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Aaron Harper of energy washing agency Rolling Suds is not your typical CEO. A plain-spoken, no-nonsense chief, Harper is constructing the muse of the quickly increasing model whereas concurrently embarking on a campaign for franchise {industry} self-regulation based mostly on firm accountability.
“I am speaking about we, as an {industry}, deciding be accountable,” Harper says. “We are saying these are the issues as we see it presently, how will we repair these issues shifting ahead? After which how will we standardize the answer and who must get entangled to implement these?”
Chem-Dry and The Patch Boys
Harper’s expertise within the franchise sector started in 2017, when he began as a senior franchise improvement director at Belfor Manufacturers — the place he labored on the Chem-Dry and The Patch Boys manufacturers — following stints at main corporations reminiscent of AT&T. Harper rapidly confirmed a knack for steering manufacturers towards unprecedented development, taking part in a pivotal position in increasing Chem-Dry to 900 franchises. Equally, his involvement with The Patch Boys noticed it develop from humble beginnings to a powerhouse with 100 places nationwide. (It has since grown to greater than 300.)
Below Harper’s steerage, each manufacturers grew to become case research in scaling successfully whereas sustaining a supportive community for franchisees. His technique concerned straight partaking with franchise house owners and constructing sturdy programs to assist their development. This hands-on method not solely led to the manufacturers’ expansions but additionally cemented Harper’s status within the franchise {industry}.
Rolling Suds
In 2023, Harper joined Rolling Suds, a family-owned power-washing enterprise, as CEO. Below his management, Rolling Suds has just lately handed 100 places, with extra within the planning levels. This scaled growth, coupled with Harper’s dedication to accountable franchising, underscores the potential of moral enterprise practices in driving sustainable development.
“I personally deal with all of the franchise improvement,” Harper says. “I’ve turned away 51 individuals who needed to develop into franchisees and weren’t proper for our system. It would not matter that they need to write me a $200,000 examine. In the event that they’re in my system they usually mess up, not solely am I going to must spend more cash getting them out, however the quantity of harm they are going to do culturally is not even price it.”
Harper’s philosophy permeates Rolling Suds. “We do not enable franchisees to scale too rapidly,” says Prue Lotharius, VP of selling. “That is not what we would like them to give attention to.” Lotharuis ought to know. She began out as a franchisee with Rolling Suds and believed a lot in Harper’s imaginative and prescient that she made a drastic transfer in 2023, promoting her franchise to hitch the Rolling Suds company group.
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Accountable franchising
In his years of expertise, Harper has seen one of the best and the worst the franchise enterprise mannequin has to supply. However as a substitute of shrugging off the unhealthy and capitalizing on the nice, he determined he wanted to talk out. “Accountable franchising begins within the franchise improvement course of, after which it continues within the operation aspect of issues,” he says. “Irresponsible franchising is telling individuals that is going to be straightforward, they don’t seem to be going to must work, that they will rent somebody to run their enterprise for them, they usually could make a ton of cash. Actually, Ponzi scheme-level stuff.”
This dishonesty, Harper says, creates a scenario the place franchise manufacturers develop too quick and are constructed on shaky foundations. He makes use of a hypothetical instance of a franchisor and FSO pushing to develop to 150 items in a yr. “The franchisor ought to have by no means been a franchisor within the first place,” he explains, “however now they’ve 150 items offered, and the individuals who purchased the items assume that they will run the enterprise part-time and by no means left their jobs. The franchisor cannot assist the franchisees, and the franchisees aren’t even engaged. Then a non-public fairness agency swoops in and pays pennies on the greenback for the model.”
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Rising motion
Harper is pushed by a imaginative and prescient to appropriate these systemic flaws and make accountable franchising an industry-wide actuality. Central to his technique is schooling — there’s a data hole that perpetuates unethical franchising, and Harper dedicates himself to sharing insights and finest practices by means of social media and varied talking engagements. “I publish content material each day,” Harper says. “Franchisors attain out to me [every] week, so I’ve already constructed an viewers within the franchise group.”
Harper says his X following elevated seven-fold since he started posting each day about accountable franchising in 2023.
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The longer term
Rolling Suds’ growth displays a dedication not simply to development however to development achieved proper. Harper’s management emphasizes the need of a accountable growth technique, guaranteeing that every new location aligns with the core values of group, integrity and high quality.
Harper’s journey has been a blueprint for achievement that balances regular development with moral practices. Because the franchise {industry} continues to evolve, his push for accountable franchising turns into extra important in guiding future entrepreneurs towards sustainable and moral enterprise fashions. “This must be a subject of dialogue of sufficient thought leaders to give you options that we suggest to the entire {industry},” he says. “Nobody needs this to proceed for many years to come back.”
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