Starting a cleaning business is one of the lowest-cost ways into self-employment in Australia. You don't need a degree, an office, or much capital — a few hundred dollars of supplies and a reliable car can get you earning within a couple of weeks. But the operators who actually build something profitable get a handful of things right early: the right registrations, proper insurance, pricing that leaves a margin, and a steady way of finding clients. Here's the practical, step-by-step version.
1. Choose your business structure
Most cleaners start as a sole trader — it's the simplest and cheapest structure, you report business income on your personal tax return, and you can register everything yourself online in an afternoon. The trade-off is that there's no legal separation between you and the business: if something goes wrong, your personal assets are exposed (which is exactly why insurance matters — more on that below).
