Jo Ann Barnes decided to begin a new venture with The Cleaning Authority
after a longtime career in banking and small business ownership. The Florida
native spent 22 years working for HSBC and transitioned to launching a
small business with her husband.
"My husband and I currently own a small business called Unwired and
provide home security equipment to customers in the Northwest suburbs.
We pursued a small business venture about seven years ago after the economic
downturn in 2008, and I had been in banking previously and needed to investigate
new career options. Since owning a small business with my husband, I have
realized the importance of financial security and decided to look for
additional opportunities independently," said Barnes.
She spent several years helping with their small business, Unwired, which
supplies home security supplies, while simultaneously raising her two
children who are now 12 and 8-years-old. Since her children are growing
up, she decided to get involved with a franchise business of her own.
"I worked with a franchise broker and looked at about 10 different
franchise industries before selecting The Cleaning Authority. I liked
the fact that although house cleaning isn’t sexy, it is something
everyone needs. With today’s dual income households, people are
running out of time to clean. The Cleaning Authority provides a service
that allows people to do something besides clean their house," said Barnes.
Jo Ann worked with a franchise broker during the
brand selection process who was helpful, but the corporate team really helped her feel comfortable
in her decision.
"The corporate team provided a lot of insight on our visit during
Discovery Day. As opposed to my experience with the start-up business
where hindsight is always 20/20, in a franchise, you can get advice from
those who have learned from past mistakes and start out ahead of the curve
because they provide you with proven processes," said Barnes.
We are excited to see what Jo Ann accomplished as a new franchisee!
Watch more testimonials here.
