If you’re considering a cleaning business franchise, one opportunity on your radar might be the eMaids Residential Cleaning Franchise. EMaids is a growing brand in the home cleaning sector, offering entrepreneurs a chance to run their own maid service business. In this post, we’ll dig into what the eMaids franchise entails – from company history to costs to support – and then compare the residential cleaning industry with the commercial cleaning industry. We’ll also look at how Assett Franchise, a commercial cleaning model, stacks up as an alternative. By the end, you should have a balanced view of eMaids and why many find commercial cleaning to be a more scalable, stable path for a first-time business owner.
What Is the eMaids Franchise Opportunity?
Company Overview and Industry
eMaids is a franchise system in the residential cleaning and maid service industry. The company started providing home cleaning services in New York City around 2004 and built a strong local reputation for quality and professionalism. The franchising arm of eMaids was officially founded in 2010, and they began franchising in 2014. Over the past decade, eMaids has expanded beyond its NYC roots into multiple states. As of 2022, eMaids had about 22 U.S. franchise units, and that number has continued to grow – reaching roughly 40+ locations by 2024. This expansion shows that eMaids has gained traction with entrepreneurs in the cleaning sector.
EMaids focuses on the residential cleaning market, serving homeowners, apartment renters, and condo owners with professional maid services. Their target clientele are typically middle- to upper-income households in metropolitan or suburban areas according to franchisehelp.com – busy professionals, families, and others who value having someone else keep their home clean. The company highlights that it has completed over 500,000 home cleanings since 2005, which speaks to a significant track record in the home services industry. Today, eMaids is led by CEO Miriam Kahn, representing a second generation of leadership for the brand. Under her guidance, eMaids emphasizes modernizing the maid service model through technology and strong support systems.
Overall, eMaids competes in a large but fragmented industry alongside well-known residential cleaning franchises (Molly Maid, Merry Maids, The Maids, etc.) and countless independent cleaning businesses. It positions itself as a tech-savvy, customer-focused player. EMaids even describes itself as a “national innovator” in residential cleaning, aiming to set a new standard for customer service and reliability. The home cleaning industry itself has grown in recent years due to dual-income families and individuals lacking time for housekeeping. EMaids franchisees benefit from entering an established home-services field with a proven demand – nearly everyone needs a clean home, and many are willing to pay for professional help.
What Franchisees Get
When you invest in an eMaids Residential Cleaning franchise, you’re getting the framework to operate a full-service home cleaning business in your local community. Here’s what that includes:
- Services Offered: EMaids franchisees provide a wide range of residential cleaning services – from routine housekeeping/maintenance cleaning to deep cleans, move-in/move-out cleanings, and other specialized house cleaning jobs. Essentially, any chore that a homeowner or renter needs to keep their living space tidy can fall under an eMaids franchise’s offerings. (They even note that if a client needs the refrigerator cleaned or some laundry done, an eMaids cleaner will handle it, “we don’t rush!”, according to their franchise description.) The primary revenue comes from recurring house cleaning appointments (weekly, biweekly, monthly clients) as well as one-time or seasonal projects like spring cleaning. The customer base is predominantly residential – individual households – though eMaids doesn’t strictly limit services to homes. Franchisees can also pursue small commercial cleaning clients in their territory if they wish. For example, an eMaids owner might pick up a contract to clean a small office or a local business, adding an extra stream of income. However, the brand’s expertise and marketing are mainly geared toward homeowners and renters.
- Initial Training and Ongoing Support: EMaids provides a comprehensive training program to get new franchisees started. Training includes both classroom instruction and hands-on practice. According to Entrepreneur’s franchise review, new owners receive about 40 hours of classroom training (covering the business systems, software, marketing, etc.) plus around 10 hours of on-the-job training to learn cleaning techniques and service standards. Uniquely, eMaids conducts part of its training at the corporate office in New York City, giving franchisees an immersive experience in how a successful branch operates. They also offer onsite training at the franchisee’s location during the launch phase to help with setup and ramp-up. Once your eMaids franchise is open, ongoing support is available every step of the way. Franchisees have access to support channels like a toll-free helpline and an intranet system for resources and communication. The franchisor provides regular updates (newsletters, meetings/conventions) to keep owners informed of best practices. Marketing support is a big component as well – eMaids helps with digital marketing, social media, SEO, and even provides a template for your local website and online booking system. In fact, eMaids has a proprietary online booking platform that allows customers to schedule a cleaning in under 60 seconds on the website, which is a selling point to tech-savvy consumers. Franchisees get use of this custom software for scheduling, billing, and customer management. According to the company, their software and “booking calculator” make it easy to give quotes and manage appointments efficiently. Another notable support feature is eMaids’ promise of “lifetime unlimited support.” In other words, as long as you’re a franchisee, the corporate team is available for guidance and troubleshooting whenever needed. This could include ongoing coaching calls, refresher training, or in-territory visits to help you succeed. EMaids also touts that it offers larger territories than many cleaning franchises. Each franchisee gets an exclusive territory that can encompass up to 1 million in population, ensuring you have ample room to grow your customer base without competing with another eMaids owner. All of these systems – training, tech tools, marketing, and territory protection – are designed to help a new franchisee ramp up quickly and operate smoothly.
