“We're so different. If you built us from the ground up right now, you couldn't make us any more different than we are. Yet, we make great business partners because we have a common goal. One of the things that I always try to coach people on, when I'm talking to them about leaving corporate America and considering owning a business, is their WHY. It seems kind of trite, but it is about the WHY.

What are you trying to get to? What is your bigger goal, and what are your values? That's how we tried to approach deciding on a business when we worked with you. You gave us four wildly different opportunities to look at through FranNet, which I thought was pretty amazing. I was like, ‘man, you couldn't have made these any more different if you built 'em from the ground up.’ But then, we made our decision based on what aligns with our values and what aligns with where we are going. It wasn't only about what Greg's good at or what I'm good at, or what he's passionate about, or what I'm passionate about. It was more about what serves the bigger goal for us as a family and the legacy we want to build.

If your WHY isn’t big enough, business ownership likely won’t happen for you. Passion and skill only take you so far—you need a reason that keeps you going when things get hard. Greg and Gayle chose their business not solely based on interests, but on what aligned with their values and the legacy they want to build. That clarity gave them direction and staying power. If you’re exploring franchise ownership, start with your WHY. Without it, you risk building someone else’s dream in your next job, instead of owning a business that fuels your life.

We cover many current and relevant topics. A few include:

◈ Working through the start-up phase when it’s slower than you’d like

◈ There’s more to owning a business than simply replacing a paycheck

◈ How important it is to have a strong WHY when considering business ownership

“Our investment is $59,500.00. That’s for a 10-year franchise agreement. It gives you the rights to market anywhere in the U.S. Our franchisees are allowed to have 200 protected businesses at any one time in our CRM system, so that way they're protected. No other franchisee can target those prospects. Two hundred prospects will take you a few months to work through. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it is a lot.

The way we operate with clients is that we share in the savings 50/50. For every thousand dollars we save a client, they keep the first five hundred, then we invoice them five hundred. Our contracts provide an option for a business to engage with us for 36 months or 60 months. The key difference is with the 36 months, which is three-years of recurring revenue for a franchisee every month for the next 36 months, (I call it our base model contract), where we go in, we negotiate, we get the best prices because of our benchmark data, our back office, and our centralized system.

We know at any point what a client should be paying for a particular service or good. Our second pricing option is 60 months. This is what I loved about P3 when I got involved. If you sign up a client, you want to keep that recurring revenue coming in for as long as you can. With our 60-month option, we monitor the invoices and contract compliance over that period, and we're still sharing in the savings 50/50. That doesn't change. Some clients prefer us to be in and out pretty quickly. They just want the savings and that's it. 85% of our clients opt for 60 months because, once they see what we do and the monitoring and what's involved in the heavy lifting, they're happy for us to continue to be involved with their business.

We've got some clients who’ve signed up for another 60 months after the initial 60-month period expires. They see the value. So our model's based on lowering cost over a period of time.“

This franchise model offers a rare blend of low startup investment and long-term recurring revenue. For just $59,500, franchisees gain nationwide marketing rights and exclusive access to 200 protected prospects, which gives them a focused, manageable pipeline with no overlap or internal competition.

What truly sets this apart is the performance-based, recurring revenue model:

• Franchisees earn 50% of all verified client savings, creating a built-in incentive to deliver results.
• 36 or 60-month contracts create a steady monthly income stream.
• 85% of clients opt for the longer 60-month term, showing high satisfaction and trust in the ongoing value provided.
• Renewal beyond 60 months is common, compounding long-term earnings.

The franchise provides centralized pricing intelligence and negotiation support, enabling franchisees to deliver expert-level value without needing deep industry knowledge.

Unlike traditional franchises with inventory, leases, or large teams, this lean, service-based model scales with clients, not overhead. It’s ideal for those seeking a professional, executive model with strong income potential and meaningful client impact.

