Barbecue grills can be great for summer gatherings and everyday meals. But they can also get quite dirty and aren’t exactly easy to clean. A few years back, one enterprising entrepreneur decided that this somewhat messy niche could make for a great business opportunity. And Bar-B-Clean was born. Read more about the business below in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does
Cleans and maintains barbecues.
Founder Bryan Weinstein told Small Business Trends, “Bar-B-Clean exists to reduce the amount of grills people have to replace. Barbecues are expensive investments that are expected to last many years. Exposure to rain and sun will prematurely age them, discolor them, and make them look old and dirty. Bar-B-Clean offers residential and commercial customers a convenient, low cost grill cleaning solution. In addition, Bar-B-Clean also offers part replacements, stone rejuvenation services and rodent removal.”
Business Niche
Doing the dirty work.
Weinstein says, “Did you know that every year, 7,000 Americans are injured while using backyard barbecue grills? At Bar-B-Clean, we take safety seriously and go the extra mile to offer advice to our customers during appointments. In addition, the very nature of our services helps keep grills clean and people healthier. We remove metal bristles, rodent droppings and more. It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it.”
How this Barbecue Grill Cleaning Service Got Started
Because of a stray rodent.
Weinstein explains, “In 2011, after finding a rodent living in my frequently used grill, I started wondering if my love for outdoor cooking was actually an unhealthy passion. As I probed a bit further, I learned that grillers everywhere are often cleaning up dead, rotted rat carcasses, handfuls of animal poop and cancerous chemicals. Naturally, I looked into the process of properly cleaning a grill, and realized that the task was quite labor intensive that created a problem that most people wouldn’t or simply couldn’t take on themselves. And so I created Bar-B-Clean, a franchise organization that will do your dirty work ranging from rodent removal, bbq cleaning, part replacement and more.”
Biggest Win
Having the first franchisee eclipse $100,000 in 2015
Weinstein says, “This was a win/win as it was a testament to the service and that it’s a profitable business. This has been a milestone in our business and is helping our franchise sales process. This information is listed in the franchise disclosure document (FDD), and is representative of what people can expect.”
Biggest Risk
Jumping into business.
Weinstein says, “Good ideas are a dime a dozen. You have to believe in it and be committed to see your idea succeed, no matter what that takes. Everything I do is for the business. Failure is not an option.”
How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000
Recruiting and support for the franchise program.
Weinstein explains, “The strength of a franchise system is the franchisees. People are so important, and I aim everyday to foster a sense of community; that we are all a part of something. We share in successes and failures, and we do it together.”
Recruiting Philosophy
Helping veterans.
Weinstein says, “We also have a hyper focus on recruiting veterans (both as franchisees and employees) and helping them transition from the military to civilian life.”
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Images: Bar-B-Clean; Top image: Bar-B-Clean Franchisee and military Veteran Matthew Sprague; Bottom image: Bryan Weinstein, Bar-B-CleanFounder
