Leo Goldberger and Curt Swanson are known for being trailblazers in the franchising industry, a title earned from learning to develop and grow their niche businesses. After co-founding The Patch Boys, a drywall repair company, in 2015, the duo bumped into FranServe CEO and President Alesia Visconti at a FranServe convention. By Brianna Bohn
Leo Goldberger and Curt Swanson are known for being trailblazers in the franchising industry, a title earned from learning to develop and grow their niche businesses. After co-founding The Patch Boys, a drywall repair company, in 2015, the duo bumped into FranServe CEO and President Alesia Visconti at a FranServe convention. During that conversation, Visconti introduced them to the franchise world and encouraged them to franchise their successful concept.
As a result of Visconti’s guidance, Golderberger and Swanson grew The Patch Boys to 100 locations and sold it to the BELFOR Franchise Group in 2020. While many people would take that money and retire to a tropical paradise, the duo did the opposite.
“Once we sold The Patch Boys, we looked at each other and said: ‘We love franchising too much’,” Goldberger said about their decision to franchise more concepts. “I like to come up with these niche businesses that provide a service everyone needs but nobody has come up with.”
With a focus on simple, unique businesses with low overhead and high profit margins, Goldberger co-founded Home Based Franchise Group. The team at Home Based Franchise Group is committed to helping people grow successful businesses while maintaining an optimal work-life balance, which Goldberger said is the most important aspect of owning a franchise.
“You don’t need a showroom. You don’t need a warehouse. You don’t need inventory. Nobody ever calls me in the middle of the night to complete a job,” Swanson shared.
Unlike most other home-service businesses that require franchisees and employees to work 24/7, all of Home Based Franchise Group’s brands – Dryer Vent Squad, Frost Shades Window Tinting and Clozetivity – operate as nine-to-five businesses. As a result, franchisees have the freedom and flexibility to focus on growing their business while having the time to watch their child’s soccer games and be home for dinner.
Home Based Franchise Group’s dedication to a healthy work-life balance stems from Golderberger and Swanson’s extensive histories working in construction and restoration, respectively, both of which require long hours of hard labor. The duo has used their experience leading crews and completing large projects to determine best practices for business ownership, from having an open line of communication with franchisees to creating systems that encourage reflection and growth.
“I speak to my franchisees once a week to know what I’m doing right and wrong. Every two weeks, we have a Zoom call for the whole company. We are always accessible to our people. We have a team that will answer any question you have and support you,” said Goldberger, who explained that every Home Based Franchise Group brand has a Facebook page dedicated to its franchisees, resulting in further mentoring.
All necessary resources are provided to help business operations – including assisting with vendor relationships, marketing efforts and administrative tasks – while maintaining franchisees’ freedom. “We like to go against the grain and see what makes sense. For instance, we’ll give you the opportunity to use our answering service, but we won’t force you to use it. We have regulations we want our franchisees to follow, but it is very important that we give each owner freedom,” Goldberger explained.
Even with explosive growth, Home Based Franchise Group continues to be a family-oriented brand. “I’ll be the first person you speak to. I’m not here to sell you a franchise; I’m here to build a relationship. If you’re passionate about business ownership, we will find a place for you in our company,” Goldberger said.
Brianna Bohn