Starting a business; janitorial service company.

Essay by natsky25University, Ph.D. August 2003

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Starting your own business can be very time consuming and may require large portion of monetary assistance. For convenience and with a small amount to invest, one may consider purchasing a janitorial services franchise. "For a fee, a janitorial service company typically provides you with customers and marketing, billing and collection"(Hoakman, 1998, p.2). Also, once established, an individual can seek additional contracts without the assistance of the franchisor.

The accounts that an individual may receive from the franchiser may or may not generate revenue. "To meet its obligations, the franchisor may offer you more than one cleaning account"(Hoakman, 1998, p.2). Given the time constraints, issues with distance, and other problems that may arise, the individual may be unable to accept all the accounts that are offered.

In the janitorial industry, success is possible, but there are always a high percentage of turnovers. "Most janitorial franchise agreements specify that if a customer cancels the cleaning contract, the franchiser does not have to replace the account for the individual" (Hoakman, 1998, p.3).

So in order for the franchisee to gain new clients, he or she, must market themselves to other businesses that are in need of commercial cleaning.

In order to gain new business, an individual must first assess the need for commercial cleaning and communicate how you can meet that need. This can be implemented through direct mail, article placements, telemarketing, or going to the business in person. In order to maintain your market position is to maintain a "long-term commitment that utilizes your valuable contacts and resources. Repeat business from existing clients (you should contact them regularly) will always be your best revenue source"(Hoakman, 1998, p.5).

By conducting secondary research about the janitorial service industry, I realized how many companies are outsourcing. After interviewing a salesman with Alliance Maintenance,