Military Couple Achieves Entrepreneurial Dream with Two Maids Franchise

Valerie and Wesley Burton Two Maids Franchise Owners

Starting a business, especially as a franchise owner, can be an exciting and rewarding journey. For many aspiring entrepreneurs, like the owners of the Two Maids franchise in Universal City, Texas, the decision to invest in a franchise was driven by the desire to create generational wealth and build a lasting legacy. After years of dedicated military service, Valerie and Wesley Burton saw franchising as a way to leverage a proven business model and gain access to an established support network, enabling them to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams without starting from scratch. With its appealing support structure, low initial investment costs, and flexibility for veterans, the Two Maids franchise checked all the boxes and set the stage for a thriving family business. 

This article explores the Burtons’ journey, from research and decision-making to overcoming challenges and building a successful Two Maids franchise operation.

What made you decide to look into purchasing a franchise? 

We have always wanted to own our business to create generational wealth for our family. We have had opportunities to build businesses throughout our military careers but never had the time to fully commit because of our careers. We absolutely loved the franchise concept because of the level of training, support, and culture. Purchasing a cleaning franchise allowed us to launch a well-known business and avoid building from scratch. We have access to a built-in knowledge base and a family of supporters. Two Maids gives us that and more.

When researching franchises, what criteria mattered to you most? How did the Two Maids franchise meet that criteria?

We investigated quite a few franchises and made a list of all the criteria that mattered most to our family. We wanted a franchise that was available in San Antonio, Texas. We didn’t want to have to travel. The length of time to open, along with the initial investment cost, were important aspects, too. We didn’t want to spend months getting certificates while balancing huge upfront costs. The last detail that mattered to us was whether we could transfer the business to the family if they qualified. When we compared our criteria to all the franchises we were looking into, Two Maids stood above the rest and checked all our boxes. The initial investment costs were low, and the franchise offered a veteran discount. The Two Maids cleaning franchise allows us to transfer the business to our kids which was vital to continuing our legacy.

Which of your prior skills and experiences do you use in operating your business?

We use the skills we gained in our military career daily in our cleaning franchise, along with our project management certification. In the military, we relied heavily on our leadership, risk management, and team-building skills. Managing our business requires daily use of these skills. Our Project Management certification gives us the skills to plan, budget, and effectively organize resources.

When researching the Two Maids franchise, which questions did you ask the franchise owners?

What were the greatest challenges when starting your business? How long did it take you to break even? What were some tasks that came easy to you and why? How many cleaning teams did you start with? Did that number work for you? What kind of support do you get from the franchise?

Which questions did you ask the Two Maids franchise leadership team?

Do you have territories available in my area? How much money do your franchises make? Do a lot of your franchisees purchase more than one franchise? How long is the franchise contract? Can we renew? What do first-year expenses look like?

What were your biggest challenges when you first started, and how did you overcome them?

Hiring and retaining employees was our biggest challenge, and we continually deal with this today. We first reminded ourselves to remain true to who we are regardless of the team we have. We treat everyone with dignity and respect regardless of who we have on our teams. To keep enough employees to meet the cleaning clients’ needs, we constantly interview prospective new hires. Today, we have a strong team of eight employees. 

How does the Two Maids franchise support and encourage your success? 

The support we receive from Two Maids is why we chose them over other franchises. We love picking up the phone and being able to speak with someone when we have real-time issues. There is support at every stage of owning our business. We have support with getting through the first-year day-to-day operations, and we have business coaches to guide us in growing our business. There is a marketing team that helps us understand what the franchise provides and how to interpret the data. We can talk to owners and managers of other franchises to discuss collective issues and solutions. This has been such a valuable asset to being successful.

What are you most proud of and why?

Our ability to persevere has been what has made us most proud through the ups and downs and many hurdles that we have had to overcome. We have been able to overcome them all.

What advice would you give to new or potential Two Maids franchise owners?

Listen to the advice of business coaches within your franchise. What is great about a franchise is that you have all of the previous lessons learned, so you don’t make the same mistakes. Ask questions and anticipate any and everything. Look forward always and never get caught up in the moment.

For more information on the Two Maids cleaning franchise, visit twomaidsfranchise.com, email [email protected], or call 800.420.5374.