In early 1980 at age 22, I was operating a small one man, one truck plumbing business in the town of Salem, Mass. The business was doing well partially due to the bustling economy at the time. There was one problem. I felt alone. I lacked support, business knowledge and reassurance that I was on the right track. At times, many thoughts passed through my mind. What if there is a recession? What kind of equipment do I purchase? What size ads do I run? Who will cover for me if I go on vacation or get sick? Who can I turn to if I have questions? These were just a few of the many questions that I had come to ask, looking for answers and a sense of security.

I tried the local plumbing association. In addition I spoke to a few friendly competitors. For sure these industry leaders would have the answers—they all listened carefully. As for answers, they had none or at least were not yet ready to divulge their trade secrets. It almost appeared that I had the same questions as them. Maybe so because most of them ran 1 & 2 man shops as well.

Over the next years, I continued doing fairly well, but the questions still lingered. Where will I be several years from now. One Sunday, while reading the Boston Globe, I stumbled across an ad for a recession proof business. The ad went on to say, "Why work alone when you can work with a winning team". I immediately called and attended a few meetings. After leaving the meeting I ran home to tell my future wife of my findings. A company that shares their ideas, has trade recognition, buying power as a group; several neighbor companies that were not your competitors, growth potential and most of all its reasonable price. We both agreed this was what we were lacking as a one-man band.

Well 16 years later, my wife, 2 children and myself have 2 separate franchises. One located in historical Peabody, Mass and the other in the beautiful state of Hawaii. The Peabody location operates 10 trucks and has recently built a new facility with 9 employees. The Hawaii business has 4 employees and 3 trucks. With homes in both states and a couple of rental properties. I am proud to say I am a ROOTER-MAN. As for all those friendly competitors that I looked to for help, most are still one or two man shops, wondering what I am going to do next, and how did I do it. My answer to them is ROOTER-MAN to the rescue plumbing, drain and septic company.

"ROOTER-MAN is a reasonably priced franchise to own. Even more, though, it's built on the idea that all the franchisers participate together - it's an association of guys who try to help each other grow. As a 20-year-old just starting out, I didn't know much about business. It was great to just pick up the phone and get advice from one of the other guys." — Nelson Gagnon

"Before we got involved with the franchise, we had a narrow view of work and our place in the work world. I was just working to have enough money to retire eventually. Now, we see a much broader view. Our goal is to create an opportunity for everyone around us. We've created a structure so that there's a lot of room for movement within our business. With ROOTER-MAN, you have the freedom to set up your business any way you want, so you are able to create those opportunities." — Allison Gagnon