Interview with a Home Business Owner

Interview with a Home Business Owner

Home Business Frontiers asked a Puroclean franchise owner about his experience finding and starting a home-based business:

In 2005, after 29 years of experience working for large corporations as an IT professional, John wanted to pursue a different career. He started to look on the Internet for possible opportunities.

The primary thing John was looking for was a good income. He knew he needed that within the first few months. The second thing John focused on was the business model: He asked, "Could I comprehend and buy into the model? Within the model, what were the pieces that made it work? Were all of those pieces viable? Were there any weak links? Did I have to make 100 sales a day to be successful? Were there any holes in the process? And would I be happy doing the work?"

John also realized that "Part of the process is to evaluate yourself and your skill sets. What business do you fit best? Is it customer service? Do you have those skills? Is it sales? Do you have those skills?"

As John talked to different companies offering home-based business opportunities, he was looking for honesty and cautious of companies bragging or stretching the truth. "It's one of the biggest changes and turning points of your whole life," he said. "I was looking for a business opportunity that was viable - not hype."

John decided to work with a franchise broker who asked him several questions that were very valuable: 'How much money do you need to make the first year, and how much in years after that?" and "Is there any job that you would not do?"

After going through the process, John offers sound advice: "Take time for a good self-assessment. And find a broker or someone to help you. Just like looking for a house, you don't need a realtor. But it sure helps if you've never done it before."

John became a franchisee with Puroclean - a restoration services franchise specializing in fire and water damage. He was a Puroclean franchisee for less than six months when the tropical storm Alberto made its way through central North Carolina in June 2006. When John received 30 calls for help from distressed homeowners in just two days, his carefully designed processes proved insufficient for the great surge in demand for his restoration services. Luckily, John received the support he needed from neighboring Puroclean franchisees who provided additional equipment, tech support and product ordering assistance to manage most of the crisis situations and build credibility with local insurance agents.

"It's really important to have a system with the kind of network that can provide critical support in an emergency situation," said John. "This aspect of the Puroclean business model attracted me to the franchise opportunity."

John is looking forward to growing his Puroclean business as the franchise system expands across the nation. "The leaders of PuroSystems have laid the foundation for this business to quickly become one of the major players in the mitigation and restoration industry, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the bright future of this company," said John.

John's franchise is a home-based business. He has 3 teenage children ages 14 to 18. "My house is a whirlwind of activity," he says. "I have an office in the basement where I have quiet space and spend 50% of my home-office time. My family understands and respects that. The other 50% is in the family room with my laptop. It's a pretty nice setup."

John puts a great deal of his life energy into his new business. "I am obsessive about staying on top of things. Each week, 40 hours are spent in the field doing work. And 20 to 25 hours I am at home doing paperwork. The business is growing rapidly." John was one of the top first year Puroclean startups in the country in 2006.

Although John is extremely busy growing his Puroclean franchise, he still finds time to take his teens snowboarding and to coach several of their soccer teams. The home based business is working out very well.