a company that makes over $166K per month and offers franchises to help small business owners do the same. The best part? He did this while traveling for 5+ years and to over 50 countries.

We’ll share his story about how to start a remote cleaning company, plus tons of great marketing tips and systems advice.

[su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

You’ll learn everything you need to know about starting a remote service business, including:

- What is a remote cleaning business?
- What businesses can be remote?
- How to start a remote cleaning business
- Remote Businesses FAQ
- Start your own remote business[/su_note]

Get ready to learn how to start a remote cleaning business.

What is a remote cleaning business?

A remote cleaning business is a cleaning company where the owner performs marketing, human resources, and administrative functions of the business from anywhere in the world while outsourcing or hiring local workers to perform the cleaning for customers.

Effectively, you’ll start a cleaning business without cleaning.

What businesses can be remote?

Three criteria have to be met for any business to be run remotely:

The staff have to go to a service location. For example, gyms won’t work, but cleaning companies do.
The small business should have low overhead. You can’t hold a lot of supplies or inventory.
Management tasks need to be done remotely.

Neel told us:

[su_quote] This makes service businesses ideal for remote jobs.[/su_quote]

Check out our interview with Neel to learn about remote business success stories.

[su_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVyLriqFVdc&t=860s"]

He has a special offer for UpFlip members to get $6,000 in credit when they start a MaidThis franchise.

Keep reading to get great remote business ideas.

Remote business ideas

Remote businesses normally fall into two categories:

Online businesses
Local service businesses

Best online business ideas

A successful online business can be created using online business ideas like an:

Online store: Sell online using dropshipping or Fulfillment by Amazon to make money from people who are online shopping.
Podcast: Talk about subjects that interest you and earn a living from ads and sponsorships with this online business idea. Learn more about podcasting.
YouTube creator: Learn how to start an online business by creating YouTube videos.
Online tutoring business: Start your own online tutoring business or use a tutoring and test prep platform like TutorMe, Skooli, or Wyzant.
Freelancing: Most freelancers work remotely using platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.
Online courses: Course creation is a great option for remote businesses because you create the course and can consult from anywhere in the world.

In addition to a remote cleaning business, you might consider other popular remote businesses like eCommerce, human resources, and accounting.

Check out our blog about online businesses for more remote business ideas.

Local service businesses can be remote businesses

You can use Neel’s strategies for service businesses like:

Cleaning: Neel chose a cleaning business because it is the easiest of the service businesses to apply his techniques. There’s a large pool of qualified employees and lots of places that need cleaning. Plus, everyone has the supplies they need.
Locksmith: Most of the parts in locks are interchangeable, which means these same strategies could be applied to create a remote locksmith business.
Painting: A small business painting homes and businesses could be run remotely. You might need AI that pulls up the design documents and calculates the total square feet that need painting, but it can also be calculated using other means.
Pressure washing: The challenge with pressure washing may be the equipment. You would probably want your remote business to focus on providing referrals to other businesses to remove this challenge.
HVAC: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning companies can provide services like preventive maintenance, fan repairs, and filter changes without needing a lot of inventory. You’ll probably want a referral partner for larger fixes, though.

Learn about other service business ideas.

How to start a remote cleaning business

Woman using WiFi internet connection to run a business while traveling

Starting remote businesses is all about creating systems that make it easier for you to run your own business from anywhere in the world. The process of starting a remote cleaning business will include:

Perform market research.
Write a business plan.
Create a website and CRM.
Set up a payment processor.
Create your business structure.
Get remote cleaning business insurance.
Create cleaning contracts.
Find cleaners.
Market your remote business.

Neel told us:

[su_quote]I didn’t have a mentor, so I was scared to quit my day job when I hit my freedom number. I cushioned my bank account and wish I had just dove in faster.[/su_quote]

Keep reading for more information about creating a remote business model.

Perform market research

There are plenty of people who have business ideas but never turn them into a profitable business. Your chances of success are much higher if you research what other businesses in the industry do and where there are gaps in the industry.

A remote cleaning business might want to use social media and Google to find locations that have higher population-to-cleaning business ratios.

