A longtime customer of The Cleaning Authority, Chris Dye, a chemical engineer
by trade, found himself looking for new opportunities upon landing in
a career rut, which led him to getting his MBA from the University of Tampa.
“In the chemical industry, after a certain point in your career,
you get pigeonholed,” Chris said. After completing his MBA, Chris
was attracted to the franchise model because of the strong support system
and network. So, he jumped at the opportunity to take over his local The
Cleaning Authority franchise when he learned it was for sale.
“I wanted to use more of my broad experiences and that led me to
pursue small business ownership. Since owning your own business is a very
different path than chemical engineering, I wanted a franchise that had
a strong support system and network that I could tap into and utilize
to help me be successful.”
His location will serve the Lakeland community and he has plans to expand
service throughout Auburndale, Winter Haven, and Plant City. “To
me, it is more interesting work than other brands, and it also allows
me to use my interests and skills. I am a people person, so I really like
working with the cleaners and customers directly,” he said. “I
would have never guessed that I would have purchased a franchise business
if you had asked me five years ago because it wasn’t even on my
radar. I perceived franchising as a large and unattainable process, which
I was pleasantly surprised to find was not the case.”