MaidPro

WASHINGTON

Working with the company’s founders as manager and dispatcher for their Boston location readied Maxine Kenefsky to open a MaidPro location of her own.
Source: MaidPro
Working with the company’s founders as manager and dispatcher for their Boston location readied Maxine Kenefsky to open a MaidPro location of her own.
Description: Residential and commercial cleaning service
Owner: Maxine Kenefsky
Years in business: 16
No. of franchises owned: 4
Start-up costs: $30,389 to $57,149; $20,000 to be eligible for third-party financing, $50,000 to $75,000 without financing
Franchisor fees: $7,900 plus 6.5% in royalties, decreasing to 3.5% as revenue increases
2015 revenue, 2016 revenue projection: $3 million; $3 million
2016 projected annual growth rate: Flat

Maxine Kenefsky learned about MaidPro, a residential and commercial cleaning service, from the inside. In 2000 she was working with the company's founders as the manager and dispatcher for their Boston location. When she decided to move back to her hometown of Seattle, she brought MaidPro with her, but this time as a franchisee.

"I was so excited that I could still be part of this amazing organization," she said. And having been part of the team in Boston, Kenefsky knew how much support she would receive from the franchisor.

Additional franchisee resources

Kenefsky particularly liked that the franchise is fairly inexpensive to get up and running and doesn't require a large office or major investment in inventory. Today she has 70 employees working at her four locations — three in the Seattle area and one in Beaverton, Oregon. The vast majority of her approximately 1,100 clients are residential; word-of-mouth referrals from these customers are her biggest business generator.

Having support from the franchisor — which now has 150 locations across the United States — is a huge help, she said. The company provides her with a business coach that has years of experience in the residential and commercial cleaning business that can help her figure out the best ways to schedule jobs, keep employee turnover low and grow her business.

As with other service businesses, Kenefsky said one of her biggest challenges is finding and keeping good workers. "I try to create a good, friendly work atmosphere," she said. During the morning dispatch, when workers are being sent out on jobs for the day, she likes to keep the mood light and as stress-free as possible, she added.

As for the best advice she could give other would-be franchisees, Kenefsky advised not to try to reinvent the wheel. "Follow the franchise model," she said. "You're buying a proven system, so use it."

"Follow the franchise model. You’re buying a proven system, so use it." -Maxine Kenefsky

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