by Robert Tunmire, Executive Vice President at The Dwyer Group, originally published in Opportunity World magazine
So, you’ve done your due diligence. You’ve decided to open a franchise and have settled on an industry and a franchisor. You’ve gone through a qualification process, read lengthy legal documents, met with company representatives, and have learned as much as possible about the brand you will represent.
Now, you’re standing on the edge of a cliff, placing your personal savings and reputation on the line. Do you take the leap?
At some point, every individual reaches a point of introspection in his or her career, whether working for a corporation, as a contractor, or as a business owner. They ask, Is this taking me where I want to go? For those who can only answer with a resounding No, the logical next step is often, I must do something different. For many, the solution is franchise ownership.
However, not all of those who start down that road reach their Grand Opening. Some will justify that they are content enough with their current career, and they step back from the precipice. They normalize their current situation and stay in their comfort zone. If you find yourself wavering at the edge, consider this counsel as you make your decision.
Invest in yourself
There’s a saying that if you’re not willing to risk what you’ve got, then you might as well keep it, because it’s all you’ll ever have. For Cary Hooper, owner of Glass Doctor® of Southwest Idaho, working for 17 years repairing auto glass chips wasn’t enough. “I had created a great job,” he said. “I employed one other person, and as long as I showed up, it was a good job. However, what I didn’t have was a business to sell after investing 17 years of my life. Something had to change—I didn’t want another 17 years to pass by without having something to show.” Hooper’s leap of faith paid off— his business continues to grow after 12 years.
Conquer fear, or it will conquer you
In life, fear can keep you from many things, but it can also be a great motivator. In 1975, at the age of 17, I quit high school and drove up to Lubbock, Texas with only my van, tools, and $500 to open a Rainbow International® Carpet Dyeing & Cleaning franchise. As a young franchisee I followed the franchise system to the letter because I was terrified of failure. It served me well, and I eventually owned four franchises.
Be Patient
The pain of change is never overcome until the benefits are realized later down the road. When Hooper opened his Glass Doctor franchise in November 1999, the transition was far from simple. “There were some days where I would call my franchise consultant, asking ‘Please remind me why I’m here,’” said Hooper. “However, the franchise system support is very, very good. If I hit bottom all by myself, who would help me?”
Know why you’re doing it
In my 36 years in franchising, the most successful franchise owners that I’ve seen all share one characteristic: they have very clearly defined personal goals. Business ownership is not for everyone and not for the faint of heart. If you’re not confident in who you are and what your goals are, it will be difficult to stay focused when obstacles arise in business.
Work on your business, not in it
“When I agreed to open my franchise, I was worried because my background was in auto chips, but I didn’t know how to install windshields or mirrors,” explained Hooper. I tell franchisees who have similar fears that I would rather them not know how to do those things, so that they can learn the business management side properly.
One reason that business owners falter is that they don’t jump in with both feet. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the franchise will automatically take off once the sign goes up. If you’re not willing to be a true owner-operator, then your business won’t succeed. With the support of a network of fellow franchisees and mentors to train you, you won’t be alone when you leap.
Robert Tunmire began his career in franchising at age 17 and has over 36 years of experience training and mentoring new franchisees for The Dwyer Group, a holding company of seven franchise businesses, each selling and supporting a different franchise under the following service marks: Aire Serv®, Glass Doctor®, The Grounds Guys®, Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric®, Mr. Rooter® (Drain Doctor in the UK and Portugal), and Rainbow International®
By Les Hanks, Franchise Consultant, Mr. Rooter® Plumbing
The number of tasks and details required to run a business can be stressful, even when you are highly profitable. That is why being organized and managing stress is so important to operating a healthy franchise. The reason for a lack of time is a lack of proper organization and priority checks. Here are some easy tips to help you organize your business and minimize stress, so that you remain highly productive and the kind of boss you would want to work for too.
Learn to say “NO”! It is a short word, but one of the most powerful words in a business owner’s vocabulary. A feeble yes will get you caught up in unproductive tasks that lead to resentment and burnout. Only say yes to things that are true to your brand and to your goals as a business owner.
Utilize set “office hours.” For example, let your family, friends and anyone who generally can wait to speak with you be aware of your availability that between say 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., you’ll be working. Then again from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. you’ll be “in your office.” This is just an example, and you must pick the hours that work best for you.
Ignore email. Unless you’re expecting some urgent message, don’t stop what you’re doing to check your messages every few minutes. Decide on the time frame that works best for you and then check your email at certain times during the day. Perhaps checking every two to three hours would work for you.
