5 Franchisees on Why They Chose Their Brand

Mike Orwig, Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs

“This is my favorite story of all time,” Orwig said. “I started out as just a trainer and a front desk manager. I was a school teacher for 12 years and was the head coach of football, basketball and baseball. In 2007, I got my master’s degree and became the school principal. To be completely honest with you, that’s what actually drove me out of education.”

After obtaining his master’s degree, Orwig was working to balance the administrative role, coaching and being there for his family. “I loved it, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do long term,” he said.

He began the process of pivoting by working as a trainer at Fitness Premier on the side. He quickly became close with Jason Markowicz and Rick King, the brand’s leadership, and was excited to hear about growth goals.

“I trusted them, for lack of better words. They kept talking about coming on, but it didn’t sound too appetizing to go from being a principal, making six figures, down to $30,000 a year and taking a huge leap of faith,” Orwig added. “But I did it because I trusted those guys. I left education in 2011, took over a full-time management position at a gym in Manteno, Illinois, and the rest is history.”

Beth Klepper, HomeTeam Inspection Service

After years in the restaurant industry, Klepper needed a new job, and franchising felt like a space that would allow her to apply all of the skills she had acquired over the years.

A franchise broker brought several franchises to the table, and “HomeTeam was really the only one that made sense,” Klepper explained.

“There are so many little things that made it make sense,” she said. “The biggest was when I talked to leadership at HomeTeam, and they laid out what the position actually was. I thought, ‘I can do that,’ because I compared it to everything I did as a general manager and the daily facility checklists I did as a general manager.”

On a base level, a home inspection is very similar to the facility checklists Klepper was completing in her old role. The familiarity with such evaluations made her confident in her ability to succeed. “That was a huge draw because I realized I could do it,” she said.

“Also, the return on investment and how quickly that would come back was huge, as well as the amount of time needed for training and getting licensed,” Klepper added. 

Between a flexible training process, relatively quick return on investment and familiarity with the business processes, Klepper knew HomeTeam was a great fit.

Adam Gockley, IDEA Lab Kids

Gockley went to college for a business degree but had consistently been involved in mentorship and learning opportunities throughout his life.

“I had been either a summer camp or Boys and Girls Club counselor ever since I was about 16 years old,” he said. “I went back and worked at the high school I went to; I assistant taught and was an athletic coach. But IDEA Lab is just a nice combination of my studies and work experience.”

He was the first franchisee for IDEA Lab Kids after spending about seven years involved in the development process. The culmination of his passion for kids and education, combined with the insight he had gained through the development process, made IDEA Lab not only something Gockley was passionate about but something he was already familiar with.

“So, I was able to put owning a business, running a business, and being involved with kids on my plate,” Gockley added. “So yes, I’m the first one, but I also had more experience than anybody could imagine with IDEA Lab itself, the processes, procedures, training and running of the programs. I did not have a learning curve as any other new franchisee would.”

Brad Lemen, Griswold Home Care

Lemen was a longtime owner of a steel pipe distribution company, something he still leads today. However, the steel industry slowed down a bit around April 2021, and he began searching for franchising opportunities to supplement that income.

“That’s when I came across Griswold,” he said. “The state of the steel industry led me to want to look into other options. However, a more personal situation influenced me to join the care services industry. For the past eight or so years, I have been the primary caregiver for my girlfriend, who has a chronic and debilitating illness. We’ve been together for more than 11 years. When I came across Griswold, the care services appealed to me as I know firsthand the challenges of providing care for a loved one.”

Lemen both understands the time commitment and emotional energy that caregiving requires because he feels those impacts daily in his personal life. Through Griswold, he can provide care to members of his community while also creating employment opportunities for local caregivers.

“I grew up believing that having a caring, giving, loving nature is key to developing relationships within my community. I attribute much of that to my parents, who positively influenced the lives of hundreds of children during their forty years as educators,” he explained. “The values and principles that Griswold was founded on matched my values.”

That, along with the strong franchisee support system within the Griswold network, allowed Lemen to open his business and “hit the ground running.”

Brandi and Jeremy Shelton, Detail Garage

“My husband Jeremy was already using the products, so we knew it was a trusted product,” Brandi explained. “When he saw the franchise opportunity on the product website, he jumped on it. It’s exciting to know we can promote a product we used for so long, and the brand allows us to grow locations quickly.”

The Sheltons have run a landscaping business, Move It Down Lawncare, for the past decade, so they are no strangers to entrepreneurship. But, when Jeremy visited the Detail Garage website to purchase his favorite chemical products, he saw a franchising promotion and could not pass it up.

With firsthand knowledge of the products and extensive business experience, the Sheltons saw their Detail Garage franchise as an excellent opportunity to combine the two, serve their community and spread the word about a product they already loved.

“Honestly, I never thought it’d be achievable financially, but once we decided this is what we wanted to do, we just moved forward,” Brandi explained. “We went to California to visit another franchise, and that’s where we realized it seemed like a good fit for us.”