HomeTeam Inspection Service Franchisee Still Proud 4 Years In

Ronald Hill spent 20 years working in corporate America before deciding it was time to build something for himself. Business ownership with HomeTeam Inspection Service, the 200+ unit home inspection franchise serving home buyers, sellers and real estate agents, allowed him to do just that. He became a franchisee with the brand in Jacksonville, Florida, four years ago and has never looked back.

His favorite part about being a franchise owner with HomeTeam Inspection Service? The brand allows his team and their efforts to be visible in his own business.

“ It is still a corporate entity, but the thing that makes the HomeTeam Inspection Service of South Jacksonville successful is me and my team. It allows us to shine as a professional, intelligent, knowledgeable and resourceful team that provides the best service to its customer and client base,” he explained.

Plunging into business ownership after a steady career in working with Fortune 500 companies felt like a risk to Hill at first, but after talking about it with his family and researching it, he knew he had to make a move at some point. He realized so many people talk about their dreams for years and years without making a move and it gets them nowhere.

“Don’t talk about it, be about it,” said Hill. “It’s scary and exciting at the same time. You have to go out and make it happen. I pushed all the chips on the table and bet on me.”

Prior to owning the franchise, Hill was in sales, marketing and business intelligence specifically for consumer packaged goods for Fortune 500 companies.

He decided to transition into franchise ownership because he wanted something new and different. He needed a change from his 20 years of experience in corporate America. He wanted to build something for himself.

Hill used to think of franchises as bigger conglomerate-based companies such as McDonald's or Chick-fil-A. This led him to believe that franchise ownership required a significant amount of money and he also believed there was little support or resource sharing.

He also had a negative perception of small business ownership because you rarely hear the positive aspects. Typically, the conversations are about working long hours and no ability to grow. Now, he’s realized he doesn't work any more hours than he used to in corporate America and he does have a lot of support from the brand.

He needed a change that he didn't feel would come from just changing jobs or changing companies. He needed more.

Hill primarily likes about the brand is me and my part in it. That’s not to be self-serving, but he loves that the brand has given him visibility in his own business. It is still a corporate entity, but the thing that makes the HomeTeam Inspection Service of South Jacksonville successful is he and his team. It allows them to shine as a professional, intelligent, knowledgeable and resourceful team that provides the best service to its customer and client base for every inspection that they do.

Even though he still works a lot of hours and he still wears a lot of hats, his team is continually evolving and changing and he feels good about all of it. He feels better about what he’s doing now than he did when he was in corporate America because it's his own company and the success is shared with everybody who's ever touched this company, from contractors to realtors.

He will grow his business, but it should be organic and natural growth and he wants to make sure it's sustainable growth.

There's nothing miraculous about his story. There's a number of other franchisees that have done the same thing. The difference with his story is the amount of support from his wife and kids and extended family.

He’s still taken some of the lessons learned and values he’s learned in corporate America, and applied that knowledge to his business, which he thinks makes his business more competitive than some other home inspection companies. The other aspect that sets him apart is the way he’s managed to have a good group of people around him from his part-time inspectors to his contractors to his fellow veteran HomeTeam Inspection Services franchise owners here in Florida.

He tries to treat every inspection like it's the first time because he wants to make sure that the client and the agent know that they are appreciative that they used his inspection company versus someone else. He stays ever humble and hungry at the same time to be able to continue providing high-quality services, but he knows he didn’t get here alone and he don't expect to get to the next level alone. The light is bright enough for everybody to shine. He's good with that.

Don’t talk about it, be about it. What makes a difference — whether you start from the ground up or with a franchise concept, whether you want to be a home inspector or a baker or an influencer — everybody talks about it, but they don’t always do it.

He had pros and cons, lists, and talked to his wife. He had a good franchise coach, Tom Sheffield. He researched and talked to his brothers. He had all these conversations and kept researching, but at the end of the day, one day turns into three days, which turns into a week. You have to be financially stable and able to do it, but once you have most of your answers — and those answers can keep changing — you need to make a move.

It’s scary and exciting at the same time. You have to go out and make it happen. He pushed all the chips on the table and bet on him.