Summary

After years in recruiting, franchise development, and lead generation, Dan Claps sold his company to build something else, on his own. That decision became the foundation for VODA Cleaning & Restoration — but the company nearly collapsed after launch.

In this episode, Dan shares the gritty truth behind VODA'S early struggles: high monthly losses, a failing model, and the moment he realized that defending his ideas was sinking the business. Everything changed when he started listening — really listening — to franchise candidates and early operators. Their feedback reshaped the model and sparked explosive system-wide growth.

Today, VODA has 107 franchises across 260 territories in 32 states, backed by a dual-revenue model (carpet leaning + restoration,) a 24/7 national call center, and more than 9,000 five-star reviews. Dan explains how transparency, principle-centered leadership, weekly communication rhythms, and culture-first decision-making became VODA'S real competitive advantages.

This episode is a masterclass in humility, resilience,and building a franchise system that wins by putting franchisees first.