Shack Shine Blog

Category Archive: Franchise News

1. A Business Built For People to Thrive

   August 30, 2023 2:28 pm Comments Off on A Business Built For People to Thrive

   

   It was people—more specifically, people being treated well—that sparked Caleb Schutter’s entrepreneurial journey. What he learned along the way? Creating incredible employee AND customer experiences doesn’t happen by mistake. What made the difference and got him closer to his vision of a people-centric business where everyone thrives? Finding the right franchise fit.

   The beginnings were simple. In Caleb’s words:

   “I saw a lot of people in the area not treating their employees very well. And I thought ‘Hey, let’s start up a business that actually looks at the front line guys and can take care of them and have a two-way relationship.’ 

   A couple of side hustles and attempts at intentional small businesses later, Caleb found himself stumped, bumping up against knowing how to create the systems he needed to start a business well. It might not be everyone’s next thought after countless hours of self-teaching and attempts at sorting out the details, but in this case, Caleb’s lightbulb moment was ‘Let’s look at a franchise!’

   The established (and successful) systems of a franchise answered the ‘How am I going to do this?’ question – and armed Caleb with the skills and confidence to kick off his business ownership and get opened ASAP. And why Shack Shine? It was the perfect pairing of Caleb’s past experience—moving water and air for manufacturing companies where some of the processes he was responsible for involved cleaning—and his desire to launch and grow his business inside a proven set of systems, with the support of incredible coaches and subject matter experts available to help when the need arises.

   Learning that Caleb’s a big people person (chalk it up, in part, to his time in sales in corporate America where he was a constant contact + support system for his customers from beginning to end), he’s most excited about the team he’s going to build. That, and bringing Shack Shine into more homes and more home-maintenance plans and budgets across West Michigan. He’s got all the local Shack Shine businesses in mind: 

   “If I’m doing well, then I know Ann Arbor over on the east side is going to do fantastic, and the guys down in Chicago are going to do great too. A rising tide raises all boats.”

   While Michigan has its reputation for being on the cold (read: really cold) side of things through part of the year, West Michigan has some unique quirks that set it apart. Like: 

   Did you know it’s got a ‘Medical Mile’ that’s known for medical manufacturing (in fact, the yellow stretchers used by the NFL for injured players are made right in Kalamazoo!). 

   And, Kalamazoo is also the beer capital of the world with the most microbreweries in one town!

   There’s more to the area—obviously—yet when it comes to random facts that could win you a question or two in Jeopardy, you’ve got these two facts in your backpocket! (Caleb says ‘You’re welcome!’)

   Outside his Grand Rapids Shack Shine business, Caleb’s passion for people extends to his family of four; where active living, soccer, other side businesses and a personal practice in jiu jitsu make up time he spends solo and with his wife and kids. ANd inside? He’s shooting to be the best business owner and employer he can be – and to take his business beyond one city; aiming to serve all the way from Kalamazoo to Traverse City. 

   Looking for a great team to grow your own career with? Or, seeking some home services in the Grand Rapids and surrounding area? Reach out to Caleb and his team here – and be sure to say hey if you see him out on the soccer field when the weekend rolls around!

2. Growing Through Challenge; How the Estevez Family Came to Houston North West

   2:36 pm Comments Off on Growing Through Challenge; How the Estevez Family Came to Houston North West

   

   The global pandemic caused many people and families to pivot all over the globe. For Jorge Estevez and his family, that pivot brought them into a new business, in a new country, with a new access to a life and lifestyle where their values of family, adventure, the great outdoors and teamwork define their every day – and their vision for their future. 

   Hailing from Mexico City, where Jorge was previously a hotel manager, it had been years where the Estevez family had considered making some kind of move to make their love of an outdoor lifestyle—time in nature, bicycling as a family, and camping—a greater part of their day to day. The vastness of Mexico City made those activities slightly out of reach – and with a full-on schedule inside the hospitality industry, Jorge found himself wanting something more for the whole family. 

   In 2020 when the global pandemic first started showing its ripple effects in every country, and into different industries, Jorge started thinking more intently about making a move to the USA; specifically to start a business. Being 45 at the time with two young kids and a very supportive wife, Belen, encouraging him to take the leap, Jorge sensed this was his chance to chase a dream of being an entrepreneur. Some time in research about where to start a business, contact with franchise experts and one big move later, the family landed in Texas – and launched their Houston North West franchise.

   Among all the franchises the Estevez family explored, Shack Shine stood out as the business for them because of how much potential there was in learning and becoming masters of the services, and getting to pour their care into peoples’ homes. And, because they saw how they could cultivate the life and lifestyle they really wanted while running the business; where time outside and adventuring as a family was as much of a priority as growing a successful franchise.

   All of that in mind, the transition into entrepreneurship—a new business, a new city, a new country—held ample challenges. Challenge, in their words, that has made them all stronger; where they have watched their hard work, focus and dedication turn into a real, thriving business that they live and breathe.

   So – what’s the future of Shack Shine Houston North West? Growing bigger, continuing to get stronger as a team, and making their franchise the best detailing option for their community. That – and more time on their bikes, meals filled with good food and great people, and quality time with their loved ones. If that’s not living the entrepreneurship dream, we don’t know what is.

3. A Lifetime of Entrepreneurship, A Legacy for the Future

   2:45 pm Comments Off on A Lifetime of Entrepreneurship, A Legacy for the Future

   

   For some entrepreneurs, business ownership is a lifetime, and a lifelong, career and pursuit. Marcio Benedetti is one of those business owners; someone who’s been in ownership and operation for a large part of his life. When it comes to his current business—his Shack Shine business currently serving Orlando South—he’s got a ceiling from his previous business along with a vision of leaving a meaningful legacy for his daughters to thank as the catalyst for helping him find and pursue the magic of being a Shack Shine franchise partner.

   When we say ‘lifetime business owner’, we mean it; Marcio has been a self-made entrepreneur since about 13 years old. Drawn to the challenge of business ownership and with a sincere enjoyment in every aspect of business—customers, employees, marketing, operations—Marcio approaches his customers with a focus on treating them like family; a core tenant to all his businesses – Shack Shine inclusive.

   Finding Shack Shine was part timing-, part chance-, and part change-fuelled. Shortly after moving his family to Orlando, Florida (after living in Washington, DC for 11 years), Marcio didn’t sense he was in the space, or that it was the time, to grow his cleaning company.  Since there was so much change already afoot, he knew whatever he did next he’d need a sense of support to make it happen. Accessing a system where sales, marketing and overall support were all in one place fit the bill very nicely.

   One of the ways Marcio wanted, and has been able, to leverage the franchise model is around growth. Scaling—while a challenge in his previous cleaning business—has been able to happen fast – which he credits to franchising. And a big draw to Shack Shine? Its relationship to 1-800-GOT-JUNK?’s tenure and stellar systems.

   Beyond the great brand recognition and reliable and proven systems, Marcio’s experience in home flipping and renovations gave him exposure to the home detailing industry – making Shack Shine a relevant business to his professional expertise. Yet, the biggest draw to the business wasn’t any of those reasons – but the magic around this business. In Marcio’s words:

   ‘Offering something simple but making it exceptional for the customer…that really spoke to me.’ 

   Since moving to Orlando, Marcio and his family have learned a lot about the area. One thing that stands out? How much pride people take in their homes, and how many opportunities there are to help them bring out the best in their exterior home care – no matter the season. Marcio even made sure to note how excited the Christmas light season gets him!

   He’s in it to keep up his lifetime journey of entrepreneurship alive, to serve his customers with a feeling of family, and to focus on family outside the business itself; Marcio’s out to create a meaningful legacy for his two daughters: something they can be proud of. 

   It’s been a thrill to watch Marcio grow his business since it launched in 2021 – and we can’t wait to see what he does with it in the years to come!

4. A Well-Timed Leap Into A Long Time Goal; How Houston West Landed Their Own Shack Shine

   2:57 pm Comments Off on A Well-Timed Leap Into A Long Time Goal; How Houston West Landed Their Own Shack Shine

   

   The idea got planted in California, and the business got built in Texas. That’s the beauty of friends starting new, exciting chapters, and you starting one too…in a whole other state and city. Because if the Shack Shine franchise in San Diego was freshly launched – that didn’t mean that Texas wasn’t primed and ready for a franchise of its own, right? Right.

   It wasn’t that simple – yet that’s the story of Max Peon and the Houston Shack Shine. Well part of it, at least. 

   The stars aligned when a friend introduced Max to Shack Shine: he was at the precipice of a personal transition (a move to Texas), with a career’s worth of experience in helping other people build companies, and a healthy sense of urgency in chasing a lifelong dream of starting his own business.

   After learning about Shack Shine, Max reached out to the franchising team to see what the possibilities in his prospective territory looked like. At the time, the franchise in that area was taken; someone had paid for it and was just about to move to open the business. Slightly disappointed but still curious about other business ownership opportunities, Max continued looking for other options. Then, an unexpected message landed in his inbox: the move didn’t go through, and the franchise in his specific territory was freshly available.

