Franchise.com Helps Real Estate Investor Transition into a Stable Business Industry

PRLog (Press Release) - Jun 25, 2009 -
In 2001, Mike Vallis was working at a car dealership when he started buying foreclosed homes and reselling them for a profit. He experienced great success in real estate, quitting his job at the car dealership and reselling over 60 homes. Unfortunately, the market began to turn in 2006. Vallis decided it was time to look for a new business opportunity.

“Living in the affluent Walnut Creek area of California, I knew a Cold Stone Creamery franchise would do well here, so I searched for more information via Google. That’s how I discovered Franchise.com.” Once on the website (http://www.franchise.com/), Vallis could connect with any businesses that appealed to him. Although he was impressed with Cold Stone Creamery, he explained, “I would have had to spend every dime I had to make the business work. It would have literally required my entire life’s savings, so I started searching Franchise.com again for other options.”

Vallis found Franchise.com to be extremely easy to navigate and straightforward, and found that his requests for information were sent to the businesses he specified. He’s a member of several local business organizations. When people explain to him that they want to own a business but they’re not sure where to look, he often tells them to check out Franchise.com. “I found exactly what I was looking for on the website and I’ve recommended Franchise.com to quite a few people over the years.”  

Finding the Ideal Business
Vallis was looking for a business to own which was unique and had great potential in his area. “I saw great potential in SURE STEP (http://www.franchise.com/business-opportunity/work-from- ...) and I liked the idea that I would be a distributor instead of a franchisee. It gives me the freedom to do what I want with my business.”

SURE STEP offers distributors an effective, long-lasting chemical treatment that creates an invisible, sophisticated tread design in the surface of hard mineral floors and porcelain/enamel bathtubs. The product is installed in both residential and commercial locations.

Vallis opened his SURE STEP distributorship in September 2006. “I literally have no competition,” he explained. “This business allows you to target residential and business clients. You can really make it whatever you want. I have chosen to serve mostly larger businesses. With all of the ADA requirements for floor safety, the potential for this business is huge.” Today, Vallis has several salesmen working for him as well as several installers. He makes sure he is always at his customer’s location, overseeing the install process.

A Superior Product and First-Rate Support
Vallis actually tried out a competing product to see how different it was from SURE STEP’s treatment. “I can tell you from experience that the competition’s product had a scary smell. I was actually worried while using it. SURE STEP’s product is not only easier to use but it doesn’t give off dangerous fumes and I never worry about working with it. Unlike the other product I tried, SURE STEP’s product also doesn’t change the color or appearance of tile and other materials. Plus, there’s no drying time, which means there’s no down time for my business customers. I can take care of a 6,200 square foot restaurant in one day. It’s quick and easy.”

Without any industry experience, Vallis easily made the transition to becoming a SURE STEP distributor. He received 3 days of training, and explained that technical support is always, “just a phone call away.”

A Flexible, Affordable Business to Own
The business is affordable and requires virtually no overhead. Vallis runs his business from a home office (http://www.franchise.com/work-at-home-franchises.cfm). He concluded, “You get out of this business what you put into it. You can work full or part-time. You can spend a lot on advertising or very little. There’s no pressure and it’s really up to the individual, but I would definitely recommend this business to others.”