Choosing to Become a Multi-Unit Owner with JAN-PRO

Franchisee David Rhodes has had success with his two California JAN-PRO markets.

SPONSOREDUpdated 5:17PM • 01/13/16

When we gluttonize our rumbling stomachs, chances are we will be cursing to the high heavens for over-indulging. It’s a classic example of the old adage that we’re all familiar with: “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” We think we can take on a whole lot from the look of it, but ultimately get overwhelmed.

This situation can also be compared to becoming a possible investor. In the world of entrepreneurship, there’s a number of exciting businesses that tingle our senses, and we want to invest in them all. But getting in over one’s head can cause distraction, neglect of a business and, ultimately, the closing down of a company. It’s not an ideal situation anyone wants to get in, but there is a chance to sidestep this issue with the right type of business plans—franchising.

Being a multi-investor with a franchise brand can alleviate this issue as these brands already have training programs, financial assistance and marketing techniques in place to help anyone succeed. It's a way to calm the nerves and avoid the problem of the eyes being too big. There are plenty of franchises out there that provide a solid infrastructure and the ability to expand as a multi-unit owner, all with a relatively affordable investment—and JAN-PRO is one of them.

The cleaning services franchise allows prospective franchisees to set up their own base of operations, hire the staff they so choose and set up a stream of recurring revenue. And for a total investment of $2,800 to $44,000 it’s a pretty low cost franchise, too. These are some of the qualities JAN-PRO multi-unit investor David Rhodes was looking for when looking to start a new business.

Rhodes has been a corporate industry veteran working for several different businesses, including Fortune 500 companies and paper and packaging distributors. But the rigors of the corporate world, especially the downsizing and consolidation aspects, started to get to him. After he left his last company, he was looking for a new investment opportunity that would allow him to stay in California, secure a recurring revenue stream and avoid the corporate act of downsizing.

After some searching, Rhodes hooked up with Frannet to help him discover what franchise was best for him. When JAN-PRO was brought to the table, he was initially hesitant as he was not familiar with the janitorial and cleaning service industry. But one aspect of the business that did stand out to him was their strong belief in helping others.

“What got me interested in investing with JAN-PRO was the philanthropic aspect,” Rhodes said. “With a master franchisor title you can help people get into business who may have difficulty breaking into the business on their own.”

After purchasing his first JAN-PRO territory in 2002, JAN-PRO of the Greater Bay Area, Rhodes was quick to expand his empire. He purchased the southern California territory, JAN-PRO of Southern California, in the summer of 2003 and y sold a portion of that marketplace a few years later. Being a multi-unit owner can be a pretty sweet gig, but Rhodes said there is still a lot of hard work to do to make sure the whole operation is a well-oiled machine. One of the many benefits of owning multiple territories, he explained, is the opportunity to double the client base.

“You of course can double your opportunity as a multi-unit owner, and you are able to leverage some of your assets with some extra help from your employees,” Rhodes said. “You’re able to harvest efficiencies, diversity your opportunities and leverage your expertise and experiences on franchisees who need some advice or help.”

Stretching oneself out too thin with a multi-unit business model can cause some owners to possibly lose focus and not devote enough time to the business. Rhodes said one of the biggest obstacles of being a multi-unit owner is that he can only be in one place at one time. He has general managers in other markets and makes time to visit his franchisees, but stresses to keep everyone in touch about the constantly moving pieces of the business.

“I see my role as the CEO of my territories. The business model is already in place, but adapting it to a particular market comes with idiosyncrasies,” Rhodes said. “The most important thing is setting targets and goals with managers and employees. Make sure the numbers are matching the conversation and if there are any discrepancies, you need to fix them quickly. Keep everyone in the loop and encourage people who have good ideas to not only pass that long to higher ups, but to also other franchisees in the market.”

Choosing to Become a Multi-Unit Owner with JAN-PRO

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