How Stratus Building Solutions Became the Fastest-Growing Franchise of 2023

In short

Entrepreneur named Stratus Building Solutions number one on its Fastest-Growing Franchises list for 2023, after the brand added more than 300 franchise units in North America from July 2021 to July 2022. Special projects editor Tracy Stapp Herold put five questions to Rob Lancit, the brand’s vice president of franchise development.

On history, he says Stratus has franchised since 2006 and that new ownership took over around 2015 and rebuilt the company’s plan. On the model, he describes three tiers: corporate, the master franchisee who holds a state or territory, and the unit franchisees who do the cleaning. Corporate trains and supports the masters so they can train and support their units, and the company is selective about masters, looking for people skills and a wish to help others succeed.

He attributes growth to the pandemic making commercial cleaning essential, and says the business is little affected by recession or inflation. Masters handle billing, collections and contracts for unit franchisees. He reports that Canada is almost sold out, with four or five territories left. Asked what sets the brand apart, he points to training and support, says he has not seen franchisee validation this strong in close to 30 years, cites zero turnover among master franchisees and nine revenue streams for masters, and notes that the largest source of new franchisees is referrals from existing ones.

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