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Finalists: 911 Restoration, FRSTTeam<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a full-time firefighter in New Jersey hasn\u2019t stopped Nelson Rivera from running a lucrative PuroClean business. In fact, he believes having exposure to homes and offices damaged by fire, smoke and water, and witnessing the impact on people\u2019s lives, provides all the incentive he needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing a firefighter, I see the devastation up close and I can understand the emotions of home and business owners. It gives me a purpose and reason to want to rebuild, improve people\u2019s lives,\u201d said Rivera, who acquired his first PuroClean in Morristown, New Jersey, in 2019 and now operates six locations in his home state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 17-year veteran of the Morristown Fire Department is also a partner with another PuroClean franchisee, a retired firefighter who operates locations in Eugene, Oregon, and Humble, Texas, outside of Houston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rivera is an example of someone who\u2019s built a second career as a franchisee, thanks in large part to his wife, Sujey, who handles most of the day-to-day operations as the finance chief. The Riveras run a multi-million-dollar operation and are past Franchisee of the Year winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing amazing and couldn\u2019t be happier. I never thought we would get to six locations in five years, but here we are,\u201d said Rivera, who estimated their business is growing at a 20 percent annual rate and exceeded $5 million in revenue in 2024 with 20 employees. \u201cWe\u2019ve scaled up and have been able to be extremely fluid, which is why we\u2019ve been as successful as we\u2019ve been.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cost to open a PuroClean franchise within a territory of up to 100,000 people ranges from $95,530 to $245,920 with purchase of vehicle and equipment and supplies. The average unit volume was $1.07 million in 2023. Locations open less than two years averaged $551,195. Those open three to six years did an average of $885,917, while locations in business for more than seven years did $1.56 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The initial investment and opening is the easy part, said franchisees. The hard part, they explained, is getting through training provided by corporate and then generating customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another challenge is learning to work with insurance companies, which have their own processes and requirements for filing claims. Once you get past those early hurdles and through the inevitable growing pains of being a new business, said Rivera, the payoff is well worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaking sure you\u2019re rotating customers and keeping the business going during your dry spells is going to happen in this business, so that\u2019s another challenge,\u201d Rivera said. \u201cBut because of my connections with insurance adjustors being in firefighting, we\u2019ve been able to remain busy throughout most of the year and have kept the business growing, which is great. I couldn\u2019t be prouder of our success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like Rivera, Charles Omajuwa felt he was prepared to become a PuroClean franchisee. The immigrant from Nigeria leveraged his experience at another property restoration company and in claims management for an insurance company after buying a franchise in Los Angeles in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What Omajuwa was not prepared for was taking on jobs in some of L.A.\u2019s high crime areas or even the early pushback he received from other restoration businesses who he said fiercely guarded their territories against competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had one of our first vehicles vandalized while on a job the first year, which was very depressing, but we\u2019ve gotten a lot smarter about the jobs we take on now and I must say I\u2019m real happy with how it\u2019s all going, now that we\u2019re an established business and getting referrals,\u201d said Omajuwa, the owner of two PuroClean territories in California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said another big hurdle for him was learning how to market his new business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe first three months I taught myself how to do Google Ads, and that took up a lot of my time. But it really was worth it because it got my business the exposure it needed and the jobs which you need to get started and pay off your bills,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Omajuwa said he has about 16 employees, including three to four temp workers he can call when the work increases. He has a devoted digital marketer and outsources his paid ad campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He estimated about 50 percent of his time is spent dealing with insurance companies to complete the paperwork for claims that climb to $50,000 or more. He also builds time into his busy schedule for resolving disputes over invoices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An energetic entrepreneur, Omajuwa made it point to say, \u201cI feel blessed to be living the American dream\u201d and \u201chonored to carry on the legacy of PuroClean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe support I receive from corporate is really unbelievable,\u201d he said. \u201cThey assigned me a director who has been like a mentor to me, who has given me advice and encouragement. I never had a mentor like that in my life and he told me from the start when things were a little rough to keep my head up and keep pushing and keep trying. He got me through the most difficult times and now I\u2019m pleased to say my business is doing real well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Positives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Use Caution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n PuroClean, has a large North American network of franchise locations providing disaster restoration services. It handles cleanup and remediation needs resulting from water, fire and mold damage, along with biohazard situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/los-angeles-ca-puroclean-victor-heights-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/899\/2025\/02\/image.png\")
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