Many entrepreneurs turn to franchising because they want to build something beyond a job for themselves. Over time, the goal is to step back from daily operations, develop a leadership team and expand into additional territories.
For The Cleaning Authority, those elements are built into the franchise system from the beginning. The residential cleaning brand's recurring revenue model, operational playbook and coaching culture help franchisees master one territory before positioning them to grow into multi-territory owners.
Few franchisees embody that journey better than Jeff DeCoste, who has spent more than two decades building his business while becoming one of the brand's most respected operators.
DeCoste joined The Cleaning Authority in October 2002 after only a few years in corporate America. He was attracted to the fundamentals of the business model rather than chasing the newest franchise trend.
“The Cleaning Authority was a great fit for me,” DeCoste said. “We had a repeat customer base, we were cleaning homes, and I liked the fact that it was relatively low cost to get in. I didn't need a big storefront or a lot of inventory. The staffing was also manageable, and the skill sets were easy to train.”
Still, DeCoste says scaling didn't happen overnight. "I ran the business for many years, quietly growing," he said. “We just kept plugging along and focusing on growing the business, whether that was through customer acquisition or increasing cleaning frequency.”
His disciplined approach ultimately earned him recognition across the system, including being named The Cleaning Authority's Franchisee of the Year in 2022.
One of the biggest transitions many franchise owners face is learning when and how to stop doing everything themselves. For DeCoste, The Cleaning Authority's systems make that transition achievable because every major function of the business follows repeatable processes.
"Once you understand how the business works from a customer service standpoint, from a routing standpoint, from interviewing and hiring, from a management standpoint, it becomes very replicable," he said. “If you develop the concept and understand what you need out of your managers, today's technology makes it easy to communicate with an office that's in another area.”
That shift from operator to leader is essential for franchisees interested in acquiring additional territories. Rather than personally overseeing every customer interaction or scheduling decision, owners begin developing managers who can lead local operations while they focus on strategic priorities like recruiting leadership talent, improving financial performance and identifying expansion opportunities.
"You want to plan for having a manager in place," DeCoste said. "But you need to be in the business day to day for a while before doing that."
Because The Cleaning Authority operates on standardized operating procedures across its network, adding territories isn't the same as starting over. Instead, franchisees are replicating an operating system they've already learned.
For DeCoste, those efficiencies have extended beyond The Cleaning Authority itself. In 2011, he and his wife added Mosquito Squad Plus to their portfolio, another home service brand that is now part of the Authority Brands family.
"Both businesses are route-based with repeat residential customers," he said. “It's very similar — just a different widget. Owning both concepts is nice because you're able to share strategies. They're both in the same office space for me right now, which makes it very easy and convenient to bounce back and forth when I need to.”
Perhaps more importantly, he says the experience reinforced a valuable lesson about scalable businesses. "You can bring best practices that you learn from each business," he said. "Even though the labor pools are different, I've learned a lot about how to build the kind of culture we want."
While systems create consistency, DeCoste believes one of franchising's greatest advantages is learning from people who have already solved the challenges new owners encounter.
"You are joining a franchise for a reason," he said. “You're buying an established concept, and you have a bunch of people who are living your same experience. You get to learn from other franchisees and see how they perform.”
Overall, DeCoste's 20-plus-year journey demonstrates that successful multi-territory ownership isn't built through rapid expansion alone. It's built by mastering one operation, developing strong leaders and trusting the systems that make sustainable growth possible.
To learn more about The Cleaning Authority franchise opportunity, visit https://cleaningauthorityfranchise.com/.
The Cleaning Authority
SPONSORED
Learn how one franchisee transformed from running the day-to-day operation into leading a scalable business and why The Cleaning Authority's systems make expansion possible.
Many entrepreneurs turn to franchising because they want to build something beyond a job for themselves. Over time, the goal is to step back from daily operations, develop a leadership team and expand into additional territories.
For The Cleaning Authority, those elements are built into the franchise system from the beginning. The residential cleaning brand's recurring revenue model, operational playbook and coaching culture help franchisees master one territory before positioning them to grow into multi-territory owners.
Few franchisees embody that journey better than Jeff DeCoste, who has spent more than two decades building his business while becoming one of the brand's most respected operators.
DeCoste joined The Cleaning Authority in October 2002 after only a few years in corporate America. He was attracted to the fundamentals of the business model rather than chasing the newest franchise trend.
“The Cleaning Authority was a great fit for me,” DeCoste said. “We had a repeat customer base, we were cleaning homes, and I liked the fact that it was relatively low cost to get in. I didn't need a big storefront or a lot of inventory. The staffing was also manageable, and the skill sets were easy to train.”
Still, DeCoste says scaling didn't happen overnight. "I ran the business for many years, quietly growing," he said. “We just kept plugging along and focusing on growing the business, whether that was through customer acquisition or increasing cleaning frequency.”
His disciplined approach ultimately earned him recognition across the system, including being named The Cleaning Authority's Franchisee of the Year in 2022.
One of the biggest transitions many franchise owners face is learning when and how to stop doing everything themselves. For DeCoste, The Cleaning Authority's systems make that transition achievable because every major function of the business follows repeatable processes.
"Once you understand how the business works from a customer service standpoint, from a routing standpoint, from interviewing and hiring, from a management standpoint, it becomes very replicable," he said. “If you develop the concept and understand what you need out of your managers, today's technology makes it easy to communicate with an office that's in another area.”
That shift from operator to leader is essential for franchisees interested in acquiring additional territories. Rather than personally overseeing every customer interaction or scheduling decision, owners begin developing managers who can lead local operations while they focus on strategic priorities like recruiting leadership talent, improving financial performance and identifying expansion opportunities.
"You want to plan for having a manager in place," DeCoste said. "But you need to be in the business day to day for a while before doing that."
Because The Cleaning Authority operates on standardized operating procedures across its network, adding territories isn't the same as starting over. Instead, franchisees are replicating an operating system they've already learned.
For DeCoste, those efficiencies have extended beyond The Cleaning Authority itself. In 2011, he and his wife added Mosquito Squad Plus to their portfolio, another home service brand that is now part of the Authority Brands family.
"Both businesses are route-based with repeat residential customers," he said. “It's very similar — just a different widget. Owning both concepts is nice because you're able to share strategies. They're both in the same office space for me right now, which makes it very easy and convenient to bounce back and forth when I need to.”
Perhaps more importantly, he says the experience reinforced a valuable lesson about scalable businesses. "You can bring best practices that you learn from each business," he said. "Even though the labor pools are different, I've learned a lot about how to build the kind of culture we want."
While systems create consistency, DeCoste believes one of franchising's greatest advantages is learning from people who have already solved the challenges new owners encounter.
"You are joining a franchise for a reason," he said. “You're buying an established concept, and you have a bunch of people who are living your same experience. You get to learn from other franchisees and see how they perform.”
Overall, DeCoste's 20-plus-year journey demonstrates that successful multi-territory ownership isn't built through rapid expansion alone. It's built by mastering one operation, developing strong leaders and trusting the systems that make sustainable growth possible.
To learn more about The Cleaning Authority franchise opportunity, visit https://cleaningauthorityfranchise.com/.
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