Undercover Boss (2010) s03e10 Episode Script
Budget Blinds
[Upbeat rock music.]
Undercover Boss 3x10 - Budget Blinds Original air date April 13, 2012 Male announcer: This week on Undercover Boss, the CEO of Budget Blinds, the largest window coverings franchise in America, poses as an out-of-work artist looking to start a new career.
- Hi, Dennis, I'm Tom.
- How you doing, Tom? - Good.
How are you? - All right.
Announcer: He'll trade in his laid-back Southern California lifestyle for a mohawk and a pair of combat boots.
And while working undercover So where are you from? A little town known for its nude beach.
[Laughs.]
Really? Announcer: He'll receive some special attention from an admirer.
I think I'm gonna invite Tom to my hot tub tonight after work.
[Crowing.]
Ooh! Ooh! Announcer: But how will he react when he finds out not all of his employees are fans? Someone sitting in an office in California can't tell me what Chicago's up to.
Chad, who's the CEO of the company Chad is more set in his ways.
He's all Hollywood, and we kind of make fun of that.
Oh, I bet.
Announcer: Find out next on Undercover Boss.
Announcer: With an annual revenue of $240 million, Budget Blinds is the largest window coverings franchise in the United States.
Headquartered in Orange County, California, with more than 800 franchise locations nationwide this window treatment empire is led by one man.
I'm Chad Hallock, and I'm the CEO and co-founder of Budget Blinds.
Blinds, shades, shutters, draperies we carry just about anything that is gonna go on or near a window.
We're the "it" in window covering franchise businesses.
I was born in Anaheim, California.
My twin brother and I came first, and then my younger brother came second, seven years later, and at a very young age, my brothers and I had to work.
We had to try to support the family.
Our father had left us, and our mother was left doing three jobs.
That left us kind of the three boys living with their mom and just doing anything we could to help keep a roof over our heads.
So back then I'm gonna say there was a lot of anger and resentment probably.
But then it really was my mother's husband, Alan and he looked at me and said something so minimal that made such a difference, a switch in my mind, and that was, "Chad, what makes you think your parents" "owe you anything?" "If you want something in life, go get it yourself.
" That was the moment I said, "you know what?" "Alan is right.
" "What is stopping me from being" "as successful as I want to be, really?" And from that point on, I was going to be successful.
One way or the other, I was gonna get there.
Without a college degree and really nothing else to fall back on, I've been in the blind business now since the age of 19.
A buddy of mine and I started this other company, and we grew it to where it was gonna be a very large window covering franchise.
So to make a long story short, I was kicked to the curb, and I lost everything.
I had to literally start from scratch, so I called my friends and my family members and said, "let's do our own business together.
" And with $5,000 each, Budget Blinds was born.
And then, lucky for us, by our third and fourth month, we were doing over $100,000 a month in sales.
We've grown into the largest window covering franchise on the planet.
[Overlapping chatter.]
Mm, cheese too.
Aah! As you know, we're getting ready to go undercover.
Yeah, yeah.
- You nervous? - Yeah.
I'm not really that nervous, just anxious a little bit.
I want to see what it's all about.
The executives at Budget Blinds are made up by myself, Todd, David, Tony, and my twin brother, Brent.
Chad is the CEO, and he's very focused on a vision, um, on marketing, all the key elements that have really helped Budget Blinds become very successful.
Do you actually know how to use a drill? Yeah, I'm gonna do some installations.
You going right hand or left hand on the drill? [Chuckles.]
Right hand, I'm pretty sure.
The five of us are extremely close.
You know which one makes it go forward? Yeah, it does have an "F" on it, I think.
I can do the "F".
We work together almost every day.
We go to lunch together almost every day.
He's used to the one that goes like this.
[Laughing.]
Yeah.
I think we each fill a perfect void within our company that makes it a whole.
The Budget Blinds franchise network really consists of two things.
It consists of the franchisor and the franchisees.
Corporate's the franchisor.
We do the training.
We do the support.
Franchisees are the feet on the street.
They're the ones that are out selling blinds and installing blinds.
So you get to run your show.
You get to have your dream.
You get to run things the way you want to do it.
But you get to kind of cater to a system that's been proven.
I think the franchisees absolutely have a ton of respect for not just myself, but the four other partners.
As a matter of fact, we have videos of franchisees in tears, saying they do better than they ever even dreamt possible.
That makes being part of Budget Blinds the most rewarding thing I could ever possibly do.
All right, good luck.
Thanks.
I was previously married, which just didn't pan out.
Good shot.
There's nothing on this planet that you can care so much for than your own flesh and blood, your own child.
What's the course you're having the toughest time with right now? Geometry's, uh, pretty hard right now.
That means more studying, right? Yeah, unfortunately.
The one that tries the hardest succeeds.
Now I'm married again to a wonderful woman named Jen.
It's unbelievable.
I have to cut your hair.
Yeah, yeah.
[Laughs.]
I think Chad is gonna be very surprised at what he learns out on the road.
Are you ready? Oh, I don't know if I'm ready, but let's do it.
I think it'll be hard for him to hold back if he sees someone doing something wrong.
He hasn't done this in 20 years.
With me going undercover, I want to see if the franchisees are optimizing their ability to make the most successful business they can make.
Oh, this is gonna be quite a different look for you.
That's for sure.
[Clippers buzzing.]
I want to see them selling correctly, installing correctly I know hair is very important to you.
[Chuckles.]
Yeah.
So that their businesses can grow bigger than they've ever thought.
Bottom line, I want to see if they are doing the business in such a way that they can shine.
I don't know if it catches on fire, if that's a good thing or not.
I like it.
While undercover, I'll be posing as Tom Robbins, an artist who works with iron.
My employees will be told that I'm taking part in a reality show called Second Chances Hipster glasses.
where a failed businessman gets a chance to win financial backing to start a new company.
Okay, gang, are you ready for this? - Okay.
- Come on out.
All right.
Here we go.
No way.
[Laughing.]
Oh, my gosh.
Wow.
You look like a totally different person.
- Would you recognize me? - No.
I can't tell what it's like from the back.
It looks really cool, actually.
Normally, when I do things, I've got a team.
Be good, Ian.
For the first time since I can't remember when, I'm going it alone, so that's a little nerve-wracking.
Today I'm starting out in Morris, Illinois.
I looked into this franchisee before coming today, and quite frankly, his sales in a single territory aren't stellar.
So my hope today is to find a way to improve his sales and become one of the top producers in our franchise company.
- Hi, are you Keith? - I'm Keith.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Come on in.
All righty.
I'm a franchisee owner.
We've been in business ten years.
- Oh, great.
Nice to meet you.
- And so, uh, we're gonna go to a consultation.
So that's a sales appointment.
So let's head to the consultation.
All right.
Let's do it.
If he is going to pursue a career in window coverings, he would need to shave a little more often, and his wardrobe would need to change a little bit.
So you've been doing this for ten years? It'll be our ten-year anniversary.
Oh, well, congratulations.
Ten years ago, my kids were little.
- So you have kids? - We have two kids, Cody, who's 15, and Megan, who's 13.
Oh, wow.
And, uh, that's a huge, real important thing for me, is my kids.
Yeah, yeah.
So with my daughter being three, uh, it was time to make the nursery into a little girl's room.
Yeah.
So a local franchisee, he came out.
He sold us the blinds.
My wife started talking about what an interesting concept this was, and that's how the whole thing started.
- Oh, my gosh.
- And next thing I know, we're flying out to corporate headquarters in California and doing a little discovery day.
Oh, wow.
What was that like? Chad, who's the CEO of the company, he kind of took us around, told us what we were getting into type thing.
Keith has no idea who I am.
I love it.
There's five owners.
- There's five? - There's five.
And so there's two brothers, two twin brothers uh, very different personalities, by the way.
Oh, yeah? How are they different? Brent's kind of just go-with-the-flow type thing, more more laid back.
