When it comes to janitorial franchise opportunities, few names are as well-known as the Jani-King Franchise. With over five decades in business, Jani-King has built a reputation as a leader in commercial cleaning franchising. In this in-depth post, we’ll analyze the Jani-King franchise opportunity – covering its history, current size, franchisee benefits, startup costs, and ongoing fees – to give you a clear picture of what it offers. Then, we’ll compare Jani-King with our own Assett Commercial Cleaning Franchise, highlighting key differences such as corporate vs. family ownership, business scale ($1M+ revenue potential), and our unique automated hiring system that saves owners time and money.
Our goal is to provide all the information you need to evaluate the Jani-King franchise opportunity and see how it stacks up against Assett’s model. Let’s dive in!
Jani-King: A Pioneer in Commercial Cleaning Franchises
History
Jani-King was founded in 1969 by Jim Cavanaugh, Jr. with the idea of revolutionizing janitorial services. Starting as a small operation in Oklahoma (where Cavanaugh was a university student at the time), the company began franchising in 1974 and steadily expanded across the United States and internationally. Over the decades, Jani-King earned a nickname as the “King of Clean” for its prominence in the industry. It pioneered the concept of unit franchising in commercial cleaning – allowing individuals to own and operate their own cleaning business under the Jani-King brand. With more than 50 years of experience, Jani-King has become one of the longest-running and most established franchises in the cleaning sector.
Current Size and Reach
Today, Jani-King boasts a massive global presence. The company operates through a network of regional support offices worldwide and has nearly 5,000 franchise units in the United States alone. Worldwide, Jani-King claims to have over 9,000 franchise units spanning 10 countries, serving thousands of clients on a daily basis. This makes it one of the largest commercial cleaning franchises by footprint. In terms of economic scale, Jani-King’s system-wide revenues are also top-tier – the franchise system generated about $859 million in annual sales in 2021, and industry reports indicate it approached approximately $935 million in global sales in 2022, making Jani-King one of the highest-grossing brands in the janitorial field. Such scale means new franchise owners join an organization with strong brand recognition and proven demand for its services.
Jani-King’s client base spans many industries, from offices and schools to hotels, hospitals and even sports venues. In fact, Jani-King has landed cleaning contracts with high-profile facilities like stadiums and large hotel chains. This diversity of clients can be a benefit – franchisees have opportunities in various sectors that need janitorial services year-round. The extensive experience and credibility of the brand are a draw for entrepreneurs who want an established name backing their business.
Jani-King Franchise Benefits and Support
One of Jani-King’s selling points is the support system it provides to franchise owners. All Jani-King franchisees receive specialized training in how to perform professional cleaning services to the company’s standards. New owners attend an initial training program where they learn everything from cleaning techniques to business operations. Jani-King also emphasizes its ongoing support – franchisees benefit from around-the-clock support from local operations teams. The company has over 120 regional offices worldwide, which means as a franchisee you often have a local Jani-King office in your area that can assist with things like additional training, meetings, and operational guidance.
Importantly, Jani-King’s model is built to help franchisees get customers. The franchisor often helps with client acquisition, which is a huge deal in commercial cleaning. In fact, Jani-King unit franchisees can choose an initial plan that includes a certain amount of business (customer accounts) provided by the regional office. The company’s “account sales” teams market to local businesses and secure cleaning contracts, which are then offered to franchisees. This means that as a new franchise owner, you don’t necessarily start from scratch in finding clients – Jani-King will line up cleaning accounts for you to service (in exchange for certain fees, which we’ll cover later). This business development support is a core part of Jani-King’s franchise offering. It appeals to people who may not have sales experience or who want a turnkey book of business when they launch.
Additionally, Jani-King assists with administrative tasks like invoicing and billing customers. Franchisees can operate from a home office (it’s often a home-based business) either part-time or full-time, and use Jani-King’s systems for billing, collections, and record-keeping. The company has been recognized for its franchisee support systems – for example, it won a Stevie® Award for excellence in supporting franchisees. They also keep franchisees up-to-date on industry trends (like the latest “green cleaning” techniques and standards) through ongoing education.
In summary, with Jani-King a franchisee gets: training to deliver quality service, a trusted brand name, assistance in obtaining cleaning contracts, and back-office support (accounting, billing, etc.) via the regional office network. These benefits aim to allow the franchise owner to focus on performing and managing cleaning services, while Jani-King handles much of the sales and admin side.