Screen your calls. Unless you’re expecting a call, let the voicemail get it. Just as with your email schedule, you can set aside time during the day to return calls.
Hire a bookkeeper and/or tax preparer. Your bookkeeper, tax preparer, or accountant does not need to be an employee or you. Hire this person as an independent contractor just for the work you need. A bookkeeper’s services may only be needed monthly as you figure your business numbers.
Automate or Delegate? If routine tasks start taking up valuable money making time in your schedule, it’s time to either automate or delegate. It’s all a matter of how you use your time—make money or waste money. You can earn money each hour by performing work, or you can waste money by doing every little thing yourself. A college student, high school student, or anyone who can work from a computer even part-time can free you to go out and market your business, the single most important thing a business owner does each day.
Whatever you do, make the most of your time. Being disorganized not only wastes hours every day, during which you could be making money, but it also is a tremendous stress producer. Getting your office, your schedule, and your day in order can make for a much more fulfilling and profitable home-service franchise. It can also leave some time to get enough rest, eat right, exercise, and stay positive about your future. Remember, it is your job to market, manage people and resources, manage money and dollar-denominated decisions, and seek out mentoring relationships where all can lead happier, more successful lives. An organized business life makes this possible.
On April 4, Rainbow International celebrated its first-ever Franchisee Appreciation Day, a gesture designed as a show of support to Rainbow International’s approximately 285 franchisees worldwide. Rainbow International is a home restoration company whose franchises offer smoke, fire, and water damage restoration services as well as carpet cleaning for commercial and residential clients.
The Franchisee Appreciation Day celebration included a handwritten note of appreciation written to every single franchise owner, and a thank-you video from the Rainbow International corporate staff. As a corporate office, The Dwyer Group® brands are always striving to give their franchisees a little extra motivation. As you explore franchises for sale, don’t forget to look for a franchise that’s committed to your success and to a good corporate culture.
FEEDBACK FROM FRANCHISEES
“Thank you so much for the support and for believing in us. We are very proud to carry the Rainbow International Restoration & Cleaning torch. It is always about doing the right thing for our customers.”
“We’re feeling the love. Thanks for the video, Rainbow International corporate office.”
It was at the end of the first Gulf War when franchising visionary and The Dwyer Group founder, Don Dwyer, had an inspirational idea: empower military veterans to get into business for themselves yet not by themselves. That vision grew into VetFran, a program designed to incentivize former veterans to become new franchise owners. Over the years, The Dwyer Group has expanded that program to include more than 400 franchise brands across the country and is extending the vision again.
This time, however, the company is pioneering a program designed to salute law enforcement officers and firefighters and to help our community’s heroes get into business for themselves through franchise incentives.
The new program, Public Protectors Franchise Advantage Program (PPFA), launched on March 20 and offers 20 percent off the minimum franchise fee for any current or former fulltime law enforcement officer or firefighter with a minimum of two years of full-time service.
“There are so many incredible heroes in everyday life,” said Dina Dwyer-Owens, Chairwoman and CEO of The Dwyer Group. “The Public Protectors Franchise Advantage Program is there to salute them and help them venture into business ownership. We are hopeful many other franchise brands will support this initiative, much like how they supported VetFran.”
To promote the PPFA launch, The Dwyer Group will waive the initial franchise fee for a qualifying individual. The value of the franchise award will range from $26,000 to $29,500, depending on the franchise brand selected. To view the full list of qualifications or to nominate yourself or someone else for the award, please visit our nomination portal at:
One of the greatest fears small business owners must overcome when considering joining a franchise is, What if I lose my current customers? Many mom-and-pop business owners are forced to weigh the benefits of buying a franchise against the costs of re-branding and the potential brand confusion and loss of customer loyalty. A name change is a very involved process, from financial and legal documents to letterhead, marketing materials, and uniforms.
With proper and consistent communication to your existing customers, the good news is that you can bring your longstanding clients along with you to the next stage of your business’s journey. Franchisors have a great arsenal of marketing tools that you can use to inform the community and to get them excited about the coming changes: not just a new logo and colors, but a commitment at the core of your business to keep moving forward.
Take Lee Eppley, for example, owner of The Grounds Guys® of Southeast Charlotte in North Carolina. Eppley had been involved in landscaping for 22 years through his previous company, Final Touch Landscaping and Irrigation, Inc. Upon turning 38 last year, he realized that he had hit a glass ceiling in the very competitive Charlotte market, so he turned to The Grounds Guys as a way to drive forward his business with a national brand name.
