While other business owners may have panicked or paused after opening a business immediately before a global pandemic, Arthur Hawthorne III embraced the opportunity that would quickly be in front of him. Hawthorne, a Washington DC based Jani-King franchisee, completed the purchase of his franchise just before the Covid-19 pandemic made its way to the U.S. What would be a terrifying time for many business owners, was just the right chance for Hawthorne to show his determination and perseverance.
“In his first month coming out of training, Arthur was successful in signing a significant amount of one-time disinfecting cleans. He increased that amount in his second month and kept adding one-time disinfecting accounts throughout the first four months.”
-Berry Poindexter, Regional Director, Jani-King of Washington, D.C.
Hawthorne invested substantially in his Jani-King franchise, jumped into training, and was prepared to start accepting account offers from the regional office. When the pandemic hit, Hawthorne was prepared but had plans to learn and network before taking his franchise into high gear.
“My goal early on was to grow in my knowledge of the business with my initial account,” said Hawthorne. “In addition, I was hoping to bring my experience in leadership working in the government sector. When the pandemic hit, we all had to jump in to create a team atmosphere. Jani-King’s Regional Director took a hands-on approach to training and coaching, so I felt like I had the necessary support for growth.”
Going forward with his Jani-King franchise, Hawthorne says he is excited to continue the growth and partnership cultivated during the last several months.
“The pandemic taught me that you have to be flexible, focused and forward thinking; those are the three ‘F’s’ I have grown to live by since the pandemic hit. I’m excited about seeing the maturation of my franchise and I’m setting a goal to become a master franchise owner.”
