How To Thrive During Your First Year as a Franchisee

The first year of owning your own business can be the most challenging. People to hire. Marketing to do. New skills to acquire. And a lot of money on the line.

That’s exactly why so many people choose to invest in franchise businesses: It allows them to be their own boss, while still having support along the way. A franchise means someone’s there to show them the ropes, help them get their bearings, and set them up for success. 

That’s the case at Renew Crew, a cleaning-and-resealing franchise with 29 locations across the country. The brand is dedicated to helping their new franchisee thrive, especially during the all-important first year. 

From Ski Bum to Business Owner

Phillip Howe was a reformed Colorado “ski bum” who had moved back to his hometown of Kansas City, Mo. to be near family. He was doing well for himself, so after a few years managing a camera store, he decided he had what it took to be his own boss. He investigated several franchise opportunities before he found Renew Crew. He liked what he saw.

“It was something that was fairly easy to comprehend, and the business model looked good,” he said. 

There was one issue: Howe knew nothing about power washing or deck sealing. Turns out, at Renew Crew, that was a plus. 

“Franchisees don't need to understand the technical side when they start — we're going to teach them,” says Ty Anderson, Renew Crew’s vice president.  “I don't want the owner going out and power washing. They’re the one doing the marketing, doing the sales, and handling all the logistics.”

It’s All About Training and Coaching

But how can you be successful in an area you know little about? 

“We're going to bring you through a pretty intensive training process,” says Anderson. “We give you the training, and you're able to hit the ground running.”

From how to market your business to how to hire the right people, Renew Crew is helping new franchise owners understand the business side before they open. 

“They give you a lot of business advice,” says Howe. “They help you see what you really need to do to scale your business up, helping you spend less time in the field and more time growing your business.”

Franchisees also have weekly phone calls with a Renew Crew business coach to talk shop and get hard-won advice on anything from inventory to employee management. Additionally, during the first year, somebody from the Renew Crew corporate office’s operations team comes out to their franchisee’s site to advise them on how to ensure that the business runs smoothly.

“It’s nice to have somebody that's outside your inner circle that can give you the 10,000-foot view that you might just overlook, rather than focus solely on the day-to-day stuff,” says Howe. 

Set Up for Success

Today, Howe’s Renew Crew business is thriving, but it wasn't all smooth sailing during his first year. He recalls that he took his mom, dad and wife to help on his first job as a Renew Crew franchise. Without going into too many details, Howe says, things didn’t go as planned (and Mom hasn’t power washed decks since). 

But that’s the point of having support during your first year. A new business owner needs someone to help them avoid the same pitfalls they encountered as a newbie. Anderson says it’s those who take advantage of the franchisee resources that invariably do the best. 

“The people that are using our resources, asking questions and getting help are usually the most successful,” says Anderson. “People that aren't successful are the ones that tried to do it on their own, and just kind of go off and try to figure it out.”