As franchising has become popular during the past 50 years, water damage franchises brands began popping up as well. But what is a water damage franchise?
- What should a water damage franchise include?
- What features and/or benefits should they bring to you?
- Are any of them better than "going it alone?"
Some water damage franchises start their sales pitch by telling you how much of their "super good equipment" you are required to buy (from them, cha-ching!) before you become one of their franchises. Others brands will brag about how many franchises they've sold. Does this imply you shouldn't bother doing your own research; that you should rely on the decision-making abilities of those that came before you?
Believe it or not, some water damage franchises will teach you how to find work through under-handed pay-off schemes... to simply "buy work." They say this with a straight face! This would imply a short cut to being smart, strategic and service oriented, but not likely a promising, long range plan.
Few water damage franchise brands ever mention words like management systems, organizational leadership, etc. ... the very things that can define your success or failure in most businesses; restoration no exception. Franchising (in any industry) does not exempt you from becoming a "businessperson" in your thinking and among your talents. A good franchisor should bring this training. Their on-going support should coach and develop you as an executive. Business skill, not drying skills, decide the winners and losers in the restoration industry.
I wish I could report the water damage and restoration business to be a simple business, a business where you send out a few flyers, sit back and take calls; one job at a time, never overwhelming, never confusing. I would add that great employees would fall from the sky at the moment you need them. Interviewing, screening, nor management systems would matter. But none of this would be true.
I'd like to say that insurance companies will pay you huge amounts of money with no requirements on quality or customer service. But I can't. This is a great business in which to invest your talents; not because great things come easy, but because they're possible.
Good marketing, management systems and professional delivery of service is what the water damage industry and all insurance restoration will demand of you. With these in place, a good restoration company can grow year after year. Our track record proves this.
One water damage franchise, STOP Restoration, is built on business fundamentals and decades of marketing and management consulting work in the water damage, restoration and construction industries. Without a foundation of management talent, you might do a few jobs with perfect success. But if you want to find big success, you'll need systems and mentors to guide you to build and manage a staff, control your resources, and plan the growth of your company.
Good work alone won't build a company. Planning, staffing, organizing and control are keys to success.
STOP Restoration is an in-depth program of industry training (both technical and administrative) with continuous face-to-face training and on-call support. Over four decades in the water damage and restoration industry has refined our training and systems. And our technical training staff is made up of some of the country's top names in restoration competence.
STOP will give you an excellent opportunity to apply and further develop your marketing and management skills in an industry where there is always room for someone that delivers "RESTORATION ...done right the first time."
