I was on CMM on-line today and ran across a post on the bulletin board called “Franchise Cleaning Companies Can’t Clean” http://cmmonline.com/detail.asp?Parent_ID=138542#138542 . I have to say that this raised the hair on the back of my neck! I hear this from employee run companies all the time. As a matter of fact when we were an employee run company I often said the same thing.
When Service Pros chose to become OctoClean and offer franchises to the public it became my life’s work to ensure we did not become like the “others”. There is truth in the comments being made in this post but it is also true that employee run companies especially small family owned ones give away the farm while promising the world. As I posted on the bulletin board there is a formula for success. It does not matter if you are a franchise or an employee driven company, if you fail it is because you have forgotten a piece of the formula.
Franchise vs. Employees
Employees working in a facility are only as good as the training, support and philosophy driving them. The same is true of franchise owners. The difference is to truly create consistency in cleaning systems you need consistent staffing. Employees come and go and often it is GO! When you find a great employee you cannot pay them what they deserve so they leave. In most companies the culture then becomes hire low and cap low. That equals inconsistent staffing. Franchise Owners on the other hand are well trained, well paid, committed business owners. We are partners with successful, like minded business owners. I think it is a no brainer. For those people that have heard this “pitch” before from another franchise company consider that marketing is their core competence not cleaning.
All BSC’s need to take inventory of themselves and not place judgements. Personally I look at The Big 3 as an opportunity to transform the janitorial industry one “true” franchise owner at a time.