   Building his own business delivers on a longtime desire to do for himself what he spent years doing for other people: bringing his expertise and experience in systems and processes (an Engineer by trade, he’s got this skill dialled) to build thriving businesses. With a career’s worth of experience offering his skills to others, he’s ready to see his focus and attention to detail show up in the kind of business, kind of community and kind of team he can build on his own. His version of success? Putting in the hard work and reflecting on the goals he’s able to achieve along the way. 

   Landing in Houston’s West side, Max has found himself establishing his community and his business surrounded by people just like him; families with family homes that they care for and care about. The community’s got major growth potential – meaning so does the families he can support in caring for their properties.

   Beyond working to grow and expand his business, Max is in pursuit of a life filled with movement, family, and friends. He’s living into a purpose of helping people and finding ways to bring his skills and passion for how processes can make life—and business—flow with so much ease, enjoyment, and space to expand into.

5. Customer Service and Community; Aaron Kaufman’s Focused on People

   July 12, 2023 10:29 am Comments Off on Customer Service and Community; Aaron Kaufman’s Focused on People

   

   Who would know the value of training and operations in making a business run, and grow, smoothly? A Training and Operations expert, of course. Aaron Kaufman is an owner of a Shack Shine franchise in North East Atlanta and he’s bringing a seasoned career in customer service, training, and operations to his freshly-launched business. 

   What does that mean for homeowners in North East Atlanta? Well-trained teams, seamless communication, and service experiences that aim to exceed expectations; that’s the kind of business that requires 17 years of corporate knowledge, skills and abilities (coupled with a lifelong dream of entrepreneurship!) can create.  

   The leap into business ownership and entrepreneurship came at a time when Aaron was looking for something more. After 17 years in the insurance industry, crossing over from customer service to operations and into training, he had outpaced his growth potential (in his words!) and was looking for a new challenge and a different adventure. Knowing the immense power of stellar systems and brand recognition that comes with purchasing a franchise, he saw the route as the perfect blend of autonomy in entrepreneurship to help navigate his journey into ownership. 

   Working with a Franchise Broker, he found Shack Shine and knew his community was a perfect fit for a business focused on services to help homeowners take thoughtful, season-less care of their homes. The Northeast Atlanta metro area—specifically Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton, and Suwanee—is rich in natural beauty with ample greenspace, trees and parks – and that beauty is reflected in the beautiful homes and neighborhoods in the area, with homeowners keen to take quality care of their homes.

   Aaron’s got a long term vision for bringing great experiences to his community in the years to come; to create a business that’s rooted in longstanding relationships with his team members, customers. While growing his business and his team, he’s also excited to continue expanding his personal pursuits; travelling with his wife, spending quality family time with their two pets, and further exploring his creative outlet—performing and producing music for local artists!.

   By the sounds of it, Aaron’s taking this opportunity of business ownership to see all the ways he can bring his vision to life – and we sure can’t wait to watch his journey.

   Welcome to the Shack Shine family, Aaron!

6. Eduardo’s Shiny Path to a Bright Future

   10:58 am Comments Off on Eduardo’s Shiny Path to a Bright Future

   

   We all have a different vision for what we do when we wrap up our individual working worlds and step into retirement. Similarly, we’ve all got different paths to that place; and for Eduardo Barajas and his family, the road to their vision and version of retirement is fuelled by their Shack Shine franchise serving the Western communities of Austin, Texas. 

   While lots of owners consider launching their businesses as a way to step into their entrepreneurial dreams and aspirations, Eduardo’s pursuit of becoming a franchise partner and owning his own Shack Shine business wasn’t his first foray into leading a business. Previously, he was the CEO of his own accounting firm – meaning his business ownership toolkit was well-stocked when him and his family first started their search for a franchise to purchase that would not only fit their life and lifestyle, but fuel their vision for their future. 

   Landing on a YouTube video about Shack Shine as they were exploring franchise options, they were incredibly impressed with what they saw. As they dug deeper into the ownership experience, they connected the dots: Eduardo’s business experience, coupled with the systems & support of the Shack Shine franchise team came together as an incredible opportunity. Full of space to be creative, resources to help and support customers at a high level, and the chance to start a new, exciting business.

   Austin West landed a new home services company, led by Eduardo and supported by an incredible team of technicians. His aim is to bring stellar service to his community, continue to grow his Austin West team and expand into further communities, with the goal of creating a retirement for himself and his wife. And, to do all that while making space for living now; taking every chance he gets to spend time with his wife and creating memories that last today – and into the years that come!

