Job seekers typically contact businesses they believe might be interested in their talents, setting up interviews and distributing resumes. Brian McBroom encourages those in search of gainful employment to consider an alternative—business ownership. McBroom was recently named Anago Cleaning Systems’ master franchisee for a territory that encompasses several metropolitan Atlanta counties, including DeKalb. He said he had been excited to learn the area was available not only because he sees many possibilities in and around Atlanta but because, having earned his master’s degree in business administration at Clark Atlanta University, he was familiar with—and likes—the area. Decatur and other areas of DeKalb County were already targeted by Anago for their growth potential, McBroom said. “We already have a number of clients in the Decatur area—medical offices, schools, business offices—and we like to establish franchises where we already have a presence.” Started in Detroit, Mich., by four brothers in 1974, Anago targets small commercial cleaning contracts and now claims to be among the fastest-growing franchise organizations in America.
According to McBroom, Anago was named by Entrepreneur Magazine as the 10th fastest-growing franchise in the nation for 2013 and is among the fastest growing among veterans and minorities.
He said those factors make the area in and around DeKalb County especially attractive since it has a large minority population and is home to a regional Veterans’ Administration complex.
Anago, which markets itself as a “green-cleaning” company, states on its website: “Our environmentally responsible approach focuses on the proper training and use of chemical-free cleaning solutions as well as proper disposal of any harsh detergents/cleaning compounds.”
McBroom said that also makes the company a good fit for DeKalb County, which has its own Green Commission and on its website states that “the county is earning a reputation for being the Greenest Urban County in America.”
Advantages of a cleaning business, McBroom explained, are relatively low start-up costs and flexibility on business size. “A franchise owner can be as small or as large as he or she wants. Some are just one person, who may work at another job during the day and clean buildings in the evenings. Others hire a staff and have a large number of clients.”
As a master franchisee, McBroom recruits unit franchisees and arranges for such facets as training and marketing. His office also handles certain aspects of customer service, including surveying customers to be sure they are satisfied and working with unit Franchise Owners to resolve any issues customers may have with the service they’re receiving.
“I like that this position uses all my business skills—marketing, finance, personnel and the rest,” said McBroom, adding that he believes franchise ownership is suitable to those who share what he calls his “entrepreneurial spirit.”
“I worked in corporate America for more than 20 years,” he said, “but this is what I’ve always wanted to do—run my own business. When I look for unit franchisees, I look for people like me, who are focused and attentive to detail. That’s what it takes to be successful in this type of business.”