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Category Archive: Franchise News

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

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    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.

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

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    Florida East Shack Shine Franchise Owner Alex Blackwell

    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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