At the foundation of the plumbing industry is a home service built on legacy, featuring businesses that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Sometimes, this can create unforeseen challenges, and perhaps the most common issue relates to succession.
We all want the best for our business but problems can sometimes arise when allocating portions to the next in line, who then look to do the same thing with their children when the time comes. But when dividing up the business, it can dilute the overall brand, no longer making it sustainable. Instead of splitting up and weakening it, why not bolster it and create an even stronger legacy? That’s where franchising can be so valuable to a generational plumbing business.
A Zoom Drain franchise may be a great opportunity for you to expand your business empire. Some of our franchisees own and operate PHC companies and have added a Zoom Drain franchise as a “plus play” company—a separate business that complements their existing service business. This is something that the Philadelphia-based company has spent years perfecting, creating an enticing opportunity to plumbing businesses and a great subsect that allows for consistent growth and development.
Specializing in drains and sewers, if it deals with wastewater, we deal with it—everything from sewer video inspections to drain cleaning and grease trap maintenance. And with almost three decades worth of experience, we’ve carefully crafted a model to consistently grow franchises.
For one Zoom Drain franchisee, working with his father—an experienced plumber—had long been on his mind. The concern was that bringing the “Son of the Boss” into the existing plumbing business at a management level would be upsetting, and potentially unfair, to the team that was already in place. Instead of “dividing the farm,” they decided to add a Zoom Drain franchise. This would support a succession plan and help them expand their business holding. Since then, both companies have grown. They refer work, from one company to the other, and find economies of scale by coordinating administrative and operational activities.
So, what is the model? At its core, it comes down to just three simple words: calls, techs, trucks. Here’s a little look at what exactly goes into our secret sauce.
- Zoom Drain has dialed in their marketing processes. Focusing on highest Lifetime Value Customers, the exclusive 40 Steps Program ramps up calls fast, so that franchisees can open with a solid stream of referral leads.
- Recruiting, orientation and training the right people is so important and, with a proven process that includes comprehensive in-house training, you can morph a novice into a successful drain pro in months, not years.
- Because we only do drain and sewer work, the technicians have the tools and gear they need to solve most drain problems. Our super service trucks have the Zoom Jetting system built right in.
Now, with the addition of 10 franchises already in 2022, new franchisees are already seeing the benefits of this niche business.
“I was presented with four different franchise opportunities and, in my head, I said there’s no way I would do Zoom Drain—I don’t want to do that, that’s not in my wheelhouse,” admitted Kevin Hussey, of soon-to-open Zoom Drain of Northwest New Jersey. “And then I got to meet the people—I have never been disappointed or let down by any of them, so that’s the draw!”
One common misconception with franchising is that there’s a lack of support – that you’re on an island 500 miles away and you’re left to just figure things out on your own. Zoom Drain isn’t just going to hand the ball off after your franchise launches. All of that extensive pre-launch support continues, through planning and operational manuals, with detailed projects and how to execute them—plus simple, yet powerful, financial systems that guide you through key metrics.
“I just love the fact that Zoom Drain is very franchise friendly, in terms of providing support from the beginning to the end. Just the support they provide in terms of onboarding, the systems and the processes they have in place. As a new franchisee, I don’t have to figure it out for myself,” said Will Clay, who just recently opened Zoom Drain of Atlanta earlier this summer.
“Everybody I met, it was like, ‘OK, Zoom Drain wants us to be successful just as much as we want to be successful,’” said Robert Pace of Zoom Drain Collin County. “And I felt like they were honest and genuine, that they weren’t just giving us lip service and saying that this is what we’re going to do to get us in the door to sell a franchise—to put a dot on the map. They were really interested in bringing people in, showing them the business and helping them be successful.”
