How a Franchise Rookie Landed 100s of Window Clients

This week, I sat down with Marcus Celestin, owner of a Pink’s Windows franchise in Cincinnati. Marcus spent about a decade in corporate, working his way up to chief operating officer at an aerospace company, before deciding he wanted to own a business rather than climb someone else’s ladder any further.

After years of analyzing businesses to buy, he found Pink’s Windows through an email newsletter and, nine months ago, took the leap into window cleaning, pressure washing, soft washing, and gutter cleaning. His first week in business included the flu, a wrecked company van, and letting employees go, all before day five.

We covered how he balances the franchise’s national Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns with localized, owner-led content, why recurring revenue changed how he sleeps at night, the biggest mistake he made trying to do everything himself, and how he is thinking about scaling into new territories heading into year two.

The Key Takeaways

Below are the most essential insights from my conversation with Marcus that you can apply to your home services business today.

1. From Aerospace COO to Franchise Owner

Marcus spent about ten years in corporate, eventually becoming chief operating officer at an aerospace company. He spent years analyzing different businesses to buy, but franchises like Subway or McDonald’s never felt right until an email newsletter introduced him to Pink’s Windows, a young, fresh home services brand.

“It had always been in the back of my mind, well, maybe I should give that a shot. Maybe I should try to buy a business versus trying to start one. So I spent years looking at and analyzing to death different business opportunities out there.”

— Marcus Celestin

2. A Brutal First Week, Flu, a Wrecked Van, and Layoffs

Marcus tells anyone considering a home service business to listen to how his first week went before deciding they are still interested. Day one, he had the flu but still had to work. Day three, an employee wrecked one of his brand new vans, and it took two months to repair. By day five, he was already letting employees go.

“Day one, I had the flu after not having been sick for years and years and years, but I had to go to work. Day three, one of my brand new vans, one of my employees wrecked it, and it took two months to get it repaired. And then by day five, I was letting employees go. It was a really rough kind of start.”

— Marcus Celestin

3. Window Cleaning Leads, Recurring Revenue Follows

Pink’s Windows typically leads with window cleaning, then adds pressure washing, soft washing, and gutter cleaning once they are already in a customer’s home. The business goal is a fairly even split between commercial and residential work, since residential spikes in spring and fall while commercial stays steadier through the winter.

“We usually lead with window cleaning. We try to get folks on recurring plans. Everybody wants that recurring revenue. So when 2026 rolls around, I already know where twenty five, thirty, fifty percent of the revenue I’m expecting to generate is coming from. It lets me sleep a little bit at night.”

— Marcus Celestin

4. From National Ads to Selfie Videos in Front of the Van

Pink corporate runs the Facebook and Instagram ad creative out of Austin, which gets a new franchisee’s phone ringing before anyone locally knows their name. Over the past year, that creative has evolved from generic candid ads into franchisees filming their own selfie videos in front of their vans and local landmarks so the ads feel native to each city.

“We’ve moved from some of the candid ads that are produced in Austin to now, hey, you guys as owners are going to take selfie videos in front of your van, in front of landmarks in your cities. You’re going to localize it so it feels more unique.”

— Marcus Celestin

5. The Biggest Mistake Was Thinking He Could Do It All

Marcus admits he moved slower than he could have on managing jobs, people, and sales because he was reluctant to bring in help sooner. As time went on, he started outsourcing more, including pulling in partners to help find good talent, which he calls one of the most crucial parts of running the business well.

“I think one of the biggest challenges for me was definitely thinking that I could do more than I could. I think the biggest challenge for me was thinking I could do it all, but it’s just not the reality.”

— Marcus Celestin

6. A Long Way to Grow Across Two Territories

Marcus currently owns two territories covering the east half of Cincinnati, and believes he has only started to scratch the surface there. He is also weighing neighboring territories and unsold markets an hour or two away, like Lexington and Columbus, against the discipline of squeezing more out of his current territories first.

“I own two territories, kind of the east half of Cincinnati if you drew a line down the middle. I think we’ve just started to scratch the surface. So I think we’ve got a long way to go.”

— Marcus Celestin

7. Year Two Means a Manager and More Commercial Partnerships

Year one was about building systems and a team. Heading into year two, Marcus has a full-time manager starting to run day to day operations and lead flow, freeing him up to build strategic partnerships, including deals with window installation companies that can send cleaning work his way after replacement jobs.

“Year two for me is very much strengthening the base that we’ve got, but also adding in commercial and giving that a bit more legs to grow.”

— Marcus Celestin

Looking Ahead

Marcus’s closing message is that starting or buying a home service business is never easy, whether you do it from scratch or through a franchise, but you do not have to figure it out alone. Podcasts, franchise networks, and other owners going through the same struggles are all resources worth leaning on.

“Ultimately, it’s never easy. No matter what kind of business you’re starting, starting from scratch or starting a franchise, it’s never easy. But it’s good to know that you don’t have to go it alone. It can feel lonely, but it really doesn’t need to be. It’s hard, but you can get through it.”

— Marcus Celestin