We cover many current and relevant topics. A few include:

◈ Scaling a consulting business vs. a brick-and-mortar business

◈ How things out of your control can affect your business - like the weather

◈ A service-based, low-cost, recurring-revenue business model

“I like to give everyone a checklist of the basics of marketing. I think you should have a one-liner. You should know how to talk about your business in a way that makes people shut up and listen. Everyone wears a sign that says, ‘Make me feel special.’ Rather than cramming your brand down someone's throat, talk about the problems that your company solves on behalf of your clients and make sure that they can understand the benefit of what it looks like to work with you. That leads to the next element, which is a really great website. If your website is clear, then people will understand what you do, and they’ll be interested in taking action. But a website has to be well optimized, and it has to have a clear call to action.“

Amber helps demystify marketing and offers a clear, practical starting point. She breaks marketing down into manageable, foundational elements: knowing how to talk about your business, connecting emotionally with your audience, and having a website that converts. As the business owner, this shifts the focus from “promoting” your business to connecting, which can be more appealing for owners who want to build genuine trust and traction early on.

We cover many current and relevant topics. A few include:

◈ The importance of a tailored marketing plan

◈ Understanding the difference between doing your marketing yourself, hiring it out, or a hybrid model

◈ There’s always work to do when it comes to marketing, even with well-established brands

“We’re continuing to open up studios of our own. We just opened up a studio in Indianapolis that's ours. We're opening up a second one in Indianapolis this year. Courtney and Dustin, our first franchisees to sign on, opened their second studio the day after we opened our studio in Indianapolis. It was a great learning process and so much fun to go through this process shoulder to shoulder with them. We're constantly growing and modifying things to provide better support for our franchisees. This affects us too, because we're opening and operating studios along with our franchisees. We’re experimenting so that our franchisees don't have to, and implementing new programs and new marketing to understand how it's working. And then we can go to our franchisees and say, ‘Okay, cool, here's a new thing, and you should implement it for these reasons.’ It's important for us to have our team operating studios so we have firsthand knowledge as we go through these processes with our franchisees.“

This shows a real alignment between franchisor and franchisee.

When franchises actively run their own locations, they aren’t just selling a concept, they’re in the trenches with you. That means every strategy, update, or innovation they roll out has been tested on their own dime first.

Opening studios side-by-side with franchisees creates real-time learning and support. It’s a collaborative, “we’re-in-this-together” environment. It also means the franchisor is constantly improving systems based on real experience, not theory.

Because they’re operating their own units, they can experiment, refine, and then confidently share what works. This allows franchisees to focus on execution, not trial-and-error, so there’s faster innovation with less risk.

We cover many current and relevant topics. A few include:

◈ What it takes to support the emotional leap from employee to business owner

◈ Why owning a business is not a passive investment

◈ Partnering with a franchise that has its feet on the street with its franchisees

“For almost two years, I had this constant back and forth of not feeling fulfilled. I didn't necessarily feel as happy as I once was growing my career in the corporate world. But then I had this other side of me thinking I had nothing to complain about. I had a fairly senior position. I was very well compensated. Then I'd say to myself, ‘Shut up, dummy. Tons of people would love to have your job.’ I was the primary breadwinner. I'm not right now, but I was the primary breadwinner for my wife and three daughters. And I would think to myself that I had nothing to complain about. Then I'd be happy again for a couple of days, and then I'd have a crummy day at work or something, and I'd go back to being unfulfilled and unhappy. This went on for a couple of years. I’m a man of faith and I kept having these signs. I felt like it was the big man upstairs telling me, ‘this is the time’, but it's just really, really hard to leave. There’s a saying about the golden handcuffs.“

For those who know deep down they want more but feel stuck, franchising can be the bridge to both financial stability and personal fulfillment.

Many high-achievers wrestle with feeling unfulfilled while knowing they “should” be grateful. There can be an emotional tug-of-war between security and purpose.

Leaving a well-paying job is daunting, especially when supporting a family. There are real-life stakes many professionals face when considering entrepreneurship.

The fear of walking away from financial stability is real, but so is the opportunity to regain control, purpose, and happiness through business ownership.

For those who feel called to something bigger, this validates the idea that sometimes, the right moment to leap presents itself - you just have to listen.

