---
title: "Winning at Franchising: First-Time Franchisees Give Advice"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/cda175ff-1b40-4e0d-9288-4935237a25f0
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/winning-at-franchising-first-time-franchisees-give-advice-2718545
category: "Franchise Industry"
industry: "Franchise Industry"
topics: ["Emerging brands"]
published: 2022-04-28T12:07:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:37:20.387Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/6747d3bf2a8317377110c12a3a686c173616.jpg
---

# Winning at Franchising: First-Time Franchisees Give Advice

**TL;DR:** First-time franchisees David Houck and Chad Zaniewski share their experiences and advice on the importance of research and preparation in the franchising process. They emphasize the need for mental fortitude, commitment to the system, and financial preparation to overcome the challenges of the initial year.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2022-04-28. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/winning-at-franchising-first-time-franchisees-give-advice-2718545).*

## Story

When investing in a franchise for the first time, the initial year can be a major eye-opener, and many entrepreneurs may find they weren’t prepared for some of the challenges that can come with owning a business.

- David Houck, a Home Clean Heroes franchisee, originally joined the residential cleaning brand in June 2021 after a decade in the banking industry.
- His entry into franchising might not have been the traditional way — he actually got laid off for the fourth time in 10 years last February.
- Houck says his approach to finding the right concept was very analytical, and he recommends first-time candidates create a list of what qualities they need in the business before diving into their research.
- He created an Excel spreadsheet and divided all attributes into three categories: must-have, important, and not-so-important.
- Houck says his biggest advice for first-time franchisees is to come into the experience with mental fortitude and a commitment to the system.

In the first year, you’re not going to make money — no business is going to be successful overnight, Houck said.
- He started last June and will hopefully break even in May or June of this year.
- It is mentally taxing, and stress can wear on you, so you need to ensure you will have the confidence and fortitude to keep your head down and follow the system.
- Houck says with the right attitude (and the right concept), all that hard work will certainly be worth it in the end.

Chad Zaniewski, a 1-800-JUNKPRO franchisee, spent 18 years working in the corporate world for a Fortune 500 company before diving into business management.
- He had experience running someone else’s business, and that drove him to franchising as a way to start his own business.
- Zaniewski says everyone’s entry point into a franchise is going to be different, but the key is understanding that it requires a lot of thought and due diligence.

- He recommends that first-time franchisee candidates considering a brand have an open mind.
- A lot of people may want to go with an established brand, but they shouldn’t be afraid of a smaller system, Zaniewski said.

Zaniewski shares similar insights to Houck, noting that a franchise isn’t going to make money immediately, and first-time owners need to be prepared financially to deal with that.
- His advice is to start preparing yourself for the franchise system prior to getting involved in it.
- With every business, you will need some level of management experience, sales knowledge, and negotiation skills.

- Develop those skills early — you don’t need to be in a leadership position to start learning about running a business.
- If you start preparing today, you can be better prepared to start franchising in the future.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Franchise Industry (sector)
- Fortune (company)
- Home Clean Heroes (company)
- franchisee advice (topic)
- research and preparation (topic)
- first-time franchising (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/winning-at-franchising-first-time-franchisees-give-advice-2718545). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/cda175ff-1b40-4e0d-9288-4935237a25f0).