openworks offers Veterans a Blueprint for success

fAcilitieS mAnAGement frAnchiSe offerS VeterAnS A BluePrint for SucceSS

With veterans in mind, OpenWorks tailors franchise opportunities for former military skillsets.

After a career that has been established on the foundation of organization, structure, time management and teamwork, transitioning into the civilian workforce can be a challenge for many active-duty military members looking at life after serving.

Finding a civilian job is one of the most significant obstacles veterans face when they leave the military. Around 77 per cent of veterans have struggled through unemployment and more than a quarter of them end up job-searching for more than a year, according to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Understanding the role hard work and discipline play in having a successful career, Jamoll LeDay, a veteran whose father served for 22 years in the U.S. Air Force and the proud dad of a son who recently enlisted, looked to take the skills he learned during his own career in the U.S. Army into the civilian world. With the same rigor and proficiency that he delivered in a military kitchen, he entered the world of food service and quickly rose through the ranks earning his stripes as an executive chef in some of Texas’ busiest kitchens. Feeling there had to be a bigger way he could contribute to make life work better for others, a sentiment held by most veterans, LeDay started a janitorial cleaning business. Although he had built a roster of small commercial clients, he saw an opportunity to go bigger and threw himself into finding a partner that would support the entrepreneurial fire that motivated him; one that would help him to grow while providing essential front-office resources to keep him focused on bringing his “A” game to work every day. That partner was OpenWorks. “OpenWorks has been my blueprint for success, giving me the freedom of not having to do everything myself,” said LeDay. “As an entrepreneur, I can focus

on running my business, training my staff and working with my customers, while OpenWorks serves as my business development and marketing partner, bringing me customers ready to onboard.” Since 1983, OpenWorks, a national facility management and commercial cleaning provider that earned a coveted spot on Inc. magazine’s 5000 list and annually ranks as one of the fastest-growing private companies nationwide, has been helping driven entrepreneurs break into the now $61+ billion a year commercial cleaning and facilities management industry. The company continues to experience a sharp increase in demand for its facilities management services, serving thousands of commercial businesses and schools nationwide with a network of more than 1,700 elite service providers across the country who have proudly helped earn an industry-leading 99 per cent customer retention rate.

With several former military franchise owners across the country, OpenWorks has put the tools and resources in place to help veterans take the skills they’ve learned while serving – leadership, discipline, hard work, commitment to doing a job well and so much more – to launch a successful entrepreneurial venture. Serving over 5,500 facilities nationwide, the franchise operator is on track to add more than 100 new franchises this year in some of the fastestgrowing markets in the nation. “The military equips veterans with such a wide range of skills that are perfect for franchise-based entrepreneurial ventures such as commercial facilities management,” said Victoria Murray, Sr. VP-Sales & Strategic Relationships at OpenWorks. “With this in mind, OpenWorks operates as a trusted partner who can provide these entrepreneurs with the resources they need, including sourcing new accounts, providing training and back-end support, and offering an array of business-support tools, to successfully servicing and growing their own business.” With unlimited growth potential, franchise owners such as LeDay have seen their businesses grow exponentially. Hiring teams of workers who are trained with the military precision in cleaning and facilities

Jamoll LeDay with his family management via Openwork’s specially developed education network, veteran entrepreneurs can deploy their cleaning troops into the field, while manning overall business operations and management from their home office.

“OpenWorks gives you a playbook,” said LeDay. “Before OpenWorks, I was playing backyard football. Now, I’m a pro quarterback because I have a playbook and know how to execute a plan. They understand the tools we need and how to marry them with the experience we have. That’s a winning combination and a critical component to our success.”

An OpenWorks franchise costs as little as $9,000 down with no start-up equipment costs. Through its military program, veterans and active-duty service members receive a 10 per cent discount on the entire franchise cost, while receiving robust training and guidance on how to run and operate a successful facilities management business. This includes providing business back-office support in billing, financing, customer service and sales support, allowing the franchise owner to concentrate on providing customers with top-notch service.

Recession-resilient and in-demand, the commercial cleaning and facilities management sector has grown tremendously over the past three decades. And as business owners and facilities managers realize that outsourcing these services makes more financial sense than managing in-house staff, the demand will only continue to grow.

“The scariest part about transitioning into civilian life is understanding whether your parachute will open once you jump,” said LeDay. “OpenWorks has been my parachute.”

For more information about OpenWorks and learning whether a post-military career as a facilities management entrepreneur is right for you, please visit https://openworksweb. com/own-a-franchise/