We cover many current and relevant topics. A few include:

◈ Needs-based businesses tend to be recession-resilient

◈ Fact - you don’t need industry experience when buying a franchise (most of the time)

◈ The process and emotional toll of escaping the golden handcuffs

“I think our biggest aha moment was when we were trying to figure out the right profile of candidates to join HOMEstretch. For us, it ultimately boiled down to the people themselves. Part of what we wanted to do at the outset was create a really dynamic culture where everybody believed in our mission of becoming the national leader in the home preparation space, and we got people in the door who truly wanted to create big businesses. I think that's what’s unique about HOMEstretch. It's a really good opportunity for somebody who wants to be an entrepreneur with the guardrails and the processes that we provide. Our business is a little bit different from some other opportunities. We're not asking our franchisees to spend a ton of money on marketing to kind of sit back and wait for the leads to come in. Our franchisees are going out to market, developing true relationships with real estate agents and referral sources, and building a moat around this business that will carry over for years. So getting the right people who wanted to roll up their sleeves and build a business that way and grow an empire was probably the biggest lesson we learned early. This really helped us hone in our candidate profile to get those types of people through the door.”

Franchising is a two-way street—not only do candidates choose a business, but franchisors also seek the right franchisees. This franchise isn’t for passive owners; it’s for driven entrepreneurs who align with its mission, actively build relationships, and take charge of growth. The vetting process ensures that franchisees fit the culture and long-term vision, not just the business model. We guide our clients to find opportunities that not only meet their income and lifestyle goals but also align with their values and work style.

We cover many current and relevant topics. A few include:

◈ An example of a successful partnership and why it works

◈ Focusing on solutions rather than the problems

◈ The difference in having a big marketing spend vs. community involvement to develop business

“It is so long. But it was sure worth it. It's similar to taking a personality test where you’re trying to figure out what will work. Initially, I thought I would have to do something in insurance. That's what I have a background in. And then you said something to the effect that my new business may not be something I’ve done before. So, I thought ‘ok go big or go home! Let's see what the test questions and assessments will come up with.’”

Many clients assume they should stay in their current industry when exploring business ownership, but that’s a common misconception. That’s why we use tools like our Entrepreneur Profile and take the time to build a business model with you. We dive deep into your goals, strengths, lifestyle preferences, and what you truly enjoy. Our matchmaking process is thorough—it takes time and commitment because investing in a business isn’t a decision to rush. The goal is to reach a clear yes or no. If it’s a no, it’s an informed decision. If it’s a yes, you can move forward with confidence, knowing you’ve done your due diligence.

We cover many current and relevant topics. A few include:

◈ The importance of being flexible when you’re coming out of corporate America and starting your own business

◈ How to properly plan for a transition from being an employee to becoming an entrepreneur

◈ Transferrable skill sets can lead to new and exciting opportunities

“Talk to other business owners in your area to learn about permitting and their experiences. Understand your local fire code requirements and ADA regulations, as these vary by state. If you're in a hurricane-prone area like I am, you may need extra insurance coverage. I also planned for at least six extra months of operating capital. Get involved in local groups like the Rotary Club or Chamber of Commerce to network with other business owners. Another valuable resource is the Small Business Development Center, which provides market research. They helped me understand the competition in areas like painting, blinds, and automotive services in Galveston. They have access to detailed sales data, giving great insight into the local market.”

Starting a new business, even with a franchise, comes with challenges. The more groundwork you lay, the better prepared you’ll be for success. While franchisors and fellow franchisees offer valuable support, it’s also essential to get involved in your local community.

Erich’s tips highlight the power of thorough research and community engagement. By networking with local business owners, understanding regulatory requirements, and utilizing resources like the Small Business Development Center, future entrepreneurs can gain market insights, reduce risk, and plan for success. These strategies emphasize a proactive, well-rounded approach to business ownership. Building a strong foundation through knowledge and networking is much more than just a good idea.

We cover many current and relevant topics. A few include:

◈ Mitigating risk by keeping your job IF you have flexibility

◈ Why exceptional training trumps the need for industry experience

◈ The importance of networking and community involvement when you’re opening a new business