Businesses that address needs vs. wants

The other day, a member of our corporate team put it like this: "Floods don’t know the meaning of a pandemic. Fires don’t know the meaning of a pandemic. Everything that we do in the restoration industry is still happening…even in a pandemic.”

Each day I am reminded that everyone else’s new normal is not our reality in a service business that delivers a need versus a want. And unlike so many businesses that have been hard hit at this time, I am forever grateful to our amazing franchisees across Restoration 1 and bluefrog Plumbing + Drain who are still out there on the front lines with their service professionals doing important work just as before. To be clear, they are doing so with a heightened awareness for keeping their teams and their customers safe. But I have nothing but respect for the dirty jobs they continue to do that are so incredibly necessary.

It’s a very tough reality for our world at-large right now — the necessary versus unnecessary careers out there. I’ve seen a lot of people pondering their futures while waiting this out at home. Meanwhile, here we are in our service-based businesses still working, still needed, still showing up. 

I recently discussed this in my interview with Erik Van Horn for his show “Franchise Secrets.” Erik put it well when he talked about retail businesses that have effectively closed while our businesses, which aren’t exactly sexy, are still open. As he put it, “Everyone now wishes they were in these service-based businesses.” That’s because in good economies or bad, there are dirty jobs that still must get done. 

But these businesses check off some other important boxes too. I told Erik that after so many years in franchising with several different organizations, I often ask myself: What would I want to buy today? For me, the answers are simple. I would want a franchise opportunity with a low investment, low overhead, high margins, fewer employees, and no brick and mortar that is recession-resistant. My roadmap is probably what a lot of people in non-essential businesses are thinking about right now as well. 

To everyone, I can only say that I hope current challenges out there will pass. I remain eternally optimistic that our world will come back even stronger from this. There will come a day, hopefully very soon, when we’re all eating at restaurants again, going to the gym, enjoying movies at theaters and so much more. I’m looking forward to that day and plan to be at the head of the line to help jumpstart the economy with so many businesses that I’m missing right now. Together we will find a way forward and do so with renewed appreciation. 

In the meantime, we at Restoration 1 and bluefrog will remain dedicated to our customers and our communities through all of life’s ups and downs. It may not be business as usual for many, but it is business as usual for us. The service in a service business is what keeps us going and growing, and we want everyone to know they can count on us.