Mike
& Debbie Robison are the proud owners of Renue Systems of Michigan, the leading
provider of deep cleaning services to the commercial hospitality industry. Their
entrepreneurial journey is nothing short of an inspirational story, which is why
FranNet of Michigan chose to feature them in our testimonial series of
client success stories. Assisted by FranNet Consultant Mark Cory, the Robisons were able to
turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality. Below, Mike shares the
details of the couple’s personal journey – from his previous successful career in
the automotive industry to ownership of their very own Renue Systems
franchise…
Background
“Well, I’m 57 years old, been married for 29 years, and we have three grown children. I earned an electrical engineering degree from the University of Michigan in 1987, then kicked off a multi-decade career in design and program and project management in the automotive industry. In the fall of 1993, I went back to the University of Michigan, and after four years of evening classes, I got my MBA.”
On Becoming an Entrepreneur
“You know, I never grew up dreaming of owning my own business – even though my dad used to advise me to look into it. A funny thing – I had a friend whose dad owned a business, and he routinely told his son not to follow that path! I guess entrepreneurship didn’t appeal to me at first, but in October of 2019, my company got bought out and my job was eliminated with hundreds of others. I was granted severance and access to outplacement resources. I did some interviewing for director-level positions, but then Covid hit, and those opportunities dried up pretty quickly. I had begun to consider franchise ownership when one of the outplacement contacts connected me to Mark Cory with FranNet of Michigan. We met up and I took the assessment, which led to reviewing four different business opportunities. My wife and I did our due diligence and narrowed it down to just two, one of which was Renue Systems.”
What Attracted You to the Renue Systems Opportunity?
“We told Mark that we wanted a brand that stood out and was basically best-in-class for whatever product or service they offered. Renue Systems checked both boxes. Mark helped with introductions to the company’s original founder, Marty Jollette, and the current president, David Grossman. We had multiple conversations and – having been through this situation before – I asked if they intended to sell the brand in the future at some point. Well, they’re both still there to this day. I utilized the 401K rollover option to fund the business and Mark helped us line up a source to complete all the paperwork.”
Tell Us About Your Experience Getting Started
“We purchased our Renue Systems franchise in November of 2020, went through training in January of 2021, then hired our oldest son to be the general manager. He’s doing a fantastic job as my eyes and ears in the field. Looking back, the first few months were a little shaky. I can still remember – myself, my wife, and our son and daughter (the whole family!) were headed in the van to our first big job – deep cleaning a 149-room hotel. I think we were all pretty apprehensive about what to expect, but we got through it in two weeks. The hotel’s management was very nice and accommodating – something you see all the time in the hospitality industry. Next, we secured two more big commercial cleaning jobs, and we were basically off to the races.”
Where Do You Stand Today?
“Everything is going really well. In our first year, we had a sales target goal and managed to double it. In year two, we had a 45% increase in business. Now in year three, we’re doing outstanding. We’re on track to beat our sales numbers by 30%, and we’ve added a second truck and another full-time technician. Since we utilized the 401K rollover funding method, we were even able to offer a matching contribution for our employees – which is a great benefit to offer in this line of work.”
How Did FranNet Support Your Journey?
“I would strongly recommend Mark Cory’s services for anyone looking into franchising. He gives clients such an amazing education about what franchising is, something I knew nothing about before. He’s very patient and took the time to see how my individual skill set might transition to success with Renue Systems. And his connections and referrals throughout the process were invaluable. In the end, Mark really delivered the goods for us – that’s the bottom line. Finding the right franchise consultant is like a marriage – you need to work with someone you can trust because these are extremely important decisions and considerations.”
How Things are Going
“We’re very optimistic about our
future as Renue Systems owners. At this point, we’re concentrating on scaling
everything to the right degree, and our goal is higher sales volume. I intend
to keep doing this until I reach retirement age, and it’s possible we’ll use a
legacy strategy and turn the business over to our children. Just not anytime
soon – I’m having too much fun!”
For more information, please visit
Mike & Debbie Robison’s Renue Systems
franchise on the web.
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