- Day-to-Day Operations: As an eMaids franchise owner, your role is to manage the business and build client relationships. You’ll be hiring and supervising cleaners (the maids), scheduling jobs, handling customer service, and doing local marketing/networking to attract clients. This is a management-oriented franchise, but it does require hands-on involvement, especially in the beginning. EMaids does not consider their model a passive investment – absentee ownership is not allowed according to entrepreneur.com. The franchisor expects the owner to be actively working on the business full-time (at least initially) to drive growth. In fact, running it part-time isn’t considered feasible, since maintaining quality and customer trust in a residential setting requires close oversight. This means prospective franchisees should be prepared to leave their day job and focus on growing the cleaning business. The good news is that you don’t need industry experience to start; eMaids’ training will teach you the cleaning processes and business procedures. And unlike some businesses, you can operate from home in the beginning – there’s no requirement for a retail office or storefront, which keeps overhead low. Many eMaids franchisees start as a home-based business, using their home as the “office” and a small closet or garage space for supplies, at least until the business grows significantly.
In summary, franchisees get a turnkey system: a known brand name, a proven cleaning process, software and tools to run the business, and continuous support from an experienced team. EMaids franchise owners benefit from the company’s 15+ years of experience in residential cleaning – including things like a 100% satisfaction guarantee policy to help retain customers and proprietary methods for recruiting “the best maids” for your staff. The franchise is built to allow a motivated owner to step into the booming home services market with guidance and a playbook, rather than starting from scratch on their own.
Startup Costs and Ongoing Fees
One reason eMaids is attracting interest is its relatively low cost of entry compared to many franchises. According to the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), the initial investment to open an eMaids franchise ranges roughly from $33,500 up to $68,000 all-in. This total includes the franchise fee, initial training costs, basic equipment/supplies, initial marketing, and a bit of working capital to cover expenses until the business starts generating revenue. Even at the high end (around $ sixty-odd thousand), eMaids is a more affordable franchise opportunity; for context, many residential cleaning franchises or other home-service brands require $100K+ investments. EMaids notes that because you don’t need to build out a storefront or buy heavy equipment, the costs stay low – you can even finance some of the cleaning equipment or supplies if needed to further reduce upfront cash.
Here’s a breakdown of the key financial points and fees:
- Franchise Fee: The initial franchise fee for eMaids ranges from about $9,950 to $21,500 depending on the size of territory or package you choose. In many cases, a standard exclusive territory will be around the higher end of that range (around $19k–$20k) as the base fee. EMaids does offer a Veteran’s discount – qualified military veterans receive 10% off the franchise fee as an incentive (bringing a $19,900 fee down to ~$17,900, for example). This franchise fee grants you the rights to operate under the eMaids brand, use all their systems, and receive training and support.
- Total Initial Investment: Beyond the franchise fee, a new owner will spend money on startup expenses like cleaning equipment (vacuum, supplies), insurance, a computer and phone, local marketing to launch the business, and some working capital (to pay bills and any employees until revenue builds up). The FDD’s Item 7 provides a detailed range of these costs, which is how we get the $33.5K–$68K figure for total investment. It’s worth noting this is an estimate; actual costs can vary based on location and how aggressively you spend on marketing or extra equipment. But clearly, eMaids is on the lower end of franchise investments. For example, no office or retail space is required at startup – you can run the business from home, which means you save on rent and utilities. Many cleaning franchises share this advantage, as crews go straight to client homes and you don’t need a customer-facing premises.
- Royalty and Ongoing Fees: EMaids prides itself on having lower royalties than many competitors. The ongoing royalty fee is a percentage of your gross sales that you pay to the franchisor for ongoing support and use of the brand. EMaids’ royalty is typically 4% of gross sales, which is indeed modest (some cleaning franchises charge 6-8% royalties). Moreover, eMaids uses a sliding scale royalty structure: in the very beginning, new franchisees pay as low as 2% of gross sales, and as they grow, the royalty maxes out at 6%. This graduated royalty is designed to lighten the financial burden in your ramp-up phase – when you have few customers, your fees are minimal. Once you’re established and bringing in higher revenue, you’ll pay the full 6%. Overall, the effective royalty averages out around 4% for a typical franchise, which is quite competitive in franchising. Another big plus: there is no national ad fund fee with eMaids. Many franchises require contributing 1-2% of sales to a national advertising or brand fund, but eMaids currently has 0% ad fee. That means you keep more of your revenue. (Franchisees are still expected to spend some money on local marketing to grow their business – e.g. online ads, local flyers, networking – but you’re not sending a fixed percentage back to corporate for large-scale advertising that may or may not directly impact your location.) The absence of an ad fee and the low royalty are part of eMaids’ strategy to attract owners by maximizing franchisee profits.
