Preservan Franchise

1851 Franchise: Tell me your franchise story — how did you start Preservan? 

Ty McBride, Founder of Preservan: It’s a fun story. I've been in the construction industry and home service industry for about 20 years. But seven years ago, I started restoring wood windows in my 100-year-old garage. 

1851 Franchise: Alright, so you're fixing up wood in your old home. How does this turn into a business?

McBride: So, I live in a house that's 110 years old, and my neighbors have these major problems with their houses. Contractors make things incredibly difficult — everything takes forever and costs a ton of money. My neighbors were always asking me how to save money and do things differently. I got turned on to some awesome repair methods that the National Park Service uses, like epoxy resins, and I thought they had great application for my neighborhood. We realized we could fix a lot of wood-related problems like rot, termites and other deterioration, saving people a ton of time and money.

1851 Franchise: How did you figure out your pricing model in that initial scenario?

McBride: That's the hardest part about running a home service business. It took years to nail down pricing. We spent five years not charging enough and borrowing money to make it work. We evaluated the cost of labor, what kind of labor was in our market, and what it would cost to recruit amazing technicians and retain them. We compared it against the value, like the cost of a replacement door or window, and built our price from there.

1851 Franchise: How did you then turn it into a business and start scaling through franchising?

McBride: We started with my neighborhood, thinking about going all in on my community. I was a full-time contractor and part-time window restoration guy. I thought about getting involved in my kids' school and supporting local events, but also leveraging digital marketing, like geofencing, to really get connected to my community. As we grew throughout Oklahoma City, we just spread out neighborhood by neighborhood.

We always knew we wanted this to grow. A mentor gave me the book E-Myth, and I read it and thought that franchising was the way to grow. That process started about seven years ago, but we didn't really take it seriously until about three years ago.

1851 Franchise: What makes your franchise stand out today?

McBride: Our focus on repair rather than replacement sets us apart. We've created a new category in the market. Unlike other businesses, particularly in the construction industry where upselling is common, we focus on how much we can save our customers, not how much we can charge them. We keep a running total of the savings we've provided to our community. For instance, last month alone, we saved over $890,000 for our clients. By 2030, we aim to save American homeowners a combined $5 million. Our business model isn't about revenue; it's about the savings we provide to homeowners.

1851 Franchise: How does the brand train its franchisees?

McBride: Our training goes beyond the basics, aiming to impart a deeper understanding of our brand values to our franchisees. We maintain a close connection with our franchisees as they serve our communities. 

Part of our support system includes technician recruiting, addressing one of the biggest challenges in the construction industry. We've developed a unique epoxy technician certification program, complete with KPIs and a comprehensive training manual, to assist our franchisees in starting their journey. People who are detail-oriented and apply the product in the way that we train are successful.

1851 Franchise: How has franchising been going for you?

McBride: It's been a learning experience. We had a couple of people waiting in the wings that we knew would be great candidates. Our first franchise was in Tulsa, and then we worked with a colleague of mine in Orlando. We're on a good track to see five to eight people sign on in 2023.

1851 Franchise: What scares you about franchising?

McBride: What scares me is the idea that someone could invest their money with us and it could not work out. I always imagine these men and women are going to be a lot like me, with families, giving up a career. That's what keeps me working on refining and making sure we're the best we can be as a franchisor.

1851 Franchise: Who is your ideal franchise owner?

McBride: We're looking for people who have experience in leadership and management and love their community. Our journey towards sustainability is unique to each individual. However, our ideal franchisee is typically someone with a steward mindset, deeply concerned with taking care of their home, family or community. If they possess this mindset, aligning with our goals becomes quite straightforward. We're not just about appearing environmentally friendly — it's the essence of our business. This alignment is not only ethically sound but also makes financial sense. By maintaining things longer, we save significant amounts of money, which positively impacts our finances and allows us to contribute more.

1851 Franchise: Where do you see the brand growing through franchising?

McBride: We envision a presence in every major metro market, with ideal candidates passionate about preserving homes and buildings. Our growth strategy is responsibility-driven. We are currently in five territories and aim to expand to 20 by the end of 2024. Our territory sizes vary based on environmental demand and the need for wood rot remediation in different regions. Our focus areas include the Northwest and the South, particularly markets with historic structures needing preservation.

For more information, visit: https://gopreservan.com/