Secure your success in the $46 billion building cleaning industry through one of many cleaning business franchise opportunities available that also provides ample training. Entering into an exciting cleaning service franchise can quickly turn to failure if the franchise provides insufficient training.

Established training programs rank as one of the top reasons for choosing a cleaning company franchise over starting your own business from scratch; the franchise has already developed a proven system and built the training that will help its franchisees succeed. Expect training in the following areas before investing in a cleaning franchise:

1. Cleaning franchise business model/methods and special cleaning products/equipment, software and sales/marketing/pricing services.

2. Expectations between cleaning franchise owner and the franchisor regarding all aspects of the business.

3. Customer service training for the cleaning service franchise.

4. National advertising and marketing programs in place.

5. Bidding and job estimating training for cleaning service franchise opportunities.

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Look for information on the scope/depth of initial training for any cleaning franchise opportunity

Cleaning franchise opportunities you consider should incorporate hands-on and interactive training along with other methods to ensure you can repeat the steps/processes and train others. They should also include training manuals/instructions and toll-free phone numbers, websites and email contacts for questions when you get home from training and forget something, or encounter a new challenge. Initial training periods can range from a few days to a few months, include multiple phases and can occur in different locations.

I recommend: Contact Vanguard Cleaning Systems, DryCarpet and Corporate Cleaning Group franchise cleaning services for detailed information about their initial training programs.

Favor franchising cleaning services that offer continuing education and training programs

Training and education shouldn't stop once you open your residential or commercial cleaning franchise. To stay ahead of your competition and ensure you always provide your customers with the best service possible, look for a cleaning services franchise that offers programs and training opportunities that keep you up-to-date on the latest products, cleaning methods, business practices and even customer service. Often, a cleaning franchise for sale will send a company representative to your place of business for a period of time to help you get started.

I recommend: Check out the type of training you receive and the amount of time it takes to complete at Fish Window Cleaning. Contact The Cleaning Authority for additional details on the training provided when buying this franchise cleaning company. Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System provides business management and technical training after you're up and running to help you and your staff, and it offers advanced training for certification in special services like carpet and hard floor care.

Find out more about employee training before buying a cleaning franchise

You can find loads of information about your own training as a franchisee; you'll find training information regarding your employees a bit more sparse. Cleaning service franchises will often provide you with the tools to hire, manage and train your own employees, but don't count employee training as part of the package unless you ask.

I recommend: Both Merry Maids and Sound Cleaning Resources give you the tools to help you properly train your employees.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Expect to travel to a regional or national headquarters for at least part of your initial cleaning franchise training. Your travel, lodging and meal expenses could end up costing as much as $1,000 to $2,000, depending on the length and location of the training program.
• •  Education and training for cleaning service franchise opportunities should encompass all areas of the business to maximize your potential for success. Because it's also in the franchisor's best interest -- its success and reputation are on the line, too -- reputable cleaning service franchise opportunities typically do offer sufficient training.

If you have always wanted to be a business owner, franchising might be the right solution. The advantages of franchising include working for yourself but not by yourself, an established service and reputation, training and marketing.

A cleaning service franchise is an excellent one to buy into. There are many to choose from, providing a wide variety of services and ranging from minimal investment to large investment.

When looking into a cleaning franchise opportunity you should:

1. Consider the market and what kinds of franchise cleaning services are needed in your area.
2. Choose one area of specialty that interests you or that you would be particularly good at.
3. Search your surrounding area for competitors.

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Find cleaning franchise for sale that requires little investment.

Franchises requiring little money down are often not as well-established as international major ones. Although the name is not well known, you still get the services, training and processes established by the franchise.

I recommend: Some lower-investment cleaning service franchises include Jan-Pro Cleaning Systems, Molly Maid and Coverall.

Consider medium-sized cleaning franchises.

There are many franchises that require a median-level investment between $50K and $250K. The range in price varies according to the amount of equipment needed, the type of storefront and other assets. You get a well-known established reputation and name with a medium-sized investment.

I recommend: One major cleaning service franchise that fits this profile is Maid to Perfection. Others are Mint Condition and City Wide.

Avoid risk with a top-notch cleaning service franchise.

This is the best way to ensure success due to an internationally known name. It may cost up to half a million dollars to buy into one of these franchises, but if you have the financial backing, it is the surest way to go.

I recommend: Look at Chem Station, Cottage Care and Sears Duct and Carpet Cleaning.

Take advantage of special cleaning franchise opportunities.

Some offer extra helpful programs to encourage business owning. There are programs for women, minorities and veterans.

I recommend: OxyFresh offers programs especially for women, while Heaven's Best offers special programs for minorities.

Find financing for your cleaning company franchise.

The cleaning franchise opportunity may require money up front, but some offer financing. Financing your business through the franchise makes owning a franchise more accessible to regular people.

I recommend: Duraclean, Servicemaster Clean and Office Pride all offer financing through the franchise.

Start a cleaning service business out of your home.

Many franchises available are home-based. This can save in start-up costs for office space or storefront. This also allows you to start a franchise while working another job.

I recommend: A couple of home-based cleaning service franchises are Openworks and Jani-King International.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Talk to other owners of the cleaning franchise opportunity you are considering.
• •  Compare franchising to the benefits of entrepreneurship before diving in.
• •  Do plenty of your own research, not relying solely on the information from the cleaning service franchise.

