Anago Cleaning Systems master franchisee Sumit Punchhi, helps everyday entrepreneurs make their business ownership dreams a reality
By Suzanne Bowness
When he moved to Canada from India three years ago, Sumit Punchhi decided to look into franchising. For Punchhi, this was a way to try something new, rather than starting at a lower professional level in corporate offices and working his way back up to his last role as a chief marketing officer.
After carefully investigating several franchise opportunities, he landed on becoming a master franchisee at Anago Cleaning Systems. His new role as owner and president of Anago of South Greater Toronto involves recruiting unit franchisees as well as securing commercial cleaning contracts in the region, which includes the cities of Brampton, Mississauga, Caledon, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, and Halton Hills. He’s also brought his family into the business, including his wife Geetika, who focuses on franchisee enrolment, and his son Rushil, who helps with operations, sales, and marketing.
Finding his fit
Throughout his initial search, Punchhi says he’d been looking for an evergreen business, and explored childcare and senior services as well as utility-based franchises. “I took about six months to decide on which [industry] to zero in on, and that’s how I landed on janitorial services. Then I met about five different companies, and chose Anago because they had a great balance,” he says, noting that he was looking for an operation that was growth focused but also cared about elements beyond business.
For more than 35 years, Anago Cleaning Systems has offered commercial cleaning, disinfection, and janitorial services to businesses and facilities in spaces ranging from office buildings to apartments to restaurants to retail. The brand offers both master and unit franchise opportunities.
From start-up to stability
Punchhi incorporated in January 2024 and took up training at Anago corporate headquarters in Pompano Beach, Florida that February. In March, he started his business and faced the first challenges of ownership: finding and furnishing an office while starting lead generation to secure his first clients. He opened his office in Mississauga because it was central to his territory and took a multi-pronged approach to franchisee recruitment and cleaning contract sales, including telemarketing, digital ads, email marketing, and franchise fairs.
“Once you set up the office, then there’s a chicken and egg question. You have to have franchisees to do the cleaning, but you have to get contracts to get the work,” he explains. “That was one of the challenges, and we kind of wriggled around it. We started getting contracts, and we had some initial wins on the franchises as well. And after you reach a certain level, you start getting references as well.” Punchhi says that the franchisor was very helpful in recommending particular industries on which to focus their outreach.
As the business grew, Punchhi says the obstacles moved from setup and outreach to operations management. “The initial challenges were very different from the challenges which we face now,” he notes. “As business increases, it gets more complex, and you find ways to manage that.” With a large client base receiving cleaning services several times a week, the increased volume of touchpoints require active communication and feedback between end-user clients and franchisees, as well as hands-on franchisee support from startup to daily operations. Building on Anago’s standard processes of operation and technologies, Punchhi and his team created consistent workflows and communication, which strengthens overall operations.
Mastering the franchise
As a master franchise owner, Punchhi not only recruits new unit franchisees but provides comprehensive orientation, guiding them through ongoing education. Unit franchisees don’t need a background in cleaning to succeed. The training focuses on business ownership to prepare them for long-term success.
“A lot of time we see cleaners who want to set up their own business, so we help them move from a cleaner mindset to a business-owner mindset, to bridge that gap,” he says. His coaching helps franchisees to think about growth, numbers, cleaning schedules, staffing, and other aspects of a business.
Another goal is to ensure that cleaning standards are consistent franchise-wide, something that Punchhi also monitors among his unit franchisees. “It’s important, since that is where the rubber hits the road, at the client’s place. The quality of work has to be maintained. That help and guidance is an ongoing process,” he says.
Through Anago University’s Learning Management System (LMS), franchisees learn via manuals and video content before attending classroom instruction on finances, hiring, and safety at Punchhi’s regional office. Passing the final written exam qualifies franchisees to gain contracts provided by his team.
Hands-on field instruction lasts three to ten days, tailored to each unit franchisee’s individual pace. Following this initial phase, franchisees stay connected through email, phone, WhatsApp, and in-person meetings. Master franchisees also keep in touch with their peers over these platforms and meet twice a year. Punchhi says these in-person connections are useful for sharing information, and having fellow master franchisees on-call helps since they are often dealing with similar issues.
Punchhi says that he looks for several characteristics in a unit franchisee. Cleaning experience is not required, but a passion for growth and the right attitude are essential. Willingness to follow the franchise process and communication skills are also key. Finally, coachability and the ability to work with staff are important. “Today, you’re starting off your own, but very soon you will need people along with you, which you hire for cleaning,” he explains. “It’s important that you take up that spirit of Anago all the way up to your cleaners who get deployed.”
A leadership lifestyle
In terms of his daily schedule, Punchhi mostly spends his mornings on client meetings and his afternoons on franchisee meetings. A virtual assistant helps him to manage his finances and he is in regular contact with his family team. “Everything goes in the calendar,” he says.
While he’s described essential characteristics for unit franchisees, Punchhi also has advice for those considering the master franchisee route: at minimum, you need to be great at either operations or business development, the two main skills that master franchisees need to grow their business. Startup is lean, and it’s important to have both of those areas covered, Punchhi says. “You can’t hire two people initially …. But if you have [skills in either operations or business development], then you can hire someone else to take on the other side,” he explains.
As for his own operation, Punchhi is pleased with his progress as a master franchise owner. He plans to spend the next few years continuing to build, both in terms of signing new clients and franchisees, which will likely involve hiring more people to manage operations and sales. “It’s been a great journey,” he shares.
Learn more about franchising with Anago Cleaning Systems
