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Franchise or not?

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3.9K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  clarkson12  
#1 ·
Hey all, I'm interested in starting a business with my 19 year old daughter. We've talked about a few different start up ideas but we've settled on commercial cleaning. I'm here to find out, if you had ZERO experience, would you try to start it yourself or start with a Jan-Pro franchise?

We live near near the Saratoga Race Course in upstate NY and we're only 30-40 minutes from the capital, Albany NY.

Our goal is to start this commercial cleaning company slowly so we can first learn the ins and outs of the industry. (we've read countless web pages and have watched hundreds of youtube videos. And we will continue to educate ourselves during the process) Then scale it as quickly as we can comfortably grow, while still working our current jobs. ( I work 45 hrs a week but at 19, she only works 10-20 a week currently)

The income will be used to pay off debt and will be put back into the company. Once I have no debt, or a debt load that is minimal, I'll leave my 6 figure job and grow the company even more. We have 6 month, 1 yr, 5 yr and 10 yr goals for ourselves and the company's revenue.

We'd greatly appreciate your expert opinions and it's nice to know we have people to go to for questions, who have been or are currently, in the trenches!

Thanks in advance!

-Frank & Kaylee-
 
#2 ·
bdjanitorial said:
Oh and 1 more thing to consider the franchise route. Remember you have to pay taxes on your Jan-Pro income.
so if Jan-pro takes 25% and your estimated income tax bracket is 20% the 55% left over is yours. Then there is State Tax to factor in also which will reduce your 55% even further.
Brad BD Janitorial
Click to expand...
Thanks Brad! The other thought is to use JP as a stepping stone to learn the business and eventually get comfortable with bidding jobs. Once I can bid a job, I feel confident that we could / would venture out on our own and phase out JP.
 
F
#3 ·
I just read this post. You may want to start by subcontracting work from other companies. Janitorial Franchise companies do not have a good track record. for example You do not own the accounts they assign to you. they normally charge you a new account fee PLUS their regular fees. (I live in Dallas) when you put all their fees together they get 50% and as soon you pay the finders fee off, they will take the account from you and place it with another franchisee. a few years ago almost ALL janitorial companies were involved in a class-action lawsuit. (Google that).

Most of the Janitorial franchise agreements have a No competition clause, which means if you leave and start your own company they can stop you (Not saying they will) but it's possible.
 
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C
#4 ·
That's a great goal to start a business with your daughter! Commercial cleaning seems like a solid choice with manageable entry. Given you're planning to learn the ropes slowly while working your current jobs, starting independently might give you more flexibility in the beginning. You can really tailor your services and build your brand from the ground up. Plus, being near Saratoga and Albany could offer a good mix of potential clients as you scale. Best of luck with your venture!
 
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