Jeffrey Krentzman started The BBQ Cleaner in 2009 and has overseen its growth to over 170 locations nationwide. Krentzman can often be found speaking about his company’s success and entrepreneurial subjects across various media outlets, as well as to students at colleges throughout the country.
1. Tell us about the The BBQ Cleaner concept.
The BBQ Cleaner gives people absolutely everything they need to start up and run their own grill cleaning business in the years ahead. The BBQ Cleaner brought a concept that had been sweeping across Europe and Australia to the United States. The BBQ Cleaner has quickly become one of the hottest and most recognizable businesses in the United States in just 8 years with its rapid successful expansion to over 170 locations across the United States. Business ownership with The BBQ Cleaner is truly unique. You own 100% of your business, which has little to no competition at all. Unlike a traditional franchise where you aren’t the true owner of the company, you own your business and own all of its valuable equity.
2. What was your background prior to joining The BBQ Cleaner?
When studying at Boston University, I knew I wanted to go down an entrepreneurial road in life. After graduating, I worked a corporate job for a marketing company. After only 8 months, I knew it wasn’t for me and decided to pursue my passion of starting my own business.
3. What are some of the advantages in being a The BBQ Cleaner operator?
There are so many benefits that we hear consistently from our operators nationwide. They get to be their own boss, set their own schedule and get to work for themselves. Another major advantage which can never be overstated is that our operators keep 100% of what they make. There are absolutely no-going fees at all. This in turn has created a tremendous amount of success stories across the country.
4. Who is your ideal candidate you are looking for?
It’s a hard question to answer because we’ve seen so many different backgrounds take this on and succeed. A lot of operators are tired of the corporate world. They are making the company they work for money rather than their families. We also have a handful of operators who see the magnitude of the growth potential they have here and look to capitalize on that.
5. Tell us a little about the BBQ Cleaning Market?
It’s certainly rapidly growing. It seems to pick up more traction every single year. We have some locations currently with over a month wait to get an appointment with them. With over 170 single and multi-locations nationwide, we’ve been able to help people jump in and take advantage of the growth in their own area.
6. What are some of the greatest lessons you’ve learned in growing this franchise?
Make sure you are there to support your operators. It’s something we take very seriously. We want them to be successful as much as they want to be. So we need to do whatever it takes to get them there. Whatever question they may have, in whatever area of the business, we strive to be there for them and help them. Our operators say this about us all the time and it’s a compliment we take very strongly as it is crucial to their success.
7. Is there someone you use for inspiration?
My kids for sure. I find that my passion is driven by the two of them. They make me want to get up every morning and do everything I can to continue to grow The BBQ Cleaner. With my kids, I’ve been so incredibly fortunate to take advantages of the perks of being my own boss and setting my own schedule. As a result, I’ve gotten to schedule work around things like volunteering in the school lunchroom monthly and being one of the class parents in my daughters Kindergarten class. It’s awfully hard to put a price tag on something like that.
8. What advice do you have for someone looking to start a business?
Do your due diligence. There is such a wealth of information now out there that you have no reason to not be able to get the information you need to make the best educated decision. Take advantage of talking to people who are doing this business now. They can provide you with an incredible amount of useful information. Run your numbers. Will you be paying a lot in on-going fees that will cripple your bottom line? Or will you be making money for yourself? Also, make sure you have support available if you need it. It can come in handy.
9. In your opinion, why do you think that The BBQ Cleaner would be a great opportunity for someone?
People get the opportunity to jump on a rapidly growing business with absolutely no-ongoing fees at all. We provide everything you need for the business from the equipment, marketing, training, support, etc. We have plenty of successful single-unit operators and a bunch of people who have hit the grand slam and expanded to multiple locations. The possibilities are really endless here for our operators.
