Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2015 | Page 14

ceoprofile

BY KERRY PIPES

J

CHANGE AGENT
Making the world a better, cleaner place

onathan Barnett has a portfolio
full of ideas and plans for expanding the Oxi Fresh Carpet
Cleaning brand. As an enterprising college graduate, he founded the brand in
2006 because, he says, “Carpet cleaning
has a low barrier to entry, is excellent for
creating repeat business, offers a service
in high demand, and has the potential to
net millions of dollars.” Today, nearly a
decade after launching his dream, he remains atop the brand as CEO, directing
its growth and pushing the boundaries
of an old-school industry.
His track record to date is promising.
Barnett opened the first Oxi Fresh in
Denver, and within 6 months the company had expanded to 17 locations in 5
states. He gave the first five franchises
away free, including one to his mother,
who remains a major influence in his
life. Today, the business has grown to
280 locations in 45 states and Canada.
In 2014 alone, Oxi Fresh opened 55 new

NAME: Jonathan Barnett
TITLE: Founder, CEO
COMPANY: Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning
BRANDS: 280 Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning;
12 Midtown Chimney Sweeps
AGE: 35
FAMILY: Natalie Ehrlich, Mom

units, more than the two previous years
combined. Nearly 30 additional new
units have opened since the beginning of
2015. Barnett says he’s more interested
in developing the largest market share,
rather than the largest number of franchisees. Over the next 5 years, he says,
“We’re looking to award 50 franchise
opportunities to qualified candidates
every year in the U.S. and Canada.”
He’s passionate about his brand, his
team, and their customers, whether talking about the brand’s innovative cleaning processes, which use Earth-friendly

chemicals and require a fraction of the
water used by traditional carpet cleaners; or the brand’s scheduling system,
which answers about 2,500 calls a day
and schedules appointments for all franchisees and allows franchisees to “work
on their business, rather than in their
business,” he says.
Barnett says he learned early on to
lead from the front. “That’s especially
important given that my company is
trying to change an industry that’s been
doing the same thing for decades. The
only way we can become the numberone carpet cleaning company in the
world is if I’m actively leading my team
and working relentlessly every day.” As
a leader, he says, it’s his duty “to make
great things happen.”

Leadership
What is your role as CEO? To cast the
vision for my company, create a culture
that inspires everyone in our brand, establish our goals, develop and execute
strategies that lead us toward our goals,
and make the tough decisions that put
the brand first. I also have to develop
top talent at the home office while establishing policies and processes that
will help ensure Oxi Fresh’s success.
Describe your leadership style. Driven
and aggressive. I learned very early on
that it’s best to lead from the front, and
that’s especially important given that my
company is trying to change an industry
that’s been doing the same thing for decades. The only way we can become the
number-one carpet cleaning company in
the world is if I’m actively leading my
team and working relentlessly every day.
After all, I believe that to be successful,
you have to be willing to do whatever it
takes and work as hard as possible. I feel
like that belief has also really influenced
my company’s culture.

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