This Husband-and-Wife Team Has More Free Time and a Better Work-Life Balance as Grand Welcome Franchise Owners
After four months as Grand Welcome franchisees, Stacey English and Matt Witmer of Breckenridge, Colorado, see a clear path for achieving their financial goals. “We both worked in the travel industry, but when Covid hit, we started looking for job security,” English says.
“In the past, as property owners, we had worked with management companies. We thought we could do a better job with it. We did a lot of research before going with Grand Welcome. We liked how they interacted with property owners and guests. It felt like family. We were one of the first three franchises, and we wanted to get in early.” Homeowners sign up with Grand Welcome franchisees who rent their properties to vacationers and take care of maintenance.
Witmer and English feel confident about their Summit County, Colorado, territory. “It includes Breckenridge, Copper and Keystone, which are huge ski destinations in winter,” English says. “In summer, there’s hiking, biking and fishing.” She is from the East Coast and someday might like to have a beach territory there, “but we want to grow this first.” They have one full-time assistant on staff, manage 10 properties now and expect to sign four more shortly. They often recruit owners with the assistance of real estate agents, and they market their properties on 30-plus websites.
The married couple aren’t financially independent just yet, but foresee it “in the very near future,” she says. They already appreciate having more free time and better work-life balance than in previous jobs. “We’re our own bosses, and we enjoy working together and developing personal relationships with owners and guests.”