One Ohio man has made the switch from tedious to tremendous with the help of North America’s fastest growing building restoration franchise.
Introduced to Restoration 1 by a franchise broker, Ken Sellers purchased his franchise in Cincinnati in January of 2016. Now, just over a year later, there’s no doubt it’s been the best decision he’s made in his professional life.
After spending 16 years in corporate America, the last few as Vice President of National Account Sales for one of the largest manufactures of professional cleaning equipment in the world, Sellers knew he was ready for something new.
“For me, I needed a life change,” Sellers said. “I was traveling constantly, away from my family, sitting in way too many useless meetings, presenting endless PowerPoints, and reviewing mind numbing spreadsheets. There had to be a better way.”
That better way turned out to be franchise ownership with Restoration 1. Headquartered in Waco, TX, Restoration 1 offers emergency restoration services for water, mold, fire and smoke damage for home and business.
An army veteran of four years with the Calvary, Sellers said he was attracted to franchise ownership over starting a business from scratch by the ability to be handed a “playbook” for success. The franchise has also been incredibly supportive in helping him get started as quickly as possible.
Although he compared getting the franchise off the ground to “drinking from a fire hose,” due to the amount of learning involved, Sellers also acknowledged that Restoration 1 walked him through the entire process from the time he purchased his franchise right up until the doors opened.
“Restoration 1 instructed me on what certifications I needed to obtain, provided me with the necessary training, instructed me on what equipment was needed, business insurance requirements, etc,” he said. “Basically, anything and everything I needed to know and get to start and run my business was covered in the ramp up process by Restoration 1.”
Getting Schooled
The training Restoration 1 gave Sellers included both class room and in the field hands-on training that covered everything from how to market the business, sell the services, perform the actual restorations, bill clients, process accounts receivables and everything else a business owner would need to know.
Sellers also had high praise for the ongoing support Restoration 1 provides to him, noting that anytime he has a question or needs help, all he has to do is call the franchise to talk with someone.
Plus, the Restoration 1 family of franchisees is extremely accommodating.
“I also get support from other Restoration 1 franchise owners too, which is very helpful,” Sellers said. “It’s great to be able to call other owners and ask them what’s working or not working for them, or troubleshooting through unique situations.”
Sellers said anyone who is thinking about getting on board with Restoration 1 should absolutely do it, especially if they’re looking to get out of the corporate rat race.
“This is probably the best benefit to owning a franchise,” Sellers said. “My work/life balance has greatly improved. I am home virtually every night. And I haven’t missed one of my kids sporting events since I made the change.”
A franchise that is able to restore work/life balance to normal would be a good fit for anyone who thinks theirs has gotten a little unbalanced.