Chad is, I think, more serious.
Yeah? Um, more set in his ways.
Um, he's all Hollywood, and we kind of make fun of that.
You know, us here in the midwest, we're just we're just more laid back.
Oh, I bet.
I might be passionate and intense about the business, and that's why I'm so, as he would say, serious about what I do.
[Doorbell rings.]
- Hello.
- Keith from Budget Blinds.
- Hi, Keith.
- Nice to meet you.
- This is Tom.
- I'm Tom.
Hi.
So we're gonna be looking at some window coverings.
Yeah, this room and in here, yeah.
Okay.
And so what I got is a little catalogue here.
And it's just a lot of different pictures in there of all kinds of different treatments.
Did you guys have a product in mind that you were thinking about doing? Not necessarily a product in mind, but, um you want to be able to control light? Yeah Do you wish it was lighter, darker? Is it hot? Is it cold? - Not really.
Uh - Yeah I think Keith is really good at asking questions.
Would you see yourself as being a little more casual, or you want this room to be a little more formal? But there's sometimes too many questions.
Are you leaning more towards a white, off-white, or more of a stained? And too many choices.
There's a huge variety of colors.
Hmm.
Sometimes less is more in sales.
But the real problem I see here is Keith is just not taking control of the situation and directing these folks.
As you see things you like, we'll talk about them, and I'll tell you what they do.
This is new to them, but he's been doing it for ten years.
He should be able to say, boom, "we should do this.
" "This is what I think looks great.
" But he hasn't done that.
Hmm.
[Chuckles awkwardly.]
Don't be afraid to say no, because there's a lot - in that catalogue.
- Yeah.
- We're gonna be here awhile.
- Right.
So go right ahead and tell me no on stuff.
I don't know.
I think I need someone to tell me what to do.
[Light samba music.]
So if we go a little bit darker here, and if we're thinking white shutters over there, [voice fading out.]
we're actually gonna get [Fading in.]
What I would do is, when you guys wanna do that, I would actually bring back our drapers 'Cause this will be a little bit bold.
I mean, it is gonna make a statement.
It's gonna Nice thing about paint, there are so many colors out there.
Just keep going through there.
Okay.
See where we get.
I don't know.
Do you have a idea? No, I don't.
Tom just kinda sat there, 'cause I'm sure he's never done anything like that before.
We're gonna bring up a new book, and we're gonna go through some new choices.
This is taking way too long.
Two rooms shouldn't take you longer than an hour.
At max.
And that's driving me nuts.
How about that one? I can clearly see why Keith's sales aren't stellar.
Are we thinking this is the winner, then, for in here? - I think so.
- Okay.
So when you're ready to order, uh, we'll order the shades from the manufacturer.
Uh, originally we were talking about those windows.
Did I miss something? We were, uh, we were a little crunched on time.
- Oh, got it.
- So, you know, instead of rushing into something, we want to make sure that it's absolutely perfect - and it looks great.
- Yeah.
So we get to do this all over again.
- Yeah.
- Which is a good thing.
Today's consultation appointment really opened my eyes to the fact that these franchisees may need a lot more design experience.
Keith's owned this business for ten years.
He should know by now how to walk in and design a room.
We'll pull over right here, and we can have some coffee.
You were talking just earlier about your sales and, you know, how you do that.
I really want to kind of just guide them along.
Is that how the franchisor taught you or teaches you how to do it? Um, I think they're a little bit more, uh, a little more direct with their sales approach.
They want you to go in there and do a job and and get the sale.
- Yeah.
- And move on to the next one.
For the most part, corporate's great.
Yeah.
But there are some things that they are very set in their ways about.
Yeah.
Um, I think I feel that they look at it nationwide.
Mm-hmm.
And so as long as it's working for the majority, that's what we're gonna stick with.
Uh-huh.
Instead of being maybe a little bit more flexible and saying, "hey, regionally," "this might work better in this region.
" With my territory being very rural, I'd like to see more regional advertising.
Like Chicago, we have our own TV station.
I take it very personally when Keith starts disagreeing with the way corporate spends the advertising dollars, because that's really what I do, and that's my bailiwick.
So if I could see that commercial, that'd be great.
If you take what Keith mentioned to heart, that would mean every 800 of our franchisees would have their own local market.
Well, then, you wouldn't have any kind of national advertising fund.
So what's the use? Don't take any money and spend it all on yourself and do it all wrong, or let me spend it where I know it's best.
Chad, our CEO, I think his background I think was marketing, if I if I remember right.
- So that's kind of his baby.
- Uh-huh.
If I or someone else has gone up to him and been like, "man that thing really doesn't work," pretty rigid guy.
Uh, he doesn't take suggestions too well without getting overly defensive about them.
I don't think I'm defensive.
I think I actually know what I'm talking about.
I've got incredible logic and rationale to support the decisions we make.
I just hope that they don't forget the little guy and get to a point where they won't listen to us anymore.
I don't like excuses.
Keith definitely needs help.
He could do more appointments per day and subsequently make more money each and every month.
And I've gotta figure out a way to make that happen.
- I just noticed the time here.
- Yeah.
It looks like we gotta get to the next appointment.
- Hang on to your coffee.
- All right.
We're gonna get going.
Announcer: Coming up, the boss gets another earful.
I think they should do a better job in terms of local advertising.
Someone sitting in an office in California can't tell me what Chicago's up to.
Announcer: And later, romance is in the air.
So do you think he's cute? I think he's cute.
[Crowing.]
Ooh! Ooh! Yesterday, I was in rural Illinois.
Today I'm in the metropolitan area of Chicago.
This has a completely different vibe, a completely different look and feel.
I'm not really that familiar with high-rise type metropolitan areas, so I'm hoping to find some insight that maybe I can pass along to other metropolitan areas where we've got franchisees.
Is there a Maris here? - I'm Maris.
- Hi, Maris.
I'm Tom.
I think you're training me today.
- It's nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you too.
Sorry about the gloves.
It's cold out there.
No, no, please.
Absolutely.
So, um What's your background? What are you wanting to do? Well, I actually had an iron art business.
I welded art out of iron.
- Oh.
- And it didn't do so well.
- Okay.
- The economy killed me.
We're gonna do, um, an installation this morning.
So let's go pull our boxes.
Okay.
OneTwoThree.
Grab the ladder.
And we're gonna load it into the car.
Oh, yeah.
This is wonderful.
[Laughing.]
Yeah.
[Both laughing.]
Here we are.
So we are going to unload everything out of the car.
We'll knock on the door, introduce ourselves, go inside, and we take off our shoes.
So if anything, just follow me, and follow my lead.
- Got it? - Will do.
You got it.
Perfect, let's go.
You can bring that clipboard.
Maris' personality is just on top of things.
She's gonna get things done today.
Hi.
We are here to do your installation.
I wanted to introduce you to Tom.
He's gonna be working with me today.
Nice to meet you.
All right, so what we'll do is we'll set everything down here.
Give that to me.
And then we're gonna take off our shoes.
Here.
I never lean anything up against the wall.
Oh, okay.
We are self-contained, so if you need to do something else, we'll come find you if we need anything.
- Okay? - Thank you so much.
So we'll open it up, take the blind out, take out the bubble wrap.
And then I'll do the first installation.
You'll watch me, and then you can do the next one.
You got it.
[Dog barking.]
We'll do all the brackets first, and then we'll pop in the shades.
Okay.
So it's gonna be a couple of inches in from the sides on both places.
Okay.
[Drill whirring.]
[Clatter.]
Tom, I want all my customers happy, so it's very important to me that everything fits perfectly.
Yep.
Now it's your turn, Tom.
Okay.
[Metal clinking.]
In front of my own franchisee, I can't even screw a screw into the thing without dropping it.
That was a little bit embarrassing.
[Drill whirring.]
I'll take the drill from you.
You know, I think this was Tom's first time working with a drill and some screws.