In our research about the best small-town businesses, we found that locations with more than 416 people per cleaning business tend to be the best places to open a cleaning company.

You also want to understand what marketing strategy, pricing, and services competitors offer. Learn more about market research.

Write a business plan

Full-time business brainstorming with a sketchpad at a desk with a potted plant, laptop, and glasses

Every successful business idea needs a business plan. Given we’re talking about a business model that can be run from anywhere in the world, you need to focus on systems.

You’ll want to include the answers to questions like:

What is the cost of starting a remote cleaning business?

Neel told us a remote cleaning business has low startup costs.

[su_quote]I probably spent under $1,000. You just need internet connection, a WordPress website, and a computer. You can grow from there.[/su_quote]

Pro Tip: If you want to grow faster, consider joining a system where a lot of the work is already done for you, like MaidThis Franchise.

What systems do I need for a fully remote business?

You’ll need some systems to run a successful remote business including a(n):

24/7 remote call service or VoIP provider (Neel uses DialPad)
SMS + email automation system (at UpFlip we use MailChimp)
Online booking system like Launch27 or Booking Koala
Human resources for your remote business
Slack

Neel told us:

[su_quote]Basically anything you don’t want to do, or don’t know how to, outsource it.[/su_quote]

You might need translation services if your internet business idea involves providing services in a foreign country or contracting or hiring cleaners whose first language is different than yours.

The best thing about a MaidThis franchise is that they provide aspiring entrepreneurs with everything they need to run a fully remote business.

Create a website and CRM

You’ll need a website and customer relationship management system to operate any remote business. Neel told us:

[su_quote]Just get a $100 WordPress template and then build from there when you first start.[/su_quote]

Website

Remote business founder Neel Parekh cleaning a laptop

At a minimum, your remote cleaning business website will need to include:

Home page
Booking page
Services page (include pricing)
About us page
Locations page

Check out the MaidThis website for more information on how they approach each of these.

Website building resources

Some useful resources for building a remote cleaning business website include:

GoDaddy: Get website hosting, domain names, and email marketing automation through GoDaddy.
NameCheap: Get domains, email accounts, WordPress hosting, and other services from NameCheap.
Build a website: Learn how to build a website.
Creating a brand: Get tips on building a brand.

CRM

Your customer relationship management system is a database and interface that helps you easily manage everything going on with your company. Each CRM works slightly differently, but you’ll need a CRM that either includes or connects to your:

Online booking system
Call support system
SMS and email marketing systems
Payroll and accounting system
Dispatch system
Invoicing and payment processing

Many systems include easy integrations with commonly used providers.

CRM resources

GBG Marketing: Neel and his franchise use a CRM created by GBG Marketing that automates follow-ups and puts booking on autopilot.
Housecall Pro: Simplify your workflows and grow your business with the easiest-to-use CRM. Get a 14-day trial from Housecall Pro.
monday.com: One of the most commonly used CRM and project management tools is monday.com. Check out our monday.com review.
Jobber: This CRM focuses on making service businesses easier to run. It’s fairly intuitive to use. Check out Jobber.
ClickUp: We use ClickUp at UpFlip. It’s a great system that lets you monitor and control your workflows at a reasonable cost.
HubSpot: HubSpot is one of the most amazing programs I have ever seen, but the coolest features are complex. Compare HubSpot’s pricing options. I’d suggest starting with the Starter CRM.

Any of these should provide the functionality you need, but each works differently, so check out the demos to decide which you like best.

Set up a payment processor

Remote business payment options including cash, credit card, QR code, and POS machine

You’ll need a payment processor to charge your cleaning customers and pay cleaners. Most businesses use Stripe because it is easy to use and integrations are normally built into other software.

Payment processors normally charge a fee based on the value of the transaction PLUS a per-transaction fee. In addition, they may also charge a monthly fee.

You might also consider options like:

Helcim
Square
Stax by Fattmerchant

View the table below for a quick overview of the differences between each.

