The need for new solutions to the American housing crisis has grown in recent years, and that demand doesn’t stop at metropolitan areas; suburban communities are seeing equal need for affordable housing. That’s why Anchored Tiny Homes is awarding territories to excited Franchisees, even if they’re not in a major U.S. city, like the newest couple to join our franchise: Josh and Shannon Pulfrey! Allow us to introduce our new Franchise Owners and give you a sneak peek into why they chose a tiny homes franchise for their unique territory.
Joshua and Shannon Pulfrey have been married for more than 14 years, and the pair have recognized their compatibility over the years – both in starting their family and running their household. While the two have held separate careers, they agree that they work well together, which is why they’re confident in their ability to bring Anchored Tiny Homes to Laurens, South Carolina.
Shannon has maintained a position with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina as a Member Services Enrollment Manager for over 10 years, where she oversees a team that processes and reports on ACA and Short Term Health Plans. On the other hand, Josh has worked at a Commercial Metals Company as a scale house operator and heavy equipment operator since he left the Army after five years as a 91D Power Generation Diesel Mechanic.
While neither Shannon nor Josh provided a complaint about their current roles, both agreed that they were lacking the type of flexibility they desired for their family. Together, their ultimate professional goal was to start a business that allowed them to provide a different life and spend more quality time with their children.
Once the Pulfreys decided to pursue franchising, they began by looking at a variety of businesses, including a sign production company and a couple of dessert-based food service businesses. While they exchanged a few phone calls, the couple decided that neither business model fit what they were looking for in a franchise; that was until Anchored Tiny Homes.
“We like the structure of having an experienced team behind us to help along the way. Owning and operating a business is a huge undertaking, but knowing that we have a team to lean on for guidance and other franchisee’s as peers was something we really felt good about.”
The Pulfreys’ franchising journey led them from one ill-fitting option to the next over the course of several months until they came across the options available to them in the real estate industry. While the couple considered starting their own business from the ground up and flipping homes after they couldn’t find an ideal fit in the franchising world, they eventually came across Anchored Tiny Homes and felt right from their first encounter that this was the model that perfectly fits their family.
After connecting with the ATH support team and starting the education process together, Shannon and Josh recognized the streamlined processes of the business and immediately appreciated the focus on quality construction and customer satisfaction. They felt that the mission of the business helped make franchise ownership more than just making money. Instead, they believe that – at its core – this business model is about helping people and the communities they serve, and it was that value that resonated with them and convinced them to move forward and attend Approval Day.
From the moment they arrived at Approval Day, Shannon and Josh felt that everyone they spoke with treated them as if they’d known them forever, helping them feel at home with the team.
“The conversations were informative and easy flowing with lots of laughs in between, [and] questions were encouraged and answered thoroughly. The values they hold clearly reflected through our interactions with them, so we knew before we left that this was the team we wanted to work with.”
The Pulfreys’ agree that joining a franchise is more than just an investment for them; it’s going to be the opportunity that puts their careers and their family’s life on a new path. So, meeting the ATH team and seeing they were going to work with people who shared the same values was the final factor that helped them decide to become Anchored Tiny Homes’s first South Carolina Franchise Owners.
Today, the Pulfreys live in the small South Carolina town of Laurens, which both Shannon and Josh are proud to call their home state. While their immediate vicinity is a quaint area, the territory they’ve chosen includes Newberry and Lexington County, which will provide them with a mix of urban and suburban communities to serve. With their ties to the area and knowledge of the close-knit communities within their territory, the Pulfrey couple is excited to provide the families of the area additional options to care for their families they wouldn’t have had without a local Anchored Tiny Homes.
While Josh and Shannon have their hands full with raising their two children and preparing to open their first business with Anchored Tiny Homes, they still made time to sit down with our team for a Q&A! Together, we got to know more about the couple, as well as learn about why they chose our tiny house franchise over other business investment opportunities on the market. Let’s dive into a few of their answers and hear what they had to say about bringing ATH to South Carolina.
Josh & Shannon: “We have two small children, [ages] 4 and 7, and we are honestly worried about their future as well as their generation as a whole. The cost of living is skyrocketing, and wages aren’t keeping up. There is a huge concern for us about their ability to afford housing when they are older. Additionally, senior care is becoming almost unaffordable, so there is going to be a rise in the number of people caring for their parents. We want to help [by giving] families options for caring for their loved ones.”
J&S: “After working in the corporate world for such a long time, we are extremely excited to start a new chapter. We want to become an integral part of our community and be able to give back to it. We cannot wait to wake up every day [to] do something we love and are super passionate about! We absolutely love this concept, and we cannot wait to bring it to our community.”
J&S: “It was amazing to see how well they have this entire process and business plan thought out. Every step is well thought out, organized, and managed from the beginning to the end. On Approval Day, when we went to the onsite build. The quality of the build was going to be the make or break for us, [and] thankfully, we weren’t disappointed because the quality was excellent. You can love a business and the people who run it, but at the end of the day, the quality of the product has to be great for it to succeed.”
If you’re ready to start a mission-driven business and join a franchise that will empower you to give back to your community, our tiny homes franchise ownership opportunity was designed for you! With Anchored Tiny Homes, you can make a difference in the world, fighting to solve the nationwide housing crisis while you establish a business that can give you the scheduling and financial freedom you deserve in your career. To see if you’re a fit for Franchise Ownership with us or to learn more, take our quick qualification quiz today.