Mm-hmm.
Good.
Got both sides in? No, not yet.
[Muttering indistinctly.]
Maybe if you center up your ladder, that might be a better position.
There it goes.
- Is it in? Totally in? - Yep.
Okay.
So you just installed your first set of blinds.
How do you feel like you did? I think it went okay.
Would I see Tom as a Budget Blind franchisee? Absolutely not.
He just did not have it for me.
He was just too quiet, too meek-mannered, and he just wasn't thinking fast enough.
Here, put this in this box.
Let's put on our shoes, and we're gone.
[Chuckles.]
Oh, thank you.
[Both laughing.]
- Do you have any kids? - Yeah, I only have one.
One 15-year-old.
His name is Ian.
- All right.
- Do you have any children? I do.
I have two sons.
I have a 12-year-old boy.
His name is Tyler.
And I have a ten-year-old, and his name is Peyton.
Tyler plays football, but now Tyler's injured.
I've got to take him to a neurologist.
What neurologist? Yes, well, he got a stinger, went for rehab, was cleared after six weeks, went back to play football.
Three weeks into it, got another one.
Now it's so bad, he can't write.
Oh, my gosh.
And so, like, no right-hand movement.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Like, he can't so I've gotta try to find another neurologist to find or to take him to, but everybody's, like, all booked up.
And then I try to call these freakin' doctor offices, and I'm like, can someone just see him? - Ugh, yeah.
- He cannot write.
He's he's 12.
That's that's scary.
Whenever a family member, especially your son or daughter, is ill, or something's wrong, there's nothing worse in life.
And so in this particular situation, when Maris has a son that might have some neurological damage, that's just super scary.
I hope everything works out okay.
I will show you how I do some of my marketing.
Okay.
We can stuff catalogues.
Specifically where I'm located I'm in the city of Chicago.
Mm-hmm.
So it's much more difficult to find a client.
I have high-rises, so what I do is I do direct marketing.
I call it "juicing the doormen.
" [Laughs.]
Um you know, if I don't know if I'm getting everybody in the building, if I go and make a relationship with the doorman, the resident owners are gonna look to that doorman as someone to ask, who does window treatments? Who does this? Who does that? Are they receptive to that? They are.
Sometimes they're very receptive.
And sometimes it's simple as, "here's $20.
Thank you so much.
" - Oh, you grease 'em.
- Oh, I grease 'em.
I call it juicing 'em.
Juicing, juicing 'em.
Yeah, I juice I juice my doormen.
Maris seems to be a hustler.
I think she's really created her own way of approaching this marketplace, and I can tell it's working.
Our corporate office does a really great job in terms of advertising.
Um, but I think they should do a better job in terms of local advertising.
Living here, I know what my customers are looking for.
And someone sitting in an office in California can't tell me what Chicago's up to.
You know, so we spend a lot of money giving our corporate office on advertising, but I don't feel like it's really being capitalized.
Yesterday when Keith brought up the national advertising fund, I got a little defensive.
We're all pooling in our money to the corporate office.
Why can't we have some control locally? Out of 15 franchises, a billboard on 290.
But after now hearing about it a couple times, I've really gotta go back and rethink how this whole thing should work.
We're just gonna get a little bit of this office work done.
Don't be afraid, 'cause you don't get paid by the hour.
Today I'm in Middleton, Wisconsin, working undercover in the factory where our blinds are made.
These employees here at this facility actually handle all of our blinds, so I'm here today just to make sure that when that product is manufactured, it's manufactured at the highest level, the highest quality, so that it ensures our franchisees get the best product at the best price.
Hi, are you Pam? Pam's right over there.
Blue shirt.
Blue shirt.
Which one's Pam? Hi, I'm Pam.
How are you? Hi, I'm Tom.
Nice to meet you.
- Tom? - Tom, yeah.
Okay, you're gonna start working here on Springs, huh? - I'm gonna give it a shot.
- Okay.
Let's get you started.
This is my friend Amanda.
- Hi, Amanda, I'm Tom.
- Hi.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
Good to meet you as well.
We have three steps that we do to get to the color that we want.
Okay.
We're gonna hang the rail.
They're heavy and they're long, and we need two people to hand it for safety.
Go to the paint line to get sprayed, and then take down and pack it.
Got it.
Okay, let's get to work, and I'll get you hooked up with some safety equipment.
Okay, here are your gloves.
- See if they fit you.
- Okay.
And this is your sleeve.
Sounds like a plan.
This is to protect you so when you're carrying the rods Got it.
Real quick, where's the restroom? Can you point me the way? Right around that corner.
Okay, perfect.
Thank you, Pam.
- You're welcome, Tom.
- Be right back.
[Romantic harp glissando.]
[Funky music.]
- So do you think he's cute? - I think he's cute.
For an older guy, yeah.
[Both laughing.]
Tom has a famous rock star look.
Skinny body and the tight legs.
Cute guy.
Cute dude.
[Laughing.]
Here he comes.
Am I on this side now? You can be at this end, and I'll be at this end.
All right.
You got it.
Okay, see those little slats there? - Yep.
- Okay.
We're gonna hook this in there.
Oh! Whoops.
Whoa! [Laughing.]
Whoops! - Uh-oh, that didn't - Oh, here we go.
Whoops.
There you go.
He's really awkward.
He's a bull in a china cabinet.
I think we have about 20 left to go.
[Clattering.]
Okay, ready? And again.
The hardest part about this job is really the monotony of doing the same thing over and over.
All day, over and over and over again.
Whew, all this sweating you do, you'd think I'd be skinny.
[Laughing.]
Okay, let me you're gonna have to bend down a little bit.
You're a pretty tall guy.
No problem.
There you go.
Tom was tall, but I told him that when he got down to the bottom, that he needed to bend, because otherwise, he'd be like this.
You'd be doing that all day long.
You'd go home with a backache.
But I got a hot tub.
I get to go home, and I sit in mine every night.
There you go.
High five.
High five, girl! You did good! [Laughing.]
[Romantic harp glissando.]
Oh, it's warm in here today.
[Laughs.]
Oh, Tom made me a little flustered.
[Chuckles.]
I thought he was very attractive.
I think I'm gonna invite Tom to my hot tub tonight after work.
There you go.
Ahh.
[Crowing.]
Ooh! Ooh! So where are you from? Oh, a little town called Mazomanie.
It's known for its nude beach down on the Wisconsin River.
Really? [Laughs.]
We don't have a lot of men in here.
Have you noticed? [Chuckles.]
Yeah, I see that.
These are gonna go through, and then they're gonna come out, so we have a 30-minute wait.
Oh, okay.
So how long you been doing this? I have been here at the company for 26 years.
You're a trooper.
How do you like it? Really? You guys do a lot of, like, things for recognizing your employees here? And they don't do that anymore.
Nobody's complaining about that or talking about that? Yeah, well, it doesn't go anywhere, and they'll show you the door if you don't like it here.
Really? [Chuckles.]
Wow.
I felt a little sad today talking to Pam about what's going on, and I think sometimes for these folks, I think recognition can be so valuable and play such an important role in making people and the morale just so much better.
I just put in for a week now.
My husband and I go to Mexico.
- What do you like to do? - Drink.
Yeah? I need a break after working here all day.
I bet.
Let's put our gloves back on and go back to work.
That's too dark.
See? Can you see that? Mm-hmm.
If it doesn't match our color sample, we don't pack it.
The color's gotta match.
It's definitely different.
We gotta take down.
That made me really happy to see the vested interest in the quality control today.
It's a little darker.
The first batch is different.
At this point, I think it's all about producing a high-quality product, which I can appreciate.
But I really got a sense that the morale needs to get boosted again.
So I've gotta get that fixed.
Now we gotta let everybody know that we're gonna take down some color.
[Shouts.]
Coming down! [Shouts.]
Coming down! Announcer: Coming up, the boss finds out he's not in charge.
All right, so two is all the way back.