- Financing and Other Details: The minimum liquid capital required (i.e., cash on hand) to qualify as an eMaids franchisee is reported at around $21,500, though practically, having at least $40K–$50K available is wise so you can comfortably cover the startup. They prefer owners have a net worth of at least around $40K–$50K as well (again, relatively low as far as franchises go). EMaids has relationships with third-party lenders and can assist you in finding financing for the franchise fee or equipment if needed. The term of the franchise agreement is 10 years, with a renewal option for additional terms – pretty standard in franchising. And the ongoing costs beyond royalties are just the typical business expenses: you’ll need to pay your employees (cleaners), replenish cleaning supplies, maintain insurance, and possibly pay for things like a bookkeeping service or scheduling software subscription (if not included). EMaids provides the proprietary software as part of the system, so there isn’t an extra tech fee noted, which is nice.
In short, eMaids offers an affordable franchise entry point. For tens of thousands of dollars (not hundreds), you can start a home-based cleaning company with a proven brand. The fees are structured to be franchisee-friendly (lower royalties, no required ad fund), meaning you get to keep more earnings as you grow. This low-cost, low-overhead model is a big selling point of eMaids and one reason it’s on the radar for new entrepreneurs who want to be their own boss without breaking the bank.
How the Industry Itself Compares
When evaluating any franchise, it’s crucial to consider the industry you’ll be operating in – not just the brand. In this case, eMaids is part of the residential cleaning industry, which is an indirect competitor to the commercial cleaning industry where Assett Franchise operates. Someone leaving a corporate career to start a business might weigh the pros and cons of focusing on residential clients (homes) versus commercial clients (business premises). Both industries involve cleaning services, but they differ in practical, financial, and operational ways.
Below, we’ll first highlight the advantages of the residential cleaning sector that eMaids works in. Then, we’ll compare those to the characteristics of the commercial cleaning industry to see which offers a better long-term opportunity for franchise owners. Our goal is an honest comparison – both industries have appeal, but as you’ll see, the commercial side has some compelling benefits for scalability and stability.
eMaids’ Residential Cleaning Industry Advantages
The home cleaning/maid service industry offers several benefits that have made franchises like eMaids popular:
- Strong Consumer Demand Driven by Lifestyle: These days, dual-income families, busy professionals, and an aging population mean millions of Americans need help keeping their homes clean. The fundamental drivers of the residential cleaning business – lack of time and desire for convenience – aren’t going away. In fact, the industry saw steady growth as more households prioritized outsourcing chores. Especially post-2020, there’s heightened awareness of cleanliness and sanitation in homes, which has increased willingness to hire professional cleaners. For a franchisee, this means a large and growing pool of potential customers who see house cleaning not as a luxury, but as a practical necessity in their busy lives.
- Recurring Revenue Potential from Loyal Clients: Residential cleaning can produce dependable, recurring income. Many customers arrange for service on a regular schedule (for example, a cleaning every week or every two weeks). Once you acquire a loyal client who loves your service, that client might stay with you for years, generating revenue each and every month. A single household could be worth a few thousand dollars a year in cleaning fees, and a roster of such clients builds a stable base. EMaids emphasizes customer satisfaction – even offering a 100% guarantee to redo anything the client wasn’t happy with – in order to retain clients long-term and encourage that recurring revenue. Over time, happy homeowners also refer friends, so franchisees can benefit from word-of-mouth growth in their local community.
- Lower Barriers to Entry (Simpler Startup): Operating a home cleaning franchise tends to be less complicated than many other businesses. You generally don’t need specialized facilities or costly equipment – no commercial kitchens, no heavy machinery. A vacuum, cleaning supplies, a vehicle, and a few employees to start will suffice. Thanks to this simplicity, the startup investment is low (as we saw, eMaids can be started for well under $70K). The business can be run from a home office, and you can scale up gradually by hiring more cleaners as demand grows. For a first-time business owner, this lower barrier to entry makes the residential cleaning industry an accessible stepping stone into entrepreneurship. It’s a straightforward service to understand: you’re providing a clean house and peace of mind.
