The commercial cleaning space is dominated by franchises. We explain why we've leaned-into being a locally and owned and operated Cincinnati business.
The commercial cleaning industry is an interesting space. On one hand, every business regardless of your industry, size or life stage, needs to be cleaned. Having a true need is invaluable in business, and we’re fortunate to operate in a space that has consistent demand regardless of the economic situation.
The downside of commercial cleaning is that there are low barriers to entry. Anybody with a predisposition towards punctuality and who is armed with a mop, rag and vacuum cleaner can become a commercial cleaner. Our industry is littered with competitors which ideally results in lower prices and better service for our clients.
When you mash a high demand industry with low barriers to entry, you get franchises! If you’ve ever searched “commercial cleaners” on Google, you’ve probably seen ads for 15 of our franchise friends.
Ohio Building Services is different. Our company was founded over 40 years ago and has always stayed true to the ethos of being locally owned and operated. Despite numerous opportunities to be acquired by franchises, we’ve firmly held onto the belief that local is better for cleaning.
Here are a couple of reasons why locally owned matters:
· Franchises notoriously classify their cleaners as independent contractors. These workers are paid less, burn-out faster and leave their clients yearning for more.
· Franchises are confined by the rules of the franchise. Commercial cleaning is a customized value proposition- every one of our clients has different needs and requires customized attention. This doesn’t always work with franchises.
· With the franchise fee and revenue share, there is little left to invest in the core business. Without those costs, we’re free to pay our people more, invest in training and buy the right equipment so that our clients are happy.
· Franchisees ultimately work for the franchise. Locally owned businesses work for themselves. There is a difference in quality when you call a locally owned business and the owner rushes out to fix a problem vs. a franchisee.
We’re excited for the next 40 years at Ohio Building Services. As the industry evolves, we plan to stay true to our values of delivering our clients an exceptional and personal service offering by being one of Cincinnati’s long-lasting locally owned and operated small businesses.
Best,
Nick Lobert
Nick is an owner at Ohio Building Services, a Cincinnati-based commercial cleaning and janitorial company that provides offices, industrial facilities, and businesses with reliable cleaning services since 1978.