A Day in the Life of a Shine Franchise Owner: Braden Werley’s Journey
Like any business owner, a franchise owner’s day-to-day life varies. From meetings, training and networking, to sales-building initiatives and operations, there's no such thing as a "typical day" for a franchise owner.
If you're considering starting your franchise journey, this inside look will give you insight into the day in the life of a Shine of San Antonio’s franchise owner, Braden Werley.
6:45 AM: Early Morning Routine
“I start my day around 6:45 AM when I get to the office. I check all the emails, and return some phone calls.”
In the role of leadership, it's super important that I get here early in the morning before the team gets here. One of our values is positive energy, so I'll start music, start the coffee machine, and get everything all set up.
I feel like creating a positive atmosphere is important because it's a lot more fun to come into a place where people are positive, it's a good environment, and you kind of get your mind ready for the day.
7:30 AM: Morning Huddle
“At 7:30 we'll start the morning huddle. This is a time where we'll go over the jobs for the day, the things that went well from the day before, and some of the things that we can work on. After this, we’ll then usually cover a value for each day of the week. We have five core values, so it makes it pretty easy.”
I feel like the morning huddles are important because it keeps everyone together and helps with team building. It's a pretty independent job with the crew leaders and the technicians. When you're out on your own pretty much all day, this helps with our teamwork to meet together and go over exactly what we have going on and ultimately, our vision going forward.
This is so that we know that what we're doing is far more important than just shining their windows.
8 AM - 12 AM: On-Site Jobs and Customer Communication
“After the morning huddle around 8 AM, the crew will leave to attend to their morning jobs. I'll then go over any calls or voicemails that have been missed and respond to those.”
Some of them are going to be new customers who are interested in getting a quote, and others are going to be current customers who are looking to get their windows cleaned again. It's super important to us to get back to customers as soon as possible. We call that “speed to lead,” because the second you don't answer, they're going to call the next one on the list.
One of our values is serving. And we want to make sure that's evident when we're calling our customers and interacting with them. We're going to really be aware of their needs and make sure we show them that we care about them more than just a window cleaning estimate.
Another thing I do in the morning is I'll text the customers that we had the day before and ask them how the job went. And if they're pleased with what we did, I'll ask them for a review. And if they're not pleased, I'll figure out why and we'll go out and correct it that day.
12 PM - Lunch Break
“I usually take a lunch break around noon, often meeting with members of my team or talking with other Shine owners. It's a great time to network and discuss opportunities for business growth.”
I treat lunch breaks as an opportunity to build relationships and explore new business ideas. Whether I’m meeting with one of my team members or talking shop with another Shine franchise owner, this fuels the second half of my day.
1 PM to 4:30 PM: On-Site Estimates
“After lunch, I head out to estimates. I'll go on BeePro and look at all my estimates for the day, then go on Google and put in all the addresses and optimize the route. That way, we save as much time as possible that kind of fits into our value of excellence.”
One thing that I'll do when I have a longer drive to an estimate is that I'll call each crew member and get an update and see how they're doing, and if they need anything from me. Then, I’ll call each customer when I'm headed their way. I'll knock on the door, introduce myself, and go over the services that we're quoting.
The customer typically leads me around to kind of show me exactly what they would like to have done. So for window cleaning services, I'll count up the windows.
So for instance, if I counted up 50 panes and it's $3 a pane for the outside, we’ll then quote $150 for exterior window cleaning. This specific customer had 12 tracks, so we're going to do $24 for the track cleaning. The back patio would take about an hour and a half, so we'll do $150 for that.
Then, we’ll email the customer an estimate, in which they should have it in less than two minutes.
5 PM: Wrapping Up
“Around 4:30 PM, it’s the end of the day for our team. This is when the crew is coming back for the day, and where I’ll touch base with them on how the day went. This is where we see if there's anything we need to fix or go over, and then we have end-of-day checklists. So the team will fill that out, and the crew will take off for the day.”
I like to live by our value of excellence, so before I leave, I make sure all the customers have been responded to. I'll make sure I get everything off the desk. I'm a pretty OCD person, so I like everything neat and tidy. I make sure the shop is all tidied up, shut all the lights off, close the blinds, and then lock up the shop.
So this is kind of what it looks like for me as a Shine General Manager. I really like my job, because you get to serve people, serve customers, and serve your employees. It's really an honor to work for an organization like Shine with the beliefs and values that they have.
Take the First Steps Towards a Shine Franchise Business
Starting any business can be challenging. However, as Braden alluded to, the support system, training, and resources available to you as a franchisee are designed to help you succeed.
Embrace the structure, trust the process, build a strong team, and plan your finances carefully. With dedication, hard work, and the support of the right franchise development team, you can build a thriving franchise with a work-life balance.
At Shine, our franchises serve the community by providing window cleaning, pressure washing, gutter cleaning, holiday lighting & design as well as outdoor & landscape lighting services. With 70+ franchise locations throughout the country, we offer the freedom to be your own boss while providing consistent training and support, established marketing initiatives, CRM and accounting software, and much more.
If you're confident, resilient, and have a strong sales focus, you know the satisfaction that comes with working through adversity. Shine offers you a proven system that aligns with your values and ambitions, giving you the opportunity to not only leverage your skills, but build a legacy in your own backyard.
Ready to take the first step towards a Shine franchise ownership in your local community? Contact a Shine Franchise Development team member today!
