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What is the outlook for the commercial cleaning industry in 2010?

By Jeff Elgin

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Is opening a cleaning business now a wise investment?

This industry is one of my personal favorites.

There is nothing sexy or exciting about commercial cleaning except for the fact that it is usually a wonderful, successful business that is almost totally recession resistant!

I like pretty much everything about this type of franchise. The entry level investment is about the lowest of any franchise opportunity. Usually the new franchisee is provided with an existing customer to service so they have cash flow from day one.

Even though there are a few large chains, the business is still dominated by mom and pop local providers which makes it relatively easy to get new customers.

Finally, and best of all, very few business owners are ever going to want to clean their own office space so the demand isn't going anywhere.

It is always important to look at all factors with any franchise you are thinking of buying, especially in tough times like we have today. Make sure the franchise has a strong likelihood of meeting your goals before investing.

Jeff Elgin has almost 20 years of experience franchising, both as a franchisee and a senior franchise company executive. He's currently the CEO of FranChoice Inc., a company that provides free consulting to consumers looking for a franchise that best meets their needs.

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