The Glass Guru Franchisee in Gurnee, Illinois is Focused on Providing Top-Notch Customer Service

Tom Rowland knew he wanted to be his own boss from an early age, which ultimately led him to franchise with The Glass Guru almost straight out of college.

“I knew growing up that I wanted to work for myself; that was the ultimate goal,” Rowland said. “I went to Purdue University to study engineering, figuring I’d get a good job that would eventually help me start a business. I later switched my major to business management, realizing that’s what I was truly interested in.”

Rowland opened his franchise in Gurnee, Illinois, in February 2012 at just 22 years old, his territory covering most of Lake County, Illinois. He recently celebrated his 29th birthday, making him one of the youngest—if not the youngest—franchisee in The Glass Guru’s franchise system.

“I guess they saw some potential in a young guy,” Rowland said of the corporate team. “It’s definitely worked out well for both of us.”

Prior to franchising with The Glass Guru, Rowland worked as a technician for Stanley Steemer, another franchise, while enrolled in school. When he was still studying engineering, he was specifically focusing on construction management, which came in handy even after he switched his major to business management.

Once he graduated from Purdue, Rowland was eager to fulfill his dream of working for himself sooner rather than later, so he decided to look into franchising opportunities.

“Why reinvent the wheel if there’s a good model that matches my personality and what I want to do?” he said he thought at the time.

He researched franchise-related publications and talked to “a handful of different companies,” most of which were in-home services. He explored mostly home-based opportunities that had low-cost entry points and would help him get his foot in the door.

“You go through this process of talking to folks at any company and you learn some stuff. With all of these other places, I learned something I didn’t like,” Rowland said. “But with The Glass Guru, it happened a little differently. Every step down the road felt like a better fit.”

Customer service, Rowland said, is “still a big question mark” in the minds of business owners. Thanks to his experience at Stanley Steemer, Rowland already knew the value of providing excellent customer service when he joined The Glass Guru.

“I wasn’t in a high-ranking position,” Rowland said of his time at Stanley Steemer. “I was more involved with day-to-day operations. We had a morning meeting every day and then you’d go out with your partner in the truck and perform that service for your customers. You’d see both positive and negative reviews, so I really started to get a good mental picture of what good service for a homeowner looks like.”

From the beginning of his time franchising with The Glass Guru, it has been important to Rowland to provide quality customer service.

“We wanted to bring that customer service, but also bring an upstanding business to the community, one that people can trust,” he said. “They know they’re not going to ask the same question to different people and get different answers on different days. There are a lot of bad stories that float around in the construction industry, and we want to be a breath of fresh air. When you have glass needs, we’re here for you. We want to give a fair price across the board, whether you’re a homeowner, a builder or a property manager.”

Rowland is also from Lake County, so he is especially interested in keeping his roots in the community and providing long-term service. He is involved in the area’s Business Networking International chapter, attending weekly meetings with other local business owners and fostering relationships so that everyone can help each other serve their communities and provide clients with whatever they need.

“I know this area really well,” he said. “I grew up in Libertyville, Illinois, and I’ve lived in this area since I was about five years old. This is my home. I’ve been here my whole life and outside of my business, I have a lot of personal ties.”

In terms of his future plans with The Glass Guru, Rowland wants to continue growing his Gurnee franchise before looking at acquiring a second territory. He believes that his current territory still has a lot of potential.

“It’s a really nice spot here,” he said. “It’s never-ending suburbs, subdivision housing and there are lots of window problems and glass issues that we fix every day. The first plan is to continually grow our market share within our territory and then see where that takes us. We’re the only location around Chicago, so it’s ripe for the picking. The whole Chicagoland area could easily support 12 Glass Guru franchises.”

Rowland is thrilled he decided to join the Glass Guru brand.

“I like the brand mainly because it’s about bringing that better service to an industry that’s never going to die,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how far into the technology space we are, everyone needs a house to live in and a building to work in. There’s no robot that’s going to do this in 50 years. It’s stable, and while there can be dips and high points depending on the real estate market and how the economy is doing, our services are always going to be needed.”

He also has a message for prospective franchisees. One of the main things Rowland researched when deciding with whom to franchise was what he refers to as “after the signature” support. What kind of support, he wondered, would the corporate team provide once he had signed the paperwork?

“The Glass Guru provides solid franchisee support,” he said. “The best part is that they’re there for you whether you’re a new store or an older one. They’re there to answer your questions and help you get the most of your business. That helped push me over the edge.”

The startup costs for a franchise with The Glass Guru range from $72,750 to $179,500. The franchise fee ranges from $19,500 to $52,500. To learn more about franchising with The Glass Guru, visit https://theglassgurufranchise.com/.