Now with more than 900 cleaning franchises in North America, Merry Maids is considered a world leader in the residential cleaning industry. With its unique professional home cleaning system of efficient two-person cleaning teams and effective management and proven marketing procedures, Merry Maids offers potential franchisees both the technical expertise and name-brand awareness needed to succeed. 

Investment Required

The fee for a Merry Maids franchise varies according to market size. The fee is $31,000 in a full-sized market, $25,000 in a mid-sized market and $21,000 in a small market. Merry Maids may offer discounts to the franchise fee for existing franchisees, ServiceMaster affiliates and employees, women, minorities and to those who have served in the military.

Merry Maids provides the following range of investments required to open your initial franchise. The range assumes that all items are paid for in cash. To the extent that you choose to finance any of these expense items, your front-end investment could be substantially reduced. Merry Maids offers indirect financing for up to 80% of the initial franchise fee.

On-going Expenses

Merry Maids franchisees pay a royalty fee equal to 7% of gross sales (5% if sales are over $500,000), a software lease fee of $22.40 per week if gross sales are less than or equal to $3,000 and a national ad fund fee ranging from .25-1% of weekly gross sales.

What You Get—Training and Support

Merry Maids initial training involves an all-encompassing, eight-day program at the Home Office in Memphis, TN, during which company instructors with real-world experience teach the company’s method of hiring, training, marketing, selling, scheduling and cleaning. Franchisees also receive computer instruction, field instruction and video presentations designed to give them a practical, well-rounded understanding of all facets of owning and operating a Merry Maids franchise operation.

Merry Maids provides its franchisees with a comprehensive package of instructional tools and materials that help them select, train, develop and compensate team members, as well as a library of hiring and safety video presentations, customized recognition award programs and a team member newsletter. Home office support includes ongoing operational, IT systems and marketing support via phone, email and office visits. Additional support is provided through the Merry Maids internal instant messaging system; a mentoring program where established franchise partners in neighboring territories provide counsel to franchise partners; and a council of regional representatives.

Territory

Merry Maids grants exclusive territories; full-sized markets have a minimum of 10,000 qualified households, mid-sized markets have a minimum of 5,000 and a small-sized market has a maximum of 5,000.