When you think of a stable business, you might imagine a dull, predictable daily grind. However, as Best Option Restoration (BOR) founder Nick-Anthony Zamucen has discovered, true stability is often the result of innovation.
Zamucen’s focus on constantly bettering the company has led to remarkable growth for Best Option Restoration. He founded the company in Colorado in 2016, and now, BOR has more than 65 locations, from Boston to Las Vegas.
Zamucen opened up franchising opportunities with Best Option Restoration shortly after the company’s founding. However, he didn’t immediately rush to open as many new locations as possible. BOR is Zamucen’s fourth franchise organization, and he’s continually adapted his franchising model to the ever-changing business landscape.
“When I build a company, I’ll bring on four to five franchises a year for the first five or six years,” he says. “I get the base foundation of the company so that no-failure rate stays. And then there’s a certain point where I’ll just kind of put gasoline on the fire.”
Zamucen is currently in the gasoline-on-the-fire stage of expansion. “That’s where I’ve been for the last two years now, where we’ll bring on quite a few new franchises. The base is there, the training is there, and we know what we’re doing now that we didn’t before,” he says. “I have people in training class right now. We’re ramping up, and we’ll continue to do so probably for the next few years — probably for the next 10 years or so.”
Best Option Restoration franchisees have a somewhat non-traditional experience. BOR is more selective than most when it comes to choosing franchisees, but once they’ve been selected, new franchise owners enjoy one-on-one mentorship and support.
“As I’ve evolved in business, it’s become more of a two-way street, if you will, where I listen a lot more now than I teach,” says Zamucen. “I find out where the people are — where they need help and where they don’t. Everyone’s uniquely different.”
Zamucen’s innovative franchising model is built from hard-won wisdom. It’s a central factor in Best Option Restoration’s success, but it’s not the only kind of innovation propelling the company forward.
One of Best Option Restoration’s most important qualities is its unwavering commitment to technological growth and development. From the company’s beginnings, Zamucen has kept it on the cutting edge of technological innovations.
For instance, when dealing with water damage, some businesses will plug in a few fans and let the circulating air do the work. However, this method rarely will completely dry the area — and it often leads to mold growth. Mold is insidious, and many homeowners won’t notice it until it causes serious illness, major damage to the home, or both.
Best Option Restoration, though, uses thermal drying techniques for flood damage and other kinds of water damage. Thermal drying uses heat to remove water quickly and thoroughly, minimizing the risk of future mold growth or structural damage.
As the company grows, Zamucen works to ensure that Best Option Restoration and all of its franchisees keep up with technological advances. Most recently, he created an AI-based job management system to streamline operations and make it simpler for employees in the field to connect with those in the office. He made the system available to all franchisees free of charge.
This new technology was a win-win-win for Zamucen, his franchisees, and BOR customers. Such advances are accelerating the company’s overall growth, increasing franchisee profits without requiring an upfront investment, and improving the customer experience.
For most customers, BOR bills insurance directly. Communicating with multiple home insurance companies at once can be time-consuming and frustrating for everyone involved. The AI-powered system makes it easier to assess property damage, generate estimates, and send bills to insurance companies. Its 24/7 payment portal also makes it easier for insurers to pay claims.
Zamucen notes that while his business model helps his company and his franchisees find stability amidst uncertainty, Best Option Restoration is also effectively recession-proof by nature.
“Pipes will burst, mold is going to happen, fires are going to happen,” Zamucen says. “We don’t really worry about what’s going on in Japan or the U.K., or even if the United States gets into a recession. It doesn’t affect our business. I mean, we’re about as recession-proof as you get.”
In the current climate of economic uncertainty, would-be franchisees are understandably cautious about investing in a new business venture. Zamucen notes that BOR — by virtue of its business model and the industry itself — offers them a modicum of security.
“It’s a great reason to get into a home service–based business,” he says. “You don’t have to worry about that stuff.”