Barry Newberg found the life balance he’s been searching for in an unexpected place: the residential cleaning industry.
Newberg is no stranger to the franchising world. Eight years ago, he became the first franchisee for Dallas based MOOYAH Burgers, Shakes and Fries. He purchased a second franchise location in Plano in 2012.
“I got into it because I was intrigued by the opportunity to do my own thing. But, I never wanted to be a part of the corporate structure. So, I said--I’ll do it, but I just want to be a franchisee. That gave me the opportunity to set my own course,” Newberg said.
But, Newberg quickly found that running a restaurant is even more work and time-intensive than a traditional full-time job.
So, in early 2014, he began searching for other opportunities. That’s when he found The Cleaning Authority.
“The initial appeal to me was that I could exercise what I had gained in knowledge over the years in franchising. But, I quickly found a more important benefit: more life balance. The restaurant is open day and night, 365 days a year. With The Cleaning Authority, there are no night or weekend cleans, so when I’m done for the day, I’m done for the day. That means a lot more time with my wife and two young daughters,” Newberg said.
Newberg, who is originally from the Dallas area, attended the University of Texas at Austin, then worked in Europe for one year for Hoop It Up. After returning to the states, he worked in computers, before making his first foray into the franchising world through CiCi’s Pizza.
But, Newberg said CiCi’s, while a valuable experience, wasn’t the right fit for him. So, he returned to Dallas, where he was hired as Blockbuster’s training manager for Western Territories.
Newberg’s extensive experience in franchised brands helped cement his decision to become a TCA franchisee. He was drawn to The Cleaning Authority’s flexible model, which requires a much lower initial investment than traditional restaurant franchises, but also allows franchisees to set their own scalable growth potential.
“The mailers TCA uses are critical,” Newberg said. “And, the demographics are really strong in my territory. It could eventually be one of the largest in the country because it’s very household dense, and less commercial than a lot of other areas.”
“The Cleaning Authority has a layered infrastructure that is useful, usable and proactive to new franchisees,” Newberg added. “MOOYAH has great structure as well, but we had to set a lot of that up ourselves at the start. TCA is involved every day. The ops reps are there every day to help you. When we call, they pick up the phone. When we email, they reply. They help you navigate the traps that are inherent in starting up.”
Though some potential franchisees may be dissuaded by the prospect of owning a residential cleaning franchise, Newberg says that was never even a factor that entered his mind.
“I couldn’t care less that a cleaning brand might not sound sexy or appealing,” he said. “Most restaurants that fail end up failing because the owner thinks: ‘I’ve been to restaurants 1,000 times. I know how to run one.’ It sounds great, but that’s not the case. And, at the end of the day, running a restaurant isn’t always sexy either. I was on the grill every day, mopping the floors, making sure the business doesn’t run out of money. So, to me, operating a home cleaning service was right up my alley.”
Newberg has contributed more than $75,000 to Plano schools, churches and charities in proceeds from his two MOOYAH franchises over the last eight years, and he plans to find similar local institutions to support through The Cleaning Authority, as well. View more franchise stories in our testimonial videos.