When Nancy Raymond acquired Steamatic Canada, the franchisee couple who were under the franchisor's previous banner were faced with a decisive choice: keep their franchise or follow Nancy Raymond into her new adventure. "Only a few offices followed, but we had confidence in her," says Éric Filiatrault, CEO of Steamatic Vaudreuil-Salaberry. "We had seen her at work for two years, we knew her vision, her ambitions. The discussion between us was not long: it was Nancy from start to finish. We wanted to go far with her!"

The couple took this leap into the void without even knowing what the new contract would be.

"We had a difficult first few months," Mr. Filiatrault admits. "Leaving one banner for another means that your contracts go to zero. It's a loss of bearings. During the transition, we had three more difficult months where we had few files."

Despite everything, the couple never doubted their decision. "It was really Nancy as a person who gave us all this determination," Mr. Filiatrault concedes. "We like her vision. We feel that she wants to follow her dreams."

“When the announcement was made and we learned that the entire head office team was following her on the adventure, it alerted us,” adds Carine Leroux, who specializes in finance and administration. “I was reassured to see that everyone remained united behind her.”

The relationship of trust between a franchisor and its franchisee is the basis of this success story. “Looking back, we see that it was the best business decision we made to date,” continues Ms. Leroux. “We did well to follow our instincts. Today, after only two years under the Steamatic banner, our company is growing at an incredible speed.”

The best of both worlds

When Éric Filiatrault got the bug to open his own disaster recovery office, the franchise model appeared to be the most promising option.

"I was coming out of the insurance field as a building damage estimator at Intact and I knew full well that as an independent office, it is very difficult to obtain contracts from insurers. On the other hand, they will be much more inclined to conclude agreements with a banner that brings together 30 or 40 offices."

For the claims adjuster, becoming a franchisee meant benefiting from strength in numbers: "The more we see trucks with our logo, the more we hear about our services and the more the positive impact is felt. And since the Steamatic banner has been around for 50 years, people trust the brand. Which is significant in a sector like ours where customers are going through stressful times."

Reliability, quality and consistency of services are the attributes that take banners to the next level, says Mr. Filiatrault. “There are some companies where it’s every man for himself. However, this consistency makes us stronger and better, whether we’re in Vaudreuil-Dorion or Gatineau. It’s these banners that have a strong and common vision that will stand out over the years.”

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