Franchisee Profile: Ray Fonos

Franchisee: Ray Fonos
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Q: What did you do before becoming a HomeTeam franchisee?
A: I spent 25 years in corporate America working in sales and service product management. I was starting to get tired of the whole corporate culture, having all the responsibility without all the power and the “more with less” mentality. When my company was bought out, I took my chance to strike out on my own.

Q: How did you learn about HomeTeam?
A: A former employee I kept in touch with owned a HomeTeam franchise and was very happy with it. He said he thoroughly enjoyed the work, and after doing some research I decided it sounded like something I would enjoy.

Q: What steps did you take to validate HomeTeam as a brand?
A: I did lots of research online into HomeTeam and its competitors, checking the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 and other resources. I ended up choosing HomeTeam because of their marketing program. None of the other brands I looked at could match the professionalism, content or quality of HomeTeam’s material.

Q: What are some career milestones for you? Is there anything unique about your business?
A: My growth has been exponential every year we’ve been open. Last year I was in the top 10 for HomeTeam franchises, and we’re set to do so again this year. Even though it’s been a tough year for the housing industry, we’ve done very well. We continue to gain market share. My strong service background enables us to deliver the highest quality service and superior customer care.

HomeTeam’s Fast Start Program: What You Need to Know Before Opening

By Greg Haskett, Vice President of Shared Services

You buy into the concept, you go through the discover process, then you sign a franchise agreement, what’s next?

Many new franchisees can be intimidated about exactly how to get the ball rolling. They’ve bought the rights to their very own franchise and now it’s up to them to open up shop and be successful doing it. HomeTeam understands this can be an overwhelming process and has spent many years perfecting the system, processes and procedures required for getting franchisees up and running without missing a beat.

Through their Fast Start program, HomeTeam provides as much of a turnkey operation as possible and partners with each new franchisee through opening their new location and throughout the first year (The Academy to be discussed in a later post). With the support of their Franchise Support Manager, and everyone at the HomeTeam home office, franchisees complete a 125-point checklist of items necessary to accomplish to ensure success, but not only complete the checklist, complete it in the right order. This support includes Business Planning, Budgeting, Market Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Securing Business Licenses and more. HomeTeam takes a vested interest in each one of its franchisees careers.

HomeTeam also provides new franchisees what’s called an “Initial Package.” As part of a franchisee’s investment into HomeTeam, they receive an initial package which includes everything they need to have a complete, professional brand image right off the bat including uniforms, the appropriate technology and software, marketing materials, website development and maintenance.

So although you may be off to the races, the benefit of working with HomeTeam is that you won’t be alone. You’ll benefit from HomeTeam’s 15+ years of experience operating 175+ locations nationwide to back you.