The Great Franchisee: Adeola Shabiyi, Home Clean Heroes, Tampa Bay

Adeola Shabiyi, a Nigerian-born doctor of business administration with a track record of successful entrepreneurship, moved to the United States in 2014 with a dream of opening his own business. Now, Shabiyi is making that dream a reality as one of the newest franchisees with Home Clean Heroes*, the emerging home cleaning franchise out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Shabiyi purchased three territories in Florida, serving Land O’ Lakes, Ellenton and St. Petersburg. He says he looks forward to adding to his business portfolio while providing his community with jobs and cleaning services.

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story – what did you do before franchising?

Adeola Shabiyi: I worked in the corporate world in the United States, Africa and Europe for 20 years, primarily in HR, but also had some business operations roles. I worked for global corporations like Cadbury, Frito-Lay, Alight Solutions, Citigroup and most recently, Raymond James Financial. I worked there for a year before I left to become a franchise owner.

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising?

Shabiyi: I attended a FranNet seminar and was connected with a local Tampa consultant, Jenny Sutter. I attended the seminar because I was looking for other opportunities during the pandemic and wanted to see what was out there. I learned a lot at the seminar and followed up with Jenny afterward. She introduced me to a lot of different brands to consider.

1851: Why did you choose franchising over starting your own business?

Shabiyi: I did previously start my own HR consultancy company called Dolsh Consulting. We focused on small/medium-sized businesses that were on the cusp of expansion and provided them with strategic HR advisory and support. Unfortunately, with COVID, I wasn’t getting much traction. I decided to shift gears and look for other opportunities.

Though most of my career was spent in HR, I equally consider myself a business person. I studied business academically and grew up in a family of businesspeople. Throughout my career, I did hold various operational roles. I decided to step away from my HR business and look for opportunities that could withstand various seasons and events like COVID, which is why I looked into franchising. When you go the franchise route, it allows you to leverage a system that works.

1851: What types of brands did you look at?

Shabiyi: I looked at a mosquito prevention franchise, home insulation, quick service fast food brands and in-home senior care. I narrowed it down to Home Clean Heroes and the in-home senior care brand and did extensive research on both. I even attended both of their discovery days to meet the corporate teams.

1851: Why did you choose Home Clean Heroes? What excited you most about the potential?

Shabiyi: I chose Home Clean Heroes for a number of reasons. First of all, most people want a clean home. The home cleaning service is in demand all seasons. I also liked that with Home Clean Heroes, I could eventually pull back from day-to-day operations and focus on other important aspects of the business like managing and developing my employees, embedding a culture of customer service excellence, and building the business.

What excites me about the potential with Home Clean Heroes is the people behind the franchise. When I met them, I could tell they were not only qualified but also committed to the franchisees. They understood my business vision, the strategic role of the franchise, and articulated clearly, how they would support me in achieving my business goals. From my research and conversations with franchisees, I learned that the Home Clean Heroes’ system does the heavy lifting for you, making it easier for franchisees to close the deal and again, focus on other important aspects of the business.

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Shabiyi: My dreams are to grow the Home Clean Heroes brand into a multi-territory franchise and build a multi-brand corporation. Eventually, I’d like to add more brands to my portfolio in the in-home senior care, auto and food industries.

1851: What value do you see your business providing to Tampa?

Shabiyi: I immigrated to the United States from Nigeria back in 2004 and it’s always been my goal to achieve the American dream. I look forward to fulfilling that dream but more importantly, being the vehicle that helps other people achieve their American dream by creating jobs and wealth opportunities in my community for them to attain.

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Shabiyi: Find a company that aligns with your values and dreams. Companies like FranNet really help identify those perfect matches, and I definitely recommend tapping their consultants for help.

1851: What do you do in your personal time?

Shabiyi: I enjoy playing tennis and spending time with friends and family. Additionally, I love cooking outdoors. I have a big grill, smoker and griddle and I am always trying new recipes and cooking up something delicious. That’s why I’d like to add a food brand into my portfolio in the future.  

ABOUT HOME CLEAN HEROES

Virginia Beach-based Home Clean Heroes is a Buzz Franchise Brand committed to cleaning up your home and freeing up your schedule. Experience super-powered service, refreshingly simple scheduling, and your very own friendly team of professional grime-fighters whose duty is to make your life easier— and cleaner. Founded in 2017, the residential cleaning business has set itself apart by providing a tech-savvy approach to the $6 billion cleaning segment, utilizing proprietary technology for operational efficiency including field management software, in-vehicle GPS and data tracking. The brand’s commitment to providing convenient, customizable and trustworthy home cleaning services has earned recognition from Franchise Gator as one of the Fastest Growing Franchises and as a Top Emerging Franchise of 2021 and by Franchise Connect Magazine as one of the Top 100 Home Service Franchise Opportunities. For more information,  visit https://homecleanheroesfranchise.com/.