Do Business Well

Extensive initial and ongoing franchisee support constitute a cornerstones of every successful franchise operation. GlowGetters have taken this aspect to new heights by putting an infrastructure in place that makes it not only easy for prospective franchisees to acquire the franchise but virtually assures their ongoing business success.

GlowGetters has been established in 1995 and is now a division of Servest Limited, a company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. GlowGetters primary business is the cleaning of industrial and commercial premises, using a quality-based technical system. In addition, they offer a range of allied services and supplies. The required initial investment is extremely modest by today’s standards, and franchisees are afforded realistic opportunities to expand their businesses over time.

Once on board, every new franchisee will be put through GlowGetters CleanVarsity programme, where he receives training in the technical aspects of the business as well as in sales techniques and business management. He also receives a comprehensive start-up package that contains everything needed to commence trading in a professional manner.

It is the next step that makes GlowGetters franchise opportunity truly unique. In an effort to ensure that new franchisees hit the ground running, GlowGetters will negotiate the initial contract for them. In effect, this means that the moment the franchisee has successfully completed his training, he is ready to trade. It also eliminates the period of costly inactivity that causes problems for many businesses, especially during their start-up phase.

Incidentally, franchisees are not encouraged to do the cleaning work themselves. They are expected to hire people to carry out the work. In addition to creating much needed job opportunities, this approach has yet another important advantage. It gives franchisees the opportunity to focus on the management and marketing of their businesses, thus ensuring that growth does in fact take place at a steady pace. Head Office assists franchisees with the selection and training of staff. With the business being in a service industry where the quality of the people determines the ultimate success of every franchise, this aspect of support is undoubtedly much appreciated by franchisees.

Of course, Head Office does all the standard things expected of a first class franchisor, including ongoing brand building, marketing and quality control. One could be forgiven for thinking that beyond that, franchisees are left to fend for themselves, but this is not the case. Even after a new franchisee’s business is up and running, GlowGetters staff continue to source work, prepare detailed costings and submit tenders on his behalf. Moreover, customers that have been identified by a franchisee are investigated to ensure an appropriate fit. Should it emerge, for example, that a contract is too large for a specific franchisee to handle successfully, a syndicate of several franchisees will be assembled to share the work.

Franchisees have also access to a comprehensive administration function maintained at Head Office level. This includes, for example, invoicing and bookkeeping, debtors control and even payroll management and the electronic payment of wages. This centralised function helps franchisees to keep their overheads low, as costs are spread over the entire network. The service is covered by the ongoing monthly management services fee.

Franchisees are expected to purchase supplies and equipment from Head Office, but even this aspect has been designed in such a way that utmost fairness is assured. In the unlikely event that a franchisee should find that he could purchase consumables at lower prices than those offered by GlowGetters, from a legitimate source and as long as prescribed quality standards are maintained, he is free to do so. Given GlowGetters‘ standing in the marketplace and the bulk purchasing power the company commands, this is unlikely to materialise.

GlowGetters Head Office also maintains a pool of trained staff on a standby basis. Should a franchisee experience unexpected staff problems, say due to illness, Head Office will arrange trained relief staff for him at short notice. In addition, franchisees are encouraged to interact with each other and help each other out, should the size of a contract exceed one specific franchisee’s service capabilities.

Given the extent of franchisee support offered by GlowGetters, it should not come as a surprise to learn that during the past five years, GlowGetters have managed to win four of the coveted awards for excellence in franchising that are presented by FASA on an annual basis.

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