Ready
When I first starting in the segment of franchising that I’m currently in, I thought that the type of franchise always determined the actual role of the franchise owner.
For example, when I first learned about Molly Maids, I figured that the franchisees were doing the actual house cleaning.
After all, why else would someone buy a residential cleaning franchise if they weren’t going to clean
Maid Brigade
Meet Margie. Margie Toombs doesn’t do the cleaning…and she never wanted to.
When I first discussed the Maid Brigade with Margie, the franchise that she’s been the proud owner of for the past several years, she didn’t get all dreamy-eyed with the prospect of owning a residential cleaning franchise-a really dirty business. That’s probably because her last position was that of an executive; she was the former head of quality advancement at the Timken Company, a global industrial technology leader.
But, it wasn’t that Margie was opposed to getting her hands dirty that led to her lack of excitement at the prospect of owning a cleaning franchise. It’s just that her visual of the business (everyone’s visual, actually) included scrubbing toilets in stranger’s homes and other assorted downright dirty duties.
When I told her that her role as the franchisee of a residential cleaning franchise would actually be a combination of management, HR, business development and customer service, her interest increased.
She didn’t know what she didn’t know.
Get Enough Information
Don’t assume.
If you’re going to make the move from employee to employer and with it, the inherent risk that comes along with starting a business of your own, make a commitment (right now) to get enough information about the opportunities you’re thinking of checking out.
Sometimes the information you need can’t be found in a brochure. That means that you’ll have to take the next step, and make actual contact with the franchisor. . .actually have a conversation. That way, you’ll be able to learn all about the franchise concept you’re interested in, including what your role would be as a franchisee. Then you can decide right then and there if you should continue pursuing the franchise. Or not.
More Dirt
I thought that this would be a good time to mention some other franchises that handle dirt.
And, while you’re looking over the franchise opportunities that I’ve listed below, I want you to think about something. I want you to think about how you want to be portrayed as a business owner. Read that sentence again.
Let’s look at a few franchises that clean-up:
Steamatic
Steamatic Total Cleaning and Restoration is a 500 unit franchise system that has a footprint in 24 different countries. Franchisees offer carpet cleaning, duct cleaning and restoration services for residential and commercial property. This company has been franchising since 1967.
AdvantaClean
This cleaning franchise offers light environmental services, from 120 or so offices around the US. But, they offer something else, too; a track record with US government agencies. AdvantaClean franchisees have provided environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), and water damage mitigation services to numerous federal agencies and because of their experience, they have ongoing relationships with municipal, county, and state entities, too.
360Clean
According to the executives at 360Clean, the most important attributes of clean cannot be seen - these are germs and infections that live in every public facility all across America. Franchisees use hospital-grade disinfectants to increase the odds of a germ-free environment. As an added bonus, franchisees can offer landscape management services to help beautify the exteriors of the office buildings and other commercial facilities that they are contracted with.
Superior Wash
Homes and businesses aren’t the only things that get dirty. Superior Wash franchisees and their teams clean 47,000 fleet vehicles a week. And, since a lot of the companies they provide vehicle cleaning services too are large ones, the franchisor fronts the receivables to the franchisees, so they do not have to wait months to get paid. In addition, Superior Wash franchisees receive initial sales support from headquarters; a salesperson is assigned to the territory to help generate customers.
Bio-One Inc.
They bill themselves as “The first and only crime and trauma scene clean-up franchise.†Someone has to do it, and franchisees of Bio-One Inc. get called to do meth lab clean-up, tear gas decontamination and other assorted crime-scene disinfection. This is a very specialized field, and franchisees and their technicians receive highly-specialized training; very sophisticated equipment and chemicals are used to remove every trace of crimes and accidents that take place over the county, every single day.
Remember I asked you about how you want to be portrayed as an owner
Did you think about it
I’ve just shown you a few franchise business opportunities that provide needed services to both the residential and commercial markets. What do you think of them Can you see yourself owning one of them Would you be comfortable owning a cleaning business Or, do you need to own something cleaner…classier-something that presents a different image
Cleaning Photo via Shutterstock
Maid Photo via Shutterstock