- Personal and Emotional Rewards: While harder to quantify, many residential cleaning franchisees take pride in the personal relationships they build with customers. You’re entering people’s homes and making a tangible difference in their daily lives – relieving their stress, giving them back free time, and providing a comfortable living environment. Franchisees often get positive reviews and heartfelt thanks from homeowners, which can be quite rewarding. EMaids, for instance, is known for attentive service, and customers frequently praise the teams for reliability and attention to detail. If you enjoy working closely with people and delivering a service that directly impacts families, the residential side provides that human connection. Each home you clean is a job well done that the homeowner sees immediately, and that can be satisfying for the business owner as well.
- Year-Round, Essential Service: Unlike some service industries that are highly seasonal (lawn care, swimming pool maintenance, etc.), house cleaning demand is year-round. Homes get dirty in all seasons, and many clients schedule cleanings continuously. There may be slight ebbs and flows (for example, some people do big spring cleanings, or might pause service during a long vacation), but generally there isn’t a “off-season” for cleaning. Even during economic downturns, many dual-income families still budget for cleaning help because it’s tied to health, hygiene, and quality of life. In that sense, residential cleaning can be considered fairly recession-resistant – not on the level of medical or B2B essential services, but families cut other luxuries before they let their home fall into unsanitary condition. In fact, industry analyses cite the recurring, need-based nature of cleaning as a stabilizing factor during economic dips.
That said, it’s important to acknowledge that residential cleaning also comes with some challenges. The market at the local level is highly competitive and price-sensitive – as a franchisee you’ll compete not only with other franchises, but also independent cleaners and “mom-and-pop” services that often charge less. The service can become commoditized, with many customers simply looking for the lowest price, making it hard to stand out. Homeowners can also be fickle; they might cancel service with little notice or switch providers if a small thing goes wrong (since it’s a personal relationship and trust-based service). There’s also the operational challenge of managing many small jobs per day – you might have 4–8 homes to clean in a day with different teams, so logistics and scheduling can get complex. EMaids attempts to mitigate these issues with its strong training, guarantees, and large territories (so you have a big market to prospect in). Still, running a residential cleaning business means lots of individual customers to keep happy and a continuous hustle to book new cleanings and replace the occasional lost client.
Compared to Commercial Cleaning Industry
Now, let’s compare all of the above to the commercial cleaning industry, which is the arena that Assett Franchise is part of. Commercial cleaning focuses on offices, businesses, and facilities rather than private homes. While both industries share the goal of keeping spaces clean, the commercial side operates on a B2B (business-to-business) model with its own distinct advantages. In fact, many entrepreneurs ultimately find commercial cleaning a more scalable and stable opportunity. Here are some key ways the commercial cleaning industry has an edge over residential:
- Massive B2B Market: The commercial janitorial and cleaning services market is enormous – on the order of $100 billion+ in the U.S. alone, according to bizbuysell.com. Every office building, school, hospital, retail store, factory, and warehouse requires cleaning. As an Assett Franchise blog notes, commercial cleaning is a “gigantic and growing market (> $100B in the U.S.)”. This market size means plenty of potential business to win. You’re not limited to households; one contract could be a skyscraper with 20 floors of offices. With such scale, a franchisee can build a very large business by capturing even a tiny fraction of the local B2B cleaning demand.
- Recession-Resistant, Essential Service: Commercial cleaning is often considered “essential” – businesses must keep their premises clean for health, safety, and professional appearance. During recessions or even during the 2020 pandemic, businesses still needed cleaning (in fact, sanitization needs went up). Offices, healthcare facilities, and government buildings cannot skimp on janitorial services without consequences. Thus, commercial cleaning tends to be recession-resistant and stable. It’s a budget line item that companies maintain even when tightening belts. By operating in this industry, a franchise owner has some insulation from economic swings. You’re providing a service that other businesses rely on to operate (much like utilities or security). EMaids’ residential cleaning, while needed, can be viewed as more discretionary – a family can decide to save money and mop their own floors, but a corporate office typically cannot function without regular cleaning (trash removal, restroom sanitation, etc.).
- Recurring Revenue via Contracts: Perhaps the biggest advantage: commercial cleaning work is usually structured as ongoing contracts rather than one-off jobs. A business will hire you to clean their facility on a recurring schedule (often nightly or several times per week) and sign an agreement for months or years at a time. This means predictable, recurring revenue for you as the service provider. You don’t have to continually “resell” the client after each service – it’s built into the contract that you keep coming. As Assett’s materials put it, once you add a building to your client portfolio, “you no longer have to ask them to buy again. The revenue is ‘sticky’… most clients will stay with your company” as long as you maintain quality. This B2B model results in much higher customer retention compared to residential cleaning. For example, a single commercial client like a medical office could hire your company for nightly cleaning and stick with you for 5, 10, 15+ years. That kind of longevity and stability is harder to achieve when serving individual consumers.
