Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Create Wealth Through Franchising.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: I'm your host, Kim Daly.
Whether you're a CEO, a military vet, a real estate investor, or simply in career transition and ready to take ownership of your future, with each episode, you're going to learn valuable insights and hear inspiring stories from within the franchise industry.
On that note, my guest stories are their own. And as a franchise consultant, I do not make personal brand endorsements or earnings claims, but I do educate, motivate, and inspire dreams.
Now onto the show.
[00:00:44] Speaker A: Welcome back to Create Wealth Through Franchising podcast and Kim Daily TV in my studio today, all the way from my home away from home, South Florida, Delray Beach. Welcome, Desiree Land of Sparkle Squad. Desiree, welcome to the studio of Kim Daly tv.
[00:01:05] Speaker C: Thank you, Kim. It's exciting to be here.
[00:01:07] Speaker A: It's so exciting to be here. Thank you for saying that. So for those who follow me, you may not know, but I used to live down in South Florida. First short time in my life. I love the area that Desiree is in and I'm excited to be connected to her today. And she's going to inspire us with her story of changing her life on February 29, 2024. At the time of this recording, she's been in business for a little bit over one year. And so, Desiree, take us back to what was happening when you decided, gosh, I've got to do something different, and you started to think about investigating a franchise.
[00:01:47] Speaker C: I had been working in the technology space for 30 years. Prior to the technology space, I worked in television. I had a broadcast journalism degree. I worked in television in New York City for about six years and then decided to make a switch. I went back to school and studied computer engineering. Well, In December of 2023, I got let go from the company I was with at the time, it was Accenture. And I realized then it was time to pivot again. The industry, the technology space was getting very competitive and was very challenging. And I decided if I was going to work this hard, I might as well be doing it for myself. So I decided to start looking at buying a business. And I knew if I was going to buy a business, I had to be part of a team. I had always been part of a team. I had always been part of a team in technology as well as when I worked in television and being part of a franchise, I felt like I'd have that team and support that I needed to do things I didn't know I needed to do.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: So let me go back. So how does a broadcast Journalist decide to go into computer engineering. Like to me, those seems like two totally different personalities.
[00:03:08] Speaker C: When I was working, I was working at Good Morning America and other news shows. Sometimes I had to be up at 2 in the morning. It was very exciting. It was exciting to live in New York City. But I realized my lifestyle would never be normal if I stayed in television. And I was always at the whims of a director. I worked on the directorial team, and directors are not the most stable individuals, let's say, in the world. And I was always nervous about where I was going to stand with them. And I decided I wanted a job that was more in demand. When you're working television, there's four people right behind you ready to take the job. I wanted something that was something that was more in demand. And computer engineering at the time was one of those kind of positions. I just had to make sure I could do it and I did.
[00:04:00] Speaker A: And so through those 30 years that you were doing, you were working in the computer and technology industry, you were managing people. Is that what you were doing?
[00:04:10] Speaker C: I was assembling teams, I would call it. I was kind of putting together the team that was going to form the solution for the client. I mean, I started out as a computer engineer. I wrote code actually for AT and T. But eventually I wanted to move into the sales and marketing area because I was very social. I like talking to clients rather than sitting in a lab. And then once you start in the sales area, you're really developing a solution for your client. And in order to do that, you have to pull in the expert. I was the generalist who understood what direction to take it. But I needed experts to come in and tell me exactly how we were going to take it in that direction.
[00:04:57] Speaker A: Okay, so perfect setup. So now take us to. You're exploring a franchise and you settle on window cleaning. So how do you go from technology to window cleaning?
[00:05:10] Speaker C: I had a franchise coach. All I said was, I would like a real estate adjacent field. I probably looked at at least 10 of them. I looked at a pool cleaning company, a locksmith security company, a property management for vacation rentals company. First I looked at what do they do? Do I want to be able to be doing that? I looked at the leadership and I looked at recurring revenue became something that I was realizing would be a better way to go for me. Window cleaning obviously has recurring revenue. Windows will continue to get dirty. It can't be displaced by AI at the moment. I can't promise that that's going to change, but so Chris Sternis, the founder of Sparkle Squad. Very passionate. I felt like he was a great leader, and he is. And then the company behind Chris Happiness has been in business for over 50 years, and that was really important since I was the first franchisee. As the first franchisee, I'm like, I'm taking a big risk as number one. But we got Chris and we got Happiness, who's been doing franchising for 50 years. And that's kind of what made me feel more comfortable. And to be honest with you, I really just went with my gut on this.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: I love that so much. Okay, so you explored multiple home services businesses. Are you a real estate agent or did you just like that kind of being in that home services space?