To ensure the smooth transition for the re-branding, he followed steps laid out by The Grounds Guys corporate office. He sent out an initial letter to customers, telling them that the change was coming and why. Soon afterwards, their branding switched over from red trucks to white with The Grounds Guys logo on the side, and his crew added The Grounds Guys’ bright yellow uniforms. At the three-month mark, he sent out another round of letters to former, current, and potential customers again in what Eppley calls a “half-time show,” announcing the re-branding. When they reach six months, The Grounds Guys of Southeast Charlotte plans to host their public Grand Opening to attract new customers.
“You need to reinvest in yourself, and with a team of people behind you, you can do it,” says Eppley.
Another individual that recently re-branded his business into a The Grounds Guys franchise is Phil Klemme, owner of The Grounds Guys of Union, Mo. Klemme began working at Platt Nursery and Landscaping in 1983 and purchased the landscaping part of the business in 2004, renaming it Platt Landscaping, LLC. After a poorly performing year in 2011, hit hard by the recession in a county with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, Klemme decided that once again, a monumental change was needed for the business.
“I felt like I wasn’t able to do my job well, and I didn’t have the marketing support I needed,” said Klemme. After officially signing on with The Grounds Guys in late 2011, Platt Landscaping re-wrapped its trucks in December and held its official grand opening on February 1, 2012. He informed his existing customers of the change through direct mail pieces, door hangers, and through partnerships with the local Chamber of Commerce and community organizations.
Klemme also spread the word through public relations efforts, including an article in the local paper and a radio interview about the brand change. Even though the process had a few bumps along the way, including a short gap between when Klemme’s old website went down and his new one went live, Klemme believes that franchising allows him to have to worry less about “management distractions,” with so much operations support provided by the franchisor.
As a franchise owner, promoting your brand to the community is still a very big job. However, the marketing, operations, and public relations franchise support that companies such as The Dwyer Group® provides allows you to focus your energy on other ways to improve your business plan.
Eppley explains, “When you sign the papers, you are driving the change, but it’s the change that ends up driving you, forcing you to change your business for the better and to use difference resources.” Many franchise owners benefit from implementing new processes such as The Dwyer Group’sfrontline program and Code of Values. During Eppley’s transition process, he did say goodbye to a few of his Final Touch Landscaping & Irrigation customers. However, he reports that they were quickly replaced by new customers of The Grounds Guys.
Many people dream of owning their own business. Many dream of working with a company that has strong moral values and a support system in place that will assist them in their business. Franchising with The Dwyer Group offers those systems and a set of values that allows people to feel comfortable, secure, and confident as they make the transition from a small business to franchising.
1. Support System
When a problem comes up in a small business, it isn’t possible to look to competitors for assistance; they won’t divulge solutions since they are competing with you. Through franchising, however, you gain a lifeline of support for problems that may arise in your business.
“They [fellow franchisees] are doing what you do in their business everyday and there’s somebody out there that’s run into the exact same problem that you’re running into. You’re able to get the answers,” Cary Hooper, Rainbow International®, said.
Franchisees of The Dwyer Group’s seven home-service companies have the ability to call fellow franchisees or the corporate office for help to solve these problems. There are a number of knowledgeable people available who have faced the same problems and there are systems in place universal for the entire company.
2. More Freedom Although the first years of starting a franchise may be time intensive, eventually, your staff will be able to focus on running the labor, allowing you to focus on running the business and freeing up some of your time for family and recreation.
“It took a while for the business to grow where we are today. It seemed when we started, we took on a few more “hats,” but putting the systems to work, finding some key people, and a lot of faith and prayer, we moved forward and today we’re able to take weeks off sometimes, so that’s good,” said Rainbow International franchisees Joy and Kevin Beirne.
3. Brand Recognition
Franchising with The Dwyer Group provides a wide range of brand recognition that small businesses don’t offer. The Dwyer Group name in itself brings years of business excellence, including the current title of one of the best companies to work for in Texas for four straight years, named by Texas Monthly magazine. The Dwyer Group also was recently featured on an episode of the CBS hit reality show “Undercover Boss,” where the company name and values were viewed on a national scale.
“This episode ranks among the most powerful and moving episodes of ‘Undercover Boss,’” said Chris Carlson, executive producer of “Undercover Boss.”
