We've all heard stories of businesses that started on the kitchen table, before moving into a small office because they have been quite successful. Several years later their level of success warrants moving into a larger office block and taking up several floors.

It's always wonderful when this happens, but of course it's necessary to make sure that your services grow with you.

For example, let's say you have a single office. The chances are you may only need office cleaning to be done once or twice a week, particularly if it is only you that is working there. This arrangement would work perfectly well for the duration of the time you are in that location.

But as soon as the business expands and you hire bigger premises with more staff, that single cleaner is clearly not going to be enough to cover what needs doing.

The trick is to know when you are going to outgrow your office cleaning service before it happens. If the duties of your existing cleaning team are going to become bigger because you are moving offices, then warn them in advance and discuss your future needs as well.

If you have chosen a large and reputable cleaning firm then you will probably find that scaling the services you require up slightly - or even a lot - won't be an issue. Once the date and time for the new services are agreed, along with what will need doing, you'll be off and away.

But supposing you have chosen a tiny company to begin with, and they cannot accommodate your much more complex needs? What do you do then?

In this case it's time to look for a new cleaning company. Finding one that is scalable and can accommodate whatever you need, whenever you need it, is clearly the best route to take. Make sure you are familiar with the new building or location you will be working out of. Arrange a meeting with whoever is in charge of the cleaning company to discuss the new arrangements and take the opportunity to ask them for their advice on services too. They may well be familiar with similar size buildings and be able to tell you how best to keep them clean on a day to day basis.

It's also worthwhile asking them if they will be able to handle more work in the future, should you be thinking of making another move to bigger premises in a few years time. Even though that may seem like a long way ahead, it's worth asking because you won't want to go through the hassle of changing companies again.

You should find that the biggest cleaning companies can handle all of your requests with some notice. And there is no doubt that having a cleaning company that can grow with you is an essential part of a successful business. So choose your cleaners carefully now and you will be set for the future as well.