[00:06:49] Speaker C: I am not a real estate agent. I always fancied myself a real estate investor. I do have a property in Delray that has a cottage in the back that I rent out on short term rentals. I'm a hobbyist. I would say a real estate hobbyist. I did work towards getting my license, but once I started this business, I really didn't have the time.
[00:07:10] Speaker A: And I love everything you said. I've met Chris. I love Chris Stonas. I love his story of going from music engineering to window cleaning. That is actually an episode that we have recorded right here on Create Wealth Through Franchising a couple of years ago when he first brought the brand down from Canada to the United States. So for those listening what you're hearing, Desiree said she was franchisee number one. That's here in the U.S. chris had built out a franchise in Canada, but when he came to the US he knew that the US Was a totally different animal for franchising. And so rather than go it alone, he partnered with a really solid backend franchisor. They're the franchisor that brought the world the Lawn Doctor. And we all know the Lawn Doctor, that's a blue chip stock in franchising. That company's been around for 50 or 60 years. The founders and the president and CEO and all of the people that lead the Lawn Doctor are just very well networked within franchising. And then from there, the Lawn Doctor came back into franchising, offering a mosquito spraying franchise. I think that also does holiday lighting. And then during COVID they launched a totally organic home cleaning franchise, which was phenomenal and a great time to start a cleaning franchise during the pandemic. And now they've added Sparkle Squad to the Happy Nest brands. It's awesome. It's another home services brand. I Love it. And so I want to go back and I want to make the connection between you as the manager, bringing the people together, putting the experts in place. And was that part of your attraction to being involved in a window cleaning business because you're sort of playing that same role, only working for yourself?
[00:08:58] Speaker C: I am, but at the time, I don't know that I really understood it as I do now. My biggest fear in starting the business was hiring people and managing people. Even though I had managed people before, I wasn't really hiring people and I wasn't responsible for their paycheck when I worked in the industry in corporate. But to be honest with you, finding people that want to do window cleaning is not that hard. I would say window cleaning is a highly desirable role. A lot of people want to do it, and I was very happily surprised by that.
[00:09:33] Speaker B: Hey, Daily Coach fans, if you're loving this episode, please do me a quick favor and leave me a five star rating and a short review. Your feedback fuels my growth and rankings and shows others that this podcast is valuable. Now back to the show.
[00:09:51] Speaker A: Isn't that fun? Because that is definitely more than a pebble on the road to investigating a business like this. As an experienced franchise consultant with 23 years under my belt and Fish Window Cleaning being one of the, like, you know, blue chip franchises that we at Franchoise have worked with for over 20 years, I know that that is a very true statement. And there's a lot of window cleaning franchises out there. I myself love the Sparkle Squad, the brand. I love that you have wide open territory. I love that it's backed by happiness. I love that Chris is doing some really innovative things in a mom and pop dominated industry that's highly fragmented. I love Chris Donis and I will never forget. And I know you know this line, Desiree, because I'm sure you've heard him say it. He said to me, kim Daly, we sent a rocket to the moon before we put wheels on a suitcase. What do you meant by that? It's like sometimes the most complicated problems are the ones we we're looking to solve. But meanwhile, the simple things that are right under our noses, we overlook. And that's kind of what he brought to the window cleaning industry. I think that's an amazing analogy. So, okay, so now you step into this business and maybe consciously you didn't make the connection to what you did in corporate America, but I think subconsciously you knew that that was your sweet spot and that sort of aligned along with that reoccurring revenue Potential on your desire to be in the home services space. So I think that's a really compelling story and you ended up in a really good place. So how did you say yes when there was no validation here in the United States?
[00:11:34] Speaker C: Well, that's a good question. Some would say I was, you know, it's crazy. I didn't have numbers in front of me. I didn't have. Because there were no US based franchisees, I did see numbers from other franchises. They didn't sway me over there. But I also saw from those other franchises was I didn't see the leadership that I saw with Sparkle Squad. I didn't see the passion, I didn't see the systems in place that would help me. Some of the, you know, the marketing costs are, you know, phenomenally high for what you get. So you have to really pay attention to what you're getting for the fees that you're going to be paying. And, you know, the upfront as well as the ongoing.
