The Turn Key Cleaning Business

By:  Cathy Green

     A turn key business is a business that includes everything you need to immediately start running the business.

Here is a definition of a franchise:

“A product or service which can be implemented or utilized with no additional work required by the buyer (just by ‘turning the key’)”. SOURCE

Given the definition above, a fast food chain could work as a franchise operation.   A restaurant or donut shop could work.

I will tell you what would not work as a franchise. I do not believe that a cleaning company would work.  Of course there are a ton of cleaning franchises out there making great money.  But I firmly believe that each entity is a new organization unto itself.

These are the reasons:

a. The idea behind a franchise is that a person would get trained on the exact methods used to run the business, all the systems involved. And that at the end, the person would need only to take his/her key to the place, turn it and start the business since all the background work has been accomplished on behalf of the business owner.

That would work perfectly for a food operation. With a burger restaurant, for example, the person would learn how many minutes per side to cook the burger, how many pickles to put on the burger, etc. There would be a uniform way to accomplish the tasks.

b. It is NOT possible to gain such uniformity with a cleaning franchise.

c. Unlike a stable restaurant, where all the cooking utensils can be duplicated, no two homes are alike. The products and equipment used in one home may be totally inappropriate for another home.

Why are cleaning companies franchising their businesses? Simple. The mighty dollar compels them to do so.

There is a local company here in the MD/DC/VA area that grew rapidly and quickly became a million(+) dollar a year establishment. As they grew, the complaints about their company grew because they became less concerned about pleasing customers and more concerned about franchising.

They are presently trying to find a franchisee but thus far, no takers. When and if they do, one thing is for certain. The second business will not be exactly like the first. The area will be different. The houses will be different. The needs will be different. The franchisees will actually be starting a totally separate company while using the name and logo of the original company.

In the book, the E-Myth, there is the recommendation to set a business up as though it is going to become a franchise. I agree with that. Essentially he is advising owners to become exceptionally organized. That I agree with.

Although I am still working to get my business organized to the level of perfection I strive for, it is pretty organized at this moment. Be that as it may, I will not franchise UpperCrust Maids. I cannot duplicate this business and I won’t even pretend that I can. It is what it is because of its owners. No manual will be able to duplicate this company because of the very nature of the company.

Hopefully your business will grow to a point where it will be worthy of franchising. But if it is a cleaning company, think twice before leaping.

Is Your Cleaning Business a Mirage?

By: Cathy Green

    Are you in business for real or is your business a figment of your imagination?

I was reading the contents of a cleaning website recently and saw something interesting as well as pathetic.  A woman who was in her 60′s was talking about how afraid she was to hire employees. Consequently, she was still cleaning 2 homes per day.

Can you imagine a 60+ year old woman doing the hard labor of cleaning not one, but two houses a day, solo?

The woman in question is supposedly a business owner.  However, I will assure you that she is far from a business owner. In fact, she has created a job for herself—a tough, labor intensive job at that!

I’ve said this before and I will continue saying it. Read the book, The  E Myth Revisited.  Trust me, it will expand your mind and teach you how to have a successful business.

One of the points that they make is that if you are working in a business full time, plus trying to run the business full time, you don’t have a business. You have a self-created job and a failure waiting to happen.

The only time I get my hands dirty, so to speak, in my business is when I am teaching/demonstrating to my employees how I want something done. And I have set a goal for myself. There will come a time when 100% of the training will be done by my staff.

Already videos have been made of me demonstrating how I want things cleaned.  A staff  leader will teach new employees, but then employees will be able to look at the videos for updates when necessary.

My goal is to go out and do on-site visits and “pop-ins” on houses. I want to meet all clients. Although I do my own estimates, eventually those will be handled by staff also. I want to own and run a business, not work as an active employee in a self made job.

