After graduating college, neither Katherine nor Kaissling Akers imagined they would join the City Wide Facility Solutions franchise their father, Tim, owns in Nashville, Tennessee. By Sarah Lindauer
After graduating college, neither Katherine nor Kaissling Akers imagined they would join the City Wide Facility Solutions franchise their father, Tim, owns in Nashville, Tennessee. Kaissling graduated with her master’s degree in clinical mental health, and Katherine got her start in sales. Both were set on exploring other career paths.
Now, as second-generation owners who are managing day-to-day operations, Katherine and Kaissling both agree that franchising has more to offer than meets the eye.
“The possibility of being able to forge my own path and create what I wanted within this company was extremely appealing to me, especially compared to working in a corporate business,” said Katherine.
For Kaissling, making a difference in her career was nonnegotiable, and she believed clinical mental health was the best avenue for positive change. “I found out that City Wide makes a big impact on people’s lives, from our contractors to our employees to our customers,” she said. “When I saw it through that lens, I realized there’s a much bigger purpose here.”
Since becoming owners in the business, both sisters attribute their success in part to the support of City Wide’s corporate office. “There are people in the franchise system that I can call on a dime, answering any call no matter how big or small the question,” said Katherine. “Plus, they help us make all kinds of connections through their system, whether it be the vendors they introduce us to at a national level or the local support teams here in our city.”
“You know that there’s somebody that’s been through whatever you’re going through now, or what you’ll go through five years from now,” added Kaissling. “I cannot imagine starting a business from scratch, without a corporate office to lean on.”
While it wasn’t their original plan, both Katherine and Kaissling said they are grateful for the success they’ve found with City Wide, the largest management company in the building maintenance industry.
“Franchising will be the most challenging thing you’ll ever do, but it will also be the most rewarding,” Katherine said. “If you’re a person who wants more for your life, franchising is ideal. It pays you back tenfold for what you put in.”
Sarah Lindauer