contractor success A System To Become Self-employed How franchising can help entrepreneurs tap into the cleaning industry. By: Robert Kindred Image courtesy of Tashatuvango/iStock/Thinkstock S Starting your own business can certainly be a daunting task. In fact, many people never take that leap because the idea of leaving their full-time job to join the ranks of the self-employed can be overwhelming. What many people don’t consider is a franchise. Investing in a proven franchise system can ease your mind and show you what is truly possible when you take control of your future. Driving Small Business The franchise industry is a driving force be-hind the growth of small business around the world. While many franchise companies are consumer focused, other franchise con-cepts, such as commercial cleaning, de-liver professional services to businesses of all shapes and sizes. Services such as commercial cleaning may not be something you’ve thought of as a franchise opportunity, but it’s an industry that continues to perform at high levels and display unlimited potential. Every building needs to be cleaned. Whether it’s a small office or a large sta-dium, commercial cleaning professionals are called on to get the job done on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. While certain businesses are small enough to handle the cleaning duties in-house, many companies choose to out-source their facility cleaning to commercial cleaning franchisees. According to Jerry Crawford, president of Jani-King International, building and fa-cility managers can experience a higher level of service when they outsource to a Today, many companies choose to out-source their facility cleaning to commer-cial cleaning franchisees. reputable franchise company that special-izes in commercial cleaning and has the support structure to ensure results. “Franchisees who have invested in a commercial cleaning business are typically far more dedicated to meeting the needs of each and every customer,” Crawford says. “Franchisees have a vested interest in the job being performed because the results can determine their bottom line. In addition, a reputable commercial cleaning franchise company will have processes in place for training, inspections and customer service, so there are multiple levels to support their franchisees and customers.” cleaning franchisees can get started from a home and with less money out of pocket. “Franchisees are supported from our staffed regional offices and their cleaning equipment can typically be stored at the customer location, eliminating the expense of leasing an office of their own,” Crawford explains. “With customers on nearly every corner and an experienced franchise com-pany supporting them, individuals wanting to own their own business will find out that the commercial cleaning industry has a tre-mendous amount of upside. For customers, the upside is a higher level of dedication and service from someone who is not just clean-ing their office, but who has invested in the opportunity to clean their office.” Building and facility managers deal with new issues each and every day. From unexpected maintenance to full renovations to special requests, the facility manager typically has multiple projects go-ing on at any given time. For many, outsourcing the cleaning to a professional company allows them to fo-cus their attention on other projects without having to worry about the day-to-day duties that simply need to get done without their constant supervision. Trust, communication and clear expec-tations between the commercial cleaning crew and the building manager allows for a successful relationship for both parties. CM Affordable Ownership Commercial cleaning also provides a more affordable path to ownership than most traditional franchise opportunities such as hotels or restaurants. With a lower investment level and no need for a brick and mortar location, commercial Robert Kindred is director of public relations with Jani-King International, and he has more than a decade of experience covering industry related news and trends. Through his primary role at Jani-King, he collaborates with executives within the company and franchise industry to gain valuable insight into multiple issues that shape the industry today. www.cmmonline.com 45
CMM – Archives November 2013: 45
