How HomeTeam Inspection Service Helps Female Entrepreneurs Achieve Their Dreams of Business Ownership

HomeTeam Inspection Service — the 200-plus location home inspection franchise known for its unique team-based approach — is growing rapidly across the country. Now, as the brand celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, it looks to add 20 new locations to the fold by the end of 2022. As the brand continues to make waves in the industry, it is catching the attention of many business-savvy female entrepreneurs who are looking to leverage the brand’s tools and resources to thrive as a leading home inspection business in their community. 

HomeTeam franchisee Charlene Bonzey, for example, comes from a former career as a vice-president for Spartan Race, the formidable endurance race that even many top athletes fear. Bonzey has been growing her Worcester, Massachusetts location every year since she signed on with the franchise in 2016. 

“I'd been in corporate America for a long time and was doing a long commute every single day,” said Bonzey. “My son was also interested in franchising, and we knew we had a great passion for real estate, but we didn't really want to start selling homes. We investigated a couple of franchise opportunities, like property management, but I fell in love with HomeTeam. They're a bigger company, but still family-oriented and have that small, homegrown feel.”

??Founded in 1992, HomeTeam Inspection Service is a full-service, independent, home inspection franchise serving home buyers, sellers and real estate agents. For nearly 30 years, HomeTeam has built a reputation for providing professional, reliable, efficient and accurate inspections on both residential and commercial property, including on electrical and plumbing systems, plumbing, roofing, structure insulation and ventilation, interior, heating and cooling, and much more.  

By sticking to the HomeTeam playbook, Bonzey has managed to grow her business into a budding empire in which one of her three grown sons works as part of her inspection team. Recently, Bonzey joined the elite ranks of HomeTeam’s 1,000 Inspections Club, meaning her teams have performed that many inspections in one year. 

“At HomeTeam, the corporate team assigns you a coach who helps you with business development, and that is fantastic,” said Bonzey. “They help you set goals but also set a plan to achieve them. The first goal was 250 inspections in one year, and I was just shy of hitting that mark within my first year of business but hit it in my second. In the third year, the goal was 500 inspections, and I hit that. So this year, which is my fourth year, my goal was 750 inspections, and I hit 1,000. I was pretty happy about that. It’s all about achieving growth, helping small businesses set their goals and having a plan to achieve them.”

Bonzey says there are a few reasons for that growth. For one, the housing market is booming all over the country, and home inspections are a crucial part of any buying or selling process. Clients and real estate agents across the country are looking for trusted, professional home inspectors, which gives HomeTeam franchisees like Bonzey a distinct advantage. 

While HomeTeam has positioned her for success, Bonzey says the most satisfying part of the business has been the opportunity to lift up other female entrepreneurs in an industry that is predominantly occupied by men. 

“Here in Massachusetts, there are only about five women in this industry right now, and three of them work for me,” said Bonzey. “We get a lot of kudos for that, and that's gratifying, but it’s not just a woman-power thing. We're different in the marketplace. A sizable percentage of agents are women, and women like working with women. We also have a way of explaining things in a way that’s not alarmist. So I always tell HomeTeam franchises that if you're looking to expand, put a woman on your team. Just try it. You will be surprised to find how many people will be requesting that woman.”

Beth Klepper is another successful female HomeTeam franchisee who opened her location in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, last year after a 25-year career in the hospitality industry with the restaurant concept Landy’s.

“I was a general manager for 13 years, which was a very male-dominated career,” said Klepper. “I was promoted to Regional Training Manager in 2015 and got to travel all over the country hosting leadership classes and putting training systems in place. All of that came to a halt with COVID-19, and my position was eliminated as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry.”

As a mother of three school-aged children, Klepper says she knew she had to make a plan for finding the next chapter of her career right away. “I received a cold call from a franchise broker, and we started walking through the best opportunities for me and my skill sets,” she said. “HomeTeam immediately stood out, and I was put in contact with the corporate team. During my time as a general manager, I had seven HVAC units on my roof that I had to inspect and keep up with. And that's really what a home inspection is when you break it down. That was a huge draw because I knew I could lean on that experience.” 

Klepper says the potential return on investment with HomeTeam was also a big draw for her, as well as the ability to get the business up and running quickly. “All of the training and licensing was virtual, so I could do it from home and have more support than if I was just doing it on my own,” she said. “I visited the team in Charleston and did several home inspections with them. Coming from the corporate world, I liked having that support infrastructure and training in place.”

With the backing of HomeTeam and her in-depth experience, Klepper says she knew she could succeed as a female-owned business in another male-dominated industry. “Once I went on that first ride-along, I knew I could do this, regardless of being a female or not,” she said. “When I became a general manager in my 20s, all the other general managers were middle-aged men, but I was able to thrive because of my focus on customer service. I knew those skills would also serve me with HomeTeam because so much of home inspection is about making sure the customer has the best experience possible.”

Since opening her HomeTeam business in 2021, Klepper says she has already hit her year-one goal while showing no signs of slowing down. “By the end of 2022, I want to reach 500 inspections and eventually hire additional inspectors so we can continue to grow over the next three to five years,” she said. 

And Klepper says she is most excited to continue working alongside other empowered female entrepreneurs in the home inspection industry. “I run into other women all the time, whether they be vendors, agents or marketing professionals, and they are surprised that I am an actual inspector,” she said. “I've been able to have all-female teams, and that has been great — a lot of customers are excited to work with us for that reason.”

Now, as HomeTeam continues to expand its footprint, brand president Adam Long says the team is looking for passionate, qualified franchisees like Bonzey and Keppler to help the brand further establish itself as the leading inspection service for real estate agents and homeowners alike.

“We have worked hard to create a winning business model for all types of entrepreneurs, and we are so proud of our female franchisees like Beth and Charlene making the most of this opportunity,” Long said. “As we continue moving forward with our expansion plans for the future, it is franchisees like these who will help us achieve our vision.” 

The initial investment range to open a HomeTeam Inspection franchise is $50,100 to $76,800. For more information, visit https://www.hometeamfranchise.com/.