Case Study – Home Service Businesses

Executive Summary

Brian Benavides has played a pivotal role in scaling home service & construction companies, particularly within the franchise industry. His expertise spans operations, strategy, and business development, leading to significant revenue growth and national expansion.

Industry Impact: Contributed to the success of major brands, including One Hour Heating and Air, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, and Mister Sparky Electric, helping grow them to over 752 territories across the U.S. and Canada.
Direct P and L responsibility in excess of $64,000,000
Directly managed personnel responsible for hundreds of construction projects all over the US.
Acquisitions & Growth: Assisted in the transition of Clockwork Home Services to Direct Energy ($183M acquisition) and later to Authority Brands ($300M acquisition), significantly increasing total portfolio revenue over $1B.
Business Transformations: Led revenue growth for multiple franchises, averaging $400,000 per quarter. Notably transformed Mister Sparky San Antonio from $400K to $2.2M in two years and ultimately exceeding $14M.
Operational Excellence: Collaborated KPI tools (DMR) and helped fix Excalibur, rewrote sales approach which optimized field conversion rates (47% to 85%+), and introduced JIT supply chain strategies and consignment programs to reduce overhead.
Innovation & Expansion: Spearheaded national programs, including proprietary product lines like Mister Sparky Surge Protectors, adding over $250K in revenue per branch with profit margins up to 93%.
Leadership & Recruitment: Designed national recruitment campaigns for service companies and proposed leadership development programs, enhancing long-term operational sustainability.
Recognized Expert: Only external consultant invited to national conferences to lead roundtables and strategy sessions.

Home Service Company History & Highlights

PSI evolved into Clockwork Home Services, Inc., which was eventually purchased by Direct Energy Group for $183 million. During this period, I worked directly in operations, strategy, project development, and service expansion for all brands in the portfolio. This led to substantial growth, expanding the brand presence across the U.S. and Canada, reaching 752 territories under One Hour Heating and Air, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, and Mister Sparky Electric.

In 2019, Authority Brands acquired Clockwork/Direct Energy for $300 million. This acquisition contributed over half of the total portfolio revenue, propelling Authority Brands past $1 billion.

Franchise Growth & Business Development

I began working with service company franchises in 2012, helping stabilize and scale businesses.

Recognizing my impact, I was invited as the sole external consultant to national conferences, leading roundtable discussions and strategy sessions for franchise owners.

Metrics, Analytics, & Sales Optimization

Improved KPI and analytics tools (DMR & Excalibur) to track business performance.
Revamped sales strategies to focus on behavioral-based approaches, significantly improving customer engagement and revenue.
Increased field conversion rates from 47% to 85%+, with some locations exceeding 90%. This was done by reengineering the sales process to make it behavioral based.
Created fractional GM role to give multiple franchisees access to higher level operations, leadership, development, and effectivity. This program cut location cost down 57% for hiring management infrastructure.

Scaling & Diversification Strategies

Beyond stabilization, I implemented large-scale growth strategies, including:

Business Line Diversification: Introduced new product/service lines, such as the nationwide Mister Sparky Surge Protection program, adding over $250,000 in annual revenue per branch with profit margins of 84-93%.
Supply Chain & Cost Reduction: Implemented Just-In-Time (JIT) supply chain management, consignment agreements, and digital tools (tablets, real-time inventory tracking) to streamline operations and reduce overhead costs.
Operational Leadership: Oversaw over $64 million in annual revenue across 30 locations from Connecticut to California.
Revamped Sale Process: rewrote the sales process to incorporate behavioral adaptation. Once a technician proved successful in sales, they were promoted to only sales and assigned an installation team to allow common production of $450k to over $2 million in annual sales.

Recruitment & National Projects

I created & spearheaded behavioral and culture driven recruitment strategies for multiple locations and proposed a dedicated recruitment division for all 752 locations across the U.S. and Canada after proving the model extremely successful at the franchise level.

Additionally, I designed a national leadership development program similar to my previous work with Service Master’s TruGreen, aimed at creating structured career growth paths for franchisees and their employees.

Leadership Philosophy

My leadership style is hands-on and grounded in behavioral science, focusing on:

Strategic planning and execution
Corporate culture transformation
Employee motivation and retention
Financial accountability and scalable success

This approach ensures alignment between organizational goals and individual employee objectives, fostering long-term sustainability and high-performance cultures.

Testimonials & Recommendations

Traci Fournier, VP of Franchise Operations, Authority Brands/Direct Energy
“Brian is fearless in business and has impeccable instincts and strategies. His work has transformed organizations into industry leaders, making him an excellent choice for any executive role.”

George Saldana, CEO, Mister Sparky San Antonio, Selma, Schertz, New Braunfels, etc.
“Brian’s expertise in corporate culture and operations management is unparalleled. His ability to blend behavioral science with business strategy delivers remarkable results.”

Stan Kincannon, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing California
“Brian is one of those rare individuals who can cut through business limitations and drive real success. His recruitment expertise alone has been invaluable.”

Eli Power, Owner, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing & One Hour Heating and Air, Colorado
“Brian’s knowledge and hands-on approach immediately improved our franchise operations. I highly recommend him to any franchise owner.”

This document highlights my track record in business growth, operational efficiency, and leadership, demonstrating my ability to transform service-based franchises into industry powerhouses.