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There are 267 listings in this section of the directory. 236 of them state a starting investment, ranging from $99 to $475,500, with a median of $73,135. Figures are franchisor-supplied and should be confirmed before you rely on them.
Cleaning is the category people reach for when they want recurring revenue, and that reputation is largely earned. Commercial janitorial work runs on contracts rather than one-off jobs, so a mature route produces income that is predictable in a way almost nothing else in this directory is. The investment is usually modest because there is no storefront and the equipment is not exotic. What the low entry cost hides is that this is a sales business before it is a cleaning business: the work is won account by account, and the first year is spent selling, not cleaning.
Read the structure carefully, because this category contains two very different arrangements under the same heading. In a master franchise or unit franchise model you build and own the customer relationships. In a managed or account-supplied model the franchisor sells the contracts and assigns them to you, often with a guarantee of a certain billing volume. The second looks safer and sometimes is, but you are closer to a subcontractor than an owner and the accounts may not be yours to keep or sell. Ask who owns the contract if you leave.
Specialty cleaning and restoration sits alongside the general work. Carpet, duct, window and post-disaster restoration carry higher ticket values and often insurance-funded work, with more equipment and more certification required to match.
Based on the 236 listings here that state a starting investment. The other 31 give no figure, or give one that cannot be read as a number.
Head office locations for the listings on this page: British Columbia (3), Ontario (2), Newfoundland and Labrador (1), Alberta (1). Head office is not the same as where territory is available, so ask the franchisor which provinces they are currently granting.
There is no storefront, the equipment is inexpensive and you can begin with very few staff. The real cost in this category is time rather than capital: the work is won contract by contract, so expect the first year to be mostly selling.
This is the single most important question in the category and the answer varies. In some models you sell and own the accounts. In others the franchisor sells them and assigns them to you, sometimes with a billing guarantee. Ask explicitly what happens to the accounts if you leave or sell, and get the answer in writing from the agreement rather than from a conversation.
Commercial janitorial work is contract-based and more predictable, usually at lower margin per hour. Residential work has higher margins and far more churn and scheduling overhead. Restoration and specialty cleaning carry the highest ticket values and need the most equipment and certification.
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