The Dwyer Group also has seven franchise brands under its umbrella. The seven brands include Aire Serv®, Glass Doctor®, The Grounds Guys®, Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric®, Mr. Rooter®, and Rainbow International®. These company brands have been at the top of their respective industries for many years and their systems and values have been proven and are paired with The Dwyer Group company values.
“I think that if we become a franchise, we have the years that The Dwyer Group has been doing this with franchising and knowing what to do with those systems. I’ve always been looking for systems,” Gary Fouts said while at future franchisee orientation in Waco, Texas, while considering purchasing a The Grounds Guys franchise.
Franchising with The Dwyer Group allows people’s business and personal goals to become reality. There is a support system in place that allows for sharing of best practices among franchises and the corporate office. Franchising opens doors for more freedom, personally and professionally, and on top of everything else, The Dwyer Group and its seven service franchises provides a solid branding benefit. Dreams of owning your own franchise with a company that holds strong moral and ethical values can become reality franchising with The Dwyer Group.
As February drew to a close last week, The Dwyer Group® celebrated a milestone, the largest-ever orientation of future franchisees at its headquarters in Waco, Texas. The dynamic group of 45 outgrew the company’s Training Lodge and had to move over to the nearby Hilton in downtown Waco.
CEO and Chairwoman Dina Dwyer-Owens commented on the successful event, “Our service brands’ growth and achievements speak volumes in today’s economy that the right team and the right systems are in place. In the state of our economy, more and more people are looking at franchise ownership and our service brands have stood out as the right choice. Already serving the U.S. and Canada with more than 1,300 franchise locations, our growing number of franchisees is proof of the positive impact that The Dwyer Group can make. The 45 future franchisees that we greeted last week is a testament to that.”
Several of the participants in last week’s orientation took a few moments to reflect on their journey in the franchising process that had brought them to The Dwyer Group’s door, and shared some of their reactions to the orientation event.
We believe that The Dwyer Group service brands attract franchisees because of our commitment to our mission, vision and Code of Values, which in turn create a family business atmosphere.
Every franchisee has a story. Each new franchise owner brings a host of skills and leadership abilities to his business that is different from the last.
Future Aire Serv® franchise owner Larry Colley is no exception. Colley joined the Army at the age of 17 and began a 21-year career in the 82nd Airborne Division and the U.S. Army Special Forces. With deployments spanning from Somalia to Iraq, Colley received many accolades over his military tenure, including the prestigious Bronze Star. However, Colley had always dreamed with his father of starting his own business.
A TIME article recently highlighted why veterans make excellent entrepreneurs—both are “hard working, dedicated, disciplined, multi-skilled, and self-sufficient… they are strong-willed individuals who put the mission before the man.”
Colley had the leadership skills it takes to own and manage a business: “I’ve spent my entire career leading, teaching, and mentoring,” he says. He also has experience in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry, but didn’t have the tools it took to strike out entirely on his own. After hearing about The Dwyer Group and Aire Serv®, he saw franchising as his solution.
After being approved to open an Aire Serv franchise, the greatest barrier to entry remaining for Colley was the initial franchise fee. Even with his 25% VetFran discount, a daunting figure of over $50,000 still remained. Colley pledged to pay down 20% of the fee, but stumbled across an innovative solution to raise the remaining $42,000.
Boost a Hero is a brand new program powered by startup company Sprigster that allows veterans to raise funds for franchising through crowdfunding, a means of soliciting micro-donations from large groups of people through social media. Through Boost a Hero, Colley will be able to tell his story to a mass audience and will connect with potential donors online.
Boost a Hero’s official fundraising website launched on Saturday, Feb. 11, and is gaining traction online and in the franchising and military communities. Donations start at $1, and result in increasing “perks” as a thank you from The Dwyer Group and Colley personally. For donors, the program allows them to support transitioning veterans in a tangible way. For franchisors, the program helps decrease barriers to entry and in turn, grows their franchise network.
Colley’s wife, Tracy, is also a veteran, and his son, Justin, is currently serving in Afghanistan with plans to return to Florida and join his parents’ new business. Larry Colley’s story as a business owner is just beginning, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him officially to The Dwyer Group family.
With autumn here and firmly entrenched, it’s time to give your company’s holiday marketing schedule some serious consideration. The holidays are one of the best times to reach your customers. Sluggish summer habits get a burst of energy with the snap of the cold and the thought of holiday parties and gift giving. Use this time wisely to attract more customers, and to better serve your current clients.
