TruBlue franchise owners Rick and Nancy James not only make a difference in the lives of seniors in their community, but also create opportunities for others.
Rick James has always enjoyed pursuing challenges. As a TruBlue Home Service Ally franchise owner, now Rick and his wife Nancy enjoy the challenge of ensuring that seniors and busy families in Hendersonville, NC, have reliable and professional handyman services. The James’ represent the drive, dedication, and perseverance of TruBlue’s network of premium franchise owners.
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A Varied Background and a Passion for Helping Seniors
"I come from a background of a family of carpenters, so I’ve always been around building houses," says Rick. His experiences ranges from helping build homes with his brothers in 2005 to various corporate roles at Fortune 500 companies such as Anheuser Busch and Coca-Cola. The deeper he dived into the corporate world, the more he found himself yearning for an entrepreneurial path.
“I started getting a headache around bureaucracy,” continues Rick. “With these big companies, you can feel like just a number. Instead of making others money, we wanted to make ourselves money."
In Hendersonville over 35% of the population is 65 and over. "We knew we could dominate in the area in terms of handyman services and senior home modifications," Rick added.
When the James’ discovered TruBlue, the support infrastructure provided by the franchisor attracted them right away. “My last role in corporate America was in sales and marketing, and I really believe that is a key to success in all business,” Rick said. “That is why we wanted to invest in something that was already professional and proven from the start. That is really key for exposure and ramping up the business quickly.”
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Walk A Day in Rick's Shoes
In October 2020, the James’ launched their TruBlue of Hendersonville franchise, out of their home. Now, some years into their franchising journey, their responsibilities often vary depending on the day, but everything they do oils the machine to make their business run more smoothly.
“It's a learning curve — you have to figure out what works and what doesn’t work,” said Rick. “We are still learning. When you are an entrepreneur first starting as a small business owner, you are the dispatcher, the office admin, the I.T. person, the chief financial officer, and the payroll administrator. For the first year, you wear a lot of hats.”
As they expand and continue to build a diverse team with varying skill sets and expertise, Rick’s main focus is now on recruitment.
“A day in my life is really about hiring,” James said. “Overall, as a franchisee, your day-to-day life shouldn’t be impacted by back-office administration. You need to hire a team who can handle that so you can spend your days taking care of clients and growing your team.”
Grassroots marketing is also vital to their daily operations. In addition to digital marketing, Rick is an active board member with the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce. Every Friday night, he takes part in serving ice cream to Hendersonville locals, a demonstration of his dedication to community involvement.
“Being active in the community is an essential part of running this business every day,” Rick added.
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Eyeing the Future
With growth in mind, Rick spends time each day on expansion, while Nancy dedicates her time to managing the administrative and back-end office.
"Thinking about growth is also part of the day-to-day," Rick said. “We want to own a larger territory and potentially open up remote offices in other territories, all while improving SEO and lead generation efforts to tap into organic growth. We are very excited for what the future holds.”
TruBlue President Sean Fitzgerald is equally excited about the James' passion and drive. "Rick and Nancy are a great example of the type of franchisees we are proud to have in the TruBlue family,” he says. “We look forward to supporting their efforts to expand their business and bring our much-needed services to more seniors in their community."
The James' story is indicative of the passion of many TruBlue franchisees — helping others, striving for personal success and commitment to their communities. The TruBlue team is currently looking for passionate and driven people to expand into new markets, Dedicated, professional, and enthusiastic franchisees are needed across the country.
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