How to Start a Solar Panel Cleaning Business

Are you interested in starting a Solar Panel Cleaning Business?

Solar panel cleaning can be very lucrative depending on your geographic market. If you like being outdoors and the appeal of low start-up costs then this might be your golden ticket to a new career.

It can be a little intimidating at first look. 

Of course there are some financial risks involved, you'll need to purchase equipment, have a dependable form of transportation, insurance and other various types of purchases like advertising costs which can vary; however, for many the risks far outweigh the potential awards.

Solar panel cleaning business owners control their own schedules so it's important to set priorities that match with your own personal and professional goals. Do you want to work alone or have employees? Do you want to grow your business slowly or aggressively? Who do you want as your typical customer type? Asking yourself these types of questions upfront will help formulate a blueprint for your success.

Create a Business Plan

Ideally you will decide in the beginning what your business will look like. It helps to visualize this picture by writing (yes, on a physical document) a one-page business plan. This should include figuring out if your business will be profitable (what to charge, realistic number of customers or windows per day, etc). Typical topics include up-front start up costs estimate, equipment needed and many of the activities listed next.

Some key items for your plan:

• Description of the services you will offer
• List of cleaning supplies and equipment you need to purchase
• List of software you'll use to run your business like accounting, invoicing, bookkeeping
• Income goals and projected costs

Research Your Market

Take some time to understand the local competition and ask around to some potential customers about demand for your services. You'll want to get a better understanding of supply and demand in your area and what the going rates are for your services. There must be a decent amount of both residential and commercial solar panels in your area in order to support a business income stream.

Register Your Business (Licenses and Permits)

Does the opportunity look ripe? If so, start off on the right foot by completing any requirements for legally starting your business. Keep it simple at first. If you have a friend or relative that has started their own business, ask them for help. You'll likely need to register your business with your state, region and/or local government for a license. It's easier if you're a sole proprietor so learn the trade first before trying to hire bunches of people and getting fancy with corporate documents and such. Meet with a financial advisor and/or business consultant.

Envision Your Future

Sounds silly on the surface but writing down why you want to be in business, why you will be good at it and an estimate of where you'll be in the future will help you visualize your business journey. Just like having a map for a road trip, your "mind map" will help you reach your goals. Will it work out exactly as you imagined it? Likely no. But almost all businesses change or pivot a portion of their original business vision once they start. It's important and wise to make adjustments along the way.

Create a Marketing Plan

You can't grown your customer base unless you have, at the very least, a simple marketing plan. What will be your strategy for getting new customers?

Here are some areas to think about:

• Target Market (who is my customer?)
• Social Media
• Website
• Physical advertising like signs, cards and van/truck wrap
• Google Search Advertising
• Protect Yourself

Unexpected things can happen. Even if you take all necessary precautions, unexpected accidents are possible so you may need to purchase some business insurance. This can protect you from various risks and liabilities.

Some areas to examine:

• General Liability
• Commercial Automotive
• Workers' Comp
• Equipment Coverage

If you are further interested in learning more about how to start your solar panel cleaning business then join Ionic Systems / Clean Direct for one of our Training Days where we cover these topics in detail.