After climbing the corporate ladder and serving in the C-suite, Butch Knowlton reached a point where chasing someone else’s goals no longer brought him joy. While he considered a “second chapter” of sorts in the corporate world, he quickly realized he just didn’t have the passion for it and began considering what it would look like for him and his wife, Kim, to bet on themselves. With their four kids finishing school and becoming more independent, the timing was ideal to transition into franchise ownership.
“It was no longer about proving ourselves to others,” Butch said. “It’s about proving ourselves to ourselves. With our kids being more independent, the risk is substantially less. We’ve done well enough for ourselves that the initial investment for a franchise wasn’t detrimental, so we decided to start looking at going into business for ourselves.”
After evaluating a range of franchise opportunities in partnership with a franchise coach, considering their own professional backgrounds, personal preferences and areas of passion, the pair landed on Sparkle Squad, the rapidly growing window cleaning and exterior cleaning franchise under the Happinest Brands umbrella.
As the pair began researching different franchise opportunities, the long-term growth potential and stability of the model were key considerations, alongside how well the specific model would lend itself to the Knowltons’ inherent strengths.
“With Butch coming from the IT side of the world, with AI coming in and taking over, we really liked the home services space,” Kim said. “It’s fairly AI-proof. It’s providing a service that people need, and it brings smiles to faces. That’s an added perk. Butch is a servant leader, and acts of service are one of my biggest love languages.”
Within the home services segment, the pair recognized a significant opportunity within the Sparkle Squad system. In addition to window and house cleaning, the franchise also specializes in gutter cleaning, pressure washing and holiday lighting services. In the fast-growing, largely affluent Columbus, Ohio, metro area, all of these services are in high demand, and Sparkle Squad executes them at a high level.
“In this area, the expectation is a level of professionalism in interaction that is higher than the ‘dude in the truck,’” Butch said. “When we come in, we have a grown-up feel. We’re uniformed. It gives a sense of polish and professionalism that clients don’t always get from other providers.”
After settling on the Sparkle Squad franchise opportunity, the Knowltons signed their franchise agreement last July. They attended training in September and served their first customer on October 3rd. This timing allowed them an opportunity to dip their toes in, so to speak, then have a bit of relief during the Ohio winter season to gear up for a major spring push.
When the two started, they rented a storage facility with no utilities just to have a place to park the van out of the elements. Now, they have an office, garage, shop and two vans, and they’re booking projects three to four weeks in advance.
The addition of the second van opened up immediate capacity, and the pair has been able to secure commercial contracts as a result, serving as the go-to local provider for window cleaning. For example, the Knowltons secured a contract to clean half of the local strip mall. The other half is currently cleaned by a team that comes in from out of town, but Sparkle Squad represents real competition due to both its local roots and elevated, professional experience.
“Once you get involved in this business, you notice windows and glass everywhere,” Butch said. “And it’s all filthy! The Sparkle Squad brand and services are resonating with our area, on both the commercial and residential sides. We were confident that this area was ripe for growth when we chose to invest, and that theory has been verified.”
As the Knowltons have expanded in their current market, responsiveness from the Sparkle Squad leadership team has been a key contributor to their success.
“We got the feeling when we were researching brands that Sparkle Squad had a good support system, and that’s proven to be true,” Butch said. “We’ve been here for a year now, and it hasn’t been a bait and switch.”
Looking toward the future, the Knowltons are working to scale and build a true empire with Sparkle Squad.
“I’m always looking at what’s next,” Butch said. “I left corporate, but I haven’t lost my drive and ambition. The same things that drove me into the C-suite also make me want to be the leading provider in our market.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/sparkle-squad.
Sparkle Squad Window Cleaning
SPONSORED
After launching their window cleaning and exterior cleaning franchise last year, Butch and Kim Knowlton have already grown to an office and two vans and are booking three to four weeks in advance.
After climbing the corporate ladder and serving in the C-suite, Butch Knowlton reached a point where chasing someone else’s goals no longer brought him joy. While he considered a “second chapter” of sorts in the corporate world, he quickly realized he just didn’t have the passion for it and began considering what it would look like for him and his wife, Kim, to bet on themselves. With their four kids finishing school and becoming more independent, the timing was ideal to transition into franchise ownership.
“It was no longer about proving ourselves to others,” Butch said. “It’s about proving ourselves to ourselves. With our kids being more independent, the risk is substantially less. We’ve done well enough for ourselves that the initial investment for a franchise wasn’t detrimental, so we decided to start looking at going into business for ourselves.”
After evaluating a range of franchise opportunities in partnership with a franchise coach, considering their own professional backgrounds, personal preferences and areas of passion, the pair landed on Sparkle Squad, the rapidly growing window cleaning and exterior cleaning franchise under the Happinest Brands umbrella.
As the pair began researching different franchise opportunities, the long-term growth potential and stability of the model were key considerations, alongside how well the specific model would lend itself to the Knowltons’ inherent strengths.
“With Butch coming from the IT side of the world, with AI coming in and taking over, we really liked the home services space,” Kim said. “It’s fairly AI-proof. It’s providing a service that people need, and it brings smiles to faces. That’s an added perk. Butch is a servant leader, and acts of service are one of my biggest love languages.”
Within the home services segment, the pair recognized a significant opportunity within the Sparkle Squad system. In addition to window and house cleaning, the franchise also specializes in gutter cleaning, pressure washing and holiday lighting services. In the fast-growing, largely affluent Columbus, Ohio, metro area, all of these services are in high demand, and Sparkle Squad executes them at a high level.
“In this area, the expectation is a level of professionalism in interaction that is higher than the ‘dude in the truck,’” Butch said. “When we come in, we have a grown-up feel. We’re uniformed. It gives a sense of polish and professionalism that clients don’t always get from other providers.”
After settling on the Sparkle Squad franchise opportunity, the Knowltons signed their franchise agreement last July. They attended training in September and served their first customer on October 3rd. This timing allowed them an opportunity to dip their toes in, so to speak, then have a bit of relief during the Ohio winter season to gear up for a major spring push.
When the two started, they rented a storage facility with no utilities just to have a place to park the van out of the elements. Now, they have an office, garage, shop and two vans, and they’re booking projects three to four weeks in advance.
The addition of the second van opened up immediate capacity, and the pair has been able to secure commercial contracts as a result, serving as the go-to local provider for window cleaning. For example, the Knowltons secured a contract to clean half of the local strip mall. The other half is currently cleaned by a team that comes in from out of town, but Sparkle Squad represents real competition due to both its local roots and elevated, professional experience.
“Once you get involved in this business, you notice windows and glass everywhere,” Butch said. “And it’s all filthy! The Sparkle Squad brand and services are resonating with our area, on both the commercial and residential sides. We were confident that this area was ripe for growth when we chose to invest, and that theory has been verified.”
As the Knowltons have expanded in their current market, responsiveness from the Sparkle Squad leadership team has been a key contributor to their success.
“We got the feeling when we were researching brands that Sparkle Squad had a good support system, and that’s proven to be true,” Butch said. “We’ve been here for a year now, and it hasn’t been a bait and switch.”
Looking toward the future, the Knowltons are working to scale and build a true empire with Sparkle Squad.
“I’m always looking at what’s next,” Butch said. “I left corporate, but I haven’t lost my drive and ambition. The same things that drove me into the C-suite also make me want to be the leading provider in our market.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/sparkle-squad.
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