No.
You always follow the consultant's instructions.
The customer was looking over at Tom and was like, "he's gonna install?" Announcer: And later, he hears some heartbreaking news.
Oh, my God.
Today I'm working undercover with the installer.
This particular franchise does really well.
They do 600 installs a year.
I'm hoping by going undercover, I can find out how this installer is helping this franchise become super successful.
Are you Dennis? - Yes.
- Hi, Dennis, I'm Tom.
- How are you doing, Tom? - Good, how are you? - All right.
- Good.
I'm a Budget Blinds installer.
I heard you're gonna give me a hand today.
- That's okay.
- Yeah, okay.
That happens all the time.
Wind catches it.
I just gave you a hand right off the bat.
Right, right, right.
[Laughing.]
Okay.
Now, when we go inside people's homes, I try to be very professional, okay? Because it's not comfortable for them to have strangers come inside their home.
That makes sense.
Tom came in with the black pants, the combat boots, and I was like, "oh, my.
" "That's not a work outfit.
" [Chuckles.]
- Hello.
- Mr.
Nixon? - How's it going? - I'm Dennis.
How are you? Good to meet you.
Come on in.
Yes, sir.
Now, would you like our shoes off? - No, it's fine.
- Okay, thank you, sir.
Would it be better for us to come through the front or through the garage? Uh, front's probably a lot easier.
- Okay, sir.
- All right.
Okay, go ahead and set the box there.
Now, it's our job as installers to make sure that they fit, 'cause there's no reason to put holes in their trim if this is not gonna fit.
Okay.
So we'll check out our measurement.
Dennis is taking me through every single detail of the process.
I mean, you name it.
He does not miss a beat.
All right, so two is all the way back.
No, no.
Well, there's nothing stopping it, so I don't know why you wouldn't go against the No.
You always follow the consultant's instructions.
Tom was like, "no, it should be all the way back.
" I had to explain to him, "no, the way my consultant measures" "is from the front of trim to the back.
" We don't know what her and the customer have talked about.
Okay.
And how they want the trim to be shown, to where the customer wanted that reveal.
I think the customer was looking over at Tom and was like, "he's gonna install?" I would not let Tom loose in a customer's house until I felt more comfortable with him installing.
[Drill whirring.]
Go ahead and mark those and set those while I do these.
You got it.
Ma'am? Yeah.
Yes, ma'am.
Tom.
Yes, sir.
People with high windows and stuff, the best thing we can do for them is to clean their windows for 'em.
Yep, yep.
I like it.
I do a little bit more than what I should, but then again, that's how they call you back.
All right.
Let's rock and roll.
[Drills whirring.]
There you go.
I'm gonna go ahead and get this ladder so I can go ahead and get ready for this high entry.
I've done this a few times now, so it felt good that Dennis could trust me.
[Drill whirring.]
Is there any other questions? Uh, no, I think everything looks great.
If you ever need to get hold of us again, our phone number is right there underneath.
We'll go ahead and get the fliers.
Every time I do an install, I put these out.
Now, I'm gonna go on that side, and you can take this side.
- You got it.
- Okay.
Tom, this is how we get our workout.
Yeah, I love it.
I find it a little interesting that on my undercover experience, the only time I've done any canvassing has been with an installer.
This franchisee not only gets it for his business, but he's teaching his employees to do the same, and that's exactly what we teach back in corporate.
I love seeing what's going on today.
All set.
- Good job.
- Hey, you too, my man.
Good job.
How about a beer? Sounds like a plan.
[Laid-back music.]
Hey, cheers, by the way.
Thanks for training me today I really appreciate it.
You did a great job.
Yeah.
Oh.
Thank you for saying that.
I don't think so, but I appreciate you saying so.
But you'll get better as you go along.
So you have kids? You're married? - 25 years.
- 25 years! Yep.
Five children.
Lost one.
Uh What do you mean, lost one? He got murdered about three years ago.
Oh, my God.
Somebody was shooting at his vehicle, trying to rob him, they said.
- Really.
- Yeah.
That's the one that got murdered.
- What's his name? - David.
David? How'd you get the news? A phone call.
And they gave me the address, and I went over, and he was still out there.
I mean, I Oh, so you saw him, like In the street, yeah.
[Softly.]
Oh.
Nobody ever plans on burying their child.
- There would be nothing worse.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean Did they find the person that did this? Really.
Dennis, I'm so sorry.
- Yeah.
- I'm so sorry.
I just can't imagine.
I just don't think it's in the order of things to lose a child.
The parents go first.
Then the child goes.
I just pray to God nothing ever like that happens to my son.
I don't think I could handle it even close to as well as Dennis handles it.
I know I couldn't do it, as a matter of fact.
So we overdo a little bit during Christmas for the grandkids.
How many how many kids? Did he have kids? - Five.
- He had f he had five.
So that's real important to us, to keep 'em close.
It makes some things more important than others.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
- You know, and, um Family time being number one, right? - Exactly.
- Yeah.
Every birthday, um, anniversary of his death, we just have it at my house, so everybody's there.
The inside of our house is too small, but we have the property on our house to put a walk-out deck.
Oh, you're making it for to entertain the family.
Yeah.
I think Dennis has a real good grasp of life, and I think that might happen to folks that go through such a tragedy.
He really is putting his family first, as top priority, and that just made me miss being back home again with my whole family.
I've gotta get home.
I can't wait to see them.
Cheers to you.
Cheers to your family.
And truly, it's been a pleasure getting to know you.
Let's drink one last drink and get rock and roll, what do you say? Okay, that sounds great.
There's no doubt being back on the front lines has made me aware of some issues that definitely need to get addressed and solved.
Now, this is more like it.
People I worked with think they are at Budget Blinds' headquarters to watch me give a pitch to a panel of judges in hopes of earning a second chance at starting a new business.
Tom deserves a second chance because he is cute and very intelligent.
Hello there.
[Giggles.]
You look so different.
- Do you recognize me? - Mm-hmm.
You're Tom.
Uh, I'm not Tom.
My name is actually Chad Hallock, and I am the CEO and co-founder of Budget Blinds.
Ah, very interesting.
Wow.
[Chuckles.]
Oh,Second Chances, my patootie.
[Laughs.]
Can you believe it? - Really? - For real.
- Really? - Hi, Pam.
You cleaned up good.
- Oh, well, thank you very much.
- You're handsome.
Oh, you're very sweet to say so.
[Giggles.]
I really enjoyed my time with you at Springs.
Every kind of word out of your mouth was all about quality control, so I really wanted to thank you.
You had made mention that the morale has kind of dipped a little bit.
Mm-hmm.
Since you mentioned it, one of the things Budget Blinds and I would like to do back for Springs we're gonna bring back the picnics for ya.
Wow.
Well, it's just a little something to say to all of you and your coworkers that we really appreciate you.
That's awesome.
There's actually, um, one more thing.
You love to go to Mexico.
Yes.
So I've talked to my partners, and we want to pay for that trip for you and your husband to go to Mexico.
- No way.
- So [laughing.]
Oh, my gosh! Yes.
That that's too much.
I think what you do is too much.
Oh, thank you! - Give me a hug.
- Oh, God.
Give me a hug.
[Romantic harp glissando.]
Ohhh.
He is just a big hunka walka romance.
He's just sweet.
He's a tall drink of water.
I just really want to thank you.
Oh, I want to thank you.
Please come to my hot tub.
[Crowing.]
Ooh! Ooh! Maris, let's, uh, let's talk about the national advertising fund.
Okay.
I actually heard from another franchisee while I was undercover, they didn't know how that money is being spent.
I'm gonna make it a goal to make sure everybody knows clearly how those funds are being spent.
Okay.
Also, both you and another franchisee talked about this whole idea of a regional or local campaign.
Yes.
And what we've decided to do is take $25,000 out of our own pockets, and we're gonna do a Chicago regional campaign.
