Service Franchise’s Commitment to Exceeding Expectations — for Franchisees and Clients — Resonated with Ben Doebler
- PuroClean’s culture of servant leadership was key to Ben Doebler’s decision to invest in the service franchise.
- PuroClean franchise leaders emphasize their commitment to serving franchisees, as well as clients.
- Doebler’s focus on exceeding clients’ expectations resulted in him receiving PuroClean’s Brand Promise Award.
PuroClean made a fantastic first impression on Ben Doebler, whose franchise has served the Portland metro area, Salem and Keizer, Ore., for 10-plus years. Before deciding on PuroClean, he spent time with President and COO Steve White and other executives at the Florida Home Office. “I was really impressed with their commitment to franchise owners,” Doebler says.
The service franchise’s approach is multifaceted, he says. “There’s a behind-the-scenes franchisee-franchisor culture of relating with one another, and a culture of how we relate to our clients and our homeowners. What drew me in was the servant leadership mentality of those at the helm. That literally was plastered on a sign, as soon as you walk in, saying we are here to serve the franchise owners.
“I had been in franchising before. I had a fast-casual restaurant in Greeneville, Tenn., for eight years. The franchisor was more like the parent who was just there to kind of punch you a little bit and make sure you’re staying in line. At PuroClean’s office, the commitment to franchisees was there from executives down to every staff member. And PuroClean seemed better positioned than some competitors for future growth versus just kind of living on yesterday’s successes,” he says.
The Benefits of a Service Franchise
“I looked for a business that would support my family,” says Doebler, who then had four kids younger than 5. “As property damage restoration came on my radar, I was blown away by a service business that could turn that kind of gross margin.” After selling the Tennessee restaurant and an offshoot vent-hood cleaning business, he chose Oregon for his franchise site, a destination prompted by his church’s expansion there. “We wanted to be part of that,” he says…