Franchise Interviews 4.0

Welcome to Franchise Interviews! Today, we're thrilled to meet George Vodin of Fancy Art, NFP. Get ready for a great show!

Fancy Art, NFP is truly your one-stop shop for all your wall décor needs. Imagine owning a business that's not only profitable but genuinely fun to go to every day. At Fancy Art, NFP, you'll be surrounded by beautiful artwork and soft music, dealing with a cultured clientele who appreciate the finer things in life and have the discretionary income to afford them.

Every job is unique, so your work will never be monotonous or mundane. And once your masterpiece is finished, it will prominently reside in a home or business, bringing joy, brightening the living environment, and becoming a focal point of conversation. That's why word-of-mouth will always be your best publicity! Oh, and did we mention it's a big-ticket item with high-profit margins?

We are meeting Mike Bidwell, the President and CEO of Dwyer Group.  Mike Bidwell has been a visionary in the franchise industry for over three decades, beginning in 1984 when he opened up his own Rainbow International® Carpet Cleaning & Restoration franchise and later adding a Mr. Rooter® Plumbing franchise in 1992.

Fast forward to January of 2014, where Mike has not only been president for seven years, he is now CEO of Dwyer Group, the holding company for 17 franchise brands with more than 2,800 franchises in nine different countries.

Franchise Interviews is meeting with John Rotche, President and Founder of the franchise opportunity DUCTZ. John started the company as a one van operation in Ann Arbor, MI in 2002.  John will talk about his strategic growth by buying his major competitor Duct Busters in 2006 and positioning the company to become a subsidiary of BELFOR, the world’s largest insurance restoration company. John created the DUCTZ National Service Team, the first rapid-response team in the industry, comprised of highly trained and certified DUCTZ specialists pulled from its franchise owners to provide services throughout the country at major disaster areas after events such as Hurricane Katrina and the California wild fires. The creation of this team allows John to provide built-in business to his franchisees and give them “on the job” training at sites that are in serious need of indoor air quality. John will share his story about what he did to help DUCTZ strategically grow and how to provide DUCTZ franchisees with built-in business and “on the job” training.

About DUCTZ DUCTZ, the nation's largest HVAC franchise, was originally founded by John Rotche in 2002, as a “one van” operation in Ann Arbor, MI.

We have a great show today. We are meeting with Dave Lavalle - Founder of the Dryer Vent Wizard franchise. David Lavalle, founded the Dryer Vent Wizard franchise system in 2004 in the Boston area. Lavalle frequently encountered homeowners having issues with their dryer vent systems that required an "urgent response." These issues were a result of dryer vent lint accumulation, blockages, disrepair, or improper venting configurations. The concept originated when Lavalle realized the need for a specialist for dryer vents.

In Part 2, we discuss what every entrepreneur needs to know before buying a franchise. We will play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

We are meeting with Carl Comeaux, CEO of Crust Pizza Company. Comeaux's entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 16 as a personal trainer, initially driven by the desire to transform people's lives through fitness. His focus then evolved to entrepreneurship, where he is motivated by creating opportunities and jobs. Witnessing employees' growth, such as moving from an $8/hour wage to earning a $40,000-$50,000 salary, fuels Comeaux's dedication to expanding his business. Now, through the Crust Pizza Co. franchise, he aims to transform the lives and financial well-being of both franchisees and their teams.  

Crust Pizza Co. is the brainchild of Clint Price and Mark Rasberry, whose lifelong friendship and shared passion for pizza led them to establish a partnership leveraging their professional experience with a vision for growth.

Key takeaways:

We are meeting with the founder of Delta Restoration Services, Mike Mastous. Delta Restoration Services has tripled its presence in the past 12 months and is set to add several dozen more locations this year. The property restoration franchisor is investing heavily in its training and support functions, including building a state-of-the-art flood house training facility in Denver. Mike Mastous conceptualized Delta after spending his career in the restoration industry, operating restoration companies, adjusting for insurance carriers, and helping other brands expand into restoration. The full-service model was not an option for the customer or for insurance companies to use at the time. Michael saw this opening and has been on a quest to fill it since 2006. Having our Founder and President driving the company’s daily operations and constantly looking for new opportunities for efficiency and profitability allows all franchisees to take advantage of the native operational acumen and operational experience in real time. Support is always a phone call away. In part two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

We are meeting with Shirley Warrington - VP Franchise Development Decor & You is a dynamic interior decorating franchise, a rapidly growing and changing business with national headquarters comfortably situated midway between Boston and New York City, in Southbury, Connecticut (population 28,000.)

We are meeting with Shirley Warrington - VP Franchise Development Decor & You is a dynamic interior decorating franchise, a rapidly growing and changing business with national headquarters comfortably situated midway between Boston and New York City, in Southbury, Connecticut (population 28,000.)

We have a great show today. We are meeting Nick Friedman, the founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving franchise opportunity. College Hunks Hauling Junk is the fastest-growing junk hauling and moving franchise in America. College Hunks Hauling Junk has been named one the fastest growing companies in America by "Inc." and has made "Entrepreneur" magazine's list of top franchise opportunities for five years in a row and counting.  The growth is driven by a smart business model that allows College Hunks owners to act as executives in their businesses. 

Since 1982, Closets by Design has built a reputation as the nation’s leader in the closet organizing and storage remodeling industry. Closets by Design offers customers solutions to all their organizational needs in a short and simple process by designing, building and installing custom home offices, closets, garage cabinets, wall units, laundries, pantries, wardrobe mirror doors and other home organization systems.

Closets by Design offers a wide selection of finishes, accessories and hardware. With the real estate market the way it is, more and more people are deciding to refurbish their home instead of moving into a new one. We have seen that new closets are one of the easiest ways for people to feel like they have made big changes in their home, without having a major construction project going on. Especially with all the home remodeling shows out there, everyone these days is looking for simple ways to upgrade their homes. We are meeting with Jerry Egner, the CEO of Closets by Design.  Click the button below to listen to the show.

Over the years, we have had some interesting categories on our weekly franchise radio show/podcast. We have a great show today. We are meeting with David and Debra Blue of Blue Moon Estate Sales. At Blue Moon Estate Sales, their franchisee specialists are committed to consistently meeting their customer's needs. Blue Moon Estate Sales provides residential, commercial, and moving liquidation services with their customer's preferences and needs in mind. With their dedication to high standards and excellence of service, they ensure their clients are always satisfied. Click the play button below to listen to the show.