Jani-King enters the big league

The Dallas Cowboys are among the company's biggest global clients

Now competing with the biggest players in the sector, Jani King is in the market for the very highest calibre of franchisees.

The franchise package offered by the commercial cleaning specialist, which counts Diesel, Pizza Hut, Travelodge, Odeon and Wagamama among its burgeoning client roster, has evolved to reflect the brand’s ascendance to the industry elite.

Jani King has reached a tipping point amongst the industry elite, increasing the scope for growth and making our market position even more secure

Ian Thomas, Jani King UK chairman

Ian Thomas, chairman of Jani King in the UK, explains why the company’s propulsion to the top end of the market has made the franchise opportunity even more lucrative: “Jani King’s success has always been built on the pursuit of high quality candidates – in fact, we deal with some contracts directly because we’ve been winning custom faster than we can find enough franchisees of the right calibre. We’d always rather wait for the right person than risk compromising brand standards in the delivery to the end-user customer.

“However, now we’re in the Premier League of the industry, competing with the biggest companies for the largest contracts. The Jani King franchise opportunity is no longer about small-scale franchising; it’s about a significant investment – £150,000 or higher – but also a six-figure income.”

Thomas is keen to stress the business opportunity is about managerial rather than cleaning skills: “You may not have considered commercial cleaning as a sector – but neither had most of our franchisees before joining.

“You don’t need experience in this field. Many of our franchisees were initially keen on prestige names in the fast-food trade and other high-end business opportunities. However, they discovered Jani-King was a better fit personally and just as much of a Sure Thing in generating an income. The largest franchisee now bills over £1.5 million a year.”

Boom time – for both brand and sector

The commercial cleaning sector has mushroomed in general and Jani King has been well placed to benefit – adding up to a compelling franchise opportunity. According to a Keynote analyst report, the contract cleaning market is growing at 10.7% annually.

One driver of this growth are the regulatory changes in the industry. That means only the largest professional organisations are able to compete.

That the market continued to prosper during the worst downturn since the 1930s burnishes its credentials as a recession-proof sector. As businesses have reduced headcount there has been a growing recognition that outsourcing non-core services is cost-effective. Companies already outsourcing, meanwhile, sought to switch to the best value providers of essential services like cleaning.

Economies of scale dictated that the biggest players, among which Jani King can now count itself, could offer a very competitive option and reap the rewards. The recession therefore could only accelerate the trend of market consolidation, leaving 91% of the contract cleaning market controlled by just 125 companies.

Explaining Jani King’s success in this growing market, Thomas says: “Jani King has reached a tipping point amongst the industry elite, increasing the scope for growth and making our market position even more secure. As we seek to become an even bigger player we know we have to remain focused on our core principles of high quality cleaning and great value.”

Financials

Minimum investment of £150,000, up to £400,000, typically realised from combination of capital, leveraged assets and business loan.

Jani King also runs a scheme under which you can stagger investment, paying instalments from your earnings.

Jani King’s ambitions are far from quenched, insists Thomas: “Our vision is to be the most profitable cleaning company in the UK.

“To do this we need to think big, so we’re looking for individuals of the same quality we already have who will invest big to earn large. This isn’t small-scale franchising.”

Jani King franchisees can turn over £1m or more and can net £200,000 annually, and there is still plenty of headroom for additional growth. It is hard work and you have to follow the system but many have doubled or even tripled their business size and now enjoy a high standard of living.

“The financial investment is greater,” says Thomas, “but so are the rewards, while the risk is lower as we offer a number of guarantees.”

What Jani King is looking for in franchisees

• Financial resources of £150,000 or more
• Ambition and drive
• Good with people
• Hard working
• Desire to build large, valuable business
• Desire for autonomy
• Excited about working with big brands

Jani-King’s franchisees come from a range of backgrounds – rarely from the commercial cleaning sector itself – and have included:

• Ex-senior managers
• Former small-business owners
• Husband and wife teams
• Young, aspiring entrepreneurs
• Recruitment

Although Jani King operates a blended model – where contracts are dealt with by head office as well as franchisees – the company is keen to power further expansion through franchising, so long as it finds the right people.

“We believe franchising represents the best way of growing the business,” says Thomas. “Entrepreneurial and willing to risk – though it’s hardly a gamble – their own money, aspirant franchisees are often more innovative and self-motivated than typical employees.”

He adds: “Now that we cater mainly for high-end, blue chip clients it’s even more important that we find franchisees of the highest calibre to deliver the best service possible. And it’s just as vital that we don’t appoint someone for whom Jani King, for whatever reason, just isn’t right.”

Recruitment process:

• Presentation – one-to-one meeting taking you through the fundamentals
• Affordability assessment – to identify best investment level and turnover package for you
• Franchisee sponsor – Jani-King allocate one of their franchisees to you to explain how things work and answer any questions you may have
• ‘Schedule 5’ – any further questions answered by Jani King in a document that ‘personalises’ your agreement to suit you.
• Meet Ian Thomas – before final decision is made you meet one of the founders
• Group meeting – meet all franchisees at the monthly steering committee meeting

Training and support:

• A 10-day in-house training programme
• Meet your franchise mentor who can answer your queries
• All franchisees attend a monthly steering group meeting where new developments, business practices and problems are shared
• Two coaching programmes are run to aid your business and personal development
• A dedicated sales team delivers contracts so you don’t have to chase business yourself