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Managing Your Restoration BusinessAsk the Expert

Real Stories: Putting the Customer First With Ivan and Karina Oliver

Ask the Expert

November 11, 2021

Ivan and Karina Oliver are the husband-and-wife ownership team behind PuroClean of San Antonio Northwest. 

During PuroClean’s 2021 Annual International Convention, Ivan and Karina were named PuroClean Franchise of the Year. The award recognizes the PuroClean business that achieved the highest ranking in over 12 criteria, including sales growth, branding excellence, and profitability, to name a few.  

The Olivers relocated to the U.S. from Mexico in 2010 to follow their entrepreneurial dream and create new opportunities for their family. R&R invited them on to this Ask the Expert Episode to share that story with us. The date of this recording, Nov. 1, coincidentally marked their four-year business anniversary.  

“You’ve got to focus on the customer first, and then everything follows,” Ivan said. 

This episode covers:

  • Ivan and Karina’s path to restoration, which began with 17 pipes bursting in their home
  • The evolution of their business, from two to 22 employees
  • Their respective roles in business and succeeding as a husband-wife leadership team
  • Juggling work and family life
  • The effort that went into being named PuroClean Franchise of the year
  • Accomplishments Ivan and Karina are most proud of, including heartfelt customer stories
  • Putting the customer first as the foundation to their growth strategy
  • Experience with staffing in a historically tight labor market
  • Growing pains as a key challenge as they pursue more growth
  • The value of adopting new technology in better serving customers 
  • Purpose over profit
  • Concerning themselves with their customer needs and their own growth rather than their competitors
  • Dividing responsibilities and introducing more specialized roles across their staff as they scale 

Check out this episode of Ask the Expert to learn more. You can watch the video here or listen to the audio version of our conversation here. You can also find our show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Just search for Restoration & Remediation Ask the Expert, then hit Follow.

KEYWORDS: customer service PuroClean restoration business growth restoration franchise restoration industry awards and nominations

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