"The guarantee provides peace of mind," reports Preston-based Jani-King franchisee Ray Finch. "Jani-King have set goals to achieve for my business and they're big enough to pay me if they don't achieve them." Jani-King's sales team secures customer contracts for franchise owners so that they can focus on making money out of operating the business. "Subject to the franchise agreement signed by the franchisee, if Jani-King should have offered a franchise owner £22,000 of business by a certain month but has been unable to offer them any business, then Jani-King's guarantee is that they will pay the franchisee £2,200 per month," confirms Director Paul Haworth. "That's an extremely powerful safety net. The plan is that once you reach that initial guaranteed £264,000 of annualised turnover, we will help you to move on to the £500,000 mark - and then the magic £1 million mark."

Two franchise owners in Great Britain are already realising annual turnovers of almost £1 million, adds Paul. "Our training is designed for people with no cleaning background, so we are concentrating our franchisee recruitment on finding people with the right attitude and work ethic. We're seeking go-getting business builders who have invested in the franchise to concentrate their efforts on building a high turnover business into a highly valuable capital asset with the backing of a comprehensive training team and a highly effective sales machine.

"Management and customer relationship skills are key here, but above all what really matters is that you have a positive attitude and desire to implement a proven system - I cannot stress that enough. We have shaped an infrastructure, package and system which corresponds to what people actually want from a management franchise - and what customers want from a commercial cleaning service. That's why we've built a credible image where others have failed." Jani-King GB has built tremendous momentum toward achieving national franchise coverage and a substantial blue chip customer base. Opportunities for manager owners are still available for new territories and re-sales.

"A GREAT RETURN ON OUR INITIAL INVESTMENT" Having invested in their Jani-King franchise in 1996, Keith and Gill Burgess built it up to about £500,000 in their first few years. "Then Jani-King introduced its new Management Franchise programme and our business surged forward to over £1.5 million turnover," recalls Keith. "At its peak we were making in excess of £200,000 profit which was a great return on our initial franchise investment of £30,000!" Gill adds: "When we felt the time was right to retire, we accepted an offer on the business for a very substantial sum and while it doesn't quite make us millionaires, it's not far off!" Paul Haworth, who sold Keith and Gill their original franchise and brokered the re-sale, comments: "I'm delighted for Keith and Gill and hope they have a really great retirement. They've earned it!"

"THE GOLDEN TARGET OF £1MILLION" Setting out a commitment to his Jani-King franchise for the long-term, Edinburgh franchisee Martin Smith is ultimately looking to the "golden target" of an annual £1 million turnover for his business. However, his more immediate goal is to reach the monthly £22,000 turnover guaranteed his business by Jani-King under its 'Plan 22' offer, a level he fully expects to reach within the next year.

"My background is 15 years in the courier industry, including six owning my own same-day courier business," Martin reveals. "I got some money behind me and began looking to diversify - I didn't want all my eggs in one basket. However, having spent my career in the courier industry my knowledge outside it was pretty limited. I recognised that by investing in a franchise I'd benefit from training, a good track record and the back-up of a brand."

Initially unsure because of the "unglamorous" nature of the business, Martin soon made Jani-King the front-runner in his franchise research. "The more I examined the Jani-King opportunity the more I realised that it is a very professional outfit in a non-seasonal, non-fad industry," he reflects. "I could see a long term future in it for me. After all, people always need their restaurants or premises cleaned."

After meeting Paul Haworth, whom Martin describes as "an excellent and dynamic business builder", he signed his franchise agreement in January. "The initial three weeks of training is excellent," he describes. "Training Manager Andrew Lawson is very motivational, upbeat and thorough. The course covers every aspect you need to launch your business, plus you benefit from ongoing training. With my limited knowledge of the commercial cleaning industry, the training gave me a good grounding."

Martin's business has been awarded six accounts and is generating £4,000 per month. "I'm now ahead of schedule and growing at a rate of £1,500 per month," he reports. "With Jani-King looking after the task of winning new business for me, I concentrate on looking after my staff and customers to make sure the service is being provided satisfactorily. Recruitment is a big part of the business - cleaning services can suffer high staff turnover and Jani-King preaches that keeping the best staff is vital to remaining on top of the market. Therefore, we've put care packages in place and treat our staff with respect - they respond to this with loyalty and a quality service."

Martin has hired an Area Supervisor to assist him in managing his business, and is looking ahead to achieving his growth targets. "Once we reach the guarantee, the next target is £500,000 per year which we are seriously planning to reach within three years," he reveals. "After that, it's the golden target of £1 million."

"NOT BAD FOR A YEAR'S WORK" "A third party valuer has already established that I have added substantial capital gain to my business after only one year of operation," reveals Nottingham & Derby Jani-King franchisee Alan Barker. "Not bad for a year's work!"

Originally in sales & marketing and business development, Alan looked at franchising as an opportunity to develop a business for himself. "I began by reading The Franchise Magazine and visiting some franchise websites," he recalls. "I narrowed my search down to management franchises, and was looking for a proven system, strong brand and uniformity. Jani-King's concept attracted me by offering a solid sales system that offered guaranteed business and big name clients. The company provided me with a lot of detailed information about its sales capabilities and presented a sensible and very profitable franchise that I wanted to get on board with."

Preparing for a launch date in July 2004, Alan went through Jani-King's initial training in two one-week blocks followed by ongoing training. "The training is intensive and covers the structure of the business and how to deal with customers - I felt very well prepared to start my business," he reports. "It's all about getting the structure right and organising your staff. I have appointed an Area Supervisor who is responsible for recruiting, training and dealing with staff. This allows me to focus on customer service - I contact every client every fortnight, and visit once a month."

After an initially slow launch, Alan reports business has picked up quickly and is currently operating at £17,000 per month in turnover. "I had the opportunity to ease myself into the running of the business," he reflects. "However the business should have reported the guaranteed £22,000 per month turnover for June, which is seven months ahead of target! As the business continues to grow I have targeted the £500,000 per annum mark, then the £1 million mark. Jani-King puts a great deal of importance on its brand and operating systems - if you follow these closely they're a great aid and comfort."