The fall that led to the rise
It was 2015 when Chris Squires, best friend, and fellow window cleaner of CEO Chris moved from Vancouver to Kingston to help expand Elite towards the goal of $1 million in yearly revenue. This year Chris also saw his best friend Chris Squires slip and nearly fall from the top of a forty-foot ladder. Having survived an extremely close call, these best friends realized that cleaning with the help of a ladder was risky and needed change. This incident led them to consider the use of water fed poles. Eager to find something that was efficient and quick, the duo, in 2017, went to Phoenix, AZ, to the International Window Cleaning Association Convention to see if there was a way to get more out of the water fed pole systems. While on their pursuit, they bought a series of equipment from multiple manufacturers with the idea of putting together the perfect “Frankenstein” Water Fed Pole System. While loading the pieces of equipment in the compact rental car they realized that everything had fit into the car. This was the eureka moment they were waiting for. They further build a system that fits entirely into a small car. This is how the concept of ‘Job Pod’ was born. “Two years and ten models later Elite has the Job Pod, the most technologically advanced and efficient window cleaning tool available on the planet,” says Chris Stoness. Having achieved a major technological breakthrough, both the partners pushed harder towards their goal of $1 million in revenue. As a part of their business expansion plan, they started pushing the business to operate in multiple cities. Finally, by 2018 Elite was operating in eight markets across Ontario and BC and was on its way to finalizing its franchise system and business plan.
On a mission to provide the safest, cleanest, and most cost-effective window cleaning, Elite intends to create a safe work environment, where people get equal opportunities to thrive and succeed. “We believe that work should complement and empower you to have the freedom you want in your life and we are excited to show you the tools to get you there,” says Chris.
Realizing that the best cleaners are not accountants, receptionists, marketers, or schedulers, they came up with a system that handled all of these tasks, to enable their franchisees to concentrate on the skills, growing their business, and maintaining customer relationships. “We built a support system to handle all the details of the business we knew people would struggle with,” shares Chris. To ensure that the franchise focuses purely on business development, the back-office also provides marketing support in the forms of website management, digital advertising, online reviews, content creation, blogging, and consulting. “We take great pride in supporting our network of Franchise Partners and have full commitment to their success,” says Chris.