- High Income Potential from Larger Accounts: Commercial cleaning contracts tend to be much larger in dollar value than home cleaning jobs. Instead of $150 for a one-time house clean, a contract might be $5,000 per month for a medium office or tens of thousands per month for a large facility. This means a franchise owner can scale revenue quickly by landing a few sizable accounts. It’s not uncommon for a single commercial cleaning franchise unit to reach $1 million or more in annual revenue once established – in fact, Assett Franchise locations average about $1.5 million in yearly gross sales per unit. Achieving seven-figure revenue is very attainable in commercial cleaning (many Franchise 500 companies in this sector report $1M+ average unit volumes), whereas in residential cleaning, $1M would put you among the very top performers. The earning potential is simply higher on the commercial side. Moreover, this comes without a proportional increase in complexity – you might manage, say, 10 big clients to hit $1M/year, versus needing hundreds of individual home clients to reach the same figure.
- Semi-Absentee Ownership Possible: Because commercial cleaning involves servicing businesses (often after-hours) with a team of cleaners, the owner’s role can be more managerial and flexible. With the right systems and staff in place, an owner can oversee operations with relatively limited weekly hours. For example, Assett Franchise is designed as an executive model where owners focus on client relationships and let their hired cleaners do the physical work. Some Assett franchisees even run their business in a semi-absentee fashion – dedicating as little as 5–10 hours per week to oversight – once the business is ramped up. This is made possible by tools like Assett’s automated hiring system (discussed below) which dramatically reduce the owner’s workload on recruiting and managing staff. Essentially, commercial cleaning franchises can run efficiently without the owner on-site all the time. You can keep your day job a bit longer or scale the business while maintaining a better work-life balance. By contrast, eMaids and other residential franchises typically expect the owner to be working full-time in the business, especially in the early years. The nature of dealing with many homeowners (and often scheduling cleanings during daytime) can require the owner’s constant attention. Commercial cleaning’s B2B focus and nighttime operations mean the owner has more freedom to set up a team and processes, then step back and work on the business rather than in it.
- Scalability Without Heavy Infrastructure: Scaling up a commercial cleaning business mostly means adding more contracts – which primarily requires more labor (cleaning crews) and basic equipment, not expensive new facilities or machinery. You don’t need to invest in large retail spaces or specialized gear as you grow. As Assett’s description notes, commercial cleaning doesn’t require land, buildouts, or major equipment investments even as you expand. The business is very scalable: if you secure a new client with multiple buildings, you hire a few more cleaners and maybe buy another set of cleaning tools and a cart. It’s quick to deploy and start servicing the new revenue. There’s virtually no cap on growth – one franchise territory can potentially support millions in revenue if you keep adding clients, all without the owner needing to pour money into new infrastructure. This is different from some other industries (including residential cleaning to an extent). For example, a residential cleaning owner might hit a ceiling unless they open a second office or storage facility to support far-away neighborhoods, or invest in more vehicles, etc. Commercial cleaning franchises often cover larger regions per contract (e.g. one client might have multiple sites), so you get economies of scale. The business model is “simple” in that growth mainly requires manpower and management, not capital expenditures.
- Professional Client Relationships (Less Emotion, More Stability): Working with businesses tends to be more formal and predictable than working with individual consumers. Commercial clients sign contracts, have set budgets, and view the cleaning service as a routine part of operations. Decisions are often made by facility managers or office managers in a rational, budget-driven way. This can actually make sales easier in some respects – if you offer a good value and reliability, businesses will stick with you. There’s less of the emotional whim that a homeowner might have (“I’m just not feeling like having a stranger in my house, so I’ll cancel this month”). Moreover, competition in commercial cleaning, while certainly present, is often a bit less cutthroat on price than residential. Many businesses prefer a reputable, insured cleaning company – they’re not simply hiring the cheapest person off Craigslist because they have compliance and consistency concerns. As a result, a franchise can differentiate itself by professionalism and win contracts even if it’s not the rock-bottom bidder. By contrast, the residential arena can feel like a race to the lowest price due to many solo cleaners undercutting rates. So for a first-time entrepreneur, the B2B model can be more forgiving and business-like: you’ll network and build relationships, submit proposals, and once you win an account, you have it secured under contract. It’s a more straightforward growth process in many ways than trying to constantly market to individual homeowners.