Jani-King Franchise Startup Costs and Initial Investment
If you’re considering a Jani-King franchise, understanding the initial investment is crucial. Jani-King is known for offering a range of investment levels – including relatively low-cost entry options – but also larger packages if you want more initial business. According to Jani-King’s Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), the estimated initial investment for a unit franchise can range widely. Here is a breakdown of the Item 7 startup costs as listed in their FDD:
| Type of Expenditure | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $5,000 | $195,500 |
| Real Estate (office space, if any) | $0 | $5,000 |
| Supplies | $1,800 | $2,300 |
| Equipment | $2,700 | $9,750 |
| Security Deposits, Licenses, etc. | $100 | $1,000 |
| Business Entity Establishment Fees | $100 | $1,000 |
| Additional Funds (first 3–4 months) | $800 | $8,500 |
| Total Estimated Investment | $10,500 | $223,050 |
As shown above, the total investment can range from about $10,500 up to $223,050 to start a Jani-King franchise. Why such a big range? It’s because Jani-King offers multiple franchise plans. At the low end (around $10k–$20k), you would be buying a very small franchise package – typically a part-time operation with a few small accounts. At the high end (well over $100k), you may be purchasing a larger territory or a package that includes a substantial amount of business (many accounts) from day one. The Initial Franchise Fee itself can vary from as little as ~$5,000 up to nearly $200,000 depending on the market and the size of the business package you choose. In most regions, Jani-King advertises that franchise investments start around $16,250 for a basic package, but entrepreneurs who want a bigger opportunity can invest more for correspondingly larger revenue commitments.
Notably, Jani-King doesn’t typically require renting a dedicated office (many franchisees start home-based, hence $0 real estate cost is possible). Expenses for cleaning equipment and supplies are relatively modest (a few thousand dollars) since this is a service business – you’ll need things like floor buffers, vacuum, cleaning solutions, etc., which are included in the estimate. The “Additional Funds” of $800–$8,500 are suggested working capital to cover operating expenses for the first 120 days (e.g. insurance, telephone, maybe initial marketing or payroll before revenue builds).
Overall, Jani-King is considered a lower-cost franchise opportunity in the commercial cleaning space. Its minimum initial investment is quite affordable compared to many franchises in other industries. This low barrier to entry is one reason the brand has attracted thousands of franchisees over the years.
Ongoing Fees and Financial Commitments
As with any franchise, owning a Jani-King franchise comes with ongoing fees that franchisees must pay to the franchisor (and sometimes additional optional fees for certain services). It’s important to understand these, as they will impact your monthly profits. According to the Jani-King FDD, the key ongoing fees include:
- Royalty Fee: 10% of your monthly gross revenue. (There is a minimum royalty: $100 per month for your first 12 months, and $500 per month thereafter, regardless of revenue, adjusted periodically for inflation).
- Accounting and Sales Service Fee: 7% of monthly gross revenue. This covers the bookkeeping, billing, and client account services that the regional office provides. Essentially, Jani-King handles invoicing clients and other admin on your behalf, and charges this 7% fee for those services (and for their efforts in obtaining new customer accounts).
- Advertising/Marketing Fee: 1.5% of monthly gross revenue. This goes into a national/regional advertising fund to promote the brand. (The FDD notes it could be increased up to 2.5% in the future, but currently it’s 1.5%.)
- Technology Fee: 1% of monthly gross revenue. This may cover access to Jani-King’s proprietary software systems or other technology support.
- Business Protection Plan (Insurance) Fee – Optional: 4% of monthly gross revenue (plus a small admin charge of ~$7–$14 per month). This is essentially an insurance program offered through Jani-King. It likely covers liability insurance, bonding, and perhaps worker’s comp for your business. Franchisees can opt into the plan and have 4% of revenue go toward insurance coverage arranged by the franchisor.
In addition to the above, the FDD lists other potential fees such as: an additional training fee (if you request extra training, ~$50/hour), a transfer fee if you sell your franchise, and fees for things like if the franchisor has to handle a customer complaint on your behalf. However, the big three ongoing fees are the 10% royalty, 7% accounting/admin, and ~1.5% advertising, plus the tech fee. All together, a Jani-King franchisee will typically pay around 18.5% of gross revenue to the franchisor each month (and about 22.5% if you opt into the insurance plan). This is a significant portion of revenue, and it’s meant to cover the support and services you’re receiving (client billing, collections, marketing, etc.), as well as the use of the well-known brand name.
