What he did know was that his friends didn’t have the time (or didn’t want to take the time) to drop-off and pick-up their daily dry-cleaning.  Kenny’s friends were smartly taking advantage of the fact that he owned and operated a local dry-cleaning plant, and they were relying on him to eliminate this tedious chore from their to-do lists.

“As the requests poured in, I realized something,” Kenny said, “people are busy.”  He determined that like his friends, his customer’s would appreciate the benefits of having dirty items picked-up and clean, pressed pieces delivered to their doorsteps.  And so with an idea and his family’s Grand Voyager, he created a new revenue stream for his business. 

A few years and an upgrade to a commercial van later, Kenny had yet another revelation: His pick-up and delivery service was booming. 

 In fact, it was the most profitable part of his whole operation.

 He decided that by taking this one element of the business and franchising it, he could share the success of the business as well as his experience in the dry-cleaning industry. From initial set-up to daily operations to managing growth, Sheff has industry experience to back the training and support he gives franchisees.

“I know the nuts and bolts of the dry-cleaning industry,” he said. “I can teach them and show them exactly how to run it.”

Industry experience aside, Kenny knew that he needed someone to balance his strengths and weaknesses.  Charlie Weisinger was working as a marketing executive when his former schoolmate contacted him about the ground-floor opportunity. 

Charlie surveyed his current company and the busy, unhappy executives surrounding him, and he recalled the old adage, “the cream rises to the top.”  But what he saw didn’t look like cream, “it was curdled milk,” he said.

As Kenny and Charlie began building the franchise model for V.I.P. Cleaners, they assigned responsibilities (Kenny focusing on operations – Charlie, on marketing) and vowed to always put their friendship first. “We set parameters of what we are responsible for, and we respect each other,” Charlie said. “If we have a problem, we meet it head on.” 

As professionals, the men say they have had only a few minor disagreements, mostly stemming from their contradictory approaches to people and business.  Kenny operates with urgency and intensity.

“I’m the guy that’s saying, ‘Let’s go. Let’s get it done,”

while Charlie is content to build relationships and let things happen naturally.  However, the differences create balance and have proven to be assets to V.I.P., which has sold 23 locations in the northeast portion of the US and is preparing to aggressively expand throughout the country.

V.I.P.’s expansion will be managed by the Findley Group, a franchise consulting company based in Waco, Texas.  The partnership came about when Kenny and Charlie introduced themselves to Findley Group founder and CEO Gary Findley, who is also the former president of women’s fitness sensation, Curves International. 

Gary was immediately impressed with the V.I.P. franchise model, which features a minimal initial investment, low-overhead, flexible schedule, and proven market for the service. And even more importantly, it is widely attainable for individuals who have the passion and drive to succeed, but desire the training and support that a franchise can provide.

When it comes to the dry-cleaning industry, Kenny and Charlie say you can’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, get down to business, and get the job done. Here are some of their other secrets to success.

1.                  Make customer service a priority: Loyal customers are the bread and butter of business; exceed their expectations, and you’ll reap the rewards.

2.                  Learn the concept of RPM: Charlie defines Relentless Promotional Marketing as “Living and breathing the brand and doing whatever it takes to get to the customer.”

3.                  Love and believe in what you do: Charlie said that work is only worthwhile when you can go home at the end of the day and say, “I’m doing something good.”

4.                  Make time for friends and family: Your life shouldn’t revolve around your job. Kenny said that he missed too many milestones in his kids’ lives before V.I.P. “One of the benefits of running a V.I.P. franchise, is that you’ll always be there.”

5.                  Give something back: Getting involved and supporting the individuals in your community is an important part of building a business. You can do this through charitable donations, sponsorships, or discounts for special groups. This belief was even the motivating factor for V.I.P. to franchise, Charlie said. “Not only do we want to be successful, but we want to make other people successful too.”