We're gonna sit you folks down, and we're gonna kind of have a little committee that's going to I'll facilitate it, but they're gonna dictate to me how you want that money spent.
How do you like that so far? - So far, we're good.
- So far, we're good.
So far, we are so good.
If I can make you happy, then I can probably make anybody happy.
Would you agree with that? [Both laughing.]
Um, during our other conversation, I found out that your son Tyler? Yes.
There may be something neurologically going on there.
My son, Ian, had problems when he was a child.
He had some seizures.
I know what that feels like when your son might have things or issues to deal with, and I know how expensive that can be.
And, um, we're going to give you $30,000 - Oh, my God.
- All right? To help pay for whatever your son Tyler needs.
[Quietly.]
Thank you.
My pleasure.
Thank you so much.
I mean, I I [stammering.]
Thank you.
You're you're very welcome.
They didn't have to do any of this.
This makes it so much like one huge stress level off of my shoulders.
Like [Exhales.]
I feel like I can take a breath.
Hey, Keith.
So you feel a little off guard right now? A little off guard, yes.
So there's twin brothers - There are yes.
- Twin brothers.
- My brother Brent.
- Yeah.
And somehow, he's this wonderful human being, and I'm this intense, don't listen, serious person.
And you're right.
As soon as I heard you knocking the national advertising fund, I do get defensive.
Well, I think I've got a solution.
Instead of having you guys fork over your own money, I'm gonna help you come up with a local marketing plan, and we're gonna put $25,000 into it.
- Love that.
- All right? Now, I'm gonna facilitate it personally so that we can get everybody to land on an answer that we can actually execute.
That would be cool.
Just one request.
Shoot.
You sure Brent can't oversee it? [Laughs.]
Oh, Keith, you're killing me.
You're just killing me.
Um, something else I noticed when we did that sales call together that couple really needed some guidance, as opposed to just giving them so many choices.
And quite frankly, that just made the call take much longer than it should have.
As you know, Brent's probably the best salesman we've got.
- Yeah.
- Right? And since you're such a big fan of Brent's, I'm gonna actually send Brent out with you on a few sales calls to kind of have him see improvements.
And I think you're gonna find that it really isn't that difficult to improve.
I like that.
And last, but not least, one of the things I noticed talking about your kids is that's everything.
- Yeah.
- It's just everything.
And I know it's hard in this economy.
It's hard to make ends meet.
So we're going to put $15,000 per child into a college fund.
[Quietly.]
Wow.
So that [Laughs.]
[Voice breaking.]
Um Here.
Yeah, I might need that.
[Inhales shakily.]
That makes life a lot easier.
I mean, you really have no idea.
It's it's huge.
It's huge.
I never went to college.
I'm not saying that my life is bad or anything like that, 'cause it's not.
But hopefully, it'll make their life a lot easier.
Well, I gotta tell you, Dennis, I really enjoyed working with you more than I worked with anybody else.
Wow.
You exemplified the Budget Blinds spirit.
I can't tell you just how proud I was.
It's the way my mommy raised me.
Yeah, you can see that.
I want to do a few things for you.
First things first.
I want to fly you out to our upcoming convention - Wow.
- To spend time with us at the awards banquet.
That'll be neat.
The other Part of getting to know you was I know you lost your son.
Um, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for what you have gone through and what you go through, I'm sure, every day.
Nothing I can do or say to you could ever bring him back, I'm well aware.
At the same time, I know that family means more to you than anything.
[Sniffles.]
Yeah.
You talked about doing a remodel for your home, making it bigger, making it more able to entertain all those grandkids of yours.
- Yes, sir.
- Right? Yes, sir.
We want to give you $40,000 [Sniffles.]
So that you can, uh [Voice shaking.]
so that you can remodel.
[Whispers.]
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I don't know what to say.
[Laughs.]
Well, just say you're gonna love it.
I'm gonna love it.
And, um, just enjoy it.
- Okay.
- All right? Yes, sir.
All right, buddy.
Thank you so much.
You're so welcome.
That's the nicest thing anybody ever done for me.
I love you.
[Laughs.]
Forever.
I wanted to help your family too.
$40,000 is gonna be amazing.
The grandkids will be okay.
I'm about ready to pass out.
[Laughs.]
[Whispering.]
Open that door.
Go first.
- Hello, Chad.
- Hello.
Oh, my [Laughs.]
Gotta get a little in the back over here, buddy.
[All laughing.]
I feel like I actually have some hair.
That is too funny.
We thought, what better way to show our support, all of our solidarity, than going and getting mohawks ourselves? That says a lot, so thanks.
- Well, welcome back.
- Thank you.
I realized that what the franchisees really need is to be heard.
They want to feel like they're helping the corporate office make decisions on their behalf.
All those things I got to see loud and clear.
So why not tap into that a little more? I can tell you this.
It is great to be back home.
Now we got work to do, don't we? You guys have things to do? - Yes.
- Yeah, we sure do.
- Get lost.
- All right.
Thanks, guys.
Thanks, man.
- Thank you.
- See ya.
Because of going undercover, I had to be a lot more patient than I would otherwise have to be being Chad Hallock.
I love to debate, and maybe I should debate less and listen more.
That just might be a better way to go about running this business.
Undercover Boss 3x10 - Budget Blinds Original air date April 13, 2012 Male announcer: This week on Undercover Boss, the CEO of Budget Blinds, the largest window coverings franchise in America, poses as an out-of-work artist looking to start a new career.
- Hi, Dennis, I'm Tom.
- How you doing, Tom? - Good.
How are you? - All right.
Announcer: He'll trade in his laid-back Southern California lifestyle for a mohawk and a pair of combat boots.
And while working undercover So where are you from? A little town known for its nude beach.
[Laughs.]
Really? Announcer: He'll receive some special attention from an admirer.
I think I'm gonna invite Tom to my hot tub tonight after work.
[Crowing.]
Ooh! Ooh! Announcer: But how will he react when he finds out not all of his employees are fans? Someone sitting in an office in California can't tell me what Chicago's up to.
Chad, who's the CEO of the company Chad is more set in his ways.
He's all Hollywood, and we kind of make fun of that.
Oh, I bet.
Announcer: Find out next on Undercover Boss.
Announcer: With an annual revenue of $240 million, Budget Blinds is the largest window coverings franchise in the United States.
Headquartered in Orange County, California, with more than 800 franchise locations nationwide this window treatment empire is led by one man.
I'm Chad Hallock, and I'm the CEO and co-founder of Budget Blinds.
Blinds, shades, shutters, draperies we carry just about anything that is gonna go on or near a window.
We're the "it" in window covering franchise businesses.
I was born in Anaheim, California.
My twin brother and I came first, and then my younger brother came second, seven years later, and at a very young age, my brothers and I had to work.
We had to try to support the family.
Our father had left us, and our mother was left doing three jobs.
That left us kind of the three boys living with their mom and just doing anything we could to help keep a roof over our heads.
So back then I'm gonna say there was a lot of anger and resentment probably.
But then it really was my mother's husband, Alan and he looked at me and said something so minimal that made such a difference, a switch in my mind, and that was, "Chad, what makes you think your parents" "owe you anything?" "If you want something in life, go get it yourself.
" That was the moment I said, "you know what?" "Alan is right.
" "What is stopping me from being" "as successful as I want to be, really?" And from that point on, I was going to be successful.
One way or the other, I was gonna get there.
Without a college degree and really nothing else to fall back on, I've been in the blind business now since the age of 19.
A buddy of mine and I started this other company, and we grew it to where it was gonna be a very large window covering franchise.
So to make a long story short, I was kicked to the curb, and I lost everything.
I had to literally start from scratch, so I called my friends and my family members and said, "let's do our own business together.
" And with $5,000 each, Budget Blinds was born.
And then, lucky for us, by our third and fourth month, we were doing over $100,000 a month in sales.
We've grown into the largest window covering franchise on the planet.
