Merry Maids got its start back in 1979 when Dallen Peterson founded the company in Omaha, Nebraska. They began the Merry Maid franchise a year later and they now clean more than an estimated 300,000 residences each month in North America. In 1988, they teamed up with the ServiceMaster family, host company of familiar brands such as Terminix, TruGreen, American Home Shield, Furniture Medic, AmeriSpec, and ServiceMaster Clean. Merry Maids is currently based in Memphis, Tennessee and has over 700 franchise units nationwide with approximately another 700 internationally. They are currently seeking franchises worldwide. Exclusive territories are available.
The franchise fee varies slightly according to location but the range is from $21,000 to $31,000. Additionally, there is an ongoing royalty fee of 5-7%. This results in a total startup investment ranging from $24,750 to $59,450 and allows this business to be considered in the "low cost franchise opportunity" realm. Merry Maids conveniently allows for in-house financing of the franchise fee and necessary equipment for the new franchisee. A minimum net worth of $33,500-$50,500 is required as well as a cash liquidity of $29,700-$44,300 for any prospective Merry Maid franchise owner. It is estimated that a total of 12 employees are needed to run a typical Merry Maids franchise.
The parent company provides an 8 day training session at their headquarters as well as on-site trainings as warranted at the franchisee's location. The 8 day home office seminar is included in the franchise fee. Additional trainings are also available regionally and are often provided by an established franchise owner. Support is also provided in the form of newsletters, via the internet, training manuals, videos, and also via toll-free phone lines.
Brand name awareness is definitely a benefit of a Merry Maids franchise, as most home owners in North America have usually heard of the company. The franchisee also participates in nationally placed advertisements. However, the franchisee will definitely be responsible for marketing and securing new business/accounts. As with any business or franchise, proper and effective marketing strategies will most often determine the level of success.
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