I really enjoy connecting with my MaidThis franchisees — it’s such an amazing group of people and they always have a lot to share.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Brian and Jen Boyle, owners of MaidThis Salt Lake City. I love the way they approach business — unlike some of our other franchisees they have quite a bit of experience they constantly use to their advantage.
When asked about the most important thing to consider when building a business, both Brian and Jen say communication and building strong relationships with their community and customers.
Let’s take a look at why.
Choosing MaidThis
Collectively, the Boyles have close to 50 years of experience in business. Jen owns several take-and-bake pizza franchises, while Brian owned and operated a physical therapy practice on and off for decades.
When deciding what their next venture would be, they said a lot of different factors brought them to the MaidThis franchise. But, mainly, they were itching to reach a larger audience. They both felt blocked by the brick-and-mortar aspect of the pizza shops and wanted to serve more people.
Jen and Brian also liked the opportunity to build relationships with clients — they were excited by the idea that customers could potentially book bi-weekly, weekly, or monthly cleanings with them. Not to mention, having repeat clients helps with sales.
Finally, the couple wanted something they could work on together. They could also do it remotely, meaning they could spend more time with their (eight!) children. Attracted by MaidThis’ flexibility they also liked they could choose to grow as quickly, or as slowly, as they wanted, which aligns with their current goals.
Playing the Long Game
One thing Brian mentioned a few times throughout our conversation is that in business, sometimes relationships pay off later. I think a lot of newer business owners get stuck in loops of thinking like, why isn’t my marketing working? Why don’t I have any customers? Why isn’t this happening faster for me?
The true business value is this: plant the seeds now, but know they may not pay off right away. Just like in investing, compounding can happen if you invest in your relationships. And while it’s important to make short-term money to support your cash flow, the real, sustainable, money will come from the relationship equity you put into play
Jen and Brian say that they invested a fair amount of their budget into marketing dollars in the beginning, but the relationships they built with people in their community are worth much more. Now, they don’t have to spend much on marketing because of those relationships they’ve nurtured.
Social media is a wonderful place to build relationships as well — you guys know my passion for this type of marketing strategy. When you get out there and comment, join groups, and interact with your community, you’ll only naturally become more top of mind. It won’t happen overnight, but again, this is a long game.
Timing and Luck
The Boyles have operated their franchise for about two years at the time of writing, and when asked what their secret to success is, Brian says the right timing and luck had a lot to do with it.
They happened to connect with who they call “the right person” at Thumbtack, and she has continued to connect them with more of the right people. They have been featured in major publications such as USA Today and Real Simple as well, all thanks to one relationship with one person.
So while yes, maybe Jen and Brian were lucky to be contacted by Thumbtack, I believe it is the relationship they formed with that person that has helped them become so successful. They also add that they “take whatever luck” they can get, but seizing the opportunity presented to them is where the real magic happens — actually showing up and doing the work has gotten them very far.
As we wrapped up our conversation, they left me with one final nugget: don’t underestimate the power of following up. This is another key part of building relationships and is even more important if you receive negative feedback. The Boyles reminisce over one customer who was unhappy with their services. They took the time to reach out to better understand his needs, and that conversation resulted in thousands more in business from him.
Build those relationships, take care of them, and you never know just how successful you may become.
Photo by Mario Häfliger on Unsplash
This article was written by Neel from MaidThis Franchise, a remote-local franchise opportunity for people looking to escape the rat race and reach financial freedom. Learn more here.
