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"The folks at FranNet were helpful for me because they spent time exploring my interests and goals and then made suggestions as to the types of businesses I might find appealing," Rangel continued. FranNet proposed various choices to Josie. She briefly considered the food services industry and businesses having to do with animals, but neither of those hit home. Other suggestions required nights and weekends, which Josie wasn't interested in. Then FranNet suggested Maid Brigade.

"Maid Brigade offered everything I was looking for, including no nights or weekends," Rangel said. "However Maid Brigade offered something that could help the community-the chance for me to offer employment to women who really needed employment opportunities."

Josie then set out to make sure that Maid Brigade was the right business decision. After all, this relationship was going to be long-term. She first spoke to Donna Bohn, Director of Franchise Recruitment who gave her names of Maid Brigade franchisees to talk to. Josie quickly discovered that she had a hard time finding anyone who had not had a wonderful experience with Maid Brigade. She continued, "That didn't mean that it was a piece of cake, but in the end, everyone I spoke with felt they had made a choice they were happy with."

Josie came to Atlanta for Discovery Day and liked what she saw. She met with various Maid Brigade executives and knew she was looking at an organization that had its act together and decided to go ahead and make the leap. She was especially impressed with the fact that no matter whom she talked to at Maid Brigade, she heard the same message. "Maid Brigade offered stability. I also liked that the company had specific short- and long-term goals as well as possibilities for innovation," she commented.

Josie signed her franchise agreement and began her new journey. Although her search for a new business took five months, she wasn't in any rush, the entire process from Discovery Day and training to mentoring and opening the doors took approximately three months. Rangel continued, "There is a ton of work involved in opening a new business but I had a lot of help from Maid Brigade. They have an unbelievable support team and really have the start-up process down. In my opinion, there are very few franchisors that offer the level of support that Maid Brigade does. I can't say enough good things about them."

When Josie started her Maid Brigade business she missed the deadline for the local San Antonio Yellow Pages so had to rely on other marketing and advertising opportunities for new business. But once the phonebook with her display ad appeared, the phone really started to ring. "The Yellow Pages has been the best source for new business in this area. San Antonio is expanding so once word got out that I was here, my business kicked into high gear," she explained.

Josie's day starts early-she likes to make sure everything is ready when the teams come to the office because she likes to give them her undivided attention to make sure they are ready for the day. Once the teams are on their way, she focuses on customers. Even though she has a part-time field manager/office manager, Josie still does a lot of the inspections herself and most of the initial customer contact. "I like being in the field, meeting with and talking to customers," she commented.

Josie still turns to Maid Brigade for support in the day-to-day operation of her business. She uses the services of National Sales Center and Maid Brigade's technology products. She explained, "MicroMaid is fabulous and so easy-to-use. I'm looking forward to upgrading to the new MaidSmart™ as well. Both corporate tech support and the sales center are wonderful. We are so lucky with all the products we have at our disposal. I don't know how we would do it without them.

"Other franchisees have always been open and very willing to help as much as they can. The bulletin board is a priceless tool and it generates a lot of offline email conversation that shows franchisees are here to help each other out-it's been invaluable."

And what about her goal of making a difference in the lives of women who otherwise may not have any opportunities? Josie currently has five Maid Brigade teams and is growing. "Some of the women have a high school education, but not all, so the opportunities are limited for a lot of them. This is a chance for them to be able to support themselves and their families. It's not easy for them. Maid Brigade provides an opportunity for them not only to have a job, but also receive recognition for the job they do," she emphasized.

Josie really wants to excel with her business and has expansion plans for the future. After her first year in business, in recognition of her achievements, she was named Maid Brigade's Outstanding New Franchisee of the Year. "You get out what you put in. At the beginning everyone told me to be persistent and it will pay off. I have to agree with them. During the short time I've been in business, I've seen it first hand and it's paying off," she concluded.