   Learn more about the communities Eduardo’s team is supporting here.

7. Trusting His Timing; A Marketing Executive Takes An Entrepreneurial Leap

   1:44 pm Comments Off on Trusting His Timing; A Marketing Executive Takes An Entrepreneurial Leap

   

   Statistically speaking, the majority of our Franchise Partners don’t initially consider franchising when they start looking into business ownership opportunities. That, however, was not the case with Craig Sanderson. As a marketing professional, he had worked with owners in the franchising world throughout his career and had always been intrigued by the opportunity to build a business with existing brand strength and start-up support.

   Craig knew franchising was his ticket into entrepreneurship and, hes taken the leap as a Shack Shine Franchise Partner in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada since 2021.

   While building his career in the corporate world, the multidimensional and multi-responsibility nature of entrepreneurship was of deep curiosity to Craig. Supporting business owners, entrepreneurs and franchise owners, he was intrigued by their day-to-day; how they moved between customer service conversations to marketing strategy to finances – the prospect of jumping between tasks always excited him. He saw that same opportunity as a chance to challenge his own skillset, and so started a nearly 10-year search for the right opportunity to step into business ownership.

   The time in his search served him well. While Craig found different potential businesses along the way, he never felt fully aligned; whether it was the focus of the business itself, the culture or something else. When the ShackShine opportunity crossed his lap(top)/inbox, he knew he was ready: he was happy and confident with the amount of experience he’d gained from the corporate world, and felt like he had lots of time to continue to learn and grow in business. In his words: ‘I was right on the sweet spot.’

   Shack Shine hit home for Craig as a ‘perfect customer’ himself; a busy professional with a full work and family life, who knew (and knows!) the value and importance of house detailing, yet lacked the equipment or skill to do it well. And he knows he’s not the only one; he sees a whole demographic of people looking to offload this particular kind of service, and a massive market gap for the service itself.

   Now two years into business ownership, Craig is thriving as a leader invested in the people in and supporting his business; team members, customers, and the franchise development team.  This opportunity really opens the door for different relationships and stakeholders. His business supports the Ottawa area, where he grew up and returned to shortly before launching his franchise.

   His reminder for anyone visiting or living in Ottawa: remember not to take the history for granted that’s entwined within the city! It’s a town with something for everyone; whether you seek access to the outdoors or are an avid sports-lover like Craig. Sure, the winters are intense, yet it’s a place you can pursue something you’re passionate about—whether that’s filling a market gap with an exciting franchise opportunity like Craig did, or seasonless access to sporting life like his family—all year long. 

8. “Franchising is almost like a ‘cheat code’ for starting a business”

   September 26, 2022 1:46 pm Leave a Comment Chip Gordon knew he wanted to leave his factory job and be his own boss. So when his dad suggested a gutter cleaning business, and he discovered Shack Shine, Chip knew that was exactly what Cleveland East, Ohio needed! Now he’s our newest franchise owner, and making his dream of being a business owner a reality.  Q: What made you want to own a business?  When I first started working, I knew eventually I wanted to scale into working for myself. But, in order to do that I had to raise capital. So I went to work at a chemical factory, and purchased some investment properties. I said I would give myself a five year plan and then reassess and look at opportunities once I had enough capital to possibly look into starting my own business. So, that time came and I started venturing into that and looking around. Q: Why did you decide to go down the franchising route?  Franchising is almost like a cheat code for starting a business. It gives you a road map so you don’t have to worry about building something from the ground up or if the revenue is going to be there. It’s a tried and true system. You have the support there, you just have to start! It helps you be able to scale your business quickly, way faster than if you were starting out on your own. Q: Why now, what was it that made you take the leap? What did you do before this? The major deciding factor that now was the time to take the leap was because I was out at the chemical factory for five years, just waiting for the right opportunity. I was at a point where it started taking a toll on my mental health, and my body. It just wasn’t really working out for me. I also don’t have kids right now, so I thought if I’m gonna take a leap, now is a good time to start getting set up for the future. I own two houses that I can scale into an investment into the business. My heart just wasn’t in the factory work anymore. Q: How did you hear about Shack Shine originally?  My dad actually kind of planted the seed first when he suggested we get into gutter cleaning a while ago. I just thought “Okay, that’s cool”, but I still have a full-time job to tend to. So I kind of put it on the back burner. But then the opportunity came to start looking at franchises. So at first I was looking at a coffee shop, but then it seemed like the revenue for that and the returns just might not be there. Plus, it takes a lot more capital to get into that industry. So a friend of mine gave me the number to a franchise consultant and they gave me a list of a few companies to look at. The only one that really caught my attention was…gutter cleaners! I started looking at other cleaning companies, contacted a few, but Shack Shine was just always the one coming out on top. So I thought, “OK, maybe it’s a sign?” I should just pursue this company and see what they look like and how well they have performed. Q: What are you looking forward to most about being an owner? What’s your big goal – where do you see yourself taking this business?  Being able to be the boss of my own life, running my own show and getting established. I want to make people around here familiar with Shack Shine, as well as me as a person. I just want to be the known guy around town for house detailing service and become everybody’s go-to. I want to be the biggest house detailing company in Northeast Ohio. Q: Tell us about your territory – what makes it unique? Ohio has a lower cost of living, and high income areas. My territory covers basically that entire high income, middle to upper-middle class area where our target crowd is. It’s a great territory because I am going to be established in the neighbourhoods where our clientele are looking to get the services done because the revenue is there, and they value professional, quality services. Q: What do you like to do outside of work – what are your interests and passions?  I enjoy playing recreational sports every once in a while with my friends. I like to go out and have dinner with my friends, have a couple drinks and relax, talk about whatever. One of my friends actually owns his own franchise, too. So I’ll meet with him once or twice a week and we’ll just talk about franchising as a whole and new business stuff. He’s a great support. He’s told me “I’m going to send you jobs every single chance I get”, and I’ll do the same for him. He has a concrete business so if I ever see a driveway that needs refinishing, I’ll recommend him. We can exchange door hangers and lawn signs and really help each other out, which is great. Thank you and congratulations on your business, Chip! Find out more about our franchise opportunities here.

