New ecomaids Franchisees Focused on Building a Strong Internal Culture

As with many others, the company Susan Chapins worked for struggled during the pandemic. When restrictions put everything to a stop, the business had to make significant changes, and it was then that Chapins started to reassess the direction of her career.  

“I didn't want to work for somebody else,” Chapins said. “I wanted to build something for myself and decided to look into various ventures on my own, which led me to ecomaids.”

Chapins and her partner Kevin looked into a few different brands for franchising, and the flexibility and culture that ecomaids displayed caught their attention. The couple signed a franchise agreement in October 2021 and started operations in February of this year. They now jointly run two territories in Virginia that cover the Manassas, Woodbridge and Gainesville areas.

Chapins commended ecomaids for their extensive support. She was thankful for a large network when they were training and preparing to open for business — and even now as they are up and running.

“They had a great system to log in and check off items that were completed and a timeline of when certain things needed to be done. That part of the process was very organized,” she said. “It was very helpful. There was a lot to do, but they made it so nothing was overly complicated or unachievable.” 

She and Kevin work hard to emulate that support in their operations for their own staff. Happy employee culture is extremely important to them.

“I feel there's nothing more important than your team because they're the ones out there providing the service for your customers,” Chapins explained. “If you don't have a strong team, your business isn’t going to do well. We really put a focus on making sure the team feels supported and create a good environment for them.”

They are diligent about vetting applicants and putting the right personalities together. The couple wants to create a strong camaraderie amongst their staff, as they spend a great deal of time together. They also hold monthly lunches, have an open-door policy and regularly highlight their technicians on the company's Facebook page. 

Susan and Kevin aim to expand their team and hire a sales and marketing representative to help with branding and nurturing leads. They also want to hire technicians who can quickly advance to field managers.

Additionally, they are focusing on growing their customer base and presence in the community with some volunteer opportunities. They expect a hectic fall and winter season, as holidays and gatherings are approaching and the demand for cleaning will rise.

The total investment necessary to open an ecomaids franchise ranges from $110,990–$136,379. For more information on franchising opportunities with ecomaids, visit https://ecomaidsfranchise.com/.