Former Sales and Marketing Executive Finds a New Career with The Glass Guru

Eric Helus never anticipated working in the construction industry, let alone the specialized sector of glass, windows and doors. The Colorado native spent the first 14 years of his career as a sales and marketing executive for a multi-million dollar publishing company before he discovered The Glass Guru, the glass services franchise that he would soon join as a full-time owner. Now, four years after Helus first signed on with the brand, his franchise in Colorado Springs is growing rapidly, and he has little doubt that he’s found a lasting career.

Helus first discovered The Glass Guru as a customer. While working for the publishing company, Helus also ran a small investment company, through which he maintained a stake in a title company. That entree into the world of real estate exposed Helus to one of the most common frustrations in the industry: shoddy windows.

“The complaints we heard most often all had to do with windows,” Helus said. “Everyone was looking for a way to stop moisture from coming in without having to replace their windows.”

Helus began researching window treatments, hoping to find a solution that could work for his clients. Skeptical of one-size-fits-all approach and unwilling to settle for any option that didn’t completely solve the problems his clients were facing, Helus dove headfirst into his investigation, comparing brands and options.

“I was researching a number of brands, and I quickly came across The Glass Guru,” Helus said. “I was hearing great things about the brand, but I didn’t know if it was the real deal, and I wanted to be sure. I spent months comparing concepts, and The Glass Guru kept rising to the top. Eventually, I decided to go out and visit the company. What I saw there convinced me once and for all it was 100 percent the real deal.”

What Helus saw when he visited The Glass Guru corporate office was a consistency of quality across all aspects of the business, not just the products—Helus’s primary concern as a customer—but also the operations, support, marketing and every other facet of the franchise system.

Helus, who had only dabbled in other businesses as an investor while working in the publishing industry, started to see in Glass Guru not just a successful, growing company, but one that was particularly suited to his philosophy as a businessman.

“I’ve always been interested in companies that push the envelope,” Helus said. “The Glass Guru has these amazing proprietary products, and they are doing incredible things with them. It was very exciting to see. Beyond that, they are completely focused on service, which is something I feel very strongly about.”

So, early in 2014, Helus decided to leave his job in publishing and become a Glass Guru owner. Though Helus was concerned that his lack of experience in the industry could prove an impassable hurdle, The Glass Guru’s development team showed him how the brand was interested first and foremost in working with experienced business leaders. As Helus learned more about the products and their application process, he saw that I was something he could pick up quickly, despite his inexperience.

“The Foggy Window Repair process in particular was so effective, so unique and so easy to apply,” Helus said. “You don’t have to replace the glass. It can all be done from outside, so you don’t have to go into peoples’ homes. It’s got a 10-year warranty. It’s really just an amazing product. I figured even if I focused on just that one service, I could run a successful business.”

As Helus went through the training process, he found that all of The Glass Guru’s products and services were similarly easy to pick up, and he decided to take on everything he could.

“The training process does a great job of showing you the ins and outs of all of the technical stuff as well as the back-end operations,” Helus said. “Of course, there is always more to learn, so they got me out on the trucks quickly, learning on the job. I was eager to see everything, and there is no substitute for learning through experience.”

That on-the-job training continued even after Helus’ own Glass Guru operation was up and running. “I can remember a couple of times when I was out on a job and I felt a little bit lost because I saw something I wasn’t familiar with,” Helus said. “But I had a number in my phone, and I’d call that and immediately get a hold of my contact at The Glass Guru who would work with me on the job. I could send him pictures, text back and forth, and he’d walk me through the entire process. That was something I was always impressed with: their unfailing support for the franchisee.”

Four years later, Helus has stepped back a bit from the daily applications, though he still helps out with estimations and a glazing here or there. Mostly, Helus says he works on the business rather than in it, which is exactly where he and The Glass Guru both believe an owner’s focus should be.

“The Glass Guru wants to work with business leaders because they want people who will be able to grow their franchise,” Helus said. “That’s where my skillset is, and that’s what I’m focused on. Of course, you can’t be an effective leader if you don’t know how your business works, so it was important for me to get out there and learn how all the applications are done. Now that I’ve got a deep understanding of that side of the business, I can take a step back and work on higher-level operations.”

Helus’s Glass Guru now has a full-time staff of six, and it’s still growing. “We’re looking to hire another estimator this year and another glazer soon after that. At that point, I’ll fully step back from the day-to-day operations, and we’ll really start to maximize our potential.”

As Helus’s Glass Guru operation continues to grow, he’s confident that his success can be replicated by anyone with some business experience who is willing to apply the model.

“I talk to a lot of prospective franchisees, and I always tell them the same thing: I had no knowledge of glass or construction before getting into this business. It doesn’t matter. If you’ve got some business sense, you can run this thing. I never imagined moving from books to glass, and I certainly didn’t get into The Glass Guru for the love of glass. I got into the business for the love of service. For a service-oriented business person, The Glass Guru is a unique and special opportunity."