[Overlapping chatter.]
Mm, cheese too.
Aah! As you know, we're getting ready to go undercover.
Yeah, yeah.
- You nervous? - Yeah.
I'm not really that nervous, just anxious a little bit.
I want to see what it's all about.
The executives at Budget Blinds are made up by myself, Todd, David, Tony, and my twin brother, Brent.
Chad is the CEO, and he's very focused on a vision, um, on marketing, all the key elements that have really helped Budget Blinds become very successful.
Do you actually know how to use a drill? Yeah, I'm gonna do some installations.
You going right hand or left hand on the drill? [Chuckles.]
Right hand, I'm pretty sure.
The five of us are extremely close.
You know which one makes it go forward? Yeah, it does have an "F" on it, I think.
I can do the "F".
We work together almost every day.
We go to lunch together almost every day.
He's used to the one that goes like this.
[Laughing.]
Yeah.
I think we each fill a perfect void within our company that makes it a whole.
The Budget Blinds franchise network really consists of two things.
It consists of the franchisor and the franchisees.
Corporate's the franchisor.
We do the training.
We do the support.
Franchisees are the feet on the street.
They're the ones that are out selling blinds and installing blinds.
So you get to run your show.
You get to have your dream.
You get to run things the way you want to do it.
But you get to kind of cater to a system that's been proven.
I think the franchisees absolutely have a ton of respect for not just myself, but the four other partners.
As a matter of fact, we have videos of franchisees in tears, saying they do better than they ever even dreamt possible.
That makes being part of Budget Blinds the most rewarding thing I could ever possibly do.
All right, good luck.
Thanks.
I was previously married, which just didn't pan out.
Good shot.
There's nothing on this planet that you can care so much for than your own flesh and blood, your own child.
What's the course you're having the toughest time with right now? Geometry's, uh, pretty hard right now.
That means more studying, right? Yeah, unfortunately.
The one that tries the hardest succeeds.
Now I'm married again to a wonderful woman named Jen.
It's unbelievable.
I have to cut your hair.
Yeah, yeah.
[Laughs.]
I think Chad is gonna be very surprised at what he learns out on the road.
Are you ready? Oh, I don't know if I'm ready, but let's do it.
I think it'll be hard for him to hold back if he sees someone doing something wrong.
He hasn't done this in 20 years.
With me going undercover, I want to see if the franchisees are optimizing their ability to make the most successful business they can make.
Oh, this is gonna be quite a different look for you.
That's for sure.
[Clippers buzzing.]
I want to see them selling correctly, installing correctly I know hair is very important to you.
[Chuckles.]
Yeah.
So that their businesses can grow bigger than they've ever thought.
Bottom line, I want to see if they are doing the business in such a way that they can shine.
I don't know if it catches on fire, if that's a good thing or not.
I like it.
While undercover, I'll be posing as Tom Robbins, an artist who works with iron.
My employees will be told that I'm taking part in a reality show called Second Chances Hipster glasses.
where a failed businessman gets a chance to win financial backing to start a new company.
Okay, gang, are you ready for this? - Okay.
- Come on out.
All right.
Here we go.
No way.
[Laughing.]
Oh, my gosh.
Wow.
You look like a totally different person.
- Would you recognize me? - No.
I can't tell what it's like from the back.
It looks really cool, actually.
Normally, when I do things, I've got a team.
Be good, Ian.
For the first time since I can't remember when, I'm going it alone, so that's a little nerve-wracking.
Today I'm starting out in Morris, Illinois.
I looked into this franchisee before coming today, and quite frankly, his sales in a single territory aren't stellar.
So my hope today is to find a way to improve his sales and become one of the top producers in our franchise company.
- Hi, are you Keith? - I'm Keith.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Come on in.
All righty.
I'm a franchisee owner.
We've been in business ten years.
- Oh, great.
Nice to meet you.
- And so, uh, we're gonna go to a consultation.
So that's a sales appointment.
So let's head to the consultation.
All right.
Let's do it.
If he is going to pursue a career in window coverings, he would need to shave a little more often, and his wardrobe would need to change a little bit.
So you've been doing this for ten years? It'll be our ten-year anniversary.
Oh, well, congratulations.
Ten years ago, my kids were little.
- So you have kids? - We have two kids, Cody, who's 15, and Megan, who's 13.
Oh, wow.
And, uh, that's a huge, real important thing for me, is my kids.
Yeah, yeah.
So with my daughter being three, uh, it was time to make the nursery into a little girl's room.
Yeah.
So a local franchisee, he came out.
He sold us the blinds.
My wife started talking about what an interesting concept this was, and that's how the whole thing started.
- Oh, my gosh.
- And next thing I know, we're flying out to corporate headquarters in California and doing a little discovery day.
Oh, wow.
What was that like? Chad, who's the CEO of the company, he kind of took us around, told us what we were getting into type thing.
Keith has no idea who I am.
I love it.
There's five owners.
- There's five? - There's five.
And so there's two brothers, two twin brothers uh, very different personalities, by the way.
Oh, yeah? How are they different? Brent's kind of just go-with-the-flow type thing, more more laid back.
Chad is, I think, more serious.
Yeah? Um, more set in his ways.
Um, he's all Hollywood, and we kind of make fun of that.
You know, us here in the midwest, we're just we're just more laid back.
Oh, I bet.
I might be passionate and intense about the business, and that's why I'm so, as he would say, serious about what I do.
[Doorbell rings.]
- Hello.
- Keith from Budget Blinds.
- Hi, Keith.
- Nice to meet you.
- This is Tom.
- I'm Tom.
Hi.
So we're gonna be looking at some window coverings.
Yeah, this room and in here, yeah.
Okay.
And so what I got is a little catalogue here.
And it's just a lot of different pictures in there of all kinds of different treatments.
Did you guys have a product in mind that you were thinking about doing? Not necessarily a product in mind, but, um you want to be able to control light? Yeah Do you wish it was lighter, darker? Is it hot? Is it cold? - Not really.
Uh - Yeah I think Keith is really good at asking questions.
Would you see yourself as being a little more casual, or you want this room to be a little more formal? But there's sometimes too many questions.
Are you leaning more towards a white, off-white, or more of a stained? And too many choices.
There's a huge variety of colors.
Hmm.
Sometimes less is more in sales.
But the real problem I see here is Keith is just not taking control of the situation and directing these folks.
As you see things you like, we'll talk about them, and I'll tell you what they do.
This is new to them, but he's been doing it for ten years.
He should be able to say, boom, "we should do this.
" "This is what I think looks great.
" But he hasn't done that.
Hmm.
[Chuckles awkwardly.]
Don't be afraid to say no, because there's a lot - in that catalogue.
- Yeah.
- We're gonna be here awhile.
- Right.
So go right ahead and tell me no on stuff.
I don't know.
I think I need someone to tell me what to do.
[Light samba music.]
So if we go a little bit darker here, and if we're thinking white shutters over there, [voice fading out.]
we're actually gonna get [Fading in.]
What I would do is, when you guys wanna do that, I would actually bring back our drapers 'Cause this will be a little bit bold.
I mean, it is gonna make a statement.
It's gonna Nice thing about paint, there are so many colors out there.
Just keep going through there.
Okay.
See where we get.
I don't know.
Do you have a idea? No, I don't.
Tom just kinda sat there, 'cause I'm sure he's never done anything like that before.
We're gonna bring up a new book, and we're gonna go through some new choices.
This is taking way too long.
Two rooms shouldn't take you longer than an hour.
At max.
And that's driving me nuts.
How about that one? I can clearly see why Keith's sales aren't stellar.
Are we thinking this is the winner, then, for in here? - I think so.
- Okay.
So when you're ready to order, uh, we'll order the shades from the manufacturer.
Uh, originally we were talking about those windows.
Did I miss something? We were, uh, we were a little crunched on time.
- Oh, got it.
