HomeServicesOpportunities

David and Jackie Riley, award-winning franchise owners with National Property Inspections, the home inspection franchise company, love being their own bosses.

With a background in business management, David Riley worked as a service manager for a corporation when he decided he wanted to go into business for himself. He did a lot of research to find the opportunity that best suited his skills and background. Property inspection seemed like a good fit.

“I knew an average amount about home construction and mechanics from my father and father-in-law, and I felt that with the right training I could be successful in property inspection,” David said. “I was looking for a company that I could develop and grow the way I wanted to.”

David’s father was a carpenter and David helped him lay foundations and install roofs, in addition to learning woodworking skills. David’s fa…

Bob McDonough’s franchise success is all in the family.

When McDonough purchased his National Property Inspections franchise in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2008, his goal was to get back to owning his own business.

Since then, the award-winning franchisee has added a territory, brought his son-in-law on board to run it and hired his sister as a virtual office assistant. She lives in Michigan but answers two cellphones, corresponds with agents, arranges inspections for both territories and closes the sales.

“Using family has been great,” McDonough said. “I know I can trust them. I know they’re not going to walk in one day and quit and leave me hanging.”

A 2012 NPI Platinum Award winner, McDonough credits two things for his success: constant marketing and diversification of his services.

His background in facility management at the Target Corporatio…

Working as an electrician for residential, commercial and industrial buildings, Jim Giuffre wanted to move out of New York, but he was too young to retire.

So, he started looking for a profession where he could use his experience and move his family to a new location.

“My wife and I decided to move to North Carolina and start the next stage of our lives doing something different,” Giuffre said. “After significant research, I decided to become a property inspector.”

Giuffre thought about starting an inspection business on his own and began researching franchises versus going independent.

After extensive research, he knew that buying a franchise was the best way to get his business off the ground.

As he put it, “Why reinvent the…

The start-up company he was working for in 1998 lost its financial backing, and Gilly was out of a job.

He searched for work but, like so many other successful and experienced professionals in a volatile economy, he found that he was over-qualified for most of the available jobs.

After six months of job-hunting, he decided he should try something new.

Gilly had what many others don’t: a positive attitude, perseverance and a sense of humor that shines immediately.

“I decided to try to make things happen rather than let things happen to me,” Gilly said, and with that he took matters into his own hands and set out the criteria he wanted in a new career.

“First, I didn’t want brick-and-mortar—a 24x7 business with employees,” he said. “I …

Gary Drenning spent 38 years working in the corporate world, primarily in the finance and administration areas.

He was vice president of finance and administration for a company involved in manufacturing, construction and commercial real estate when he grew tired of the corporate stress and politics and decided to go into business for himself.

“I was looking for a business that had a good market in my geographical area of Altoona, Pa., the option to work from home, the benefit of managing my own schedule and minimal start-up costs,” Drenning said.

Drenning knew right away that he wanted to start a franchise business rather than an independent business, so he began by performing due diligence on various franchises in many different industries.

“I did not want the ha…