1.) Make plans: It’s easy to foresee using a fall and winter marketing schedule, but less clear cut to actually establish one. Plan for the holiday months early, and determine any promotions or discounts you’d like to run. Coordinate these promotions with your bursts of advertising or direct mail—haphazard planning in this regard has been many a company’s downfall.
2.) Utilize a direct mail campaign: Once you’ve run the numbers and determined which promotions or marketing you can afford to run, use direct mail campaigns to educate your customers. Consider synching your mailing campaign with promotional e-mails, blog updates, and social media promotion. The more cohesive, the better.
3.) Make your company website holiday appropriate: This doesn’t mean changing the company colors to red and green and posting a garish, bright holiday banner across the top of the page. In fact, we might recommend against such updates. However, talk to your graphics and web designers about sprucing up the company page with a few little holiday reminders. For inspiration in this regard, think Google’s mostly subtle logo changes. It never hurts for a few quick prompt about the holidays to jog a customer’s memory.
4.) Update website user-friendliness: It’s reasonable to expect higher website traffic in the fall and winter months, mostly due to the circumstances of the weather and events. For companies in the home repair business, you can bet things will start going wrong the day before a customer’s house party, or just when the temperature dips below freezing. Be prepared for an influx of web traffic by updating parts of the company website. If you’re in the retail business, is your shopping cart button prominent on every page? Is it simple to purchase from your company? The last thing you need is a lengthy product purchase process that allows customers to get distracted and put off buying. Consider utilizing wishlists or other interactive ways to encourage turning one time buyers in loyal customers.
5.) Utilize SEO: Like we mentioned in our previous blog on SEO, don’t be afraid to make your company as search-friendly as possible. This might include upping the number of blog posts, or changing the titles of your pages to include some more relevant search terms.
At the heart of the matter, all that this comes down to is effective preparation. Be sure that you’re ready for the changing weather and tides of consumerism. Have quality staff, effective promotions and proper schedules set aside. Such arrangements can mean the difference between coming into the holiday months blind and coming in prepared.
One of the more hidden aspects of marketing is SEO, and it’s crucial. You may read SEO and be tempted to bury your head in the sand, but we’re here to tell you that it can make a world of difference—and that it’s not as scary or time-consuming as it sounds.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it can be summarily described as the Google-ability of your company. There are a multitude of tips and tricks that can launch your website up the search engine ranks, and many of them just require a few quick tweaks to your existing practices. SEO has exploded in recent years, with books, papers, and professions being built around the practice of maneuvering websites higher up search engines. There have been some scandals, mostly with some companies abusing the system by flooding the internet with extra tags and claims for products that they don’t actually sell, or that doesn’t accurately represent their websites. For the most part, however, an SEO campaign can be a clever way to boost yourself above your competition, and it cannot be ignored.
To really begin to understand the web of SEO, it’s necessary to delve into the basics and work your way up. Search engines like Google rank pages based on a few secret formulas, but it’s fairly universally understood that more legitimate pages rank higher. For example, your unknown company blog will appear more credible if a legitimate page links to you, and thus your blog will rank higher. There are plenty of qualifications for legitimate pages. Some are simply established by age, some are established by popularity, some, like Facebook and Twitter, are megaliths in their own rights. The beauty of this is that you can link your Facebook pages to your blog or website, and Google automatically recognizes this as a more legitimate page than one with no links. Promote cross linking between all of your pages to encourage the flow of traffic and SEO optimization.
In that same vein, having links and references on your page will also optimize your SEO. Another way to increase your visibility is to make sure the titles of your pages reflect your company succinctly. The Google search spiders don’t look at website pages as we do, they scour the HTML and plaintext, and therefore they won’t be impressed by your fancy images, but they will scan the first few words of your titles. Titles that reflect your business will be turned into keywords and your page will be more accurately discovered in Google.
Tags and keywords are another way to increase your SEO. At the end of each of your blog posts, having descriptive keywords and tags not only organizes your site for your visitors, it provides the search engines with a way to classify your page. Make sure you have a variety of tags—for example, this blog post might have the tags SEO optimization, social media, marketing, small business optimization, franchising, etc. Be sure not to overtag, as search engines frown upon it. If you overtag your website with inapplicable terms like “shoe shopping, free dental work, and Leonardo DiCaprio,” you may find yourself booted out of the system and back to square one.
SEO is a wonderful tool because it allows you to exert a finer degree of control over where your website appears on the internet. The tips above are simple, yet effective tricks to move your page up from page 234 of Google to perhaps page 10—and more advanced research can lead you to page one, and the multitude of profit potential that exists in such a place.
