Threshold Brands’ VP of Franchise Development Helps Entrepreneurs Find Their Purpose in Home Services
Ron Bender joined 1851 Franchise Publisher Nick Powills on Meet the Zor to discuss his journey to franchising and what Threshold Brands will see next.
With all of the skills to be a successful franchise owner, Ron Bender, vice president of franchise development at Threshold Brands, had multiple opportunities to launch a successful business, but instead, he found himself on the other side of the coin.
“Before I got into franchising, I had no exposure to franchising and didn’t even know what was out there,” said Bender. “But after I got into franchising, I realized that I got more satisfaction out of helping people change their lives and take control of their lifestyle and their income. That’s what really drives me, not operating my own business.”
After time spent managing retail locations, Bender was recruited by a retail franchise to support the development of the brand and its processes, but he quickly realized that he loved the “people” aspect of franchising.
Now, with Threshold Brands, which is the parent franchisor to multiple home services concepts, Bender continues to do the same. While the franchisor sits in a highly lucrative, high-demand segment, it also boasts further differentiation that allows it to stand out above other home service franchise concepts.
“The thing that makes Threshold Brands stand out is that we are still run as a very personal type of organization. Although our parent is a big private equity firm, we’re not run by a committee; we’re run by the people who are on the ground level,” added Bender. “Many of our founders are still very involved.”
How Threshold Brands Matches Entrepreneurs with a Prime Opportunity
Bender explained that, although Threshold Brands includes both well-known and emerging concepts, many of the franchise owners do not inquire about ownership based on brand name alone. Rather, after educating themselves on financing options, training expectations and other investment-related topics, prospective owners identify a strong market (home services) and begin to explore the education, training and support available through the different concepts Threshold Brands offers.
“We narrow down by investment level, how much time the candidate is willing to invest — whether it’s going to be a full-time role or some sort of executive model — how many and what type of employees they want to manage and whether they are really sales-centric themselves,” explained Bender. “We have so many brands with such a wide range of investment levels. I think that’s wonderful.”
Bender went on to explain that the Threshold Brands portfolio is especially attractive because of the range of opportunities it offers. For franchise owners looking to scale, the franchisor provides an opportunity to build a strong business in heating and air, for example, but they can relatively easily expand to another industry under the Threshold Brands umbrella, such as plumbing, to further grow their impact.
As a part of the development process, Bender talks through prospective franchise owners’ exit strategies before they even commit to owning the brand. This allows him to ensure they are matched with a concept that truly meets their expectations and can provide the long-term success they seek while also creating an opportunity to discuss the more technical side of scaling a franchise.
“There are many many services that we don’t yet offer, so there are plenty of opportunities for us to continue to acquire or even start up brands, and I know that that’s a big part of the future plan,” said Bender.
Watch the full video here.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/thresholdbrands