- Consistent, Non-Seasonal Demand: Commercial cleaning is truly year-round and often required daily. Offices don’t stop getting cleaned in the winter or summer – they need janitorial services continuously. In fact, many commercial contracts specify cleaning five nights a week, or seven days a week for certain facilities. This yields a steady, reliable workflow and income. It’s also not subject to residential seasonality (for instance, homeowners might skip professional cleaning during summer vacation or around the holidays if they travel – but an office building still needs trash removed and floors vacuumed regardless of season). Furthermore, essential facilities like schools, hospitals, and warehouses must be cleaned regularly for health and safety compliance. This means even when other industries slow down, commercial cleaning marches on. During extraordinary events like COVID-19, commercial cleaners were in high demand for disinfecting services. Overall, the necessity of cleaning for businesses provides a baseline of stability and lower risk. As Assett’s team puts it, being in an industry that stayed steady or even grew through a pandemic and economic swings lets you “rest knowing your financial future can be stable as well”.
In summary, while eMaids’ residential cleaning sector has its merits, the commercial cleaning industry offers stronger long-term fundamentals for someone looking to build a big business. The contracts are larger and stickier, the market size is huge, and the service is more of a must-have for clients. There’s less churn and fragmentation compared to serving hundreds of individual households. For an owner, this translates to potentially higher revenues with fewer clients to manage, and the ability to step back and run the business strategically (especially with the right franchise systems in place). Next, we’ll see how Assett Franchise specifically leverages these commercial cleaning advantages – and adds unique innovations – to create a compelling alternative to eMaids.
How the Assett Franchise Compares
Having explored eMaids and the residential vs. commercial industry differences, let’s turn to Assett Franchise itself. Assett is a commercial cleaning franchise model built for entrepreneurs who want to leave their jobs and own a scalable business in the B2B cleaning space. It was founded by Matt Pencarinha in 2019 and grew out of his own success running a commercial cleaning company (Assett Commercial Services) that he then franchised. Below, we compare key aspects of Assett Franchise to what we’ve learned about eMaids, to see how Assett aims to offer simpler operations and bigger upside for franchisees.
Simpler Systems, Bigger Potential
Assett Franchise inherits all the advantages of the commercial cleaning industry we discussed – and the franchise is specifically engineered to maximize those advantages for first-time business owners. The Assett model is an “executive” franchise system designed for owners who want to work on the business, not in it day-to-day. What does that mean? In contrast to a unit like eMaids where the owner might be scheduling dozens of house cleanings and staying on top of many small customer requests, an Assett franchisee is set up to be the CEO of their commercial cleaning company. Assett franchise owners focus on adding new contracts (buildings) to their client portfolio, while their hired team performs the cleaning. In fact, Assett explicitly states that franchisees “get to own a true business… and they’re not supposed to be the one doing the cleaning”. By structuring the business this way from the outset, Assett frees owners from the labor-intensive tasks and allows them to concentrate on growth strategies and management.
This approach leads to a high ceiling on growth. With owners able to scale up without personally cleaning or micromanaging every job, Assett locations have demonstrated remarkable revenue potential. The concept was proven by Matt Pencarinha’s own experience: he launched his commercial cleaning business in 2019 and within 12 months grew it from $0 to over $557,000 in recurring revenue, with employees largely running the daily operations. That rapid success showed the efficiency of his model. Now as a franchisor, Assett reports that its franchisees (including Matt’s original operation) are averaging about $1.53 million in annual revenue per unit as of 2024. In other words, the typical Assett franchise is already a 7-figure business, far exceeding what most residential cleaning franchises achieve. The model’s emphasis on winning substantial B2B contracts and retaining them long-term pays off in top-line results.
Another aspect that makes Assett’s system simpler for owners is that it provides a complete business playbook and intensive support, so no prior cleaning industry experience is required. Much like eMaids teaches newcomers about home cleaning, Assett teaches newcomers about commercial cleaning operations. When you join Assett, you receive training on everything from obtaining contracts to managing quality control, and you’re given proven proprietary systems to follow. The franchisor even assigns each new franchisee a dedicated business development consultant for ongoing mentorship. This means you have one-on-one guidance as you launch and grow – you’re not left on your own. The franchise’s philosophy is to give owners a “10-year head start” versus trying to build a business from scratch. For someone transitioning out of a corporate career, this level of hand-holding can be invaluable. You don’t have to be a janitorial expert; Assett’s playbook and support network equip you with the knowledge and tools to succeed.
In summary, compared to eMaids, Assett offers a bigger growth opportunity with a simpler role for the owner. There’s less of the grind of managing dozens of small clients and more focus on landing a few big clients. There’s no need to spend your days driving between houses or handling consumer scheduling quirks – instead, you spend time building a team, maintaining B2B client relationships, and orchestrating a business that can essentially run itself with the right processes. Assett is built for executive-style ownership: the tagline could be “build a business, not just buy a job.” And the results (high revenues, quick ramp-up) show that its system holds the potential for a $1M+ recurring revenue enterprise, validating that it’s a powerful model for those who embrace it.
