There’s no such thing as a perfect Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Franchisee candidate. While we’ve talked about the ideal traits we like to see in the people we invite into our tiny home franchise system, we love being a business opportunity where people of all kinds can find success! In fact, because our ADU-focused franchise model is such a unique, fresh concept in the residential construction industry, we love meeting with candidates with colorful or nontraditional backgrounds.
Because of this, we get the chance to team up with exciting, driven people like the newest Franchise Owner to join us out of Fairfield, Connecticut: Steve Calascione – aka Steve Class! This already accomplished business owner had a similar start as many of our Franchise Owners, but what he’s done in just the past four years – and what we expect he’ll do with his own Anchored Tiny Homes business – is almost too impressive to believe. Please join us in welcoming Steve to our tiny home franchise family as we learn more about his background and reason for joining the ADU industry.
Steve’s story starts off very familiar to many of us: dedicating over 10 years of his life to an industry – in his case, the world of luxury hospitality in New York City – only to be laid off in 2020 after the beginning of the pandemic. Because of this, he promised himself that he would never allow another person to dictate his destiny and moved to Connecticut.
Rather than turning to another big company, Steve launched his own residential property management start-up, putting his sales and hospitality skills to work for himself rather than another big company. This start-up quickly became a success story, growing from nothing to pulling in over a million dollars a year in just under three years. Building on this success, Steve branched out into the construction and real estate sectors, launching a construction company and a real estate brokerage firm.
Despite his busy schedule, Steve still finds time for his passions outside of work. He loves to travel (27 countries and counting!), spend time with his family overseas for a couple of months each year, and pursue adventurous hobbies like hiking, mountaineering, and scuba diving. Since selling his property management business in late 2023, he’s also had the chance to dedicate much of his time to his wife, Giuliana, and their children, Valentina, 3, and Theodore, 10 months.
Since the successful sale of his first business and more years of experience in the real estate industry under his belt, Steve recognized the opportunities available for him to continue in his entrepreneurial journey and began looking into franchising for his next venture. During his search that led him to several potential franchise brands, he happened to catch Anchored Tiny Homes’ Founder, Colton Paulhus, on a podcast. Since Steve was already familiar with the concept of ADUs and saw the need for ADU development in his part of the country, he decided to dive into the tiny home franchise.
“I was looking into several franchises, but Anchored Tiny Homes was the only one that checked all of the boxes. It combined my passion for real estate with my hospitality and sales background. I love the idea of helping out my local community and the ability to grow this at scale through their systems.”
As he moved through the franchising process and got to know the ins and outs of our model, it was clear to Steve that this was a business opportunity that could not only give him another avenue toward building generational wealth for his family but also help him impact his community for the better. With this in mind, he knew he was in the right place and ready to move forward as Anchored Tiny Homes’ newest Franchise Owner.
Steve’s prior business ownership background may give him an advantage in becoming a franchisee, but he still continued through the discovery process with many of the same initial concerns as many of our candidates. Thanks to his own experience of building a home with his wife and getting to know many of the moving parts that go into residential construction (and confessing that he is not the handy type himself), Steve was familiar with how overwhelming the home-building process can be at times.
However, after meeting the Anchored Tiny Homes team and hearing about how the day-to-day duties of an Owner are often off a construction site thanks to our subcontractor business model, he knew this was a franchise he could feasibly manage.
While Steve is working hard to launch his four territories across Connecticut with Anchored Tiny Homes, in addition to managing his other businesses and spending time with his growing family, he still made the time to sit down with our team for a quick Q&A! Check out this sneak peek into what he had to say about our model, the franchising process, and his vision for the future with Anchored Tiny Homes.
Steve: “I enjoy the challenge and thrill of being an entrepreneur and solving high-level problems for others. The ability to be in complete control of my schedule and to be in control of my life is what makes me tick. As to why franchising now? I’ve been a small business owner and know firsthand how difficult it can be to go it alone. I wanted to be involved in a community of like-minded business owners and to be a part of a system that is proven to work to give us a head start in the race.”
S: “I believe in their mission statement that we need to solve the affordability crisis in America and also provide generational housing for the aging baby boomer population. My hospitality, real estate, and sales background will be paramount in scaling the company. I lead by being of service first, [so] I look forward to leading a team of people to help accomplish this mission in my local market of Connecticut.”
S: “As soon as I met the Founders and leadership team, I felt immediately comfortable. They have a clear vision in sight of where they want to be and how to get there. Systems aside, the passion and drive I felt made me confident in my decision.”
S: “Being able to directly impact my local community [and] knowing that I am serving a noble purpose. I can’t wait to experience building a tiny home for someone’s aging parent and knowing that I played a part in keeping the family close together. ‘That I may contribute a verse to the powerful play of life,’ as Walt Whitman once said.”
Whether you’re looking to move on to the next stage in your career or you’re already a business owner and want to expand into the exciting and impactful world of ADUs like Steve, let’s connect! If you only want to join a franchise that allows you to make a difference in the world, Anchored Tiny Homes is the first (and only!) ADU franchise investment opportunity on the market for you. When you’re ready to take the first step and start the business that financially sets you up for the rest of your life, take our quick, 1-minute quiz to see if you qualify.