Master Franchise Focus Lee Putman Takes Control

Lee Putman is positive his life is in a much better place, both
personally and professionally, since he made the bold decision to join
Stratus Building Solutions, the nation’s leading green commercial cleaning
and janitorial services franchise. Putman is the master franchisee of Stratus
Building Solutions of Indianapolis, a title he’s had since opening his doors
May 1, 2017. “I wish I had done it much earlier,” he says.

Putman and his wife Sheri, who works part-time in the sales
department, are proud to be valued members of the Stratus Building Solutions
family. While Lee wishes he had made the leap sooner, 10 years ago he never
imagined he would operate a janitorial services business. “I spent years
working with new medical technologies, helping doctors perform less invasive
services,” says Putman. “Janitorial services was the furthest thing from my
mind. I will say this, my mother made me clean our house every single
Saturday growing up, so cleaning wasn’t new to me.”

The Indiana native accumulated more than three decades worth of
professional experience as a successful sales and marketing professional.
That experience includes a 22-year stint at one of America’s oldest and
largest multi-national medical devices, pharmaceutical and consumer packaged
goods manufacturing company. “I was in charge of two different sales
divisions that were responsible for $600 million in revenue,” Putman
says.

Putman used the lessons learned from the major conglomerate to
help build a venture startup from scratch. “I had up to that point spent
nearly my entire life in corporate America,” he says. “The challenge of
building something from the ground up was intriguing. Couple that with the
opportunity for a bigger payday and it seemed like a lot of
fun.”

His experience and input paid immediate dividends for the startup,
as annual revenue went from zero to more than 100 million during his
nine-year tenure. The growth and expansion of the company turned out to be a
catch-22 for Putman. The company wanted to consolidate all operations in one
location. The Putman family was faced with a dilemma; move or keep their
roots in Indiana.

“My family made the decision that we wanted to control our own
destiny,” Putman recalls. “I spent a majority of my career crisscrossing the
country and the globe on business-related travel. The quality of life wasn’t
what I wanted. Sheri began pressing me to look for a backup plan. The deeper
I dug into the possibility of entrepreneurship, the more enchanted I became.
My entire career, I built businesses for other people. It made sense for me
to build something for my own family.”

With a strong desire to control his own future, Putman reached out
to executive recruiters to determine his best course of action. “We examined
several potential possibilities and exercised our due diligence before
determining Stratus Building Solutions provided us the best opportunity to
accomplish our goals,” he says. 

Lee and Sheri made the decision to invest in Stratus Building
Solutions in 2017. With her background as a realtor, the Putmans were confident
about their prospects as they put their signatures on the dotted
line.

“Stratus Building Solutions, with its superior business model and
recurring revenue stream, was right up our alley,” says Putman. “With our
combined experiences, we were naively confident that we would be successful
once we got our footing.”

Part of the confidence comes from knowing their community.
Indianapolis is their long-time home. They have strong relationships, professionally
and personally. Lee and Sheri understand the concepts of what makes a
successful master franchisee. Plus, they’re good at what they
do.

“We win about 70 percent of deals when we’re pitted against
another cleaning company,” Putman says. “We’re new to the market, but we know
businesses and organizations are frustrated with the options presented to
them within the cleaning industry. Stratus Building Solutions present
ourselves differently. We’re providing a partnership, and it doesn’t take
long to notice the difference in customer service and satisfaction that we
provide.”

Finding their footing didn’t come immediately. The Putmans were
successful at securing relationships with local customers when they launched
their business. Finding unit franchisees came at a slower pace, which put the
onus on their shoulders, and elbows, to get the job done.

“When we first began, two of our good friends who operated dentist
offices signed us to clean their facilities,” he says. “What they didn’t know
was that it was Sheri and I who were actually doing the cleaning the first
few months. You do what you gotta do in those early days.”

It’s the hard work, attention to detail, and never quit attitude
that helped Putman throughout his professional career, and now as an
entrepreneur. Being on the front lines of the cleaning business also provided
proper perspective. “It was a mixed blessing,” says Putman. “It gave me a
real appreciation and understanding of what our unit franchisees are
facing.”

Putman loves helping unit franchisees realize their business
ownership dreams. He likes the fact that Stratus Building Solutions provides
opportunities for budding entrepreneurs of varying backgrounds and economic
status. He says the key to success with the company is the willingness and
desire to work hard.

“Helping people has been a nice byproduct of becoming a Stratus
Building Solutions owner,” he says. “With the assistance of this fantastic
business model, we’ve helped people become and succeed as small-business
owners. We’re helping to change the quality of life for several people and
that’s a nice benefit that I didn’t see when I first looked at
it.”

At a critical juncture in his life, Putman chose to control his
own destiny. “I worked really hard for others and was well compensated for
it,” he says. “We were faced with a choice. Roll the dice or play it
safe.  “In my mid-fifties I didn’t want to be in the position of being
sixty and looking for a job.  We agreed it was time to control our own
destiny!” We had confidence in our ability to sell and took a big swing;
because we knew it would be beneficial to us in the long run. The risk was
worth the reward.”

That’s a message he emphasizes during discussions with potential
Stratus Building Solutions owners. “I’m a big believer in taking control of
your future if you have the ability to do so. I think people should be
confident in taking that step. Believe in yourself, attack it, and make it
happen.”

Putman is enjoying the perks that come with being a master
franchisee. “I am much more relaxed, healthier, and more active now that I
have a normal existence,” he says. At 57, he has more time to spend with his
wife and six children. The “r” word, retirement, hasn’t even crossed his
mind. “I have a lot of gas left in my tank. I don’t see myself sitting on the
beach for the rest of my life. I need to challenge my brain. This model
allows for me to consider investing in additional markets. I foresee a time
when I am doing one million a month in sales. The sky is the limit at Stratus
Building Solutions. We’ll see where we can take it.”

Are you, like Lee Putman, ready to take control? Does the Stratus
Building Solutions franchise opportunity sound like it could be for you? If
so, learn more at https://www.stratusclean.com/.