Franchisee Voices: Randi Bloodworth of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

When Randi Bloodworth took a job as a customer service representative at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK*® in Tampa, Fla., she never dreamed that just three years later she would be a business owner, but through the brand’s Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward Scholarship®, that’s exactly what has happened.

On September 28, 2015, Randi was named TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s first ever Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward Scholarship® winner and was presented with the opportunity to partner as a franchisee of her own TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchise and presented with a $50,000 scholarship forn startup costs. After battling it out for a year against the company’s top managers and learning the ins and outs of running a franchise, Randi opened the doors to her very own TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® office in March 2016 in Pearland, Texas.

Texas was not chosen by random and the process in determining where to open her business was actually the most challenging part for Randi. She had to choose a city that offered the best opportunity to run a successful business in addition to considering a great community for her family to flourish in addition to stellar schools for her daughter. Randi plans to expand quickly throughout Houston once her Pearland location is up and running.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I’m originally from Dade City, Florida, so I was born and raised in the Tampa area. I worked as a waitress at a country club until I found out I was pregnant and took time off work to have my daughter and stay home with her for a while. When I went back to work, I started working at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® as a customer service representative.

Why did you choose to apply at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®? How did you learn about the brand?

I needed a job and my ex mother-in-law worked at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, so I applied and started as a customer service representative. I was promoted after three months and worked my way up to become a manager. Fast forward a few years, I went to lunch one day with the franchise owner, Jeff [Knowles], and he asked if I wanted to participate in Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward Scholarship®. I knew there were no territories left in Florida and that winning would mean moving away from my home state so I had to convince myself a little bit, but it was such a great opportunity that I accepted his invitation.

I spent the next year juggling working full-time, flying back and forth to the corporate office for training opportunities, learning the ins and outs of being a franchisee, and being a parent, all at the same time. It was definitely difficult and a lot more hours than just putting in the time as a manager, but it has been absolutely worth it.

On September 28, 2015, it was announced that Randi won the first ever TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward Scholarship®. She was presented with $50,000 in startup costs and the opportunity to be a partner in her own TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchise. With no territory opportunities in Florida, it was up to Randi to choose where she would open her office.

I began looking in Texas because of the similar climate - I’ve never even seen snow! I wasn’t looking at Pearland, but kind of stumbled upon it. I’m moving my entire family, so I had to make sure where I chose was a market that I could make a living in, had great schools, and was a nice place for us all to live.

What were your perceptions of franchising before starting the process?

I didn’t know much about franchising when I started this process and I had really only worked on the operational side of things. To be honest, I’m still learning a lot, but I learned so much more than I could’ve imagined over this last year of training.

What were the most unexpected challenges of opening your franchise?

The hardest part was selecting a territory. I had to think about where I could make money, where I could move my family, and if the community had good schools. I had to take all those things under consideration, which really was the most difficult part of this entire process for me.

What’s next for you and your business? Do you have any development/expansion plans with the brand?

I want to expand as quickly as possible, and stick around the Houston area so I can manage everything.