Crime Scene Cleanup Start-up Costs

How much does it cost to start a crime scene cleanup business?  This is the top question my company receives from students who attend the Bio-Trauma 911 Crime Scene Cleanup Training Course.  Although it usually isn’t asked until the last day, during the business section of our training course, it’s certainly on the minds of each and every student.  It’s an important question, for you can have all the knowledge and training in the world, but it will do you little good if you can’t afford to open your doors for business.

If you ask one hundred crime scene cleanup company business owners how much he or she spent to get started, you would get one hundred different answers.  Although these answers would range from $1,000 to $50,000 dollars, the truth is somewhere in the middle.  Let’s break it down.

1. $10,000 for a used van
2. $5,000 cash reserve (to keep you afloat until your first check arrives)
   
3. $4,000 for PPE, tools, equipment and chemicals
   
4. $1,500 for a used trailer
5. $1,500 for marketing materials, letterhead, business cards, etc.
6. $1,200 for a training course (a must have if you have no experience)
7. $750 per month for advertising (phone book, internet, newspaper, etc.)
   
8. $500 for the first couple months of insurance

What I’ve listed so far adds up to $24,450.  Obviously, if you have a van or truck that can be used for your business, you will save $10,000 on your start-up costs.  You may also be able to save a few dollars on your initial purchase of supplies and on your advertising expenses.  However, there are a few smaller expenses not listed such as: cost of creating a corporation or LLC, cost of setting up a website, rental fee for a storage unit or office space, business telephone expense, cost of an answering service, etc.

One of the main reasons businesses fail is under capitalization.  New business owners fail to set aside enough money to keep their business going until it becomes profitable.  For example, listed above is $750 per month for advertising.  You may find, being a new business, that you need to spend quite a bit more than $750 to make potential customers aware that you’re in business.  Or, you may have to spend $3,000 on marketing materials, because the first batch that you sent out didn’t yield any results.  Or, your used van breaks down after only three months and you haven’t yet completed a job.  Where is all this extra money going to come from?  Granted, you’ve factored in $5,000 to your start-up costs for these surprise expenses, but what if you need $15,000?  And, who will pay your salary while you’re waiting for the first few jobs to materialize?  Will your business fail because you can’t afford to keep it going?

Taking all this into consideration, I would recommend having no less than $18,000 to start your crime scene cleanup business. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below.