Automated Hiring = Time and Money Saved
One of Assett Franchise’s standout features – and a direct answer to one of the biggest headaches in any cleaning business – is its Automated Hiring System. If you ask existing cleaning company owners (residential or commercial) what their biggest challenge is, many will say “finding and keeping good employees.” High employee turnover and constant recruiting can eat up an owner’s time and limit growth. Matt Pencarinha recognized this early on, because the cleaning industry is notorious for staffing difficulties. In 2019, he developed the first version of what is now Assett’s automated hiring process to solve the problem. This system leverages technology and streamlined workflows to continually attract, filter, and onboard cleaning staff with far less manual effort from the owner.
What does this mean in practice? Assett’s Automated Hiring System handles much of the grunt work: it posts job ads, screens applications, even helps schedule interviews or perform pre-screening of candidates. Essentially, it creates a pipeline of qualified cleaning staff for the franchisee, so you’re not starting from scratch each time you need a new hire. The effect on the owner’s workload is dramatic – according to Assett, their system saves an owner 20–30 hours per week of time that would otherwise be spent on recruiting and HR tasks. It condenses what could be a part-time job of hiring into just 2–5 hours per week of overseeing the automated system outputs. That’s like getting back an entire day or more of your life every week. In a small business, time is money – those reclaimed hours can now be used to focus on sales, customer relations, or simply enjoying a more passive ownership role.
Not only does automation save time, it also saves the cost of needing a full-time hiring manager or HR staff. Assett franchisees don’t have to employ a dedicated recruiter because the system does so much of the heavy lifting. This efficiency flows straight to the bottom line – you can take home more profit since you don’t need to hire expensive HR staff or spend on constant hiring ads beyond what the system covers. And importantly, Assett’s method tends to attract better candidates and reduce turnover. With a refined, always-on recruiting funnel, franchisees maintain a strong bench of cleaners. Employees are less overworked because new hires can be brought in as needed, and good workers are recognized and retained. Assett notes that franchisees experience less staff turnover because the team feels supported and well-matched to the job. A high-quality, stable workforce means better service for clients – which in turn leads to client retention (and remember, commercial contracts are sticky as long as service quality is high).
For an owner, the Automated Hiring System is a game-changer. Compare this to a typical eMaids (or any residential) franchisee, who would have to manually post job listings on Indeed, sift through resumes, set up interviews, check references, onboard each cleaner, and repeat that process whenever someone quits (which can be often in cleaning jobs). That can easily consume 20+ hours a week in a growing operation – time that you’re not spending bringing in new business. Assett essentially eliminates the biggest growth bottleneck (hiring) by giving franchisees a turnkey system to continuously recruit. The result: Assett owners can grow faster and with far less stress. They can bid on and accept new cleaning contracts confidently, knowing they have a mechanism to quickly staff those jobs with qualified cleaners. And they can even step away from day-to-day HR tasks – for example, Assett’s system is so efficient that eventually an owner can delegate the minimal hiring duties to an office assistant, since it only requires a few hours a week to monitor.
In short, Assett’s proprietary approach to hiring is a huge advantage that eMaids and most other franchises don’t offer. It saves 20+ hours per week of the owner’s time (or the equivalent salary you’d pay someone else), and it ensures you have a high-quality workforce at scale. This means your growth isn’t limited by labor shortages – a critical edge in a service business. Assett franchisees can focus on keeping clients happy and scaling up, rather than constantly putting out fires in the staffing department.
Personalized and Founder-Led
Another way Assett Franchise distinguishes itself is through its culture and leadership structure. Assett is a family-owned and founder-led company – Matt Pencarinha and his family are actively at the helm of the franchise, rather than a distant corporate conglomerate. In fact, Matt still personally owns and operates the franchise brand today, and he’s deeply involved in supporting franchisees. This kind of direct leadership involvement can be a big plus for franchise owners. It means when you join Assett, you’re not just a number in a system – you become part of a close-knit franchise family where you can access the top leadership (including the founder) for guidance and mentorship.
By contrast, many franchise brands (especially older ones) have been acquired by private equity firms or large parent companies, where the original founders are long gone. Those can sometimes become very profit-driven at the franchisor level, focused on selling as many franchises as possible. Assett takes pride in being personally owned & operated by its founder and maintaining a hands-on approach. The ethos Matt established is evident in the company’s mission and values. They describe their goal as wanting to “be a blessing” to franchisees and all people they serve. Assett operates on core convictions like “People First, Partnership in Everything, Professionalism Always, and Pioneering Spirit”. These aren’t just posters on a wall – because the leadership is directly engaged, franchisees see these principles in action (for instance, treating franchisees as true partners, emphasizing integrity, and constantly innovating new solutions like the hiring system).
