It’s not every day you see an ad online that makes you consider changing your career.

Troy Harlander, a seasoned entrepreneur who has owned several businesses, was certainly intrigued when he saw an online posting that advertised an ecomaids franchise in Minneapolis for sale in 2014. 

The post, which showed up on a friend’s social media feed, caught Harlander’s eye, not least because he knew the franchise’s previous owner, who was planning to retire. Harlander was hooked by the ecomaids business model and purchased his franchise with the eco-friendly cleaning service. 

“I liked the opportunity due to the recurring revenue model,” he said. “I wouldn’t have to keep selling. If you serve the customer well and you have good employees, you’ll have a good recurring revenue stream with ecomaids.”  

He also liked the eco-friendly aspect of it. ecomaids touts the use of effective and environmentally-friendly products that are free of all carcinogens, sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite. According to the brand’s business model, all of the maids are bonded, insured and trained prior to entering a customer’s home. 

This is an opportune time for prospective franchisees to become involved with ecomaids. The brand recently came under the umbrella of parent company, Happinest, which was formed one year after Lawn Doctor and Mosquito Hunters decided to join forces. The Happinest executive team is focused on acquiring other home-service franchises. In the meantime, its three current brands will benefit from comprehensive franchisee support. 

Ecomaids currently has two locations. One is operated by Harlander and the other, located in Portland, Oregon, is operated by ecomaids CEO Lindsay Dellasega, who is now a member of the Happinest senior leadership team. 

“Before the Happinest acquisition, Lindsay and I each ran our own franchises with no support,” Harlander said. “I’m still getting familiarized with Happinest and Lawn Doctor and Mosquito Hunters, but so far, so good. Happinest is definitely committed to growing the ecomaids brand.” 

Harlander is open to expanding his footprint with ecomaids in the future. For now, he is plenty busy. 

Mornings are his busiest time of day. He’s in the office early to make sure vacuums and other cleaning equipment pieces are working and good to go. The maids come in at 7:45 a.m., and after Harlander answers any questions they may have, are out the door by 8 a.m. He devotes the rest of his day to billing, scheduling, answering emails and making sure everything is ready for the next business day. 

“This is a maid service business and a customer- and employee-focused business,” he said. “You have to know what’s going on all day.” 

His advice to prospective ecomaids franchisees is to hire good employees when first getting off the ground. This will help customer retention efforts. Parent company Happinest recognizes the importance of recruiting good local talent and has implemented programs to help its newest owners attract and onboard the right candidates. 

“Make sure you have a couple of really good employees and pay them a bit more,” he said. “It really helps scheduling when you have a core of good, reliable cleaners. You also get repeat clients if you hire more high-quality employees, which is your goal. Your goal is to get recurring clients.” 

Harlander is thrilled he decided to franchise with ecomaids and that the brand will now have more support under the Happinest umbrella. He is excited to see the brand work towards its growth goals in the new year. 

“I’m looking forward to the transition to new ownership to help the brand grow,” he said. “And, of course, to see ecomaids grow and expand as it should in this space.”