Brad Roberson - Brookhaven, Mississippi

Some people say it’s easy to be successful in a large market like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York or Seattle. What about a market like Brookhaven, Mississippi, population 9,400? Brad Roberson of Glass Doctor of Brookhaven accepted the small market challenge. He has expanded to service a six-county territory with a population of approximately 143,000 people. Using the Glass Doctor proven systems, Roberson is preparing to take his business to the next level.

What was your business like before you became a Glass Doctor franchisee?
I bought a flat glass shop in 1998, and I didn’t know what I was doing. The previous owner stayed on for a while and I learned what he knew. Then I took it over but after a while I got to a stopping point. I didn’t know how to make my business grow. I talked to some consultants, but no one could tell me anything.

Glass Doctor was the only avenue where I heard that anyone claimed to know how to grow a glass business. I made the commitment to follow the Glass Doctor system and I’ve been pleased. The people at Glass Doctor have done all that they told me they would do.

How has Glass Doctor changed the way you conduct your business?
We are really looking at what we can improve. We’re hearing other glass shops are telling customers to call us, because they just can’t do what we do. We do a lot of service work for repeat residential customers, school districts and apartments. It’s mainly because we are there when we say we will be and we do the little things, like chasing down a 50-year-old door part.

What are your biggest challenges in your business right now?
One is it’s always a challenge to find good people who fit our system. But like most of our challenges, we can overcome recruiting problems with the Glass Doctor training, resources and business systems.

Second is keeping up with all of the Glass Doctor marketing resources available to us. I’m confident that  if we focused more on marketing, we could grow even faster.

What advice would you give someone who owns a glass shop in a small market?
By far it takes service and fair pricing to make a living. It all starts with the service. Just the way the technician looks makes a difference. I have actually had people call me and say they would not let a tech from a competitor’s shop in their house, so whatever we charge is fine. The professional image is so important.

Also, you have to do what you say you will do and let the customer know what you can’t do. We don’t get every job because of travel costs and pricing. People rely on you, and you are pricing to support them, whether that’s your family or your team.

So what are you doing when you’re not working on your business? Are you able to spend time with your family?
My boys play sports - they are 10 and 8 - and I like to play with them. I spend time with my wife, but most of the time we are working on our house. We bought an older home 13 years ago and just finished a bathroom remodel. I’ve been doing a lot of painting lately. But I really prefer installing glass.

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