Kevin Brockman, a franchisee for JAN-PRO of Richmond, Virginia, says that his time in the U.S. Army changed the direction of his life forever. He entered the military directly from high school, and his first impression of being enlisted was a sense of excitement and structure. He knew it was going to take a great deal of endurance to keep up the pace.
He remembers the time he received the title “Making the Man.” It was an honor he would achieve many times over for having the best floors on the hallway, the best shoe shine, and the best overall bed. He is very proud to have been given the respected title by the post General for his exceptional attention to detail. Even then he had a natural inclination for keeping his surroundings in good order.
The years in the U.S. Army shaped Kevin’s self-determination and work ethic which would eventually lead to great success in his civilian life. He used what he learned about order and the strict standards of maintaining his base unit and took his experience to a Veterans Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There he managed corporate cleaning services for over 300,000 sq. ft. of flooring.
Kevin always had a dream of owning his own business, and in 2011, he met with Paul and Carolyn Hawthorne, master franchise owners of the Richmond, Virginia JAN-PRO market. Although the opportunity to be a business owner was very important to Kevin, the timing was off.
Determined to start his own business, in late 2014, he approached the JAN-PRO of Richmond office again. By January of 2015, he was an official franchisee.
Having purchased one of the smallest plans, he remembers Carolyn asking him where he saw himself in a year. “I’d like to be at $100,000 a year,” Kevin responded. Impressed but cautiously optimistic, Carolyn explained that that was a very loft goal and may not be obtainable. However, that never stopped Kevin. He beat the odds and ten months later he achieved $160,000 a year in billings!
Kevin feels blessed to work with his son who will one day run and grow the business. Owning a JAN-PRO franchise has brought about many good things in Kevin’s life, including making others smile. Kevin says, “I’m good at what I do, and that makes my customers happy.”