1851

Patti Robertson may be a new franchisee with <a href="https://www.propertymanagementinc.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-franchisee-patti-robertson-converted-her-business-to-property-management-inc-2710205" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">Property Management Inc.</a> (PMI), but this isn&rsquo;t her first franchising rodeo. 

&ldquo;I say we are in the business of hair and houses,&rdquo; laughed Robertson, who currently co-owns Great Clips, HomeVestors and <a href="https://1851franchise.com/propertymanagementinc" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">Property Management Inc.</a> franchise locations with her husband, Troy, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Originally from upstate New York, Robertson moved to Virginia Beach in high school with her family. While studying business and marketing at Old Dominion University, she began her journey within franchising, interning for a marketing firm that consulted with franchise brands. She was then hired by a franchisor right out of college.

At the age of 25, Robertson married Troy, and the two&mdash;by that time, well-aware of the benefits of a franchising system&mdash;bought an existing Jackson Hewitt tax preparation franchise while Robertson continued working her corporate job. Several years and a baby later, Robertson felt ready to forge her own path, so in 2000, the couple purchased a Great Clips franchise location. 

In 2005, Robertson attended a multi-unit franchise conference in Denver, Colorado. She found herself surrounded by Blockbuster franchisees discussing what their next move would be&mdash;as in, what kind of business existed that the internet would not compete with. The conversation struck a chord, and Robertson began looking for her next long-term opportunity.

In HomeVestors, Robertson found an intriguing opportunity to buy, fix up and flip houses&mdash;something online streaming would never be able to do. &ldquo;I love the challenge of fixing things,&rdquo; said Robertson. &ldquo;My first job title was Troubleshooter, and now as an entrepreneur and business owner, that&rsquo;s still what I do today.&rdquo;

Robertson troubleshot the 2008 housing crisis by becoming a licensed agent, then a broker, and developing her own real estate portfolio. She and Troy then began managing rentals through their own local firm. Recently, they decided to look into franchising that company.

&ldquo;We knew that we wanted to take that business to the next level. It was our only company that wasn&rsquo;t a franchise, and we knew that by joining a franchise brand, we would gain the ability to grow at a faster rate,&rdquo; said Robertson. 

While attending a HomeVestors conference in Dallas last year, the Robertsons met representatives of Property Management Inc. &ldquo;We liked the people, and they reminded us of our other franchise companies: grassroots and family-owned and operated,&rdquo; said Robertson.

They joined Property Management Inc. as franchisees, converting their management company in January 2019.

&ldquo;To change up your brand name in today&rsquo;s world, where it is out there in thousands of places, is a daunting task,&rdquo; said Robertson. &ldquo;But getting involved in a franchise company holds you accountable. One of the things that was on our to-do list for a long time was restructuring the entities through which we own our properties. Converting to Property Management Inc. has helped us get straight organizationally.&rdquo;

As a franchisee, Robertson&rsquo;s online presence is monitored and scored, giving her actionable feedback on what she can do to improve. &ldquo;My reviews are great, but I found out I need to focus on listing accuracy,&rdquo; she explained. &ldquo;There are still thousands of websites calling our business by the old name, which is hurting our search results. If I hadn&rsquo;t joined Property Management Inc., I wouldn&rsquo;t know that. It helps to get a bigger picture.&rdquo;

Robertson says a perk of franchising is operating in an environment where she has peers. &ldquo;We enjoy the camaraderie&mdash;and the accountability,&rdquo; she explained. &ldquo;When you operate in a vacuum, you always think you&#39;re doing great, so it helps to compare yourself with benchmarks that others have set. And when an individual person improves, <a href="https://1851franchise.com/propertymanagementinc/property-management-inc-plans-to-become-the-largest-property-management-franchise-by-2020-2709184" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">the whole company grows</a>. You have a country full of cheerleaders.&rdquo;

As a property manager, Robertson loves helping people create passive income for retirement. &ldquo;Many military veterans don&rsquo;t realize they have a [Veterans Affairs] benefit that can help them buy a home with no money out of pocket&mdash;in fact, they can buy up to four units,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We know the strategies. I love helping our clients diversify their assets.&rdquo;

A natural-born problem solver, Robertson created the <a href="https://www.meetup.com/HRLandlordAssoc/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-franchisee-patti-robertson-converted-her-business-to-property-management-inc-2710205" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">Hampton Roads Landlord Association</a> after noticing that not enough landlords consider themselves serious businesspeople or take the time to educate themselves on the issues. The group meets at least once every month.

