The best franchise for a former VP of sales or operations is an executive-model franchise in a B2B service category: one with recurring contract revenue, a protected territory, and a role focused on sales, recruiting, and financial oversight rather than service delivery. A master franchise (also called a regional developer model) in commercial cleaning fits all of those criteria. Stratus Clean's master franchisees, for example, earn from nine revenue streams, roughly 90% of it recurring, and never do the cleaning themselves.
You have run a P&L, built a sales team, or kept a national operation on schedule. The question is what to do with that experience once corporate is no longer the right place to use it. For senior leaders weighing what comes next, franchise ownership deserves a serious look, and the strongest fit is a model that pays you to lead, not to deliver the service.
Stratus Clean is the 4th largest commercial cleaning franchise in North America. Entrepreneur's 2026 Franchise 500 ranks us #1 in commercial cleaning and #21 overall, and 86% of our master franchisees told Franchise Business Review they would do it again. This guide covers the path from VP to owner, what to look for in a franchise as a former executive, and why our master franchisor model was built for people with your background.
Because corporate roles have become less predictable while franchising keeps growing.
U.S. employers announced more than 1.2 million job cuts in 2025, up 58% from 2024 and the highest annual total since 2020, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas data reported by CNBC. The cuts spanned federal agencies, consumer products, industrial manufacturing, education, and media.
Franchising moved the other way. The International Franchise Association's 2026 Franchising Economic Outlook projects:
Commercial cleaning sits inside that fastest-growing category. You can keep trading years for a title someone else controls, or put the same skills into an asset you own in an expanding sector.
Not every franchise is a good use of a VP's experience. Single-unit ownership generally means an owner on the floor managing hourly staff and daily operations. That is a job, not a leadership role. Set your criteria before you evaluate any brand:
| Criterion | What to look for | Why it matters to an executive |
|---|---|---|
| Operating model | Your time goes to sales, recruiting, coaching, and financial oversight | Uses the skills you already have |
| Customer type | B2B clients on contract | Recurring agreements instead of one-off transactions |
| Revenue mix | High percentage of recurring revenue | Predictable cash flow and a higher exit value |
| Territory | Exclusive, protected rights | You invest in relationships without competing with your own brand |
| Growth engine | Scale through a franchisee network, not payroll | Grow without carrying large headcount |
| Demand | Essential, non-discretionary service | Holds up when discretionary categories don't |
| Proof | Third-party rankings, satisfaction data, an FDD with an Item 19 | Lets you verify claims before you commit |
Apply those criteria, and three structures stand out.
A master franchise is an agreement that gives one owner the rights to a large territory, where they act as the franchisor: recruiting, training, and supporting unit franchisees in exchange for a share of franchise fees, royalties, and other system revenue. Franchise attorneys at Lopes Law describe the master as taking on the franchisor's recruiting, training, and support responsibilities in the region. It is the closest thing in franchising to running a regional business unit, which is what a VP already knows how to do. Our master vs. unit franchise comparison covers the differences in detail.
Commercial cleaning, facility maintenance, and similar business services pair contract-based revenue with a customer base that spans every building type in every market.
Demand for commercial cleaning is structural, not cyclical.
Area developers commit to open and operate several units themselves in a defined territory. This uses an operations background well, but the returns come from units you own and staff, so you carry the payroll and the day-to-day. It is a step up from single-unit ownership but stops short of franchisor-level economics.
| Dimension | Single-unit franchise | Area developer | Master franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your role | Operator | Multi-site operator | Regional franchisor |
| Who delivers the service | You and your staff | Your staff across units | Unit franchisees you recruit |
| How you earn | Unit profit | Profit from units you own | Fees, royalties, and other system revenue |
| Payroll you carry | Full unit staff | Staff for every unit | Small core team |
| Best fit for | Hands-on operators | Operations leaders | Sales and general-management executives |
Bottom line: For a former VP of sales or operations, a master franchise in a B2B service category checks every box. You lead, you sell, you build a network, and you earn on the recurring revenue it produces.
Stratus Clean was founded in 2006 and has grown to 100+ master territories and 5,500+ unit franchisees across the U.S. and Canada. A Stratus master is not a cleaning business owner. As a master, you hold two rights inside an exclusive, protected territory:
You win the contracts, then assign them to the unit franchise owners who bought into your territory. They deliver the service. You develop the network. Learn more about how the Stratus master model works.
Most franchise systems give owners three to seven revenue streams. Stratus masters earn from nine:
Because janitorial contracts renew week after week, roughly 90% of that revenue is recurring. If you have managed a subscription or contract-based P&L, you know why that number matters more than any single sales figure.
