Learn to Run a Successful Franchise Business

Recently, Franchise Solutions sat down with David Messenger, CFE and Vice-President of Market Expansion for ServiceMaster Clean, to learn the secrets of his business success and share them with you.

FS: How did your business begin and when did you start franchising?

DM: ServiceMaster started in 1947 in Chicago and we have been franchising for 60 years. The company started in the carpet and rug cleaning business and later added services such as Commercial Cleaning and Disaster Restoration.

FS: How has your industry changed in the last 10 years? 

DM: All of the industries we are in have become much more technology-driven with faster and more effective equipment to enable our franchise owners to do a better job and reduce labor expense.

FS: What trends do you see in your industry over the next 5 to 10 years?

DM: We see the technology trend continuing but high quality customer service and relationships will be needed to be a top player in the industries that we are in.

FS: What makes your business opportunity more attractive than your competitors’?

DM: We have a strong brand name that’s been around for 60 years and we’re financially strong. On top of that, we offer in-house financing for the initial franchise fee, start-up equipment and vehicles.
 
We also continually invest in innovation to keep us on the cutting edge of equipment and products.
 
And we’re a company with strong core values. 

FS:  How do you differentiate your offering from all other businesses for sale?

DM: In addition to what I mentioned previously, we have a strong team of support professionals who work with our franchise owners to help them grow their businesses and achieve their personal goals.

FS:  Why did you choose to differentiate your company in the ways you have?

DM: It all starts with our core values: Honor God in all we do, Help People develop, Excel with customers and Grow profitably.

FS: Let’s get down to some technical details. What do your franchise fees and royalties cover?

DM: Royalties cover ongoing use of our brand name, ongoing support from Field and Home Office professionals, product and technology development and marketing expertise.
The Initial franchise fee covers 2 to 4 weeks of training depending on franchise type, laptop computer and hotel for the length of Academy.

FS: How do territories work for your franchisees?

DM: Territories are determined by the potential for the service in the market. The territory could be one or more counties or part of a city or a county.

FS: Why has your franchise model been successful?
 
DM: low investment, high potential, in-house financing, we’re the industry leader in many of our services, and our model validates very well with existing owners, some who have been franchisees for more than 50 years.

FS: Tell us some interesting statistics or facts about your business or industry.

DM: We have 3000 franchisees in the U.S. - 5000 worldwide operating in 17 countries. We have system-wide sales of $1.8 billion U.S.

FS: What are the top 3 things everyone should know about your franchise or business?

DM: our core values, we’re low investment, in-house financing is available, and we have 60 years of franchise experience