As the owner of multiple service-based businesses, Charles Clark knows how to capitalize on the needs of a given market. It was a personal need, however, that led Clark to indoor air quality and mold remediation franchise Green Home Solutions, a company he initially approached with skepticism but came away so impressed with its offering that he signed on to open multiple territories in his area.
It all started with a home purchase a little less than three years ago. Not long after buying his property, Clark discovered some things he wasn’t happy with (read: mold). Alarmed by the issue, Clark tapped into the networks he’d formed through both of his other businesses—a full-service landscaping business, established 2004, and a construction company, established 2011—to find a solution.
“I talked to a number of subcontractors and kept getting high price after high price,” he said. “I also kept hearing my only option was total demolition to curb the issue for good.”
Unsatisfied with the responses he’d received, Clark began digging into other options online and came across Green Home Solutions. Beyond just his personal need, the brand piqued Clark’s interest as a business owner, yet he had his reservations.
“I’m always looking for something innovative and new, and Green Home Solutions claimed a space that no other brand could compete with—offering solutions to environmental issues that may exacerbate conditions that contribute to immune diseases and bacterial concerns,” Clark said. “I come from two industries that are very saturated, so Green Home Solutions was super appealing to me in that regard.”
Ever the entrepreneur, Clark explored the competitive landscape with a critical eye thanks to his experience with mold issues and remediation practices from his years spent in the contracting space. “[Mold remediation is] a very complicated service offering and costly for consumers, so I had always steered clear of it—especially since everyone was doing the same thing,” he said. “That’s why I thought Green Home Solutions was a scam when I first heard of it. I didn’t think anything plant-based could have such a lasting effect.”
No stranger to the business landscape of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, Clark quickly realized the impact Green Home Solutions could have on the market. And with his other businesses in both the home services and construction sectors, Clark would be able to tap into a preexisting pool of customers he’d already formed strong relationships with.
“The main reason I chose Green Home Solutions was because of how perfectly its products and services work with my other two businesses,” Clark said. “If I have a customer with water intrusion in the basement, I now have a great referral for remediation services—they all go hand-in-hand.”
Beyond the just adding to his existing portfolio with a brand that offered cross-business promotional opportunity, another important factor in Clark’s decision to invest in Green Home Solutions was being the first to market in a space with the potential for explosive growth. Such is the reason Clark invested in three territories right off the bat when he signed on in early 2019: “When I saw the opportunity with the business model, I knew I wanted to dominate my market,” he said. “It’s like buying Amazon stock 10 years ago in my opinion—there’s huge potential in what we’re doing.”
As for his favorite part of being a Green Home Solutions franchisee thus far, Clark pointed to his ability to do business in the health and wellness vertical, an area he hadn’t had the opportunity to reach with his other businesses.
“I’m currently working with several functional medicine doctors and immune deficiency clients, which isn’t something I anticipated at all,” he said. “What I like best about Green Home Solutions is going into the home of someone with an illness and being able to offer them a solution to their environmental problems in a non-toxic way. We remediate mold and eliminate the bacteria that exacerbate their sickness without destroying their homes and save them money in the process, giving them the opportunity to begin healing.”
When asked about his future plans with the brand, Clark was emphatic.
“I’ll be scaling the business and getting more territory without a doubt,” he said. “Despite Green Home Solutions being newer to the Twin Cities market, we’re already consistently busy. The concept is still in its infancy overall, and as Green Home Solutions gains even more name recognition, it’s going to provide a ton of opportunity for future owners. From the brand’s mission to our expanding capabilities, this business opportunity is only going to continue becoming more lucrative.”
The startup costs for a Green Home Solutions franchise range from $50,475 to $132,000. The franchise fee is $20,000. To learn more about franchising with Green Home Solutions, visit https://greenhomesolutionsfranchising.com/.