I received a wonderful invitation from Radio Host Austin Meek to do an interview at my local NPR station, KWBU, for his show “Downtown Depot.” Austin wanted to talk about the recent developments at Dwyer Group and the journey that has helped the company succeed. The news that Dwyer Group had grown by more than 100 percent in the last four years and was recently acquired by Harvest Partners had been making a lot of headlines. And the wonderful thing about this most recent interview was Austin’s interest in what has remained constant in our company from our earliest beginnings through today: our dedication to our values.

Four private equity transactions with one great focus: Values

As I shared on the show, Dwyer Group has had a remarkable private equity journey. It has completed four PE transactions that have supported the company’s evolution to the next level each and every time. And beyond the purchase prices and revenues, I shared one critical factor behind this growth: Each private equity partner was a fit for our culture, first and foremost.

In the case of going from a publicly-traded company to a privately-held company with our first partner, The Riverside Company, I told Austin, “I called every single company they had done business with up until that point.” In essence, we evaluated a potential partnership by how well they had treated all of their other partners. I said, "We care so much about our relationships with our employees and with our franchisees, that it doesn’t matter what a company has to offer in the way of money. It needs to be what’s best for the business culturally.”

Our company didn’t just want investors. We wanted to be part of something special.

Not only did we find that fit with Riverside. We also found it with TZP Group, again with The Riverside Company when Dwyer Group was reacquired, and most recently with Harvest Partners.

Each step along the way has been a great journey, with great people. It’s about more than money. It’s about shared values. That has been true from our boardroom down to the grassroots of our franchise network in communities across the country and around the world. In fact, Dwyer Group’s Code of Values has not only attracted strong private equity investors. Those same values continue to attract great associates at our corporate offices and great franchisees across our service brands.

“People want to be part of something special.”

That’s what I said in the interview, and that’s how I feel about Dwyer Group’s culture. We have a Live RICH atmosphere based on themes of respect, integrity, customer focus and having fun in the process that attracts great people. And the same is true for franchise opportunities in general that help people who don’t want to have to figure everything out for themselves. My advice to people interested in a franchise opportunity is to get clarity about your personal values, decide what’s important to you, and then find people and organizations who are aligned with those same values.

If you want to Live RICH with Dwyer Group’s values, you should visit HERE.

To listen to my full interview on “Downtown Depot” visit HERE.

And you can also visit my discount page and allow our franchisees to serve you HERE.