- So, you know, instead of rushing into something, we want to make sure that it's absolutely perfect - and it looks great.
- Yeah.
So we get to do this all over again.
- Yeah.
- Which is a good thing.
Today's consultation appointment really opened my eyes to the fact that these franchisees may need a lot more design experience.
Keith's owned this business for ten years.
He should know by now how to walk in and design a room.
We'll pull over right here, and we can have some coffee.
You were talking just earlier about your sales and, you know, how you do that.
I really want to kind of just guide them along.
Is that how the franchisor taught you or teaches you how to do it? Um, I think they're a little bit more, uh, a little more direct with their sales approach.
They want you to go in there and do a job and and get the sale.
- Yeah.
- And move on to the next one.
For the most part, corporate's great.
Yeah.
But there are some things that they are very set in their ways about.
Yeah.
Um, I think I feel that they look at it nationwide.
Mm-hmm.
And so as long as it's working for the majority, that's what we're gonna stick with.
Uh-huh.
Instead of being maybe a little bit more flexible and saying, "hey, regionally," "this might work better in this region.
" With my territory being very rural, I'd like to see more regional advertising.
Like Chicago, we have our own TV station.
I take it very personally when Keith starts disagreeing with the way corporate spends the advertising dollars, because that's really what I do, and that's my bailiwick.
So if I could see that commercial, that'd be great.
If you take what Keith mentioned to heart, that would mean every 800 of our franchisees would have their own local market.
Well, then, you wouldn't have any kind of national advertising fund.
So what's the use? Don't take any money and spend it all on yourself and do it all wrong, or let me spend it where I know it's best.
Chad, our CEO, I think his background I think was marketing, if I if I remember right.
- So that's kind of his baby.
- Uh-huh.
If I or someone else has gone up to him and been like, "man that thing really doesn't work," pretty rigid guy.
Uh, he doesn't take suggestions too well without getting overly defensive about them.
I don't think I'm defensive.
I think I actually know what I'm talking about.
I've got incredible logic and rationale to support the decisions we make.
I just hope that they don't forget the little guy and get to a point where they won't listen to us anymore.
I don't like excuses.
Keith definitely needs help.
He could do more appointments per day and subsequently make more money each and every month.
And I've gotta figure out a way to make that happen.
- I just noticed the time here.
- Yeah.
It looks like we gotta get to the next appointment.
- Hang on to your coffee.
- All right.
We're gonna get going.
Announcer: Coming up, the boss gets another earful.
I think they should do a better job in terms of local advertising.
Someone sitting in an office in California can't tell me what Chicago's up to.
Announcer: And later, romance is in the air.
So do you think he's cute? I think he's cute.
[Crowing.]
Ooh! Ooh! Yesterday, I was in rural Illinois.
Today I'm in the metropolitan area of Chicago.
This has a completely different vibe, a completely different look and feel.
I'm not really that familiar with high-rise type metropolitan areas, so I'm hoping to find some insight that maybe I can pass along to other metropolitan areas where we've got franchisees.
Is there a Maris here? - I'm Maris.
- Hi, Maris.
I'm Tom.
I think you're training me today.
- It's nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you too.
Sorry about the gloves.
It's cold out there.
No, no, please.
Absolutely.
So, um What's your background? What are you wanting to do? Well, I actually had an iron art business.
I welded art out of iron.
- Oh.
- And it didn't do so well.
- Okay.
- The economy killed me.
We're gonna do, um, an installation this morning.
So let's go pull our boxes.
Okay.
OneTwoThree.
Grab the ladder.
And we're gonna load it into the car.
Oh, yeah.
This is wonderful.
[Laughing.]
Yeah.
[Both laughing.]
Here we are.
So we are going to unload everything out of the car.
We'll knock on the door, introduce ourselves, go inside, and we take off our shoes.
So if anything, just follow me, and follow my lead.
- Got it? - Will do.
You got it.
Perfect, let's go.
You can bring that clipboard.
Maris' personality is just on top of things.
She's gonna get things done today.
Hi.
We are here to do your installation.
I wanted to introduce you to Tom.
He's gonna be working with me today.
Nice to meet you.
All right, so what we'll do is we'll set everything down here.
Give that to me.
And then we're gonna take off our shoes.
Here.
I never lean anything up against the wall.
Oh, okay.
We are self-contained, so if you need to do something else, we'll come find you if we need anything.
- Okay? - Thank you so much.
So we'll open it up, take the blind out, take out the bubble wrap.
And then I'll do the first installation.
You'll watch me, and then you can do the next one.
You got it.
[Dog barking.]
We'll do all the brackets first, and then we'll pop in the shades.
Okay.
So it's gonna be a couple of inches in from the sides on both places.
Okay.
[Drill whirring.]
[Clatter.]
Tom, I want all my customers happy, so it's very important to me that everything fits perfectly.
Yep.
Now it's your turn, Tom.
Okay.
[Metal clinking.]
In front of my own franchisee, I can't even screw a screw into the thing without dropping it.
That was a little bit embarrassing.
[Drill whirring.]
I'll take the drill from you.
You know, I think this was Tom's first time working with a drill and some screws.
Mm-hmm.
Good.
Got both sides in? No, not yet.
[Muttering indistinctly.]
Maybe if you center up your ladder, that might be a better position.
There it goes.
- Is it in? Totally in? - Yep.
Okay.
So you just installed your first set of blinds.
How do you feel like you did? I think it went okay.
Would I see Tom as a Budget Blind franchisee? Absolutely not.
He just did not have it for me.
He was just too quiet, too meek-mannered, and he just wasn't thinking fast enough.
Here, put this in this box.
Let's put on our shoes, and we're gone.
[Chuckles.]
Oh, thank you.
[Both laughing.]
- Do you have any kids? - Yeah, I only have one.
One 15-year-old.
His name is Ian.
- All right.
- Do you have any children? I do.
I have two sons.
I have a 12-year-old boy.
His name is Tyler.
And I have a ten-year-old, and his name is Peyton.
Tyler plays football, but now Tyler's injured.
I've got to take him to a neurologist.
What neurologist? Yes, well, he got a stinger, went for rehab, was cleared after six weeks, went back to play football.
Three weeks into it, got another one.
Now it's so bad, he can't write.
Oh, my gosh.
And so, like, no right-hand movement.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Like, he can't so I've gotta try to find another neurologist to find or to take him to, but everybody's, like, all booked up.
And then I try to call these freakin' doctor offices, and I'm like, can someone just see him? - Ugh, yeah.
- He cannot write.
He's he's 12.
That's that's scary.
Whenever a family member, especially your son or daughter, is ill, or something's wrong, there's nothing worse in life.
And so in this particular situation, when Maris has a son that might have some neurological damage, that's just super scary.
I hope everything works out okay.
I will show you how I do some of my marketing.
Okay.
We can stuff catalogues.
Specifically where I'm located I'm in the city of Chicago.
Mm-hmm.
So it's much more difficult to find a client.
I have high-rises, so what I do is I do direct marketing.
I call it "juicing the doormen.
" [Laughs.]
Um you know, if I don't know if I'm getting everybody in the building, if I go and make a relationship with the doorman, the resident owners are gonna look to that doorman as someone to ask, who does window treatments? Who does this? Who does that? Are they receptive to that? They are.
Sometimes they're very receptive.
And sometimes it's simple as, "here's $20.
Thank you so much.
" - Oh, you grease 'em.
- Oh, I grease 'em.
I call it juicing 'em.
Juicing, juicing 'em.
Yeah, I juice I juice my doormen.
Maris seems to be a hustler.
I think she's really created her own way of approaching this marketplace, and I can tell it's working.
Our corporate office does a really great job in terms of advertising.
Um, but I think they should do a better job in terms of local advertising.
Living here, I know what my customers are looking for.
And someone sitting in an office in California can't tell me what Chicago's up to.
You know, so we spend a lot of money giving our corporate office on advertising, but I don't feel like it's really being capitalized.
