Franchise Marketing Systems

CitruSolutions Franchise
CitruSolutions is the invention and creation of Mr. Paul Romanick, a U.S. Army Veteran and possibly one of the most caring, genuine business people on the planet. The concept was created after having spent years in the carpet cleaning and home services markets and realizing the majority of the brands where centrally focused on what he felt were the wrong things. Core elements such as customer service, integrity, quality products and a brand that stood for something more than profit are what drove his thinking in creating the CitruSolutions brand. The concept was centered around a proprietary citrus based cleaning product which was eco-friendly, clean and even safe to consume (although not recommended!). Paul came up with a mascot, a marketing model and a business system that not only attracted customers, but kept them coming for service on a regular basis. As the business grew, so too did interest from other parties who wanted to learn from Paul and be part of the CitruSolutions brand.

After several years in business, Mr. Romanick offered a distributor model to people who wanted to get into the carpet cleaning business, but not be restricted by the rules and regulations of a franchise. They could use his materials and brand, but wouldn’t follow a dedicated system as part of his network. In short order, the CitruSolution network expanded to over 60 distributors throughout the Southeastern U.S. It didn’t take long for Paul to realize that the true value of the distribution network couldn’t be realized without transitioning to a franchise platform. In 2009, Paul worked with Chris Conner and the Franchise Marketing Systems team to define a strategic plan that would allow the organization to transition to franchising and allow for further scale. The key to the successful transition was to maintain the key elements of what made the network so loyal, committed and successful both in the distributor and customer’s mind. Through the development of a carefully crafted co-op buying model and an extremely “two-sided” franchise agreement, the transition to franchising was smooth, effective and ultimately led to a network of almost 100 CitruSolution franchisees in a short time period.

What makes Paul Romanick and the brand so incredible is that not one dollar of traditional marketing was spent to recruit any of the franchise owners for the system. The same way that Paul markets to generate new customers for carpet cleaning is in effect how he markets to attract new franchisees. It is in it’s truest sense, remarkable networking and a genuine interest in helping people. For anyone who has had the opportunity to spend some time with Paul, you can’t really describe the experience other than a memorable one. He wants to know who you are, what makes you tick, what drives you and whether he or others he knows can help you achieve your goals. He has never had a CitruSolutions franchise booth at one of the tradeshows, but you will see him in the aisles speaking with people and getting to know the crowd. His name comes up in conversation as if you were talking about a politician or sports celebrity. He has a kindness and a sense of compassion that you just don’t see in people anywhere and he finds incredible ways to give generously to those who need it most. In the end, it just makes you want to be around him more and soak in the sense of bigger purpose.

The CitruSolutions franchise is what most would describe as a carpet cleaning business, but when you look further, you realize it is a marketing company. A Marketing company that works diligently to provide fair and mutually beneficial “deals” to everyone involved in the network from Franchisor-Franchisee to Franchisee-Customer and Vendor-Brand. Behind Paul’s leadership, you see, read and hear about heart-warming stories of franchisees donating time, money, energy and focus to great causes, charities benefiting from their involvement and support and people giving back to their community. This overriding mission to do the right thing is centered around the CitruSolution mantra of finding work-life balance in everything you do and understanding that money isn’t at the center of happiness.

Today, CitruSolutions is about to eclipse the 100 unit franchise mark and has an incredible market position throughout the Southeastern United States. The brand is positioned well for continued growth and has pushed into markets like Texas and the Mid-Atlantic States and has garnered interest from a broader pool of candidates in all areas of the country.