Welcome to another episode of Atlanta Franchise Today with host Leslie Kuban, expert franchise consultant and owner of FranNet Atlanta. Today, Leslie is joined by Nadine Marsh Coleman, a Servpro franchise owner in Atlanta who has successfully acquired her minority-owned and female-owned business designations.
Transcription:
Leslie Kuban:
Nadine, welcome to the show.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Thank you so much for having me, Leslie. I really appreciate it.
Leslie Kuban:
Thank you. I’m very excited to hear about all about your journey.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely.
Leslie Kuban:
So our viewers are meeting you for the first time, so please tell us a little about you and your business?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
I started Servpro franchise in 2014. During the time I had a full-time job at General Electric, and so I started with a previous co-owner. And in 2019 I transitioned, resigned from my job, took over the business full time and I’m still running my Servpro franchise.
Leslie Kuban:
Well, congratulations.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Thank you.
Leslie Kuban:
Thank you. So, that’s an interesting transition. You were in the… Worked at a big company in the corporate world, so you partnered up with an existing franchisee, is that right?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Well, it was actually a previous co-owner I partnered with and then in 2019 I decided to take over the business full time a hundred percent and I did that.
Leslie Kuban:
Be the boss.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely. So it was a difficult transition at first, because of course, I came from a corporate environment. However, I did exactly what I was told to do. I did the training at the corporate office, I started aggressively marketing the business and I did all the marketing resources, got my certifications or required certifications in order to run the business successfully.
Leslie Kuban:
Well, let’s talk about your Servpro franchise business, what you do. As we were walking into the studio, there’s a hurricane hitting Florida. So this is something that you are… One of the many things that your business helps to address. So tell us about the services and the things you do?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely. So the core services that we do provide are water mitigation services. We also provide fire restoration and mold remediation services. We’re actually getting ready to participate in the storm in Florida currently. But 90% of our revenue comes from the corporate office, which is really residential jobs. So when it comes to commercial or government jobs, we have to do that local marketing ourselves. And that’s one of the reasons why I have gotten my company certified as not only a minority-owned Servpro franchise but also a woman-owned Servpro business. And these certifications help with getting the company these government contracts in particular, because that’s one of the things that I’m really actually aggressively going to market right now to get more government contracts. I currently have contracts with Atlanta Public School, Emory University, and the Forsyth County School District and government contracts to do government jobs at detention centers.
Leslie Kuban:
So you’re able to go after bigger business?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Bigger businesses, absolutely.
Leslie Kuban:
So I’d like to unpack this a little further and just to note a little bit about the process that you went through to gain these certifications. First, are they completely separate tracks, the minority certification and the women’s certification? Or are they combined in anyway?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Yes, they are separate. With regards to the women-owned small business certifications, I got those from WBENC, Women Business Enterprise National Council. They are one of the certified organizations to certify businesses as women-owned small business. I also have African American Business Enterprise certificate and Female Business Enterprise certificate from the city of Atlanta. And that’s also another entity, another body to get contracts with the city of Atlanta. So I’ve got basically three women minority certifications.
Leslie Kuban:
How long did these take from the time you first started to whatever that first step was to you’ve got the certifications in your pocket, what timeline was that?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
To be honest, it’s a lot of work. Because they require a lot of documentation. Simple stuff. Proof of funds, when the business started to getting several documents to substantiate that a business is a valid business. It took me maybe a couple months to actually work on them. But once you’ve got one certificate, the other entities basically ask similar questions. It may be just one or two additions. So for example, the woman-owned small business and woman business enterprise, those are quite similar. Just a little bit of difference because one is specifically for government entities, the other one is just for state. So, that’s only a minor difference. But to be honest, it’s a lot of work to get these certificates. But one of the reasons why I’ve gotten them is, I don’t want to just say that I’m a minority owner, or a woman-owned small business, I want to get my company certified.
Leslie Kuban:
Yeah. Yep. And I love what you said and I think this is good for people to hear that part of your customer base comes from the brand. Servpro’s a huge brand, huge marketing budget.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely.
Leslie Kuban:
It’s a well-known brand name and so that’s going to drive business, but not all of it. You as a local franchisee also have to do some boots on the ground, proactive, going after business accounts.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely.
Leslie Kuban:
As an example.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
And so the revenue that we get from our corporate office is insurance-based jobs. When it comes to government and commercial jobs, 90% of the time those jobs are not insurance-based jobs. They’re self-paid jobs. So we’ve got to do that local marketing to get these contracts and that’s one of my goals right now to get some more contracts and getting these certifications, it really helps to get these contracts.
Leslie Kuban:
Put you in the… Further up in the queue of priority in that business. I need to ask you, mold remediation, it is not a glamorous business. What had you choose this type of business? To go into?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Well, to be honest, when I checked other restoration companies, Servpro is one of the leading companies for this kind of business. There are other franchises that I could have participated in, but my previous co-owner, it was like a restoration business is more ideal than some other franchise. And more profitable, of course. And of course, I’ve seen that from starting this franchise basically from scratch to where it is right now. And I’ve grown the business significantly since I’ve taken it over full time.
Leslie Kuban:
Congratulations.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Thank you.
Leslie Kuban:
Thanks. Well, it’s one of…. It’s an example. It may not be a pretty business, but it’s one that is always needed every day of the week, every month of the year, that there’s going to be some need in someone’s basement or their kitchen or the roof is leaking. And in businesses like this, stuff happens all the time. So it’s certainly, well, it may not be the sexiest, but it is a very stable business to be in.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
But we also do non-emergency services. Our core service lines are water, fire and mold. But we also do non-emergency services such as general cleaning, duct cleaning, carpet cleaning services. So it’s not only emergency services, but we also do non-emergency services.
