Andrew Navarro’s Franchise Times interview traces his transition from a long retail career into Anago’s Master Franchise model in Philadelphia. He describes how customer service, leadership, mentoring, and a focus on helping unit franchise owners grow shaped the regional operation. The historical results he shared in the interview illustrate the role recurring commercial cleaning accounts can play in a Master Franchise business, while current performance can vary and should not be inferred from past figures.
Andrew Navarro, Anago Philadelphia master franchise owner, was featured by Franchise Times in a candid profile about his transition from a 25-plus-year retail career into Anago’s regional franchise model. The interview focused on his leadership approach, investment decision, work with unit franchise owners, and the growth he reported after taking over the Philadelphia territory.
Andrew’s story is part of a series in which Franchise Times asks what makes multi-unit operators tick. His answers provide a useful historical snapshot of the regional operation and the management philosophy he brought to the business.
Navarro’s experience also helps explain the executive nature of Anago’s Master Franchise model. Anago master franchise owners develop an exclusive regional business through sales, marketing, franchise development, customer relationships, administration, and support for unit franchise owners. They do not personally perform commercial cleaning; independently owned Anago Unit Franchisees or other licensed independent contractors provide the cleaning services.
I was a retail executive for 25-plus years, so my life was completely different. If you had asked me three years ago if I would be the CEO of a janitorial company, I’d say you were nuts. But I wish I did it 10 years ago.
That career shift aligns with Anago’s current description of the ideal master franchise owner, which emphasizes executive-level sales, marketing, management, recruiting, and leadership skills rather than hands-on cleaning experience. Navarro’s retail background gave him experience in customer expectations, team leadership, performance management, and operational standards that could transfer to a regional commercial cleaning franchise system.
We were looking at it and thought it was a no-brainer. Salon suites are a large investment, but we saw an opportunity to get in early since we were the first to enter Philadelphia. My wife pretty much runs the salon suites, and I run the cleaning business. She has extensive sales experience at the corporate level, so we’re doing what we’re good at.
Although salon suites and commercial cleaning serve different customers, Navarro’s explanation points to a common business principle: choose a model that fits the owners’ strengths and divide responsibilities accordingly. In the Anago system, a master franchise owner can focus on executive functions while unit franchise owners operate their own cleaning businesses and service commercial accounts.
In the commercial cleaning business, there’s little high-quality service and almost no exceptional customer service. We decided that if we could come in and do both, we had a high chance of being successful.
Customer service remains relevant to the broader Anago system because facilities often depend on consistent, responsive commercial janitorial services. Recurring service agreements are generally the stronger long-term solution for businesses that need predictable cleaning standards, scheduled tasks, and ongoing communication. One-time cleaning remains available for special projects, but recurring service can create greater continuity for both facility managers and service providers.
We really picked both of these for similar reasons. Both are service businesses that meet recurring consumer or commercial needs. You can’t buy either service on Amazon, and both models involve entrepreneurial people. To start either one, it’s about partnering with people who are entrepreneurs. We love the opportunity to help others become entrepreneurs and business owners themselves.
No franchise or industry is immune to downturns, and results vary based on market conditions, execution, competition, expenses, customer retention, and other factors. What Navarro emphasized most strongly was the people side of the business: partnering with entrepreneurs and helping them develop their own companies.
There were a lot of territory owners I encountered while doing some undercover research on competitors, just to see how they would treat me if I were looking for a Unit Franchise. It sometimes felt like the threshold was simply being able to write a check. People can look at that from a revenue standpoint, but to me, it’s about driving business growth and helping owners grow their businesses.
When we took over, we had a lot of very disgruntled franchisees; a good number left. We had 24 when we started. If you talk with them, they’d say I weeded them out. I say they weeded themselves out. We probably lost 11 in the first four months. We got 12 or so in the next two years. Those that stayed had experienced problems under the prior ownership. It took about three months to turn that around and show that we were in it for them.