If you're ready to leap into the franchise world, the right cleaning franchise opportunity could open the door to a bright future. Cleaning business franchise opportunities include residential, commercial and industrial potential customers. The number of cleaning workers, both house cleaners and commercial cleaning workers, continues to grow as family/personal schedules grow tighter and free time becomes a precious commodity. Additionally, companies looking for ways to reduce costs often contract out building cleaning services.

Cleaning franchises encompass several specific types of businesses. Besides janitorial/maid services, they include window-cleaning, carpet cleaning or chimney cleaning businesses. For residential/commercial general-purpose franchise cleaning services, you'll find numerous targets of opportunity: assisted living facilities, apartment and office complexes, restaurants, schools, manufacturing facilities and warehouses, hospitals and just about any other building where people work or live. Remember the following while researching cleaning service franchise opportunities basics:

1. Go with a cleaning company franchise boasting a proven winning track record.

2. Identify how much marketing and business support cleaning service franchise opportunities provide.

3. Look for cleaning business franchise opportunities that help with initial sales/clients.

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Decide if a franchise cleaning company is wise investment for you

Ensure a cleaning services franchise offers a good match for your needs, goals and expectations. Owning and operating a cleaning franchise service affords the opportunity to work full or part time. Many franchises let franchisees run the business from their home, though some may require opening a business office. Also consider your personal traits/experience. Operating a service-oriented business requires that you communicate and work well with customers and employees - this ability will determine a large portion of your success. If purchasing a janitorial commercial cleaning franchise, prepare for some odd hours; even if you don't do the cleaning yourself, you'll still get calls from employees who do work late into the night. While a college degree isn't required to buy cleaning service franchises, you should possess some degree of business background. Most cleaning franchise opportunities teach everything you need to know.

I recommend: Review the questions and consider the investment required for buying a cleaning franchise like The Maids Home Services to see if it makes a good fit for you. See how other professionals like yourself got started in a cleaning franchise like Maid Brigade, a Green Clean Certified business.

Understand up-front requirements when buying a cleaning franchise for sale

Working from a home or business office requires an office set up that includes file storage, a desk and supply/equipment storage at a minimum. You'll also decide on the number of employees to hire and/or vehicles needed. Besides franchise fees, prepare to come up with working capital, money to lease/purchase equipment and supplies, and don't forget the royalties you'll pay once you're up and running.

I recommend: Check out the minimum cash required to get started with ServiceMaster Clean. This company offers different specialties, like commercial cleaning, carpet/specialty cleaning, disaster restoration services, residential services and small market services. For a residential cleaning service, review the investment a Molly Maid franchise requires. Check out what's included when you buy a commercial cleaning franchise like Anago.

Take the next step to owning a cleaning franchise

First decide whether you want to own a cleaning franchise or master franchise opportunity. Master franchisees recruit, train, provide support to and clients for franchisees within their territory. While they typically pay a large fee up front, they often keep most/all initial and royalty fees paid by franchisees in their territory. The initial investment may scare you, but many franchising cleaning services provide some type of financing/payment plan, not to mention financing opportunities available locally, regionally and nationally.

I recommend: Contact Bonus Building Care or Jani-King to learn more about the requirements and next steps for buying a cleaning franchise. Both these cleaning franchises offer master franchisee opportunities.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't plan on cleaning houses and office buildings yourself when you buy a cleaning franchise. Many franchisors expect franchisees to run the business, not work in it.

A cleaning service franchise offers the advantage of a working under a recognized business name, proven advertising techniques, employee training programs, technology, quality assurance, and the franchise's invaluable experience and knowledge in the cleaning business. Keep the following cleaning service franchise opportunities key terms in mind when starting research into the various cleaning industry opportunities out there.

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Initial investment

The initial investment, also called start-up cost, for a cleaning service franchise is the amount of money required up front to buy the rights to use the cleaning service franchise name. This investment may include extra things like standard service requirements, operating techniques, training, or marketing depending on the franchise.

I recommend: Learn more about franchise investments at GlobalBX.

Royalty fee

A royalty is an annual fee paid to the cleaning service franchise to retain the right for continued franchise name use. Most franchises require between 3% and 12% of annual profits.

I recommend: Visit the website of You've Got Maids, a leading cleaning service franchise, to read about royalty fees.

Emergency cleaning service

An emergency cleaning service, similar to disaster restoration services, cleans residential and commercial locations that are affected by unfortunate circumstances. Emergency cleaning services include water removal after flooding, debris clean-up after tornadoes and more.

I recommend: Find out more information on what an emergency cleaning service franchise is by reading about Coit Services, one of the industry leaders.

Commercial cleaning service

Commercial cleaning service, also called janitorial or office cleaning service, cleans and maintains business facilities of any size, usually after hours.

I recommend: Explore what it means to franchise a commercial cleaning service like Vangaurd Cleaning Systems.

Domestic cleaning service

A domestic or residential cleaning service is hired to clean the homes of working families or those physically unable, usually on a weekly or twice-weekly basis.

I recommend: Look into how a nationally-known residential cleaning service franchise like Maid Brigade operates at America's Best Franchises.

Environmental cleaning service

Environmental cleaning service is a highly-specialized kind of cleaning service that takes care of situations that are a threat to the safety of people and the environment. They specialize in storm sewer and septic clean-up, and disposal and clean-up of hazardous waste.

I recommend: Get a better understanding of what an environmental cleaning service consists of by reading about Environmental Biotech.