It’s worth noting that Jani-King’s franchisor also does not currently provide an Item 19 Earnings Claim in the FDD. This means they do not publish figures for how much a franchisee can expect to earn (no average or median revenue/profit data is disclosed). Prospective owners have to rely on their own research, speak with existing franchisees, or trust the reputation of the brand regarding financial potential. The lack of published financial performance data is common for some older franchise systems, but it can make it harder to gauge how quickly you might reach the $100K, $500K, or $1M revenue mark under Jani-King’s model.
In summary, a Jani-King unit franchise offers a proven business model with a low startup cost, but also carries ongoing fees (~18–22% of sales) in exchange for support services and brand value. Now, let’s see how all of this compares to what Assett Commercial Cleaning Franchise brings to the table.
Assett vs. Jani-King: Key Differences in the Franchise Model
After looking at Jani-King’s system, you might be wondering how it compares to Assett – especially if you’re evaluating which franchise aligns better with your goals. Both Assett and Jani-King operate in the commercial cleaning arena, but there are some significant differences in structure and philosophy. Below, we break down the key points of Jani-King Franchise vs. Assett Franchise.
Ownership Structure: Corporate vs. Family-Owned Culture
Jani-King is a very large, corporate franchise system. It’s run by Jani-King International, Inc. with a traditional corporate hierarchy and multiple layers of management. In fact, Jani-King uses a master franchise model in many areas – meaning there are regional franchisors (sub-franchisors) who operate Jani-King offices and then sell unit franchises to individual owners. This structure can sometimes feel a bit bureaucratic or “big company.” Jani-King is not owned by a single family or small team; it’s a broad enterprise that has been around for a long time. The upside of this is stability and a wealth of experience, but the downside can be that new franchisees are a small fish in a very big pond.
By contrast, Assett Commercial Cleaning is a family-owned and operated franchise. We’re a newer franchise brand led by our founder and CEO, Matt Pencarinha, who remains actively involved in the business. Being family-run translates to a more personal touch in how the franchise system is managed. For example, Matt directly participates in training new franchisees and providing one-on-one coaching as they launch. The culture in a family-owned franchise like Assett is tighter-knit and entrepreneurial – we pride ourselves on giving individualized attention and being quick to adapt based on franchisee feedback.
What does this mean for a franchise owner? In practical terms, Assett franchisees can expect a closer relationship with leadership. You’re not dealing with multiple layers of corporate bureaucracy; instead, you have direct lines to the decision-makers and support team. Assett’s smaller size also means less internal competition – we have far fewer total franchisees than Jani-King, so each franchise owner is a valued member of the “family” rather than one of thousands. This often fosters a collaborative atmosphere where best practices are shared freely and support is highly personalized.
Meanwhile, Jani-King’s corporate structure certainly offers a long legacy and name recognition, but it is a more top-down system. Many decisions or new initiatives might be driven from the headquarters in Texas or through the regional master franchise offices. Prospective owners who prefer a big established system might lean toward that, whereas those who appreciate a more agile, founder-led environment may prefer Assett’s culture.
It’s also worth noting that Assett is a single-brand company – we focus solely on Assett Commercial Cleaning franchises. Jani-King is also focused on its single brand (unlike, say, ServiceMaster which is part of a conglomerate of brands), but Jani-King’s scale effectively makes it operate like a large corporation. Assett’s family ownership aims to keep the experience personable even as we grow.
Business Size and Revenue Potential: Small Unit vs. Scalable Enterprise
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between Jani-King and Assett is the intended scale of the franchise units. Jani-King’s typical franchise offering is what’s known as a “unit franchise.” In a unit franchise model, the franchisor handles major functions (like finding clients and billing) and the franchisee is often an owner-operator managing a small team of cleaners (or sometimes doing some cleaning themselves). These unit franchises are often low-cost to start but come with relatively high fees (as we saw, Jani-King’s combined fees can be ~18-20%+ of revenue). The result is that many Jani-King franchisees operate smaller businesses – some franchise owners treat it almost as a job-replacement or a side business. In fact, Jani-King openly allows operating on a part-time basis from home.
Assett, on the other hand, is designed as an “Executive” franchise model. Our approach is to help franchise owners build a large, scalable cleaning business that can reach or exceed $1,000,000 in annual gross sales under one franchise territory. From day one, we encourage franchisees to think bigger than just cleaning a few offices themselves. Assett owners typically manage multiple cleaning crews and focus on growing the business rather than doing all the cleaning personally. In fact, you are not supposed to be the one doing the nightly cleaning in our model. Instead, you operate as an executive, handling client relationships and business strategy while your hired teams perform the cleaning work.
