Interesting discussion! I'd just like to add my tuppence worth. (As if I wouldn't
)
Firstly, when I read posts that say "I heard..." or "people say....." it always sets the old BullS**t alarm ringing. It's easy to make up stories and type them on forums. It's tempting to fall into line and peddle the same old crap that others spout, just to blend in with the pack. To conform out of fear of social rejection is one of mankind's greatest weaknesses, I feel. But that's a bit deep for a carpet cleaning forum
Hands up who actually knows anything about what it's like to actually own a franchise? Probably only a small handful who are posting here! The independent guys always seem to have this natural knee-jerk reaction to slate franchises, I think this is partly because they feel threatened (or maybe inferior in some way?!) and partly because everyone else is doing it.
The fact is that a franchise is as individual as any other independent business! You've got guys like me who work on their own just the same as most of you lot do, and then you can go right up to one of our office cleaning franchises who employ scores of people and turn over millions of pounds a year.
I run my business on a day to day basis without any pressure or dictation from head office. I'm my own boss, I do what I want and buy whatever equipment and products I like. I even make my own marketing material when I get around to it. The only thing I can't change is the colour of the shirt I'm wearing or my company logo. Big deal, I quite like turquoise and yellow, I've even painted my lounge to match (you can decide for yourselves if that was a joke or not
).
Once every blue moon I have to do something I'd rather not, like regional meetings or spend a few hours with my area manager etc. Every month I pay a percentage of my reported turnover back to head office, but also now and again I get sent a couple of nice jobs to do and all I have to do is go out and do them and collect the money. Anyone fancy a 10 minute spotting job with a terry towel for 60 quid?
I don't do insurance work now. I used to, before I owned my franchise, because I worked for the previous owners who did both the cleaning and the restoration. In SM it's split up into separate licences now, I'm not sure how it works with the other franchise groups.
We have exclusive territories. ChemDry chuck as many into an area as they think it can handle. Last time I counted, there were 5 or 6 round here. Makes for very confusing reading in the YP! Not sure about the others.
R.E. The Hull floods.... I think at that particular time there were probably more flooded houses in the UK than there were dehumidifiers available to hire. Do the maths, there's going to be a bit of a problem delivering 5-star service to each and every 10,000 homes all under water at the same time.. I know several people who didn't sleep for days and didn't see their families for a week during that time. Because they were pumping out flood water and drying buildings. The percentage of complaints to jobs done probably dropped to an all time low during those times, but because of the sheer volume yes there will have been quite a few complainers kicking up stink. Happens.
In the grand scheme of things, you get out of franchising what you put in - which of course applies to most things in life