Company Name	Percentage	Per-Transaction Fee	Other Fees
Stripe	2.9%	30 cents	Additional fees depending on services
Helcim	Interchange Plus (Normally 1.94% to 2.51%)	Interchange Plus (Normally 8 to 25 cents)	Each card provider has their own fees they charge for in-person or keyed payments.
Square	2.9% (2.6% with higher plans)	30 cents online or 10 cents in person	The $79 monthly plan will save your online business money if you make over $27K per month, but Helcim and Stax are still less expensive.
Stax	Interchange	Interchange	$99 a month

As you can see, there are some details that make it harder to compare payment processors than some other systems, but in most scenarios, Helcim will save you money.

If the vast majority of your payments are in-person Visa payments and your transactions amount to almost exactly $250K or $500K per year, you may be able to save even more with Stax tiered plans.

Pro Tip: One money-saving trick is to make sure that your online business uses technologies to qualify for lower “card-present” fees.

Make your online cleaning business legal

You’ll need to create a business structure, get any business licenses you need, and get a business bank account to run a remote business idea legally. Let’s look at how to accomplish each of these.

Choose a business structure

Small business ideas can make up to $600 before you need to start reporting the income on your taxes. Most business owners start a Limited Liability Company (LLC) and file taxes as an S-Corp.

First, you’ll need to check the USPTO and the Secretary of State website in the location you want to register to make sure the name for your remote business is available. If the name is available, apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and save it somewhere safe.

Then apply for an LLC on your Secretary of State website. We walk you through an example of what the application looks like in this blog.

Next you’ll need to fill out Form 8832 and Form 2553 with the IRS to opt into the S-Corp tax structure, which provides benefits to LLCs like:

Potentially reduced taxes
No double taxation
Wages paid to owners
Dividends paid with profits

There are plenty of other business structures for online business ideas, but this is one of the best.

Get business licenses and permits for your remote business

You will probably need business licenses in the location(s) where you operate your remote business. This could include tax permits, local business licenses, and other requirements.

Make sure to check with your local authorities or a business law attorney to ensure you comply with all local laws. Each location is different, so you may need someone who has familiarity with multiple locations or specializes in helping unique online businesses.

Don’t forget a business bank account

You’ll need a business bank account to make your remote business easier to manage. In addition, a business bank account protects the limited liability status of a company because it keeps personal and business finances separate.

There are many available business bank accounts, and which one you choose will depend on your small business needs and structure. At the time of writing, I recommend Live Oak Bank because it

Uses IntraFi Cash Service to provide FDIC insurance up to $10 million
Was the 2022 leader in SBA loans
Offers 4.0% interest on its savings accounts

Learn more about opening a business bank account.

Get remote cleaning business insurance

Using consulting services from an insurance broker who’s showing a certificate of liability insurance on a clipboard

You’ll need small business insurance coverage in case anything goes wrong on the job. You’ll want to consider getting a Business Owners Policy (BOP) that covers:

General Liability Insurance: Covers liability claims and lawsuits
Commercial Property Insurance: Protects buildings, inventory, and equipment
Additional Riders: Covers other business scenarios like shutdowns, errors and omissions (E&O), workers’ compensation, and commercial automobile insurance

Check out Simply Business to get quotes from 16 of America’s best business insurance companies.

Create cleaning contracts

You’ll need to have some contracts prepared before you hire cleaners to work for your remote cleaning business. You’ll need an employment agreement that covers:

The relationship between your company and the cleaner
Noncompete terms
Payment structure
Property damages

Let’s look at each of these in more detail to help you understand how to manage employee or contractor relationships.

Company and cleaner relationship

Cleaner wearing orange rubber glove shaking hands with business owner

You’ll want to define whether the cleaners you hire are employees or subcontractors. Many remote businesses will consider all people who work with them as subcontractors, but you have to be careful.

Cristobal Mondragon classified all his employees as independent contractors and that resulted in a hefty fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcYIYdqegGA

Ultimately, your remote house cleaning business is a digital marketing business that provides cleaners. That means the maids and housekeepers count as independent contractors, but the IRS suggests requesting a ruling for positions you routinely need to fill to verify if the workers are actually employees or subcontractors.

