How One JAN-PRO Franchisee Turned a Small Investment into a Booming Business

Rodney Collins has always played an active role in his local Charleston, South Carolina community. After spending nearly 30 years working and volunteering for the Boys & Girls Club of America, he dedicated his career to giving back. So when he decided to go into business for himself and break into the franchising industry, he knew that he wanted to be a part of a brand that allowed him to stay involved. That’s why Collins made the decision to join the JAN-PRO family.

At first, Collins didn’t invest a lot of money in the brand. He started his franchise with $900—his plan was to work part-time. But Rodney’s first account provided more revenue than his initial down payment. After that, his business grew by leaps and bounds. But new clients weren’t automatically interested in hiring JAN-PRO, a brand that was still relatively new in the area, to address their commercial cleaning needs. Instead, Collins worked for more accounts by leveraging his connections with the local community.

“When I recruit new business, it’s on a local basis. The first thing I did when I initially signed on with JAN-PRO was take out an ad in the local paper—people really do want to support their communities and give their business to people they know,” said Collins. “I can’t overstate how important it is to establish rapport with people in your community. That’s been instrumental in my success—I’ve built my business by tapping into people I’ve met throughout my career.”

Over the past 11 years, Collins’ JAN-PRO business has grown to more than a dozen team members and consistent monthly revenues. That impressive growth comes from building and maintaining relationships with valued customers.

Take one of his first clients, the preschool at Westminster Presbyterian Church, for example. They took a chance on Collins’ new business when he first started out with JAN-PRO. But through hard work and jobs consistently well done, the preschool is still one of his loyal customers over a decade later. Collins attributes that success to his commitment to provide the best possible cleaning and customer service.

“Being a business owner requires dedication and commitment to succeed. I didn’t know much about cleaning when I first started out. But through being engaged with JAN-PRO’s franchise network, I was able to learn some good techniques and enhance my skills,” said Collins. “You can’t expect to launch a business and have it do the work for you. You have to prioritize your customers’ preferences and completely dedicate yourself to making your business succeed.”

Years after launching his JAN-PRO business with a small initial investment, Collins’ franchise is still growing. That’s a trend he expects to continue even after he brings someone on board to help manage and oversee the business’ day-to-day operations.

“JAN-PRO’s model has really helped me grow by business. With the brand’s Master Franchisee system, it’s easy to reach out and stay connected to the entire organization,” said Collins. “I try to guide my employees the same way JAN-PRO’s leaders help me. At the end of the day, it’s not about the quantity of accounts that we have. It’s about the quality of services that we’re providing our clients.”