1851

1851: What was it that drew you into franchising?&nbsp; 

Dustin Distefano, CEO and Head of Franchise Development for <a href="http://www.aplaceathomefranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=young-ones-to-watch-dustin-distefano-of-a-place-at-home-2705094" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Place at Home</a>: My background is in Management and Employee Development.&nbsp; My passion is to find peoples strengths and then utilize them to develop them into something better.&nbsp; To me; that is franchising.&nbsp; You get a franchise owner that has skills of some facet and want a business but do not want to reinvent the wheel.&nbsp; It is now my job to take them and mold them into a powerhouse franchise owner.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

1851: How did you get in the role you&rsquo;re in now?&nbsp;

Distefano:&nbsp;I started the original location and grew the revenue and service lines, along with my partner Jerod Evanich, and now I oversee franchise development for A Place at Home and he oversees on-boarding and training.

1851: What advice would you give to other young up-and-comers?&nbsp; 

Distefano:&nbsp;Stick with it, you will go through so many highs and lows and you might not award a franchise in the timeline that you think.&nbsp; Keeping pushing yourself and you will start to gain some momentum and then suddenly you accomplish your first franchise.&nbsp; Then reflect, look back at what you built from scratch.&nbsp; You had a vision, you built that vision, and now you just sold that vision to someone else to use in their market.&nbsp; It is very humbling

1851: What advice would you give to your younger self?&nbsp; 

Distefano:&nbsp;Be patient and don&rsquo;t get discouraged.&nbsp; Focus on helping enough people and you will achieve what you want to achieve.

1851: What advice would you give to someone deciding to own a franchise?&nbsp;

Distefano:&nbsp;Find what fits you and your passion.&nbsp; Stay away from the numbers and getting bogged down with what you can earn.&nbsp; Although you see an item 19 and think this is great, if you do not have a passion to do home care there is no way in hell you are going to hit those numbers.&nbsp;

A growth plan is great, but do not let that determine the franchise you are going to buy in too.&nbsp; They may have wide open territory in your state today, and you may say to yourself that is great I can buy this one and then this one etc.&nbsp; There are zero guarantees that that territory won&rsquo;t be sold next week.

Find a franchise that fits you and your passion that is it.&nbsp; Everything else will fall into place because you are going to be doing something you want to do.

Young Ones to Watch: Dustin Distefano of A Place at Home

1851 Franchise

A Place at Home's CEO and Head of Franchise Development provides advice for professionals in the franchising industry.

young-ones-to-watch-dustin-distefano-of-a-place-at-home

HomeTeam Inspection Service

Photo of HomeTeam Inspection Service representative giving presentation

Strategic Partnerships Fuel Franchise Growth at HomeTeam Inspection Service

hometeam-inspection-service-franchise-growth-partnerships

Express Employment Professionals

What’s in the 2025 FDD? A Closer Look for Express Employment Professionals Franchise Buyers

whats-in-the-2025-fdd-a-closer-look-for-express-employment-professionals-franchise-buyers

petbar

How-petbar-Makes-Pets-and-Their-Owners-Happy-as-Part-of-the-Family-in-a-Clean-and-Fun-Environment

How petbar Makes Pets and Their Owners Happy as Part of the Family in a Clean and Fun Environment

petbar-franchise-opportunity-boutique-pet-grooming

petbar Franchisees Win the $6.89B Global Market With Complete Transparency, Self-Service and Membership Models, Creating the Happiest Place for Dogs

petbar-franchise-opportunity

Why petbar Wants to Be the “Disney World for Dogs” — and a Dream Business for Franchisees

petbar-franchise-dan-ashley-o-loughlin-qa

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

Chick-fil-A Tops Customer Satisfaction Rankings for 11th Year as Challenger Brands Gain Ground

chick-fil-a-tops-customer-satisfaction-rankings-for-11th-year-as-challenger-brands-gain-ground

Technomic Releases Annual Ranking of the Top 15 Fast-Food Chains in the U.S.

technomic-releases-annual-ranking-of-the-top-15-fast-food-chains-in-the-us

Rising Jobless Claims Could Signal Challenges — and Opportunities — for Franchising

rising-jobless-claims-affect-franchising

Hardee’s Lawsuit Highlights the Risk of Going Off-Model in Franchising

hardees-franchise-lawsuit-paradigm-investment-group

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores - Agg - 1851 Franchise

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores

hooters-franchise-model-company-owned-closures

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How To Create a Strong Incentive

how-to-build-strong-incentives-to-attract-prospective-franchisees

Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Carol DeNembo — Chief Marketing Officer, Mountain Mike’s Pizza

top-25-franchise-marketing-leaders-carol-denembo-chief-marketing-officer-mountain-mikes-pizza

Brian Curin - Little Kitchen Academy - Franchise Marketing Leaders - 1851 Franchise

Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Brian Curin — Chief Executive Officer/Chief Marketing Officer, Little Kitchen Academy

little-kitchen-academy-marketing-leader-brian-curin

The Ultimate Guide To Selling Franchises: How to Leverage Franchise Expos

how-franchisors-can-leverage-franchise-expos-to-drive-success

How Vishal Juneja Turned a Family Tradition Into a Paris Baguette Franchise

How Vishal Juneja Turned a Family Tradition Into a Paris Baguette Franchise Built on Heart and Community

Young Ones to Watch: Dustin Distefano of A Place at Home

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS