Being associated with a cleaning franchise allows people to be part of a broader network with great training opportunities; however, there are also drawbacks to buying a cleaning franchise. Jan-Pro, a leading commercial cleaning franchise in Canada, recently listed some of these pros and cons:
Benefits
A key benefit to buying a franchise is taking advantage of the franchise operating system. An operating system is a blueprint of how the business should run, usually developed by the franchise creator. Most small business owners don’t have a playbook to follow when they open, so having one included is a great benefit to owning a franchise.
Another big advantage is access to training. Similar to how having an operating system can put you on the fast track to success, being trained is advantageous because you’ll learn what mistakes to avoid and which best practices to follow from day one.
Finally, a third benefit to franchise buying, is you’ll likely have support staff right off the bat. Again, this is something that many small business owners and entrepreneurs struggle to find on their own, so you’re already ahead of the game.
Drawbacks
Just as there are benefits, there are risks and sides to the business that you might not like. One of the cons of buying a cleaning franchise, or any franchise, is that you’ll typically have to follow a lot of rules. The system that allows franchises to operate so successfully is also the system that you have to learn on a detailed level. Some franchises have page and pages of rules that you have to implement and that can be tricky for some people.
Additionally, owning a franchise means you have to deal with a lot of legal issues. You’ll have to obtain a franchise disclosure document before you’re able to purchase a franchise, and that’s just the beginning. The everyday operation of a franchise includes many legal considerations, and that can be stressful for some people.
A third potential drawback to buying a cleaning franchise is the fact that you’ll have to deal with a shared reputation. In other words, your reputation is only as good as the franchise’s reputation, so if a scandal breaks out, there’s nothing you can do about it. You have to deal with reputation issues that come along with any potential controversies, even if you had nothing to do with starting them. That’s why you want to be sure you do your research before signing up with a franchise company. Make sure the values and morals of the company match your own.