Try out our cleaning business course
Want to get all the templates, workflows, and systems that Chris uses to make $5,800 per day? Check out our free cleaning business course!

Noncompete term

A remote cleaning business start-up will probably want noncompete clauses when they hire employees or subcontractors. Remote working may need terms like:

“The subcontractor/employee agrees that all clients are clients of [Company Name]. Performing any work for the clients except through [Company Name] is a violation of the services agreement and will result in the termination of the contract and pursuit of loss income at the rate of $[Amount].”

The paragraph above is just an example. Consult with an attorney or human resource specialist to get a noncompete agreement that is legal in each location where your business operates.

Payment structure

Neel holding up a payment agreement document to show how to build remote cleaning business with contracts

You’ll want to specify how you will pay your cleaning people. Many business owners find that pay-for-performance is the best business model to align unique online business ideas with the employees’ interests. This payment model may mean paying them:

A percentage of each job
Incentives for performing certain tasks

Neel told us:

[su_quote]I pay my cleaners $25 for each person who provides a review after they cleaned their house. This encourages them to ask for reviews and helps us build faster business growth.[/su_quote]

Property damage

Your virtual business should add terms that protect against items broken or otherwise damaged by your employees. These terms may require subcontractors to carry small business insurance or specify that employees may be responsible for the cost of the replacement up to a certain amount.

Make sure to get legal advice to establish what is legal in the locations you serve.

In addition, you’ll need cleaning contracts for your clients. Many residential home cleaners do not use contracts, but Airbnb cleaners may.

Find cleaners

Remote workers cleaning concept showing janitorial employee popping out of a laptop next to cleaning supplies

Neel explained how he finds remote employees:

[su_quote] I’m looking for three main things when hiring people:

Good reliability
Good communication
Good attitude[/su_quote]

He went on to explain that Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are great places to find employees without spending a lot on hiring. Once you have eligible candidates, Neel told us:

[su_quote]We use an automated five-step recruiting process. That includes:

Initial screening call that asks questions like do they have business insurance and licenses.
Then we conduct a second Zoom call to see if they show up and how they interact.
Send them on a test job.
Officially onboard.
Monitor what they do.[/su_quote]

One of the benefits of buying a MaidThis franchise is you get to skip a lot of the mistakes most people experience as they learn how to build a remote cleaning business.

In addition to all the other support and resources, you’ll get access to MaidThis’s detailed standard operating procedures, which are over 1,000 pages long. Find out why in the video below.

Conduct background checks

In-person businesses like cleaning companies rely on customer service from remote teams. You’ll want to make sure every in-person worker has a clean background. That means you’ll need to conduct a background check.

You can consider companies like

Crtain: Crtain is used by Tesla, Shopify, and Deloitte to get up to 80% faster criminal background checks.
Checkr: One of the biggest background check companies but sometimes the checks take too long. Issues normally arise when people have criminal backgrounds or have lived in multiple jurisdictions in the last seven years.

UpFlip Cautionary Tale

I have a lot of experience with Checkr background checks because they were run on me for multiple employers. I used to move approximately once per year to go experience new places.

My background checks would ALWAYS take at least a week because they had to check seven jurisdictions. Meanwhile, my significant other’s background checks almost always come back instantaneously.

The other scenario that commonly holds up background checks is criminal charges that don’t necessarily convert easily from one state to another. For instance, Nevada gross misdemeanors are often considered felonies because other states don’t have gross misdemeanors, and they are only available as plea bargains in Nevada.

If you need someone fast, ask screening questions like:

How many locations have you lived in the last seven years?
Have you ever been charged with a felony?

These two questions will let you know if screening the applicant will take longer than normal.

Fill out HR paperwork

You’ll need to provide new hire paperwork before managing remote employees in the U.S.

