Franchise Success - KEEPING CLEAN, AND CLEANING UP

Spaulding Decon founder and CEO Laura Spaulding has made a career of cleaning up crime scenes, meth labs, and now, COVID-19. But her biggest job is keeping franchisees prepared.

- STEPHANIE SCHOMER

Laura Spaulding is used to dirty jobs. The former cop and Army vet started Spaulding Decon in 2005 after spotting an opportunity in crimescene cleanup, and she has turned the company into a growing franchise specializing in everything from methlab cleanup to mold remediation. And she knew, upon first hearing of coronavirus, that her business was about to boom. “We got $30 million worth of requests in estimates the first two weeks when it hit,” the CEO says. “In a normal week, that figure would be $100,000.” But consumer demand isn’t the only thing increasing for Spaulding Decon; incoming inquiries from prospective franchisees have increased tenfold in recent months. Now Spaulding—who currently works with 11 franchisees across 39 locations—is preparing for continued growth, and working to make sure all of her owners have the support and know-how they need to succeed.

You ran the company for 10 years before starting to franchise in 2015. What was that transition like?