[simonwonder]

hi guys 
looking for advise , i am looking at a carpet and upholstery cleaning franchise and am wondering if anyone has any experience of any and if you can give me any advise which one is best to choose
thanks for your advise in advance
simon

[kinder clean]

I considered a franchise when i started looking at this trade, however when I weighed up the for and against options, I felt I could do it by myself and invest in some really good equipment & a nice vehicle.

I suppose its an easier option and I can see how that could be attractive, Chem-dry are the most famous carpet cleaning franchise, but in my area alone there are 3 chem-dry guys working in competition.

At the end of the day, there are many great training courses, some very helpful suppliers for equipment and chemicals not to mention sites like this that offer as much knowledge as you could hope for, so why pay someone else when with a little more effort you can pave your own way.

That's my advice anyway, unless of course your based near me, in which case I sugest you go for a chem-dry franchise!! 

[simonwonder]

thanks kinder
thats what i thought but i bow to your knowledge i'm in the south between london and bristol
not the one i was looking at
i see where you are coming from 
thanks again
simon

[clinton]

What made you think of going down the franchise route?Or was it because you wanted the security and backing of a franchise?There are lots of training courses you can go on for c cleaning,and am sure there are somr c cleaners a distance from you who would let you go out with them for a day or so to pick some tips up...

[Ian Gourlay]

when talking to a Franchise Company ask them how much help they give with Marketing and make sure it actually stacks up to produce sales

You can be the best Cleaner in the World or Universe  but without clients you are Broke

[Joe H]

Sure there have to be advantages in joining a franchise - brand name, credability, even as a newbie you have a market etc

BUT I like the freedom to choose what machine I use and what products I choose.

Starting from scratch is tough, especially in todays economic situation but Mike Haliday very recently did a very good post regarding leaflet marketing - it was only in the last few days and on this section of forum. Find it and read it well.

[Kev Loomes]

Unless you can get a 'decent' client database from them then its really not worth it. Even then you will begin to realise that all that money you will be paying a month - the service back wont be great.

There is only one winner and that is the franchisor. If you go bust (trust me they dont care), they will simply sell it on to someone else who is willing to step in. The cycle goes on.

We had a franchise and were initially successful but we soon realised we were not getting what we should etc, and I know many others who have owned one. Also many who havent made it. Avoid them like the plague. Dont forget they will always advertise how great they are and usually give an example or 2 of 'successful' franchisee models. These people have usually been doing it for centuries so are bound to be (back in the day there were less franchisee's).

I think its safe to say that you will find more failures than successes in franchises in this industry.

Test them. Ask them what the figures are for failures and successes. They wont answer that question and come out with some rubbish why not.

[John Kelly]

It is very hard to make a living from one Chemdry license. Most of the remaining ChemDry's are multi license operations.
Stainbusters seem a good outfit and in the contact I have with quite a few of them they seem to be quite happy.
Thing is with a franchise it is never quite your own business. But it has got some positive aspects, but it is very important that you find the right one. If you are interested in a certain one then ring as many of the franchisees as you can (not in your own area) and ask for an honest opinion. If they are not happy they will be only to pleased to tell you. Don't rely on the figures provided by the franchisor as they are usually bullpoop.
Anyone else interested in a franchise then have a look at Nu-life's stonecare franchise which is on offer at the moment, I think around £19k but average job is £750.

[murky]

Can we ask which one you are looking at.

There are people on here who have had a Franchise but now work for them selves. 

If you see what I mean.

Murky

[Fintan_Coll]

Yes it would be a help if we knew which one as there are good ones and very bad ones as in any business.
Weighing up all the pros and cons I think staying independant is the best option as there are courses in both cleaning know how and marketing available all the time.