[00:12:18] Speaker A: I love that. So I always tell my candidates, franchising is who, not what. Ultimately, you'll invest in a franchise because you find people who have a vision for building a brand and you bought. You buy into that vision. Right. So even if they have a track record behind them, an earnings claim behind them, the reality is you're investing in the future potential opportunity. So it's more important where the franchisor is going than it is to look back at where they've come from. Now, past performance is some indication of future capability, but as we've both already stated here, today she saw a company that had over 50 or 60 years of franchising experience in happiness. And that's what gave her this security, that these people knew how to build a home services brand. And then she said she went with her gut. And sometimes in business ownership, I'd say more than sometimes, we have to make decisions as business owners without all of the information. And how do we do that? By trusting our instincts, by trusting that still small voice inside of us that's telling us to go, that's what you did, right, Desiree?
[00:13:31] Speaker C: That is what I did. For better or for worse. And I think it's for better.
[00:13:34] Speaker A: Yeah. So catch us up to today. So you have one year under your belt. Tell us about. I'm sure you're on a growth journey and it's probably felt like drinking out of a fire hose at times with it all splashing back in your face. But tell us a little bit about how you got out of the gate. And now are you Validating to the next generation of franchisees that are trying to come in and validate if sparkle squad is an opportunity for them.
[00:14:03] Speaker C: I have been on many a call with potential franchisees. They all, you know, of course want to speak with some of the first owners. Yeah, I'm very honest with them. I didn't have the numbers. Some of them want the numbers. They do the analytics and I get that. That's not necessarily me. I said I can't provide that. I went in this without having those numbers because it was like I said to you, it was my gut instinct. I could have waited. I tend to make a decision and stick to it quickly. I think for others that don't do that. I wouldn't have been number one franchisee if I waited or hesitated. I wanted to get this going. I wanted to get started with the rest of my life, you know, immediately. And yes, there's a lot of pain and growth that comes from jumping in like this. I didn't know what I didn't know and I probably still don't know what I don't know. But you learn there's a lot of hats you wear, as every business owner knows. And by the way, I never wanted to be a business owner. That was not a dream of mine. I did it out of necessity. I felt like if I was going to control my own journey, I was going to have to become a business owner. And to be honest with you, now that I am, I'm surprised I didn't want to do this before.
[00:15:22] Speaker A: Do you have a new sense of sort of like self love and self respect when you do a hard thing? Right. And especially when other people around you who are good meaning and well intentioned people, but they think maybe she's a little bit crazy investing in a brand new franchise. Right. You buy a franchise because it has a track record. Desiree not to be number one.
[00:15:40] Speaker C: Right.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: I'm sure you heard all those types of things and they were even going through your own head. But now you're a year in and you're looking back and you're thinking why didn't I do this sooner? And you have that like self love because you did a hard thing.
[00:15:53] Speaker C: Yes, I still have some hardship to go, I believe, but I feel like after a year of it I know what I'm doing and it's going to just continue to go uphill from here.
[00:16:07] Speaker A: So if you were talking to a candidate who's out there who's thinking about making a change, maybe they are worried that they're going to be on the chopping block the next time the layoff comes. Okay. But they're like, gosh, I really love the steady paycheck. I really love the things that you get in corporate America, even though I really want freedom and I really want more passion and I really want more control.
So one year into this decision, what advice do you offer to that person who may be listening right now?
[00:16:41] Speaker C: I can tell you that I. I'm a big networker and I'm on LinkedIn a lot, and I see my former colleagues posting corporate posts all the time, and I think, I am so glad that is not me anymore. It's a lot of mumbo jumbo for a corporation that really doesn't care about you. Again, listen to your gut. It is scary to start a business, but it's also scary to be sitting around in a corporation unsure of what your future is. And getting laid off after the age of 50 is certainly very scary for most people. So I think that this is a very viable option for many people. And if you've succeeded in corporate America, you're going to be able to do it in the business world.
[00:17:29] Speaker A: Amazing advice. I love it. You're a rock star. God bless you. I know you're going to do great things. Listen, if you're out there, take the woman's advice. If you're sitting on the sideline and you haven't yet reached out to Kim Daly, you know the purpose of all of the content that I make is to inspire your dream to want freedom and to find it through franchising. So on that note, if that's you, please follow the link in the description right now, because I want to be your franchise consultant and your daily coach. Desiree, thank you for inspiring us today with your inspiring story, and we wish you all the best as you build your future dreams.
[00:18:12] Speaker C: Thank you, Kim.
[00:18:13] Speaker A: Until next time, my name is Kim Daly, and I want to be your daily coach.
[00:18:22] Speaker B: You can find more content just like this on my YouTube channel at Kimdaly TV. And if you're inspired to take the next step to explore franchises matched to you, please email me right now at inquire imdaily.
That's inquire@kimdaily tv.