For a franchise owner, having a founder-led system means you often get more personalized attention and flexibility. You can pick up the phone and talk to Matt or the executive team when you have an issue or idea. Decisions can be made quicker and with empathy, rather than being tied up in corporate red tape. Assett’s franchisees have direct access to leadership and guidance that few larger franchises can match. It also means the company culture is likely more tight-knit – you’re part of a smaller community of franchise owners who know each other and share best practices (often with the founder facilitating those discussions). This can be hugely reassuring for someone new to business ownership; you’re not alone, and the people who designed the system are walking alongside you as you build your business.
Additionally, because Assett isn’t controlled by outside investors, the long-term vision is stable and franchisee-centric. Matt’s story – starting the business to create freedom for his own family and then franchising to help others do the same – indicates that the franchise’s growth is grounded in purpose. Franchisees can trust that strategies won’t suddenly shift just to please shareholders; the focus remains on sustainable success for owners. The community-focused model (e.g., Assett owners often plug into local community needs, and the company values suggest a service mentality beyond just profit) can also help in marketing and employee relations. People like supporting a business with a genuine mission, and employees like working for folks who treat them with respect and care (which ties back to People First).
In comparison, an eMaids franchisee might not interact with the CEO or founder regularly – eMaids is a somewhat larger system now and likely has layers of support staff. There’s nothing wrong with that, but some entrepreneurs will appreciate the family feel and accessibility that Assett offers. Knowing that the franchise founder has been in your shoes recently (Matt ran his own location successfully not long ago) and is available to help, is a comforting advantage.
Bottom line: Assett Franchise provides a personalized, values-driven franchising experience. It’s led by the person who innovated the model (Matt Pencarinha), and he remains invested in each franchisee’s success. If you value being part of a smaller, founder-led brand where you can have a voice and build relationships with leadership, Assett checks that box. It stands in contrast to many franchisors where franchisees feel like cogs in a machine. With Assett, you get the sense of joining a team that truly cares about your outcomes and maintains a clear mission of mutual success and community impact.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right franchise opportunity comes down to what kind of business – and life – you envision for yourself. eMaids residential cleaning franchise has some clear strengths: it’s low-cost to start, operates in a segment with huge demand, and provides a structure for serving homeowners in a meaningful way. For the right type of buyer – perhaps someone who is passionate about home services, enjoys working closely with families, and wants a lower-budget, owner-operator business – eMaids could be a suitable option. The brand offers solid training and a chance to build a local reputation in residential cleaning.
However, as we’ve detailed, the commercial cleaning industry and the Assett Franchise model offer more advantages for someone seeking long-term growth, stability, and flexibility. Assett takes all the benefits of commercial cleaning (essential B2B service, recurring revenue contracts, scalable model) and adds in unique improvements like the automated hiring system and a founder-led culture. It’s a franchise built for an executive-style owner who wants to build a scalable, stable business with low operational complexity. You’re earning predictable recurring revenue from business clients, not chasing dozens of individual one-off jobs. The risk is lower and the ROI can be faster because you land a few contracts and have a large revenue base secured. Plus, Assett’s modern systems (from hiring automation to digital marketing support) mean the business is built for efficiency and “hands-off” management once established – truly a modern business model built for executive ownership.
In contrast, residential cleaning can involve more hustle to find and keep clients, more hands-on scheduling and customer service, and potentially slower scalability due to its fragmented nature. It can absolutely be profitable, but if your goal is bigger – if you want to own a business that can grow into a million-dollar enterprise and even run semi-absentee – commercial cleaning with Assett is arguably the better path. You’re looking at an essential service that businesses need in all economies, versus a service homeowners might cut when belts tighten. And you’re tapping into a franchise system that’s innovating solutions (like solving the hiring puzzle) to give you an edge.
Ultimately, Assett Franchise offers more advantages for someone who wants:
- A scalable, stable business rather than a small owner-operated job
- Low operational complexity thanks to streamlined systems and B2B focus
- Predictable recurring revenue secured by long-term contracts
- Minimal risk and faster ROI, leveraging an essential service in a huge market
- A modern, executive model where you can leverage your leadership skills and work on the business (with the support of a founder-led team) instead of cleaning toilets yourself
If that sounds like the kind of franchise opportunity you’re after, it’s worth exploring Assett further. After all, your franchise investment should align with your personal and financial goals. Many professionals leaving corporate life are looking for freedom, flexibility, and a reliable income – and those are exactly the pillars of Assett’s offering.
If you’re exploring franchise opportunities and want a model that can deliver long-term income, flexibility, and control — we’d love to show you how Assett Franchise can help you build a business that works for your life. Visit https://assettfranchise.com to connect with our team and learn more.
