Husband-and-Wife Team Combines Business Acumen and Legal Expertise as Anchored Tiny Homes Franchisees
Chad and Robin Creech have had successful careers across a variety of industries. With a shared interest in real estate, they have become business owners with Anchored Tiny Homes.
Husband-and-wife team Chad and Robin Creech have decided to venture into franchising with Anchored Tiny Homes. They’ve invested in four territories covering all of Northern Houston and are looking forward to contributing affordable, high quality housing and job opportunities to their community.
Chad is no stranger to business ownership, having owned and operated numerous trucking companies. He also has a background in construction. His business acumen and industry knowledge, combined with Robin's contract knowledge and expertise, made the pair a perfect fit for Anchored Tiny Homes — and vice versa.
Apart from the industry being a good match for their expertise, the couple found the brand’s mission and leadership team was something they could get behind.
“The brand has a good mission, trying to provide affordable housing solutions, while also helping investors realize additional ROI through ADUs [accessory dwelling units],” Chad said. “It’s a good brand run by good people.”
1851 Franchise spoke with the Creeches about their journey into franchising with Anchored Tiny Homesand their plans for the future.
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?
Chad: I went to University of Texas in Austin and, after graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C., and worked in politics for four and a half years. Then I was involved in the transportation trucking industry through 2019, owning and operating multiple trucking companies. After that, I got into the construction business as a treasurer and finance professional for a commercial construction company.
About a year and a half ago, I transitioned into investing in real estate. My real estate investments led me to seeking solutions for building out one of our properties economically, which led me to ADUs. Through my research, I came across Anchored Tiny Homes. I was always open to the idea of getting involved in a franchise, and I saw they were franchising, so we started to look into their business. We noticed how successful they’ve been in the industry and we were really impressed.
Robin: I was in oil and gas before this, while also working as an estate planning attorney on the side. I went to Trinity in San Antonio and then graduated from the University of Houston Law School. Chad came across Anchored Tiny Homes and I wanted to support him.
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?
Chad: I was aware of the ins and outs of it prior to purchasing this franchise and what attracted me to franchising was the opportunity to have a business with a proven business model.
Although it is still a significant investment, I feel confident that I’ll see a return on my investment.
Anchored Tiny Homes hasn’t been around for 20-plus years like some other large franchises, but the numbers speak for themselves. The brand is growing and doing really well.
1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?
Chad: The brand has a good mission, trying to provide affordable housing solutions, while also helping investors realize additional ROI through ADUs. It feels like a good investment to be involved in a family-like business. [CEO] Colton [Paulhus] has a really good head on his shoulders and is a great leader. It’s a good brand run by good people.
Robin: We both were impressed with the brand’s mission statement and the family-centered ethos. We like what they stand for.
1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?
Chad: In the short term, we would like to realize our ROI. We want to build up the business and make it profitable. With four territories, there's plenty of growth that needs to happen, and it's going to take a good minute to do that. We started with just Robin and I, and now we've hired a salesperson. In fully realizing the potential of these territories, we will need multiple salesmen, probably project managers, maybe even a general manager to manage all that business volume, and so we want to grow it over time and be able to support multiple families with good jobs while also providing a good product to all of North Houston.
1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?
Chad: As little as possible — I love to be successful and anonymous! Our customers and our product are paramount. The quality of our product and providing excellent white-glove customer service is the most important thing for us.
I will take care of the sales and project management side of things, while Robin has a lot of expertise and contract knowledge, so we have our lanes. She is very crucial to what we are doing.
Robin: He is more front-facing, and I’m behind the scenes. We work well together!
1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?
Chad: Be patient! Sales is the most important thing you’ll be doing when you start. Be sure you’re equipped to manage leads and close sales from day one.
ABOUT ANCHORED TINY HOMES
Anchored Tiny Homes (ATH) is on a mission to solve the housing crisis in the United States.
Created by the Paulhus family, who hold over 40 years of combined construction experience, ATH is the only accessory dwelling unit (ADU) franchise on the market. With hundreds of completed and active projects in multiple states and growing daily, the ATH business model makes it easy for anyone to join this surging industry without a construction background and generate some of the best numbers shown in franchising!
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