First-Time Franchisee: How a COVID Layoff Convinced This UWRG Franchisee to Bet on Himself

In 2022, Rodney Washington made the decision to leave corporate America behind and franchise with United Water Restoration Group (UWRG), a trusted leader in damage restoration services. 1851 Franchise spoke to Washington about his franchising journey with the brand and what he learned as a first-time franchisee. 

Washington’s Franchise Journey

Before going into franchising, Washington’s career took several turns. He started as an insurance adjuster after college, but later pursued an opportunity to become a project manager in the oil and gas industry. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led the company he was working for to widespread layoffs, including Washington. Faced with the decision of returning to corporate work or pursuing his entrepreneurial aspirations, Washington decided it was time for a change. 

“I always wanted to do something on my own, but I didn’t really know how to get it going, so they did me a favor by pushing me out the door,” he said. “And I decided to bet on myself.” 

After trying to get some of his own businesses off the ground and coming up short, Washington decided to start doing some research on franchising. He came across UWRG, which was a business he never thought would be a franchise. 

“My frame of reference for franchising was simply McDonald’s, Burger King — fast food,” he said. “That’s all I really knew. So I went down this rabbit hole of realizing what a huge industry there was full of all types of different businesses.”

He spent some time getting familiar with other brands, but Washington ultimately decided to go with the company that first caught his eye: UWRG. The franchisee noted that he was attracted to how the brand was still emerging and wasn’t a huge corporation. 

“I saw all of the investments they were making in their franchising operation and how they were supporting their franchisees,” he said. “That was huge to me. I also wanted to work with a company where ownership was still involved, and the team fit all of that.” 

He became the owner of UWRG of Missouri City, Texas, in March 2022. 

The Biggest Lessons Learned

One of the biggest lessons that Washington has learned in his first year is that franchising is not necessarily just a “business in a box.” 

“You still have to take the playbook and you have to run the play,” be said. “It's not gonna just be some automatic machine that runs on its own. And there's going to be some tough months. There's gonna be some good months. It's just knowing how to navigate that.” 

For other people looking into becoming a franchise owner, Washington advised people to understand what they are getting into and that it is not going to be easy. He recommended doing as much research as possible before signing on the dotted line. 

“Go down that rabbit hole,” he said. “Understand what you're getting into because you might ultimately decide it's not for you — and that's okay. I really don't think franchising is for everyone. I don't think business ownership is for everyone. So it's an exercise of research before you make that decision.” 

Washington’s Plans for the Future

Looking ahead to the future, Washington said he is driven by his “why?” and what’s important to him. 

“It’s all about my legacy,” he said. “I have a beautiful wife and three amazing children. I want to be a great example for those children, and I want to make my wife proud and make her feel secure in the future that I'm building for us. I'm just going to be a part of building a really great brand.”