At Bloomin’ Blinds, each one of our franchisees brings unique experiences to their window covering business. Griff Richard, owner of Bloomin’ Blinds of Dover, N.H., is a fairly new member of our franchise family, but he has already proven himself to be an all-star franchisee.
Up until six years ago, Griff had never thought about owning a franchise. For nearly 20 years, he spent most of his time at his management job, while the rest was dedicated to coaching local hockey and golf teams.
Burnt out from working a corporate job, Griff was left little-to-no extra time for himself or his family. It wasn’t until he experienced and survived a life-changing injury that he decided a change had to be made.
A Life-Changing Event
In the spring of 2015, Griff sustained a traumatic brain injury when he fell from an icy ladder. After making a miraculous recovery, he knew he no longer wanted to spend his life working a 9-5.
“I was happy to be alive, and I wanted to start focusing on what life was really about,” Griff explained.
For Griff, that meant leaving the management job he had worked at for 20 years.
After looking into multiple employment options, Griff discovered the benefits of being a franchise owner. Through franchising, Griff found that he was able to achieve everything that goes along with being a business owner, without having to start a company from the ground up. After researching franchise opportunities in his area, Griff discovered Bloomin’ Blinds. Impressed with our business model, successful track record and multiple prospective areas for development. After plenty of consideration, Griff hit the ground running in the spring of 2020 when he opened his first franchise.
Now, Griff operates as the sole Bloomin’ Blinds franchisee along the northern coastline. In just a short amount of time, Griff has experienced substantial growth in his franchise, all while cutting his office hours in half. While this may sound too good to be true, Griff attributes his success to being the kind of leader he looks up to.
Griff’s Three Keys to Success
While opening a new business during a pandemic wasn’t easy, Griff remained successful by following three key values.
The first thing Griff did to ensure success was keeping honesty and loyalty at the core of his window covering franchise.
“Keeping these values at the center of my business has been the most important factor in the growth of my business,” said Griff.
Secondly, Griff prides himself on keeping organized. By staying on top of all accounts, he establishes strong foundations of honesty and loyalty between himself, employees and customers. This allows him to work from wherever and still stay within reach of whoever needs him, including his young children. As a single father, working from anywhere and anytime, means that he can tailor his schedule around his family – something unheard of in most corporate roles.
“The flexibility to choose your hours is something that Bloomin’ Blinds makes available to all of our franchisee,” he added
Lastly, Griff notes the key to success is believing in yourself and your business. By believing in himself and our easy and supportive franchise model, Griff has been able to grow a successful business in less than a year. Bloomin’ Blinds has given Griff, and hundreds more what they need to succeed.
“The investment in your future starts now,” Griff added.