W-4 Form: This document lets you know how much to deduct for taxes. States that have income tax will also require a state form.
I-9 Form: This is a proof of identity form that is required to work in the U.S.
Offer of Employment: This document details exactly what you are offering the new hire.
Employment Contract: This document details the terms of the employment and goes into more detail than the original offer.
Emergency Contact Info: You’ll need this document to contact the next of kin if your employee is injured, gets sick, or dies on the job.
Employee Handbook: Let the employee know what is expected of them, including values, policies, dress codes or uniforms, and other behavior. You need a page for them to sign to document receipt of and agreement with the handbook.
Payroll and Benefits: Documents like a direct deposit form and any other benefit forms the company offers.

Remote work in other countries may have different requirements. When working remotely, always consult with someone familiar with the laws in the country where the remote team works. Learn more about hiring.

Hiring resources

Some resources that you can use for hiring include:

Trello: Neel uses Trello to manage the onboarding of remote employees.
QuickBooks Payroll: Handle your payroll and accounting with QuickBooks.

Market your cleaning business

A remote cleaning business will need to use a combination of digital marketing and “boots-on-the-ground” marketing.

Neel loves talking about marketing. He gave us input on how much you should spend to get unique online business ideas to start making money.

How much is the marketing budget for a startup?

To most effectively start a great online business idea, you’ll want to spend 15 to 20% of your desired revenue on a combination of digital and print marketing. Neel told us:

[su_quote]We spend about 5% of revenue on marketing. When you first start, I recommend 15 to 20% of your spending on marketing because once you get a client, it’s pretty easy to keep them.[/su_quote]

As your marketing strategy helps you reach your desired revenue, you can reduce your marketing to maintain revenue and increase profits.

How to offer remote cleaning services

App development allows remote work concept showing Neel holding a globe with social media apps surrounding it in one hand and a Swiffer in the other

The best business ideas can fall flat if you don’t market them right and find the right clients. You’ll want to use digital marketing skills like:

Social media
Search engine optimization
Paid ads

Neel explained how to start a remote house cleaning company and get ahead of the competition fast.

[su_quote]If you answer the call, we close 60% of requests, but if we don’t answer, we only close 16%. So we use a call agency and an automated text messaging system to follow up if we miss the call.[/su_quote]

MaidThis also uses an online booking system to provide potential clients another booking option.

In addition, any time they clean a home, they’ll send postcards to the five houses on either side of it. Neel told us:

[su_quote]If someone in a neighborhood is our client, their neighbors are probably our target audience.[/su_quote]

Neel explained what to include in your calls:

[su_quote]When someone calls, we ask them something like, ‘Do you want weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cleanings?’ Note we don’t offer them a one-time cleaning.[/su_quote]

Neel also uses automated marketing tools and funnels to help book customers more regularly.

[su_quote]When a client hasn’t requested their home cleaned recently, they’ll send an automated text message. They even have a one-click brownie-sending service (yes, he sends baked goods) to help encourage return customers.[/su_quote]

How to get reviews

Customer reviews are crucial to work remotely. You’ll want to provide great customer service. Then you want to encourage the cleaner to ask for a review because in-person meetings tend to create a better relationship than remote interactions. Neel told us:

[su_quote]Make sure your cleaners ask for reviews because the customer is more likely to review when they ask. We give the cleaners a $25 bonus for every review they get.[/su_quote]

Neel went on to explain:

[su_quote]After each cleaning, we’ll request an automated review that takes about 10 seconds for the customer to review us.[/su_quote]

You can also minimize bad reviews in the business world. Neel shared his secret:

[su_quote]When you get a bad review, call them and offer to send someone over for a complimentary recleaning.[/su_quote]

Useful marketing tools

There are some useful marketing tools that small business owners use to market their companies:

Canva: Simplify graphic design with Canva. Get access to thousands of templates for website and social media for as low as $4.99 per month.
SurferSEO: Write blog content faster and rank higher on search engines with SurferSEO.
MailChimp: Email and SMS marketing automation is one of the keys to success that many small business owners mention. Get started with Mailchimp.

Next we’ll discuss some of the frequently asked questions about remote businesses.

Remote Businesses FAQ

Still considering whether a remote cleaning business is for you? We’ll answer some of the commonly asked questions about companies that work remotely including:

What companies are fully remote?
What is a remote-first company?
Benefits of remote work for companies?
Reasons not to allow work from home?