I offered all our franchisees individual one-on-one business strategy meetings to talk about recruiting and where they wanted their businesses to go. I’m always very transparent and say, ‘You probably forgot more about janitorial than I will ever know.’ I also hired an operations manager with 35-plus years in janitorial. My vision was to grow this business substantially. Within nine to 12 months, some owners began having the opportunity to consider leaving their day jobs.
That emphasis on coaching reflects the relationship between a regional operation and independently owned Anago Unit Franchise businesses. Current Anago materials describe regional support that can include orientation, account support, billing and collections, marketing tools, equipment and supply resources, and business guidance. Anago unit franchise owners remain independently owned operators responsible for servicing their commercial cleaning accounts.
In the interview, Navarro reported that the Philadelphia operation won Anago’s Master City of the Year recognition for 2019 based on absolute growth. He also said the business had increased from roughly $30,000 per month when the team took over to about $220,000 in monthly recurring revenue at the time of the interview, and that approximately half of its 2019 new account starts came from referrals.
Those figures are historical statements from Navarro’s interview, not current financial results, earnings claims, or guarantees of what another franchise owner may achieve. Franchise outcomes vary widely. Prospective owners should review the current Franchise Disclosure Document, applicable financial performance representations, fees, territory information, operating requirements, and professional advice before making an investment decision.
The recurring-revenue reference is also important from the service side of the business. Anago’s national commercial cleaning services support facilities that need ongoing cleaning programs as well as one-time specialty work. For most businesses, recurring janitorial relationships can improve consistency, reliability, planning, and long-term facility care, which is why ongoing service should remain the primary model rather than treating commercial cleaning as a series of isolated transactions.
Navarro’s profile illustrates how executive experience can transfer into a Master Franchise role without requiring the owner to become the person performing cleaning work. His focus was on developing the regional business, improving service quality, supporting unit franchise owners, building customer relationships, and creating systems that could sustain growth.
For entrepreneurs comparing structures, Anago’s national franchise system distinguishes between master franchise owners and unit franchise owners. Anago master franchise owners focus on developing the territory and supporting the franchise system, while unit franchise owners operate their own commercial cleaning businesses and service assigned client accounts.
The story also reinforces a broader lesson for leadership-driven businesses: growth is not only about acquiring accounts. Retention, communication, service quality, trust, and the development of the people operating the business all influence long-term performance. Navarro’s interview repeatedly returns to those themes, making the profile more than a simple growth story.
Andrew Navarro’s Philadelphia story is one example of how Anago’s regional franchise structure can combine executive leadership with independently owned cleaning businesses. For organizations evaluating commercial cleaning, recurring janitorial service is typically the most effective long-term approach for maintaining consistent standards, while one-time cleaning and specialty services can address specific projects or temporary needs.
Use the Anago location finder to connect with the Anago operation serving your area and discuss a cleaning plan tailored to your facility, schedule, and service needs.
Andrew Navarro was profiled as the master franchise owner of Anago’s Philadelphia territory after transitioning from a 25-plus-year retail career. In the Franchise Times interview, he discussed leadership, customer service, franchisee development, and historical growth within the regional operation.
An Anago master franchise owner develops a regional franchise business through functions such as sales, marketing, client acquisition, franchise development, administration, and support for unit franchise owners. Anago master franchise owners are executive business operators rather than the people who personally perform commercial cleaning.
Cleaning services are provided by independently owned Anago Unit Franchisees or other licensed independent contractors. Anago Cleaning Systems, Inc., Anago Franchising, Inc., and Anago Subfranchisors do not directly provide cleaning services.
No. The monthly recurring revenue and referral figures were historical results Navarro reported in the original interview. They should not be interpreted as current performance, an earnings projection, or a guarantee of results for any other franchise owner.
Yes. One-time cleaning and specialty services may be available for specific needs, while recurring janitorial programs are generally the recommended long-term solution for businesses seeking consistent service, predictable scheduling, and ongoing facility care.