Revenue potential is a key part of this difference. While Jani-King doesn’t publish average revenue figures, their model is often geared toward smaller accounts and incremental growth. Many unit franchisees in systems like Jani-King might have annual revenues in the five or low six figures, unless they continually purchase more accounts or territories. Assett’s franchise model from the outset targets that seven-figure revenue range – we have proven that a single Assett franchise location can surpass \$1,000,000 in yearly sales when fully developed.
Another factor is the fee structure. Jani-King’s higher ongoing fees can make it challenging for a franchisee to scale up while maintaining margins. For example, paying ~18%–20% of gross revenue to the franchisor means if you hire a full staff and incur normal expenses, your net profit might thin out quickly unless you grow significantly. Assett takes a different approach: our royalty and fees are much lower (for instance, Assett’s royalty is between 3% and 7%, and our marketing fee between 0.5% and 2%, as shown on our franchise disclosure). We deliberately keep fees modest so that owners can reinvest in growth – hiring employees, increasing marketing – and still maintain healthy margins. In fact, many “unit franchise” systems like Jani-King charge total fees that can equal 25%–40% of revenue, which often forces those franchisees to either stay small or even do cleaning work themselves to save on labor costs. Assett franchisees, by contrast, pay lower fees and can afford to hire and pay a team to do the cleaning, enabling the owner to scale the business without personally doing all the labor.
In summary, Jani-King is generally suited for individuals who might be comfortable operating a smaller cleaning business (some treat it as an owner-operator gig). Assett is geared toward entrepreneurs who want to build a larger enterprise with a high revenue ceiling, and who can leverage technology and support to help them scale.
Technology and Hiring Systems: Traditional Approach vs. Automation Advantage
Another major difference is how each franchise helps owners handle
operational challenges – especially hiring staff. In the janitorial industry, one of the toughest ongoing tasks for an owner is recruiting and retaining reliable cleaning employees. Turnover can be high, and if you want to grow, you constantly need to hire additional cleaners and potentially supervisors. Let’s compare Jani-King and Assett on this front:
Jani-King provides guidance on hiring (they will train you on how to find and manage employees) but largely, the recruiting responsibility falls on the franchise owner. In practice, a Jani-King franchisee might have to spend many hours posting job ads, interviewing cleaners, and handling the onboarding paperwork for new hires. The franchisor’s regional office may assist with some aspects (perhaps hosting hiring fairs or providing some candidate leads), but there isn’t a centralized automated hiring system for unit franchisees. Many Jani-King owners end up hiring on their own or with minimal tools, which can be time-consuming.
Assett recognized this pain point and built our proprietary Automated Hiring System to give our franchisees a unique edge. This system uses technology to streamline the recruiting and onboarding process for cleaning staff. It was first developed by our founder in 2019 and has been continually improved since. The result is an efficient pipeline: our system attracts candidates, filters them, and even helps with initial onboarding steps – dramatically reducing the manual effort required by the franchise owner. In fact, Assett’s Automated Hiring System saves an owner roughly 20–30 hours per week that would otherwise be spent on hiring tasks, cutting that down to just 2–5 hours per week of oversight.
This is a huge time and cost saver. By automating much of the hiring workflow, Assett franchisees don’t need to either work late interviewing every week or hire a full-time HR manager to do it. It means you can grow your cleaning crew quickly without the typical headache and time sink. The benefits of this are multi-fold: owners can focus more on ensuring quality service and pursuing new client contracts (instead of constantly dealing with staffing), they can take on more business because hiring isn’t a bottleneck, and they save money by not needing an extensive HR department.
Jani-King franchisees, in contrast, often have to adopt a more traditional hiring approach – using job boards, local ads, word-of-mouth, etc., and doing it frequently due to industry turnover. It’s not uncommon for an owner in a system like Jani-King to spend 20+ hours a week on recruitment (or have to pay someone else to do so) when trying to scale up a team. This is time that could otherwise be used to improve service or win new customers. Assett’s use of technology and automation in hiring is a unique advantage that allows our franchise owners to run a lean operation and still build a strong team. We also provide other advanced tools – for example, franchisees get professional business management software for scheduling, client management, and real-time KPI tracking, as well as tools like online quote calculators and automated marketing emails. These enterprise-level systems, normally only found in big corporations, are provided to every Assett franchise from the start.