&ldquo;The purpose is to elevate the level of landlording in our market,&rdquo; she explained. &ldquo;By sharing stories, tools, systems and ideas, the Association helps the entire community. Our biggest enemy isn&rsquo;t bad tenants&mdash;it&rsquo;s a lazy landlord who would rather move a tenant out and not cause a scene than to take the effort to file a court judgment and warn the rest of the landlord community.&rdquo;

Robertson is a busy woman. She is the previous president and a lifetime board member for <a href="https://www.trigofva.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-franchisee-patti-robertson-converted-her-business-to-property-management-inc-2710205" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">Tidewater Real Estate</a>, Virginia&rsquo;s oldest real estate investing company. She serves on the advisory board for the City of Norfolk, where half of all occupants are renters. She also advises on the board of <a href="https://www.rentreadynorfolk.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-franchisee-patti-robertson-converted-her-business-to-property-management-inc-2710205" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">Rent Ready Norfolk</a>, where she serves as an instructor for landlording classes.

&ldquo;I personally define success by the number of folks I&rsquo;ve been able to help achieve success in their own lives,&rdquo; said Robertson. &ldquo;Before getting into the hair salon industry, I didn&rsquo;t realize that it&rsquo;s a really hard job on your body. I always ask that staff, &lsquo;What are your long-term goals outside of the industry?&rsquo; even if that ends up hurting my staffing needs. I believe that people need to have long-term plans for their lives.&rdquo;

Robertson is still finding plenty of time to grow her Property Management Inc. franchise. As of publishing, she and Troy own around 45 total properties. &ldquo;We are uber-focused on growing the business,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We want to get to 2,000 doors under this management.&rdquo;

When asked how she plans to increase the number of properties so impressively, Robertson replied, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re doing it one house at a time.&rdquo;

<div>&nbsp;</div>

Why Franchisee Patti Robertson Converted Her Business to Property Management Inc. 

1851 Franchise

Multi-brand franchisees Patti and Troy Robertson wanted to grow their Hampton Roads, Virginia property management business faster, smarter, and with the support of a proven franchise system.


This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

why-franchisee-patti-robertson-converted-her-business-to-property-management-inc

SweatHouz

Why This P.E. Expert Left Wall Street To Find a New Passion and Purpose with SweatHouz Franchise

why-this-pe-expert-left-wall-street-to-find-a-new-passion-and-purpose-with-sweathouz-franchise

Workout Anytime

Workout Anytime Announces National Partnership With the American Cancer Society

workout-anytime-announces-national-partnership-with-the-american-cancer-society

BooXkeeping

Max Emma Featured on the Cover of The Inc Magazine

Max Emma Featured on the Cover of The Inc Magazine’s “5 Most Pioneering Business Leaders to Follow in 2025”

max-emma-featured-on-the-cover-of-the-inc-magazines-5-most-pioneering-business-leaders-to-follow-in-2025

CapitalSpring

Graphic with orange chart and hand pointing at graph

CapitalSpring Closes on Initial $505 Million of $1 Billion Target just Two Months After the Launch of its Seventh Flagship Investment Fund 

capitalspring-closes-505m-fund-vii

Children's Lighthouse

How Families Are Building Brighter Futures Together With Children’s Lighthouse

how-families-are-building-brighter-futures-together-with-childrens-lighthouse

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

AI-related job cuts, October U.S. job cuts, American job cut record

AI-Fueled Layoffs Reshape the U.S. Job Market — And Highlight Franchising’s Resilience

ai-job-cuts-franchising-path-forward

Crunch Fitness Franchise - Sixth Street Minority Stake - CR Fitness - 1851 Franchise

Sixth Street Takes Minority Stake in CR Fitness, the Largest Crunch Fitness Franchisee

cr-fitness-crunch-fitness-sixth-street-investment

houses, Why Top Franchises of 2025 Outperform Independent Businesses

Why the Top Franchises of 2025 Outperform Independent Businesses

how-franchises-outperform-independent-business-2025-tech-data

Photo of Happinest Brands teams standing together in front of branded vehicles

Happinest Brands Continues Strong 2025 Trajectory With Major Q3 Growth and Strategic Wins

happinest-brands-q3-franchise-growth

Franchise Owners Step Up To Support Communities During Government Shutdown - 1851 Franchise

Franchise Owners Step Up To Support Communities During Government Shutdown

franchise-community-support-shutdown

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

1851 Franchisee Spotlight with photo of April De Jesus and Paris Baguette logo

Real Estate Entrepreneur and Mom of Two, April De Jesus Builds Her Family Legacy with Paris Baguette in Toronto

paris-baguette-april-dejesus-yorkdale

1851 Franchisee Spotlight graphic with photo of Barb Volk and KidStrong logo

Why This Orangetheory Fitness Franchise Owner Is Developing KidStrong Franchises

kidstrong-franchise-owner-barb-volk-2025

1851 Franchisee Spotlight graphic with photo of Scott Wood Jr. & family, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

How This Navy Veteran Found His New Calling With One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

Why Franchisee Patti Robertson Converted Her Business to Property Management Inc.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS