Franchise Finds
Small Business Opportunities • November 1999

Description: Cleaning service where franchisee handles the managing and administrative tasks. The employees of the franchise do the actual cleaning. The company was founded in 1991 by Mark Kushinsky when he decided he was fed up with the poor service he was receiving from other cleaning companies.

Overview: With no hired staff, founder mark Kushinsky spent about $1,500 to create fliers that he passed around in the Beacon Hill area of Boston. When he had about 20 appointments confirmed, he hired and trained his first two housekeeping staff members and MaidPro was on its way. Today,MaidPro sales are about #3 million a year. Considered the second-fastest growing employment sector, professional housekeeping service have grown more than 20% a year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 559,000 new jobs will have been created for professional house cleaners between 1994 and 2005, second only to jobs created for cashiers.

No. of Franchises: There are more than 10 franchises with about 2000 recurring clients. MaidPro staffers do about 6000 cleanings each month. The company plans to open 12 more franchises in 1999 and expand to Texas and Arizona.

$$$$: The franchise fee is $7,900 (one of the lowest in the industry) and the software Kushinsky developed for MaidPro, called MaidSoft, is free.

Training: The company has extensive training and follow-up support. The MaidSoft software is designed for folks with little computer background. Cleaning supplies, marketing materials and free technical support are all provided. The company also offers the MaidPro Call Center. When a frachisee's office is closed the Call Center handles the call, so that jobs are not missed. The company also offers an in-house graphic design department for special projects.