9. This Franchise Partner is Starting His “Second Act”

   July 3, 2020 2:29 pm Leave a Comment

   

   Shack Shine Franchise Partner Alex Blackwell talks relocating to Florida to start his new business, building a legacy he can pass on to his kids, and the benefits of being part of a franchising system: ‘it’s freedom within a framework’.

   Read his interview below.

   What made you want to own your own business… why now?

   I retired from a 33 year career in printing, and I’ve always wanted to own my own business, it was now or never. I’m probably older than the typical franchise partner coming in, but I see that as an advantage – because I can leverage my previous career and use that experience to build a profitable Shack Shine business. So really, the answer is now or never!

   And you’re moving from Kansas City to Florida East to start your business?

   Yes, my wife and I bought a home in Florida seven years ago, and we’ve always wanted to live there full time, but we were on the career track, raising kids – it just wasn’t possible. Now we’re at a point in our lives where 3 of our 4 children live on the east coast, with 3 grandchildren, so we want to be closer to them. I call this my second act in life. My first act was the 33 year career in printing in Kansas City, and now this is my second act in Florida as a business owner – and being more present as a grandparent.

   Why Shack Shine?

   Well, I wanted to invest in a business in home services. My wife and I love to work on homes. So home services was the market segment I wanted to invest in. And Shack Shine is a great fit with Florida, because the climate in Florida lends itself to year round service. It was a very modest investment too, so that was a factor, but I think the real ‘deal sealer’ was the culture at O2E Brands. It exceeded my expectations. Just the… honestly, it was just the quality of the people – how much they truly cared about my success, it just blew me away.

   And why franchising?

   Again, my dream was always to own my business. In one of Brian Scudamore’s Founders Stories podcast episodes, one of the franchise partners said: ‘it’s freedom within a framework’, and that sums it up for me really. I can finally own my own business, but I have the support and the framework of many successful people behind me. So that’s why a franchise.

   What are you looking forward to most about your new business, would you say?

   Just the ability to create something from scratch, and watching it grow into something valuable for my family, my community, and the employees that I hire – the team that I build.

   What’s motivating you, what’s the big goal?

   Well, as I said I’m a bit older, so ultimately I want to create a legacy – I want to sell my business to one of my children, be a part-time business owner, and then fully retired, sitting on the beach. But I still have plenty of gas in the tank before that happens!

   And finally, how are you involved in your community, what are your interests outside of work?

   We’re just moving into this community full time, so task one will be to continue to meet people and make friends, and learn about all the fun things that area has to offer. Before now we only spent a couple of weeks a year there, but now we get to live there, so getting involved in the community will be a big priority. As I mentioned before, me and my wife both love working on homes too, so we’re going to spend some time renovating the house. And spending time with our grandkids of course!

   Thanks Alex, and congratulations on your new business!

   Are you interested in learning more about our franchise opportunities? Get in touch!

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