The bottom line: Assett leverages modern technology to remove growth hurdles, whereas Jani-King relies on more conventional methods. For a tech-savvy entrepreneur or anyone who values efficiency, Assett’s approach can be very appealing. It allows you to spend your time on high-value activities (quality control, client relationships, strategic growth) while our systems handle much of the routine work. Jani-King’s model certainly works (it has for decades), but you should be prepared for more hands-on management of tasks like hiring and possibly more administrative legwork as a unit franchisee, since their support is strong in sales and billing but not as focused on automating internal operations.
Territory and Market Availability
Because Jani-King is such an established franchise with thousands of units, in many markets the brand is saturated or has limited territories left. If you’re in a major metropolitan area, chances are Jani-King already has multiple franchisees servicing that region (plus a regional master office). This can mean a new franchisee might get a very small slice of the market or have to operate in a less lucrative area if prime territories are taken. It can also lead to internal competition – for instance, if a big client comes along, multiple Jani-King franchisees in the area might vie for that contract, or the regional office might assign it to whoever is next in line. Essentially, Jani-King’s success over the years means new ownership opportunities can be limited in some areas (especially highly populated cities).
Assett, being a rising brand, offers much more open territory. We are expanding and many regions across the U.S. are still available for first-time franchise owners. If you’re looking to break into a less saturated market, Assett’s smaller size means you often have more room to grow and can secure choice territories that a larger, older franchise might not have available. We carefully grant sizable exclusive territories to each Assett franchisee, ensuring you have plenty of businesses to target without overlapping another Assett owner. For example, one Assett franchise might cover an entire mid-sized city or a large section of a metro area, whereas a city like that might contain dozens of Jani-King unit franchisees each handling their corner.
This difference translates to greater growth opportunity with Assett if you’re in an open market. You won’t be elbow-to-elbow with 10 other franchisees from the same system. Instead, you can build your client base freely. Also, Assett’s franchise model is designed for larger territories – because we expect you to reach high revenue, we ensure your territory can economically support that million-dollar potential. We’re looking for franchise partners who want to dominate their local market, not just service a few accounts. Jani-King certainly allows growth as well, but structurally, their franchisees are often confined to the accounts provided or their immediate area and may need to buy additional franchises to expand significantly.
In summary, if territory availability and the ability to carve out a big region for yourself are important, Assett currently has the advantage simply due to being newer and less saturated. Jani-King’s franchise opportunity is very proven and widespread, but that very success means a new franchisee might face territory constraints in mature markets. With Assett, you have the chance to get in early in many areas and build your business with lots of green space around you.
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Janitorial Franchise for You
Both Jani-King and Assett Commercial Cleaning are strong options in the commercial cleaning franchise arena. Jani-King is a proven brand with a long track record, a vast network of franchisees, and a system that clearly works for thousands of people. If you value a globally recognized name and a ready-made system where some of the heavy lifting (like finding accounts) is done for you, Jani-King delivers that. It has relatively low startup costs and can be a fit for someone looking to start small, perhaps even part-time, and gradually grow with the support of a big organization.
On the other hand, the Assett franchise is an equally viable opportunity – especially for those who have a more ambitious vision for their business and appreciate modern efficiencies. Assett offers a personalized, family-owned approach with hands-on support from leadership, a focus on building a million-dollar business (not just a small operation), and the unique advantage of our automated systems (like the hiring platform) that help you work smarter and scale faster. Our model is built to address some of the pain points traditional unit franchises face (like high fees and staffing challenges) by providing lower overhead and better tools.
In the end, the “right” choice comes down to your priorities. If you prefer a franchise where you can potentially start with a very low investment and you’re okay with a smaller-scale enterprise, you might lean toward the Jani-King franchise opportunity. If you’re looking to build a larger enterprise with a high revenue ceiling, want more personal mentorship, and like the idea of leveraging technology to drive growth, then the Assett Commercial Cleaning Franchise may be the better fit.
Both franchises operate in a recession-resilient industry – businesses will always need cleaning services – so both can offer a path to business ownership in a stable field. Jani-King brings decades of brand recognition, while Assett brings innovation and a fresh, growth-oriented perspective. Importantly, you don’t have to take our word for it: we encourage you to do your research, compare, and speak with current franchisees of both systems if possible.
If you’re interested in learning more about Assett’s franchise opportunity and how it could work for your goals, we invite you to connect with our team. We’re happy to answer questions, provide details, and help you determine if this could be the right venture for you. Both Jani-King and Assett prove that the commercial cleaning franchise model can be highly successful – it’s all about finding the best fit for your aspirations. We’re here to help when you’re ready to take the next step in your business ownership journey!
