The Franchisee-Franchisor Relationship Is a Two-Way Street at HomeTeam Inspection Service

HomeTeam Inspection Service provides residential and commercial inspections to help buyers, sellers and real estate professionals. 2020 was a monumental year for the brand; they added 28 new locations, surpassed 150 units and were up 20% in YOY revenue. In a recent Franchise Times article, the brand highlights how a successful franchisee-franchisor relationship is crucial for continued success.

A franchisee from 2004, Ray Fonos felt at times like his voice wasn’t being heard by the HomeTeam corporate team until Paul Spires, founder of HomeTeam Inspection Service, noticed similar issues that needed to be addressed. With Spires on his side, Fonos was able to successfully contribute to the wellbeing of the franchise and make positive impacts to help propel the company towards continued growth. 

“I’ve been on both sides of this subject with HomeTeam and I’ve concluded that the ability to successfully and positively engage with the franchisor is directly related to the people in the corporate office, paired with reasonable owners,” Fonos told Franchise Times. “This relationship is a two-way street and both sides have to be willing to communicate and listen.”

Fonos went on to become part of the Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) and helped to develop the brand’s reporting software. However, his greatest accomplishment lies in improving the franchisee-franchisor relationship for the better. 

The corporate team now takes feedback from franchisees through the advisory council and makes direct changes to the system. Another HomeTeam owner, Ed Miehlke, explained that while it’s on the franchisor to implement changes, franchisees need to speak up so that the corporate team is aware of what’s working and what’s not.

“My advice would be that the franchisor needs to be constantly committed to working with the franchise owners, otherwise the owners feel like they're on their own and can begin to question the value of being a part of a franchise organization,” Miehlke told Franchise Times.

To read the full article, click here.