Here is a word of advice that you may or may not take. Do not fall into the trap of creating a job for yourself. As a new owner of a cleaning business, feel free to step out on faith and hire a part timer. Build from there. But you need employees.  In the cleaning industry, without employees you do not have a business.  Instead, you have a mirage.

Don’t end up a 60+ year old woman or man cleaning houses for a living while imagining you own a business.

Working “ON” Your Business as Opposed to “IN” Your Business

By:  Cathy Green

  The book, The E-Myth talks about the fact that many businesses fail because the owners have created a job for themselves instead of a business.

What that means is that too many business owners have quit their jobs and simply created a new job in which to work.

Business owners should work “on” their business as opposed to “in” their business. Business owners should HIRE employees to do the physical labor and the owners should maintain their role as the one who runs and organizes and works to grow the business.

I remember when I was in the process of starting my business. At that time, I had not yet read or even heard of the E Myth Revisited book. However, I knew that I had not worked hard to earn my Master’s Degree to end up cleaning houses. My goal was to provide a career path in my cleaning business—NOT become a cleaner.

And so when I shared this information on a forum, a man challenged me. He mocked me. He found it sooooo funny that I had actually read many books in preparation for starting the business. He found it soooo funny that I had zero plans to work in the business as a house cleaner.

He even went so far as to brag about the fact that he and his wife (both in their 50′s) did all the cleaning themselves.

As I look back on it, I realize that he does not have a business. He has a job that he has created for himself. And sadly, the thought has not even occurred to him to free himself and his wife of the back breaking work that goes into cleaning houses.

I remember the same man questioning me as to why I created various forms for my business. Again, when I look back on it, he has no reason to create forms or to use forms because he has no business. When you own a business, you will need forms. I created all types of record keeping forms and I created a customized timesheet for my employees. I hired a company to do my payroll.

If you are reading this and you are thinking of going into business, your goal should be to provide jobs to others. Your role should be to grow your company. If you are the one cleaning all the houses, when exactly will you have time to run the establishment?

I’ll go so far as to say that as long as you are personally cleaning the homes, your business won’t really grow. Keep your day job when you first start your cleaning business (or go part time). Stay on your day job and hire employees for the business. Don’t quit your day job until after your business is up, running and financially healthy.

For goodness sake, be patient. Working in your business is a trap that is difficult to escape. The 50+ year old man and his wife should be in a position at this time in their lives where they are collecting checks from employees as opposed to cleaning houses all week long.

House cleaning should be targeted at young employees as opposed to people who are older. Businesses are to be run and nourished.

In summary, work ON your cleaning business. Don’t fall into the trap of working IN the business. You’ll grow much quicker if you follow that rule.

The E Myth in Maid Service Businesses

By: Cathy Green

   There is a book that should be “must reading” for anyone starting a business.  It is called, The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber.

Because this blog is about cleaning businesses, I am comfortable saying that if you don’t read this book, you are truly depriving yourself of a head start on success.

This is not just a book. This is a personal coach. It is a guide. A trusted friend. A teacher. A giver of wisdom. A God-send.

Every time you go back and re-read sections of it, you learn more. And the more knowledge you acquire along the way, the clearer this book will become to you.

One of the downfalls that many maid service owners encounter is that of working in their business as a cleaning technician and never quite working their way out of that position.

Cleaning is not an easy job. When done correctly, it’s a tough, back breaking job—which is one of the reasons I only allow my techs to clean two homes per day. I refuse to subject their bodies to that hard labor beyond two homes in a day. Business owners should not be out there cleaning houses [unless it is a rare instance, acting as a sub for another cleaner while the business is still small].

This book, The E Myth, spends a great deal of time discussing the fact that successful business owners need to HIRE OTHERS to do the work while they concentrate on growing the business and creating franchise-like “systems” which organizes the business and brands it to a degree that if sold, someone else can pick it up and continue running it.

The E Myth has so much to offer that there is no way I can capture it in an article. I would simply say, go buy it TODAY if possible.

Title: The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber