How Does the Chem-Dry Franchise Improve the Odds of Success for New Business Owners?

Franchisees share what attracted them to the Chem-Dry franchise, and how it has helped them succeed

Tracy and Ken Hinsdale with their sons, Nathan and Nolan

When Ken Hinsdale retired from the Navy and he and his wife, Tracy, started exploring new careers, they quickly realized that they would really like to own their own business. The more they did their homework, the more interested they became in franchising.

“We were amazed at how much more successful franchises were,” Tracy says, comparing their success rates to the failure rates of independent small businesses.

“The franchise business model meant the business system already exists, that folks are already aware of it, and you?’re not on an island by yourself,” Ken adds.

They settled on Chem-Dry for a number of reasons. First, they had a friend who was a carpet cleaner, and were familiar with the basics of the industry. Second, startup costs were low. Third, they had used Chem-Dry as customers, and knew the service was exceptional. Fourth, Chem-Dry earned a lot of accolades.

“It looked like such a good business model and has been ranked highly by Entrepreneur magazine,” Ken says.

Since 2008, they have owned their own Chem-Dry carpet cleaning franchise in Omaha, Nebraska — a business that allows them to work together, set their own hours, and be home every night at the dinner table with their sons Nathan and Nolan.

Flexibility and control are two of the things they prize about their business.

“It’?s great that you can decide how much to take on, depending on your level of risk,” Tracy says. “When you first get in, you can start with three vans and hire employees, or do like we did, with one van and just ourselves. It depends on your personal priorities and how fast you want to grow.”

Ken says the business has grown every year — even during the Great Recession — and they now have multiple vans and technicians to help meet the demand for carpet cleaning and other services (Chem-Dry also offers upholstery cleaning, area rug cleaning, mattress cleaning, tile and stone cleaning, among other service lines).

Training and support smoothes learning process

A fifth factor that led the Hinsdales to Chem-Dry was training and support. Tracy liked that Chem-Dry offers a lot of training. “We felt if we were going to do something on our own, it would be a steep learning curve, and Chem-Dry provided lots of help,” she says.

Erika Herman and her husband, Randy

Erika Herman shares that sentiment.

“I’ve always wanted to have my own business rather than work my way up in a corporation, and franchising seemed like the perfect way to control my destiny and build a business for myself,” she told Entrepreneur magazine, which profiled her in March. Erika and her husband, Randy, own Chem-Dry franchises in Dallas and in Oklahoma City.

“I chose franchising rather than starting my own independent business because I thought that being part of a proven system, with an established business model and a recognized and trusted brand was just a smarter way to go and would give me the chance to be more successful,” she told Entrepreneur. “And it was absolutely the right decision – not just franchising, but Chem-Dry. It’s allowed me to utilize my entrepreneurial spirit and strong work ethic to focus on running a business that I believe in. I enjoy being my own boss while also having support from a network of peers and experts in the industry to help me grow my business and achieve my goals.”

Advice for new franchisees

Kati and Glenn Buckland

Kati Buckland says the opportunity for growth is huge. She and her husband, Glenn, co-own a Chem-Dry franchise in New Mexico, with their friend Patrick Wallace.

“The opportunity is as big as you want it to be, really,” she says, noting that while their franchise focuses on high-end residential cleaning, there is plenty of commercial cleaning work available, too.

What should someone know if they are just starting out?

“That the other owners in the system are open and willing to reach out and help anyone who asks for help,” Glenn says. “There?’s a network of people in Chem-Dry?’s ownership ranks that?’s committed to the success of the individual owner. Chem-Dry has fostered this network of really supportive, helpful people, and it really contributes to the success of the brand. Besides that, there?’s a success model in place, and if you follow that process, which is very simple, and reach out to the people who want to help you, you can?’t fail at this. Now, you can?’t just sit there and wait for the fax machine to go off —? you have to go out and get the business ?— but if you follow the program and work hard, you will succeed at this.”

Ready to learn more?

To learn more about the Chem-Dry franchise opportunity, fill out a form to download our free franchise report, which provides details about our business model, startup costs, financial performance, and more. You can also call us at 1-877-392-0272.