Leslie Kuban:
Yes. Stuff is always dirty.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely.
Leslie Kuban:
Nadine, you were sharing with me how there were periods in your life that you encountered some cultural biases and you had to work through and overcome those and may have worked to your advantage in the end. So I would love to hear your story about that.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Sure. So when I took over this business, of course, I came from a corporate environment. I didn’t have the experience to run a Servpro franchise. So I was literally told, “You’re a black woman, you could never do this work.” And I used those words to my advantage to say, “Well, okay, I’m a black woman, but I’m going to take this business to where I know it can be.” And that’s one of the reasons why I have gotten the company certified to get these minority-owned certificates and certified the business as a woman-owned small business. And since I’ve gotten these contracts, I’m being recognized a lot more now. I have gotten contracts with Emery, I’ve gotten contracts with Forsyth County Schools District and I’ve also gotten contracts with Atlanta Public School. So the certifications help with getting contracts. So I used those words to my advantage to say, “Well, okay, I’m going to market my Servpro franchise as the only female minority-owned Servpro in the state of Georgia.”
Leslie Kuban:
That is just fuel for the fire for an entrepreneur.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely.
Leslie Kuban:
Is to tell me I can’t do it. Well, watch me.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Exactly. Exactly.
Leslie Kuban:
No, when I started my business, I was in my mid-20s and there were plenty of people who told me, “You’re too young to be able to do that.” Well I sure showed them so.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Right! And one of my influencers is actually Barbara Corcoran. I remember, of course, she told her story of her previous business partner who she started the business with who told her that she will fail and it was like a driving force. So she’s one of my real influencers when it comes to running the business as a woman-owned business.
Leslie Kuban:
And you were sharing also that you recently achieved an award within the… Cipro is a big company.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely.
Leslie Kuban:
So to achieve some big awards is no small feat. Tell us about your awards.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Right, so, in 2021, I increased my volume significantly by 156% in comparison to the last two years. So my corporate office, Servpro Industries, they awarded me for that, my sales volume. So my goal right now is to take that to a little bit further. The next level is maybe 1.5 million Servpro corporate gives a Rolex watch. I would love to get that Rolex watch. And they do a lot of things to motivate the franchises to be successful, to gain businesses and so forth. And our conventions over the summer, that’s when we all meet and discuss how to grow our businesses and so forth and get all these recognitions.
Leslie Kuban:
Yes, we do. Entrepreneurs love awards.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely. Absolutely. So that was really good for me. It’s a great milestone that I have accomplished despite the obstacles that I’ve faced with the business. But it was a really rewarding award for my personal growth and development and where I’m going to take this business further.
Leslie Kuban:
That’s fantastic. That’s fantastic. I’d love to have you give some advice, Nadine. And many of our viewers, actually similar to you, they come from the corporate world and that’s been their career. They’re looking to be their own boss and get into their own business and maybe looking at franchising and it takes some courage to take that leap. So what would be your words of advice for people? Or they want to do it but they’re scared? Just what encouragement could you offer?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Well, I have a really good friend who I worked with AT&T because I worked also AT&T, in addition to General Electric. And we spoke about maybe owning a franchise and she was like, “I don’t know if I can do it because I don’t have the experience.” She thought of a restorations, not a restoration, a restaurant. And I’m like, “No, you can do it. You’ve got that management experience. Once you’ve got that management experience, then you just use that, hire the people who have got the real on-the-job experience and manage the business.” And by doing that, you’re not only running the business as an owner, but you’re overseeing the business entity itself. So you don’t necessarily have to know how to do the day-to-day work, but if you hire someone who has that experience and manage the business by itself as an entity, then you can be successful.
Leslie Kuban:
And what a lot of people, it takes some time to realize that their corporate experience has been their training for entrepreneurship.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely.
Leslie Kuban:
They’ve developed the skills. You’ve done it for others, so now you can… But also in having the support and the help and training and collaboration with other franchisees can make it a little less scary to make the leap.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
It is. It is, to make that leap. It was a huge leap, but I’m glad I did.
Leslie Kuban:
Yes. That’s great. So what are your plans? We’re coming up on the end of 2022, looking at 2023. What are your goals for your business next year?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Well, of course I want to double my volume next year. That’s one of my biggest goals for next year. I want to increase my employees. I am in the process of doing that currently. And in order to get the business, to get the volume significantly more, I’ve got to have more employees, so that’s one of the things that I’m working on aggressively. Another thing that I’m working on, I need to get a location where I have got my office and my warehouse location. Everything in one environment. Yes. So that’s the other plan.
Leslie Kuban:
Bigger location, right?
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
A bigger location, yes.
Leslie Kuban:
Okay. Okay. Well that’s very exciting. That’s very exciting.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Thanks.
Leslie Kuban:
Well, Nadine, this has been a wonderful and very educational conversation. I know a lot of our viewers are going to really tune into what you shared about gaining a women-owned status, minority-owned certifications, so that will help them in their businesses.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Absolutely.
Leslie Kuban:
I really appreciate you sharing your journey.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Oh, thank you so much. Thank you for having us.
Leslie Kuban:
And congratulations on your growth.
Nadine Marsh Coleman:
Thank you. Thank you so much. Thanks.
Leslie Kuban:
Folks, thank you so much for joining me on this episode of Atlanta Franchise Today. I’m Leslie Kuban and I look forward to seeing again next week.
The Atlanta Small Business Network, from start-up to success, we are your go-to resource for small business news, expert advice, information, and event coverage.
While you’re here, don’t forget to subscribe to our email newsletter for all the latest business news know-how from Atlanta Small Business Network.
