Growing a Franchise
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Franchisee Success: How Carol Ackerman Became Successful with Showhomes
From trading stocks to staging homes, Carol Ackerman has always been aspiring to greatness.
After working as a stockbroker on Wall Street, Carol Ackerman left to pursue her passion in design. Now, Ackerman and her husband Barry are successful franchisees with Showhomes Home Staging and are working their way to becoming the top producers for the company.
Making the switch stocks to interior design was an easy transition with Carol’s natural eye for color and design, along with her ability to work with numbers. Carol worked in design for over 17 years in New York before moving down to Florida to open their first drapery franchise.
“I loved being a stockbroker at the time, but it was a good old boys networker and I wanted to be my own boss,” said Ackerman. “Back then, I used to quote stocks in decimals and fractions and then quoted drapery in fractions and decimals. It was an easy transition.”
When the housing market crashed, Carol saw an opportunity to utilize her design background and her and Barry opened their first Showhomes location nine years ago. Now with two Showhomes territories in Florida, Carol is not slowing down anytime soon.
“I’m a huge goal-setter and I always compete against myself,” said Ackerman. “Whether that’s trying to grow revenue or finding something that slips through the cracks, I find a solution for it.”
That persistence is what Carol credits for their success as Showhomes franchisees. That attention to detail also translates into the relationships Carol builds for their business.
“I think you have to be really consistent in following up with people and if you come with something you have to deliver it,” said Carol. “In order for them to learn to trust you have to show them you are trust worthy. You have to be willing to help them be successful, and in doing so you will be become successful.”
It’s not only about the success of the business that drives Carol every day.
“To see the faces of the relators and the homeowners when you transform a home brings me great joy,” said Carol. “And there is also personal satisfaction that comes with people seeing what you did and what they didn’t expect.”
That’s why Carol is still actively involved with home staging with Showhomes and continues to do so for a long time to come.
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