What companies are fully remote?

Young woman wearing over-ear headphones and working on social media management for remote business at her laptop

There are plenty of companies that are fully remote, but some of the best small business ideas that you can operate from your own home (or anywhere in the world, like Neel does) include:

Consulting services: You can be your own boss and advise people on your area of expertise as a business consultant.
Social media management: Manage other companies’ social media accounts using online communication tools to manage multiple platforms at once.
Online courses: Online courses can make millions and can approach 90% profits without the need for a physical office.
Affiliate marketing business: Working as an affiliate marketer is another opportunity to create pieces of content once and let them make you money forever.
eCommerce business: An eCommerce site that sells print-on-demand products can be a fully remote business.
Web development: Creating websites or app development is another great remote business.
Graphic design: Designing digital and print materials for companies doesn’t require being in their physical offices. Just grab a computer and get started.
Virtual event planning: Start your own business as an event planner. You’ll be working remotely most of the time. When you plan virtual events, it’s 100% remote work.
Virtual assistant business: A virtual assistant helps business professionals with work that is time-consuming and has to be done but doesn’t create much business value. You can be a virtual assistant with 100% remote work from your own home.

What is a remote-first company?

“Remote-first” companies prioritize remote work over in-person jobs. These companies are often similar to fully remote businesses, but they still maintain an office for when people need to get together to achieve their organizational goals.

Benefits of remote work for companies?

Internet connection facilitates remote business, shown by woman in dark-framed glasses holding a laptop with a cost meter in one hand and cash in the other

Whether you run online store ideas or want to start a remote business sanitizing company, there are benefits to remote work for many business owners, companies, and remote employees , including:

Global talent pool
Lower costs
Happier employees
Freedom to work when and where you want
Potential efficiency gains
Lower turnover
Healthier workforce
Green initiative compliance

There are also many reasons why you might not want to run a remote business.

Reasons not to allow work from home?

There are numerous reasons why companies might not want to allow remote work, including:

Potential efficiency loss
Harder to schedule meetings
Buildings and office furniture are being paid for but not utilized
Inability to monitor employee behavior
Difficult to share knowledge
Harder to build corporate culture
Lack of control
Collaboration may suffer
May cause employee isolation issues
Difficult to hire efficiently
Some people work better in person
Cyber security issues

Where can I learn more about Neel and MaidThis?

You can learn more about Neel and MaidThis on the following sites:

Neel’s Podcast: The Remote Local
MaidThis Franchise: Apply to Be a Franchisee

Start your own remote business

We’ve explained how to start a remote cleaning company, shared other online business ideas that can be run remotely, and provided advice from a highly successful business owner about how to start a cleaning business without cleaning.

Now it’s up to you. Will you put in the time and energy it takes to create the systems you need to build a business you can run from anywhere in the world?

Business ideas

Comments

Marijanne@ 2022-03-18 13:34:23

Looking for a business mentor how do I find one??

Brandon Boushy@ 2022-03-22 08:53:52

I would recommend starting with one of the links in the blog that connect mentors and mentees, alternatively go to networking events and see if you meet someone in your field that inspires you. Then interact with them to develop a natural relationship.

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How to Find a Mentor in 7 Steps (2024)

What is a Mentor?

There are Different Potential Mentor Relationship Types

Career Mentor (Typically Early in Career)

Life Mentor (Personal Mentor)

Professional Mentor (Paid to Advise)

Business Mentor (Often Called a Business Coach or Consultant)

What to Look for in a Mentor

How to Find a Prospective Mentor

How to Find a Mentor for Adults

How to Find a Mentor Near Me

How to Find a Business Mentor

How to Find a Real Estate Mentor

How to Find a Mentor on LinkedIn

Use a “Find a Mentor App” or “Find a Mentor Website”

Where Can I Find a Mentor for Free?

How to Find a Mentor on Reddit

How to Find a Mentor for a Teenager

Developing the Mentorship

Mentoring Relationships Have Several Benefits for the Mentor Too!

Go Forth and Become Titans of Industry

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