How Preservan's Franchise Support Model Takes Opportunity to the Next Level

Preservan, the emerging wood rot repair franchise, has developed a robust franchisee support model that positions owners to excel in their local markets from Day One. Because Preservan has introduced a new, innovative service to the market, it‘s crucial for franchisees and their teams to fully understand and embrace the model, the service and the vision. For that reason, Preservan has built an initial training and onboarding program, EpoxyTech education program and ongoing support system that ensure Preservan teams can consistently provide the best service.

“We are so focused on doing one thing and doing it really well,” said Magon Hoffman, marketing director for Preservan. “That’s the main difference between us and our would-be competitors. We are laser-focused on repairing wood and doing it well, and all of our training and support is geared toward preparing our teams to do the same.”

A Four-Step Onboarding Process Ensures a Strong Launch

Preservan franchisees start with a strong foundation, following a four-part launch strategy that allows them to be up and running within 120 days. 

The first phase covers what Hoffman calls “the bare essentials.” Franchisees are guided through obtaining their vehicle, equipment and physical marketing materials, as well as creating a landing page, Google Business listing and social media presence.

Once the franchisees have established their online presence, they can then pursue practical training. Through an in-person training process that typically lasts about a week, new Preservan owners learn everything they need to know about the wood rot repair jobs they will be doing. 

The third stage supports franchisees as they start to recruit their team members and market their businesses. At this point, Preservan introduces a predictive index that allows franchisees to confidently select EpoxyTechs who will best represent the brand and embrace the mission.

“We’ve had high success with the predictive index, and that’s a really big key that we push and stress because people in our industry are struggling to find and keep good help,” explained Hoffman. “We’ve found that this predictive index can really help hone in on people who maybe weren’t in the construction industry before but do possess all the skills needed to make a good EpoxyTech.”

The entire training and recruiting process has been tailored to support owners and their employees in building the strongest team possible. Regardless of an entrepreneur or team member’s previous experience with construction or repair, Preservan offers the training and education necessary to ensure they are able to do the job correctly, as well as make meaningful contributions to the company and their communities each day. As they finalize training, franchisees are also supported in connecting with their local Chamber of Commerce, growing their social media presence and launching paid advertising.

With all of these steps completed, franchisees are ready to start filling up their schedules. The fourth and final stage, called “Ignite,” is when franchisees complete any finishing touches and begin to accept bookings from friends and family. Having a soft launch allows owners to get a bit of experience before completely opening the floodgates.

“Our training goes beyond the basics and aims to impart a deeper understanding of our brand values to our franchisees,” said Ty McBride, founder and CEO. “We maintain a close connection with our franchisees as they serve their communities.”

Full-Circle Support Continues as Franchisees Scale

Even after franchisees have launched, they receive ongoing support from the Preservan team to encourage continued success. In addition to an appointment center that schedules assessments for owners, the franchisees have access to field management software that allows them to create quotes and schedule jobs, as well as a customer relationship management (CRM) tool to help them send additional emails and stay in touch with their clients. If franchisees want even more marketing support, they can opt into a corporate-led program that handles SEO, paid ads, social media, yard signs and mailers.

“All of these resources are in place so that owners can be focusing on growing their businesses instead of being stuck in the weeds of the day-to-day requirements of running a business,” said Hoffman.

“There’s nothing simple about historic home preservation, but when I saw the Preservan model, I thought, ‘This is so streamlined and so simple,’” said Scott Sidler, a Preservan owner in Florida. “I realized I could grow this much faster with much less stress than I ever could with any of my other companies involving historic preservation.”

Preservan builds franchisees up with a strong foundation to launch from, but the support certainly does not end when an owner begins taking jobs. To ensure the business is truly scalable, the team has implemented ongoing support models that encourage everyone in the Preservan model to grow with the brand and make an even bigger impact.

For EpoxyTechs, this looks like a three-step certification process. At the start of the EpoxyTech journey, team members are in the trainee category and must complete classroom training, sample repairs, ride-along training and multiple field projects before graduating to Apprentice. With even more projects, multiple strong Google Ratings and the successful completion of a vehicle inspection, team members can become official EpoxyTechs. Having this measured education and promotion process allows Preservan to differentiate its qualified technicians from other would-be competitors in the market.

Franchisees have similar development opportunities. In addition to weekly calls and check-ins, McBride hosts mastermind classes and additional training sessions. As Preservan’s marketing director, Hoffman stays connected with franchisees, too, consistently offering up additional tips and tricks for local owners to improve their own marketing efforts and guidance on “how they can help us help them when it comes to marketing.”

“Franchisees are getting a flow of invites from us; we’re always talking to them,” said Hoffman. “This constant communication and wide-reaching support helps us to turn an already-great business model into a powerhouse opportunity.”

“I’ve been working in preservation for 13 years and I can tell you with confidence that preservation is not the easiest business,” said Sidler. “It has a lot of headaches, it’s tough and it’s really challenging to actually make a good living doing it. When I spoke with Ty and found out about what’s happening at Preservan, I realized it’s the first business I’ve seen within preservation where it seems the proven model is scalable, I can combine my passion for preservation with an opportunity to have an actual job that makes money.”

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