An entrepreneur who served in the Army Reserve and active Air Force said he used experience from the military and private sector to succeed as his own boss.
After leaving the Air Force, Daron Underwood completed his degree then worked for different companies within the computer industry, including performing tasks similar to a chief technology officer. By the end of 2018, he began exploring business ownership scenarios and research landed him on franchise opportunities with PuroClean, a company specializing in property restoration and remediation. The attractive veteran incentives and support offered through the franchise business model, he says, led him to sign a franchise agreement.
“With franchising, just kind of the foundation and support you have behind you — as opposed to just a new, fresh company that’s from scratch. I’ve worked in startups, you know, a few times, and as much as I love that environment I’ve never been involved as the CEO of that environment. So I was like, I’m not sure if I could handle that,” he told Reserve + National Guard Magazine during an interview.
The Canton, Michigan-based veteran credits his military background with helping him establish a culture that “prioritizes community service, [while] providing essential restoration services such as water damage remediation, fire and smoke damage mitigation, mold removal, and biohazard clean-up.”
He recommends veterans considering the franchise route look for companies that they have background knowledge in, or established skill sets for.
“I wanted something that I could at least initially be involved with the business itself so that I could really understand what it was and how to train my labor force and things of that nature,” he said. “I think that that whole process, you need to kind of take a look at, is it something that you personally would enjoy doing as a worker?”
It was also personal work for him. Underwood’s family experienced their own home being “basically destroyed,” so he had to go through the process of remediation and rebuilding. PuroClean’s mission resonated with him for that reason because it represented “a help-somebody-type-of-company.”
“It’s satisfying to help people. So, that’s kind of what I was looking at but what made the decision for us was, No. 1, I felt that disaster services are a fairly recession proof type of company,” Underwood said.
What he couldn’t forecast was a global pandemic, however. Underwood stepped into his franchise just as COVID-19 was spreading, leading his business to be shut down.
“From my perspective, it was the worst-case scenario because I wasn’t inherently a business guy, right? And the challenges were, at that point, I had no ability to market, and I had nobody in my back pocket from previous work. So it was the first actually two years were really, really tough.”
But this is where he says his military experience benefitted him. The gamut of different jobs Underwood held helped progress his thought process and how he approaches situations.
“I think I’m pretty solutions oriented, and a lot of that came from being in the military and having to apply different thought processes to scenarios you’ve never been in before,” he said. “And just thinking quick on your feet and coming up with a solution that fits the situation.”
He also shared that the technical side of running a business came “pretty easy” to him because he’s a “hands-on type of guy,” but the operations side presented a learning curve.
“From the financials to the marketing side of things, those were the real challenges I found,” he said.
This is where the franchise model is more advantageous than choosing to launch a new venture or take over an established business, he said.
PuroClean conducts initial training for its new franchisees, which Underwood said lasted a few weeks. Then a regional director conducts a visit immediately to make sure franchise owners are “in a good place” and have what they need to get the doors open. Overall, Underwood said the support set him up for success.
One in seven franchise owners at PuroClean are veterans, according to the company’s website. Its PuroVet program also offers a 25% off discount on the initial franchise fee. Aspiring franchisees also go through a vetting process, which Underwood describes as fairly simple through PuroClean but can vary company to company.
With the pandemic behind him, Underwood says he is focused on business growth ahead of 2025. The work, he adds, continues to challenge him in a way that is satisfying.
“I’m the type of person that is a constant learner so for me, it’s a continuous learning process. And I actually enjoy that because I’ve been a trainer all my life as well. I enjoy training other people, and I really enjoy the communication with the customers,” Underwood said. “Customers come to me when they are in super stressful situations, and I just try to be that extra kind of empathetic ear to guide them.”
Visit PuroClean’s website to learn more about franchise opportunities for veterans.
