Like many, Danny Hemchand’s path to entrepreneurship was accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. After serving in the U.S. Air Force throughout his 20s, transitioning from active duty logistics to a career in accounting and earning multiple degrees, Hemchand was considering business ownership.

“I always had the entrepreneur bug in the back of my head,” he said. “I didn’t know how soon it was going to happen, but I always had the intent of venturing off on my own.”

That opportunity came when the world shifted to remote work and Hemchand found himself in a makeshift bedroom office, working from his Midtown Manhattan apartment in the early days of the pandemic. 

“That’s when HomeTeam came in. I met Matt [Cook], and as we discussed the opportunity, I got increasingly interested in it,” Hemchand said. “I knew I wanted to be in real estate. I was already doing real estate tax, so the idea of being in the home inspection business was very appealing.”

Taking a unique approach to starting his business, Hemchand made the decision to utilize the remainder of his GI Bill, earning an MBA at Fordham University while receiving financial support for both the cost of his education and living expenses. 

“The program I enrolled in required in-person classes just one weekend per month, so I had the opportunity to pursue HomeTeam full-time, which I think was to my benefit,” he said. “It helped me grow quickly because I was able to focus all of my efforts on the business for the 27 or so days per month that I wasn’t in class.”

While the learning curve was steep, Hemchand credits HomeTeam’s support systems and fellow franchise owners with providing the support he needed to accelerate growth. In addition to drawing on the expertise of his fellow owners, Hemchand made a concerted effort to connect with other local business owners.

“There’s a ton of stuff that you don’t learn in inspector school,” Hemchand said. “I learned a lot about furnaces but less about boilers in home inspector school, so I leveraged local HVAC professionals in my area to learn about boilers. It was the same thing with well water systems. In New York State, it’s not a requirement to learn about these things, but learning the ins and outs of the equipment helps me provide an even better service.”

Hemchand provides a high level of service to all of his clients, but he also seeks the opportunity to serve fellow veterans in his community.

“I roll out the red carpet when it comes to military veterans,” he said. “I do that because I’ve gotten so much from the community myself through service — I have two master’s degrees! That opened up a lot of doors for me, and now I feel like I can go any direction I want in life. I’m proud to be able to give back to the same community that played a part in affording me this opportunity.”

As he scales, Hemchand continues to leverage his experience in building teams and culture. With this, he has been able to establish a reliable team that he trusts to represent the business even when he’s not there. This has allowed him to expand his reach and have more flexibility in his personal life.

After his baby was born in December, Hemchand was able to take about a month of paternity leave without worrying about how his teams would represent him. Owning and leading the business has also allowed him to provide similar opportunities to his family, including supporting his wife as she takes maternity leave.

Hemchand sees even more opportunities in the future. Remaining focused on growth, he says he is looking to bring on multiple teams that can be in the field handling inspections as he takes a step back to lean even more into a managerial role, working on the business rather than in it.

“A business is something that you nurture and water and let it grow,” he said. “You can’t just ignore it and expect it to grow into something large or profitable, but with consistency and resilience, you can achieve your goals.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice.