MaidPro announced today that it has won the No.2 spot out of 10 for it size category on the Forbes second annual America’s Best Franchises ranking. Only 30 franchises in all were chosen for the exclusive listing, 10 each in three major size categories. Overall, Forbes evaluated 448 franchise brands in the $0 - $150K investment range, placing MaidPro at a lofty No.2 position, which is a five-spot gain from its No.7 ranking last year.
“Some [franchisors] are great sponsors and cheerleaders who will support you with strong brands, innovative product pipelines, and creative marketing ideas,” says Forbes in its just-released report. “Others, not so much. The meh ones just leave their franchisees to sink or swim on their own. And the bad ones have been accused of actually making it impossible for their franchisees to succeed.”
The Forbes ranking reflects a rigorous selection process — undertaken by FRANdata — which began with a universe of some 3,100+ franchise companies and winnowed down in four stages from there. The first elimination round was based on longevity as a franchiser and system-unit count. The second round was based on system demand (five-year growth rates) and sustainability (continuity in numbers of franchised units) both covering the five-year period from 2009-2013. Extra weight was given to brands displaying growth in consecutive years.
A third selection round was based on a combination of financing availability, transparency of unit performance, and operations support. Companies still in the running were then subjected to a final set of four criteria to be chosen and positioned in the Top 10: 100+ franchised units at both the beginning of 2009 and end of 2013 (to eliminate statistical distortion); no more than one year of decline in system size; no more than two years of decline in continuity rate, and free disclosure of franchise-unit economics.
“Many of the people researching franchise opportunities are preparing to invest their life savings, putting all on the line to follow their dreams of business entrepreneurship,” observes MaidPro founder and CEO Mark Kushinsky. “While it’s easy to be lured in by a brand’s face value – what the they do in the marketplace – it is exceedingly important for prospective investors thoroughly investigate business financials, continuity trends, and support infrastructure. The Forbes/FRANdata ranking does an outstanding job of zeroing in on the metrics most likely to predict positive, lucrative, and long-term franchising relationships. We are so honored to be included, once again, in the 10 best for our size category and also to advance in this year’s ranking from number seven up to number two on the list.”
Also this year, MaidPro has earned a No. 11 rank in Franchise Gator’s Top 100 Franchises for 2015 as well as several top rankings in Franchise Business Review’s annual deep dive study into franchisee satisfaction: a No. 9 rank in FBR’s overall Franchise 50 listing, a No. 2 rank for its size category of 100-249 franchise units, and a No. 4 rank in FBR’s Low Cost Franchises – Top Opportunities Under $100K.