HomeTeam Franchise Opportunity Led Female Business Owner to Success in a Male-Dominated Industry

In the wake of the pandemic, Beth Klepper suddenly found herself unemployed after 25 successful years of working as a general manager and regional training manager with Landry’s Seafood House. She loved her job, but had no choice but to start searching for a new one. While she didn’t initially consider business ownership, a franchise coach made her realize that her skill set would serve her well on an entrepreneurial journey. 

Klepper decided to become her own boss with a HomeTeam Inspection Service franchise in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Although she had some doubts about her ability to find success at first, she completed the training. Since then, she has personally undertaken more than a thousand inspections and found that she is more than capable of dominating in this industry.

In addition to proving her own worth and talent to herself, Klepper has proven the worth and talent of women to the homeowners that she serves.

“The perceived notion is that there's a man behind every inspection. When I go out and I tell people that I'm the licensed inspector, they’re often surprised and even excited about that. Some of them can't believe it. Even when they call me back to book an inspection, they say ‘when he goes out, can you let him know this,’ and it's pretty unbelievable that people just assume that all home inspectors are men,” said Klepper.

She feels proud of the work she’s doing, both in inspecting homes and in breaking stereotypes. Klepper has also made it her mission to empower other female entrepreneurs whenever she can. She does her best to network and connect female professionals with each other so they can all support one another’s business ventures.

“We need to raise each other up. This reiterates that women can do it. Whatever it is. We can do it,” she said.

1851 Franchise spoke with Klepper about her journey into franchising and her plans for the future.

PROFILE QUESTIONS

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Klepper: I worked in the hospitality industry for 25 years for Landry's Seafood House. I was the general manager for most of that time, and then I got promoted for regional training manager positions. I was working from home, but traveling all over the country, creating training systems, teaching leadership classes every other week. Every few days, I would be in a new location and it was fantastic. I loved it. That lasted for five years, and then COVID happened and my position was furloughed, along with 45,000 others in the same week. Two months later, the company let me know my position had been eliminated. After 25 years, there was no spot for me and I didn’t receive severance or anything. There was nothing they could do.

I started looking for a job, which is something I hadn't done in years. I loved my position as a regional training manager, and I was hoping to retire with them. I put my resume out there and I was contacted by a company called Entrepreneur Source, and a franchise coach set up a series of calls with me. On the initial call, he asked me if I had ever considered owning my own business and I said no, because I was really just looking for a job.

He looked at my skill set and presented me with five franchise opportunities that he felt would be a really good match for me and, out of those, HomeTeam Inspection Service resonated the most with me; it felt like something I could do well with just a bit of training. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Klepper: I had no perception of franchising whatsoever. I had no idea that so many businesses were franchised and so I never even considered it. Now I realize how fantastic it is to have all the corporate support, structure and training that you need while also getting to be your own boss. I'm a small business owner and I really love it.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Klepper: The industry interested me and the investment was also a lot less than some of the other concepts I looked at because I didn't need a brick-and-mortar building.

I bought a franchise in December of 2020 and completed some online courses, and I did have some self-doubt about whether or not I could do this. Having the corporate support and training made me realize that I could.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Klepper: I want to continue to grow. I had a very successful start and I have a couple of inspectors that work for me, and we do inspections together. Some inspections are being done as we speak. I hope to continue that growth. 

I have three teenage children; my daughter comes along with me for some inspections. If any of them have any interest in keeping this business and continuing to grow it, I would certainly have them take it over at some point.

1851: What makes you particularly proud of being a successful woman in franchising?

Klepper: I feel like I can do anything! Now that I’ve accomplished this, I can do it all. This is a very male-dominated industry. There are husband-and-wife teams, but there are only four of us that are female business owners doing the inspections themselves. I’m proud that I’m able to do that and I think if I can do it, anybody can do it.

1851: What are the unique challenges and opportunities for women in franchising?

Klepper: The perceived notion is that there's a man behind every inspection. When I go out and I tell people that I'm the licensed inspector, they’re often surprised and even excited about that. Some of them can't believe it. Even when they call me back to book an inspection, they say “when he goes out, can you let him know this” and it's pretty unbelievable that people just assume that all home inspectors are men. 

I feel as if I’m breaking through that stereotype and convincing people that I am capable of doing the inspection, and women are capable of success in this industry. I've now personally done over a thousand inspections. 

1851: How can women in franchising empower and support one another?

Klepper: I do a lot of marketing and networking. I’m always trying to praise others and introduce business owners I know to connect them and support their business. We need to raise each other up. This reiterates that women can do it. Whatever it is. We can do it.

1851: What advice do you have for other women thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Klepper: It's hard work, but if you put in the time, anybody can accomplish it. It's incredibly rewarding and it’s fantastic to both be a part of something bigger and be in business for yourself.

About HomeTeam

Founded in 1992, HomeTeam Inspection Service is a full-service, independent home inspection franchise serving home buyers, sellers and real estate agents. For 30 years, HomeTeam has built a reputation for providing professional, reliable, efficient and accurate inspections on both residential and commercial property, focusing on electrical and plumbing systems, HVAC, exterior and siding, gutters and drainage, mold inspections, air quality reports and much more. Unlike other inspection companies, HomeTeam sends a team of certified inspectors to every appointment in order to provide a better and faster inspection, every single time. The brand’s reputation for excellence has made them a top choice among real estate agents and earned them the title of #1 home inspection franchise by Entrepreneur magazine's 2022 Franchise 500 listing. Now, HomeTeam Inspection Service has grown to include over 200 territories nationwide. For more information about HomeTeam please visit https://www.hometeam.com.