1851: What void does JAN-PRO Franchise Development™ fill? What was missing in the space before? How was it identified? What inspired you to start?

Gary Bauer, JAN-PRO Systems International™ Brand President: 31 years ago, JAN-PRO’s founder Jacques Lapointe was looking to buy a regional office at one of the major three-tier commercial cleaning competitors. As he started looking at what was offered in the space, he wasn’t enamored with the level of support or the available fee structures. He decided he could start his own competitive brand, not as a first adapter, but as someone that took a concept and improved upon it. He came from the franchising world and had experience in the staffing and recruiting category. He simply said: I'll provide franchise owners with a larger territory for a lower royalty fee, and I’ll be able to grow faster and capture a larger share of the market.

Today, JAN-PRO operates under the same three-tier model it has had since day one:

• JAN-PRO Systems International – the parent company – sells protected territories to JAN-PRO Franchise Development owners and creates the systems needed to protect and grow the brands.
• JAN-PRO Franchise Development, acting as regional franchisor, sells JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting unit franchise licenses to entrepreneurs. JAN-PRO Franchise Development owners own and manage a professional office that provides certifications, ongoing coaching, administrative support, and access to accounts so that JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting™ Unit Franchise owners can grow their independently-owned businesses.
• JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting is the brand behind the commercial cleaning business that is independently owned by Unit Franchisees that provide commercial cleaning services to their Accounts or end Clients.

1851: What is JAN-PRO Franchise Development doing well right now? What are the brand’s differentiators?

Bauer: The main differentiator of JAN-PRO Franchise Development is that it offers entrepreneurs an opportunity to replace an executive level of income without being beholden to corporate America. It requires a low employee count and little to no travel while offering access to protected territories, recurring revenue and unparalleled scalability. Regional Developers can start to grow quickly once they get through the start-up period.

Also, becoming a Regional Developer offers entrepreneurs a rare opportunity to give back to their community. The primary reason people buy a Regional Development franchise is because it is a good business. But once they get into the business and start making money, they realize they are doing it in a way that helps others achieve similar goals. That may not be a primary driver, but it is a big benefit over time. The positive impact they can have on people's lives is meaningful and adds purpose to a very strong financial business model.

1851: What does the ideal Regional Developer look like, in terms of how they run their business, what personal traits they have, what prior business experience they can claim, what kind of investor model they align with, etc.?

Bauer: The ideal Regional Developer comes from an executive leadership background. They have business acumen, sales skills, and the ability to think strategically. These are often individuals who have been accountable for P&L and revenue growth for major companies. They are often looking to transition their career from the corporate grind to entrepreneurial business ownership, but do not want to completely go out on a limb and create something brand new. They want to take a proven system and implement it to build a scalable enterprise and secure generational wealth for their family’s future.

1851: What does a day in the life look like for a Regional Developer?

Bauer: Most Regional Developers have a relatively small employee base. They oversee operations consulting teams that provide business-level support, including coaching, certification in brand standards, administrative support, and billing and collection services to JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting Certified Unit Franchisees. They also manage a sales and marketing team that provides sales and marketing services in support of Client acquisition for commercial cleaning services on behalf of JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting Certified Unit Franchisees. There is also the normal administrative work of checking the books and billing. From there, most Regional Developers spend 15% to 20% of their time focused on placing JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting Certified Unit Franchisees in an allocated protected territory.

1851: How does JAN-PRO International Systems support Regional Developers?

Bauer: Regional Developers will be part of a brand with 30-plus-years of franchising history behind it — that in and of itself adds a lot of value. You will be associating with a recognized, best-in-class brand. Regional Developers are in business for themselves, not by themselves. The JAN-PRO International Systems corporate team has over 125 years of industry and franchising experience. It is a seasoned group of professionals, both in franchising and in the janitorial space.

To start, Regional Developers will go through a two-week in-house training at headquarters in Atlanta and will also benefit from plenty of in-person training as they go through onboarding. Our extensive marketing department helps drive opportunities for Regional Developers, who in turn drive opportunities for their Certified Business Owners. There is also an operations team that offers consulting support and monthly follow-ups.

1851: What growth plans does the brand have in the coming years? How many units is the brand targeting over the next year, three or five?

Bauer: JAN-PRO Franchise Development has two separate growth goals. The first is to expand the number of Regional Developers by around 4% a year. There are not a lot of available markets left across the country, and the process is highly selective. The second goal is to increase the average unit volume of Regional Developers by 11% over the next few years. Overall, the team is very focused on making the JAN-PRO Franchise Development executive model business more profitable in every way.

The total investment necessary to begin operating a Jan-Pro Franchise Development regional developer franchise business is between $127,500 and $769,000. This includes between $50,000 and $600,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate(s). For more information on becoming a Regional Developer with JAN-PRO Franchise Development, visit https://janprofranchise.com/research/why-become-a-regional-developer-with-jan-pro/.

*No JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting® franchise will be sold to any resident of a jurisdiction requiring registration of the franchise before it is sold, until the offering has been exempted from the requirements of, or duly registered in and declared effective by that jurisdiction and any required Franchise Disclosure Document has been delivered to the prospective franchisee before the sale in compliance with applicable law.