These are system-level figures, not a projection of what any individual master earns. The full calculation appears in Item 19 of our FDD, and we keep every earnings conversation grounded there.
See the full list on our FAQ page.
You do not need cleaning experience. Stratus masters come from education, sales, insurance, engineering, retail, telecommunications, and C-suite backgrounds. What they share is a sales and management track record.
Our guide on whether the master franchise model is right for you covers the five transferable skills we look for: team leadership, financial acumen, B2B sales expertise, talent development, and system execution.
Martin Fiesel, Calgary, Alberta (former corporate sales leader). Martin spent his career in corporate sales and sales management before he saw the Stratus model at a franchise show. "I had a long run in the corporate world specializing in sales and sales management... once I saw the business model, I was immediately intrigued. I'm very glad I made the choice to join the Stratus team." His summary of the economics: "Recurring revenue is king!" Read Martin's story.
David Smith, Nashville, Tennessee (Army aviator, 20 years at Mercedes-Benz). David flew helicopters in the Army, then spent 20 years with Mercedes-Benz before joining Stratus in [YEAR]. "When I discovered Stratus, I loved the recurring revenue model and the idea of selling a need rather than a want." Read David's story.
Ty Redmond and Darrel McNeal, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (30+ combined years in B2B sales). "I can follow a playbook very well, so that was intriguing, plus the 9 streams of income we can potentially earn," Ty says. Read their story.
Apply the same discipline you used on major capital decisions: define the criteria, verify the data, talk to the people already doing it, then commit.
Stratus masters work mainly weekdays with a small team, because growth comes from franchisees rather than payroll. A typical week includes:
Our day in the life of a master franchisee walks through the role in more detail.
The best fit is an executive-model franchise in a B2B service category with recurring contract revenue and a protected territory. Master franchise (regional developer) structures rank highest because they use sales, leadership, and financial skills directly and earn franchisor-level revenue rather than single-location profit. Commercial cleaning fits well: it is an essential service, the IFA ranks commercial and residential services among the fastest-growing franchise categories in 2026, and Stratus Clean masters earn from nine revenue streams at roughly 90% recurring.
A master franchise gives one owner the rights to develop a large, exclusive territory. The master acts as the franchisor in that region, recruiting, training, and supporting unit franchisees, and earns from franchise fees, royalties, and other system revenue instead of from running a single location.
An area developer opens and operates multiple units themselves, so they carry the staff and daily operations. A master franchisee recruits other owners to run units and earns franchisor-level revenue from the network, which makes it a better fit for executives who want to lead rather than operate.
No. Stratus masters come from sales, education, insurance, engineering, retail, telecommunications, and executive backgrounds. Stratus teaches the cleaning business, the franchise system, and the sales process. You bring a sales and management track record and the people skills to recruit and support unit owners.
A Stratus Clean master franchise typically costs $275,000 to $300,000 all in, including a master license fee averaging about $125,000 and roughly $150,000 in working capital. Candidates need $250,000+ in net worth and $125,000 to $150,000 in liquid capital. Item 7 of the FDD is the authoritative source.
No. A Stratus master awards unit franchises and secures commercial cleaning contracts, then assigns those contracts to unit franchise owners in the territory. The unit owners deliver the service. The master's role is business development, recruitment, coaching, and financial management.
Commercial cleaning is an essential, non-discretionary service that businesses keep paying for in a downturn, and it runs on recurring contracts. The BLS projects roughly 321,800 openings per year for janitors and building cleaners through 2035, which points to steady, structural demand.
The Stratus process covers a discovery call, FDD review with the federally required 14-day waiting period, validation calls with current masters, a leadership meeting, territory selection, and signing. Timing depends on your pace, but the FDD review period sets the minimum. Onboarding then includes one week at headquarters and two weeks in your territory.
Some buyers use a Rollover as Business Start-up (ROBS) to deploy 401(k) or other retirement funds without early withdrawal penalties. The IRS treats these arrangements as legal but has documented compliance problems, including unfiled annual returns and promoter fees. Review the IRS guidance and consult a qualified tax advisor before choosing this route.
You have spent your career building value for someone else's balance sheet. A Stratus Clean master territory lets you build it for your own, in an essential-service industry with nine revenue streams, roughly 90% recurring revenue, and a system that 86% of masters say they would choose again. Open territories remain across the U.S. and Canada, but each one is exclusive, and once it is awarded it is gone.
Talk to Rob Lancit, VP of Franchise Development:
*Calculation and further explanation of the Average Unit Volume, Average of Top 5 Performing Regions, and System-wide Sales appear in Item 19 of the Stratus Clean Franchise Disclosure Document. Individual results may differ. See Item 19 for financial disclosures and Item 7 for total investment information.
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