Why Two Retired Military Officers Are Starting Their Next Career as Franchise Owners With Property Management Inc.

After years of serving in the U.S. Army together and later working together at a private university, Allen Goff Sr and James Peavy decided it was time to do something for themselves.

In August, the longtime friends and colleagues will launch a new Property Management Inc. franchise in Broward County, Florida (PMI Coastal Broward), focusing on managing short-term vacation rentals.

“We’ve been talking about starting a business together for years,” Goff said. “We examined a lot of different opportunities but found that PMI fit our skills and background the best."

From Army Buddies to Business Partners

Former recruiters for the U.S. Army — Goff was Peavy’s commanding officer — the retired Non-Commissioned Officers were also looking for a business that would allow them to bring in some of their family members, including Goff’s son Allen Jr. and Peavy’s wife Athena.

Property Management Inc, the largest property management franchise in the country, proved to be the perfect fit for this family venture, allowing them to build a troop (Company) where everyone has a job to do.

“I’ll be managing operations, James will take on sales and marketing, his wife Athena will handle administrative and financial duties and my son Allen Jr. will be on the ground, overseeing cleaning and maintenance for the properties,” Goff said. “We’re going to be a great team together.”

It helps that Goff and Peavy already have their own teamwork established. “I met Allen when I was 24 years old, and I’m 50 now,” Peavy said. “He’s like my big brother! He not only taught me how to be a good Soldier, he taught me alot about manhood. When you’re in the military, you learn how to be accountable to each other and to yourself. You learn to live a life of discipline. A typical Soldier has accomplished more by nine a.m. than most people accomplish in an entire day.”

How Army Life Prepared Goff and Peavy for Business Ownership

Goff and Peavy’s background as recruiters will also serve them well at PMI. “When you’re a recruiter, you’re embedded in the city they assign to you, so you get to know every nook and cranny of the area,” Peavy said. “As a result, we know Broward County like the back of our hands. We are knowledgeable of the industry's demands -- we know who to talk to to get things done.

They also know how to talk to people with different backgrounds. “In recruiting, you talk to all different types of people from a variety of backgrounds,” Goff said. “You learn how to read people, how to relate to them and how to communicate effectively with them. I think that will be a huge bonus for us as we build relationships with property owners and work with the people who rent their properties.”

According to Peavy, there are currently about 4,700 short-term rental properties in Broward County, and demand is continuing to grow. “In March, vacation rentals in Fort Lauderdale were at 87% capacity,” he said. “We expect to hit the ground running.”

Should they need help, their personal coach is a phone call away, said Marianne Heder, director of Property Management Inc.’s short-term rentals division. “We have a one-on-one franchise business coach assigned to every individual in our brand who takes them all the way from getting trained to opening their doors to building their business,” she said. “We care about their success, and that’s what makes us great.”

PMI President Danessa Itaya agrees. “We’re excited to have Allen and James join our franchise family,” she said. “The PMI system turns property managers like them into thriving business owners, providing the support of an expert team of franchisors and a large network of fellow franchisees.”

For Goff and Peavy, owning and running a PMI franchise is the culmination of years of hard work, determination and the drive to secure their families’ future. “I have college kids and grandkids, and I want to leave a legacy for them,” Peavy said. Goff concurred. “My plan is to eventually turn this over to my son,” he said. “As long as he cuts me a check every month.”

The startup costs for a Property Management Inc. franchise range from $53,225 to $190,050. The franchise fee ranges from $45,000 to $190,050. To learn more about franchising with Property Management Inc., visit https://propertymanagementincfranchise.com/.