Commercial cleaning franchises offer cleaning services for spaces that traditionally have tons of traffic. Because of this, commercial cleaning franchises can benefit from multiple different revenue streams by diversifying the types of buildings they clean for. For instance, here is the list of specialized areas JAN-PRO lists on its site for commercial cleaning services:
- Auto dealership cleaning
- Church-religious facilities cleaning
- Bank cleaning
- Fitness center cleaning
- Medical-healthcare cleaning
- Office-business cleaning
- Industrial-manufacturing cleaning
- Retail cleaning
- School-college-university cleaning
- Property management cleaning
- Restaurant cleaning
- Government-public cleaning
- Event-stadium cleaning
- Hotel cleaning
JAN-PRO Cleaning Systems is the leading commercial cleaning franchise worldwide by number of units with well over 10,000 units, as of mid-2021. Other leading franchises, in no particular order, are Buildingstars, Coverall Health-Based Cleaning Systems, Jani-King Commercial Cleaning Services, ServiceMaster Clean, Vanguard Cleaning Systems, Stratus Building Solutions, and Anago Cleaning Systems.
A large segment of the commercial cleaning franchise industry is janitorial services. In fact, almost a third of the revenue earned by commercial cleaning franchises comes from the office sector, a sector where demand will rise again to pre-pandemic levels in the next couple of years per industry observers. However, despite the pandemic, the U.S. janitorial industry still did $72.66 billion worth of business in 2020.
Some janitorial franchises specialize in serving specific sectors, such as medical and scientific providers (with specialized cleaning and maintenance roles for those segments). However, many janitorial franchises offer comprehensive services for corporate offices, laboratories, schools, hospitals, retail spaces, and public outdoor areas such as parks and malls.
Pandemic Impacts
Unsurprisingly, recent sudden increased demand was registered in the area of disinfectants, including COVID-19 solutions. According to Arizton, “The increased awareness of contagious diseases is likely to drive the disinfectant segment's growth” at least until 2026.
In addition—and more specifically, the pandemic has also increased the popularity of electrostatic disinfection treatments.
First designed for industrial painting in the 1940s, electrostatic sprayers work by generating charged droplets that seek out the intended surfaces, instead of each other, to fully cover all sides of the surface. The sprayers are also common in the auto industry for painting, as well in agricultural settings with pesticides. However, the sprayers have recently found their next evolution of their use—in cleaning with commercial-grade disinfectants.
Many franchises such as ServiceMaster Clean, Vanguard Cleaning, and others tout its effectiveness. Specifically, from Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services: “It’s ideal for an office setting because it allows application on even the hardest-to-reach spots and is safe to use near electronic equipment. Additionally, cleaners do not have to wipe down surfaces after electrostatic application.”
As with all disinfection services, electrostatic spraying should be performed in conjunction with traditional cleaning methods.
Running a Commercial Cleaning Franchise
Some of the top characteristics franchisors are looking for in franchisees include, but are not limited to:
- Strong work ethic
- Willingness to achieve
- Someone who enjoys a challenge
- Entrepreneurial spirit
- Strong leadership abilities
- The disposition to learn and be a part of a system
Although franchisees are ultimately responsible for the success of their franchise operation, many commercial cleaning franchisors do explicitly allow franchisees to share responsibility with a manager or a management team due to work occurring at different remote locations.
If franchisees do use a manager to help them run the franchise, their selected manager(s) would be subject to the approval of the franchisor. In many cases, the selected manager would have to complete the same training as the franchisee, as well as sign the same non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements. In some cases, the franchisor may want the additional manager(s) to have business equity in the franchise so there is a stake in the success of the business, thus encouraging high performance.
Pay Attention to Special Regulations
Laws and regulations vary widely depending on where the individual franchisee will do business.
In addition to common business laws, sanitation laws and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) regulations are a couple of rules cleaning franchisees must make sure they abide by. A large component of these laws concern chemicals and waste disposal.
Franchisees are strongly recommended to consult a local advisor to determine all laws and regulations that are applicable to their situation.
The Initial Investment and Opening Costs for Commercial Cleaning Franchises
The opening costs for prospective commercial cleaning franchisees can depend on many factors, including but not limited to: the business system and execution requirements, particularly if the franchisee has a physical office location outside of the franchisee’s home.
The initial investment typically includes expenses such as the initial franchise fee, lodging during training, the purchase of tools and equipment, insurance and licensing, grand opening advertising material and, perhaps, payments towards a company vehicle.
Franchisors offer estimates in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) based upon their experience establishing, and in some cases operating, units. However, prospective franchisees should keep in mind these estimates are just that—an estimate. Prospective franchisees should review the figures presented with a business advisor, taking into consideration their unique circumstances, before making the decision to enter into a franchise agreement.
Top Benefits of Being a Commercial Cleaning Franchisee
Independent operators make up a large portion of the cleaning population, especially when it comes to house cleaners. But despite the low barriers of entry to the industry as an independent business—and possibly because of that fact, there are several advantages commercial cleaning industry franchisees have over their independent counterparts.
Name Recognition: When it comes to finding a service provider, people tend to deal with someone they have a familiarity with. Franchises tend to have established brand names that, in many instances, have been around for years. If you buy a commercial cleaning franchise, you will be given the right to associate your business with that franchise company's name, trademarks, and logo.
Advertising: Getting your name out there can be expensive and sometimes it can be hard to know where to spend your advertising and marketing budget. With a franchise, national advertising is typically done by the franchisor. In addition, though local advertising is generally up to you, you’ll have guidelines in place to help guide you.
Training & Support: A popular feature with all franchises is the training provided. While in business, franchisees will have access to the franchisor’s operations manual, computer systems, and other items designed to help you successfully manage your commercial cleaning franchise. Customer scheduling assistance, which a number of franchisors offer, is of particular help for many franchisees.
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