Yesterday when Keith brought up the national advertising fund, I got a little defensive.
We're all pooling in our money to the corporate office.
Why can't we have some control locally? Out of 15 franchises, a billboard on 290.
But after now hearing about it a couple times, I've really gotta go back and rethink how this whole thing should work.
We're just gonna get a little bit of this office work done.
Don't be afraid, 'cause you don't get paid by the hour.
Today I'm in Middleton, Wisconsin, working undercover in the factory where our blinds are made.
These employees here at this facility actually handle all of our blinds, so I'm here today just to make sure that when that product is manufactured, it's manufactured at the highest level, the highest quality, so that it ensures our franchisees get the best product at the best price.
Hi, are you Pam? Pam's right over there.
Blue shirt.
Blue shirt.
Which one's Pam? Hi, I'm Pam.
How are you? Hi, I'm Tom.
Nice to meet you.
- Tom? - Tom, yeah.
Okay, you're gonna start working here on Springs, huh? - I'm gonna give it a shot.
- Okay.
Let's get you started.
This is my friend Amanda.
- Hi, Amanda, I'm Tom.
- Hi.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
Good to meet you as well.
We have three steps that we do to get to the color that we want.
Okay.
We're gonna hang the rail.
They're heavy and they're long, and we need two people to hand it for safety.
Go to the paint line to get sprayed, and then take down and pack it.
Got it.
Okay, let's get to work, and I'll get you hooked up with some safety equipment.
Okay, here are your gloves.
- See if they fit you.
- Okay.
And this is your sleeve.
Sounds like a plan.
This is to protect you so when you're carrying the rods Got it.
Real quick, where's the restroom? Can you point me the way? Right around that corner.
Okay, perfect.
Thank you, Pam.
- You're welcome, Tom.
- Be right back.
[Romantic harp glissando.]
[Funky music.]
- So do you think he's cute? - I think he's cute.
For an older guy, yeah.
[Both laughing.]
Tom has a famous rock star look.
Skinny body and the tight legs.
Cute guy.
Cute dude.
[Laughing.]
Here he comes.
Am I on this side now? You can be at this end, and I'll be at this end.
All right.
You got it.
Okay, see those little slats there? - Yep.
- Okay.
We're gonna hook this in there.
Oh! Whoops.
Whoa! [Laughing.]
Whoops! - Uh-oh, that didn't - Oh, here we go.
Whoops.
There you go.
He's really awkward.
He's a bull in a china cabinet.
I think we have about 20 left to go.
[Clattering.]
Okay, ready? And again.
The hardest part about this job is really the monotony of doing the same thing over and over.
All day, over and over and over again.
Whew, all this sweating you do, you'd think I'd be skinny.
[Laughing.]
Okay, let me you're gonna have to bend down a little bit.
You're a pretty tall guy.
No problem.
There you go.
Tom was tall, but I told him that when he got down to the bottom, that he needed to bend, because otherwise, he'd be like this.
You'd be doing that all day long.
You'd go home with a backache.
But I got a hot tub.
I get to go home, and I sit in mine every night.
There you go.
High five.
High five, girl! You did good! [Laughing.]
[Romantic harp glissando.]
Oh, it's warm in here today.
[Laughs.]
Oh, Tom made me a little flustered.
[Chuckles.]
I thought he was very attractive.
I think I'm gonna invite Tom to my hot tub tonight after work.
There you go.
Ahh.
[Crowing.]
Ooh! Ooh! So where are you from? Oh, a little town called Mazomanie.
It's known for its nude beach down on the Wisconsin River.
Really? [Laughs.]
We don't have a lot of men in here.
Have you noticed? [Chuckles.]
Yeah, I see that.
These are gonna go through, and then they're gonna come out, so we have a 30-minute wait.
Oh, okay.
So how long you been doing this? I have been here at the company for 26 years.
You're a trooper.
How do you like it? Really? You guys do a lot of, like, things for recognizing your employees here? And they don't do that anymore.
Nobody's complaining about that or talking about that? Yeah, well, it doesn't go anywhere, and they'll show you the door if you don't like it here.
Really? [Chuckles.]
Wow.
I felt a little sad today talking to Pam about what's going on, and I think sometimes for these folks, I think recognition can be so valuable and play such an important role in making people and the morale just so much better.
I just put in for a week now.
My husband and I go to Mexico.
- What do you like to do? - Drink.
Yeah? I need a break after working here all day.
I bet.
Let's put our gloves back on and go back to work.
That's too dark.
See? Can you see that? Mm-hmm.
If it doesn't match our color sample, we don't pack it.
The color's gotta match.
It's definitely different.
We gotta take down.
That made me really happy to see the vested interest in the quality control today.
It's a little darker.
The first batch is different.
At this point, I think it's all about producing a high-quality product, which I can appreciate.
But I really got a sense that the morale needs to get boosted again.
So I've gotta get that fixed.
Now we gotta let everybody know that we're gonna take down some color.
[Shouts.]
Coming down! [Shouts.]
Coming down! Announcer: Coming up, the boss finds out he's not in charge.
All right, so two is all the way back.
No.
You always follow the consultant's instructions.
The customer was looking over at Tom and was like, "he's gonna install?" Announcer: And later, he hears some heartbreaking news.
Oh, my God.
Today I'm working undercover with the installer.
This particular franchise does really well.
They do 600 installs a year.
I'm hoping by going undercover, I can find out how this installer is helping this franchise become super successful.
Are you Dennis? - Yes.
- Hi, Dennis, I'm Tom.
- How are you doing, Tom? - Good, how are you? - All right.
- Good.
I'm a Budget Blinds installer.
I heard you're gonna give me a hand today.
- That's okay.
- Yeah, okay.
That happens all the time.
Wind catches it.
I just gave you a hand right off the bat.
Right, right, right.
[Laughing.]
Okay.
Now, when we go inside people's homes, I try to be very professional, okay? Because it's not comfortable for them to have strangers come inside their home.
That makes sense.
Tom came in with the black pants, the combat boots, and I was like, "oh, my.
" "That's not a work outfit.
" [Chuckles.]
- Hello.
- Mr.
Nixon? - How's it going? - I'm Dennis.
How are you? Good to meet you.
Come on in.
Yes, sir.
Now, would you like our shoes off? - No, it's fine.
- Okay, thank you, sir.
Would it be better for us to come through the front or through the garage? Uh, front's probably a lot easier.
- Okay, sir.
- All right.
Okay, go ahead and set the box there.
Now, it's our job as installers to make sure that they fit, 'cause there's no reason to put holes in their trim if this is not gonna fit.
Okay.
So we'll check out our measurement.
Dennis is taking me through every single detail of the process.
I mean, you name it.
He does not miss a beat.
All right, so two is all the way back.
No, no.
Well, there's nothing stopping it, so I don't know why you wouldn't go against the No.
You always follow the consultant's instructions.
Tom was like, "no, it should be all the way back.
" I had to explain to him, "no, the way my consultant measures" "is from the front of trim to the back.
" We don't know what her and the customer have talked about.
Okay.
And how they want the trim to be shown, to where the customer wanted that reveal.
I think the customer was looking over at Tom and was like, "he's gonna install?" I would not let Tom loose in a customer's house until I felt more comfortable with him installing.
[Drill whirring.]
Go ahead and mark those and set those while I do these.
You got it.
Ma'am? Yeah.
Yes, ma'am.
Tom.
Yes, sir.
People with high windows and stuff, the best thing we can do for them is to clean their windows for 'em.
Yep, yep.
I like it.
I do a little bit more than what I should, but then again, that's how they call you back.
All right.
Let's rock and roll.
[Drills whirring.]
There you go.
I'm gonna go ahead and get this ladder so I can go ahead and get ready for this high entry.
I've done this a few times now, so it felt good that Dennis could trust me.
[Drill whirring.]
Is there any other questions? Uh, no, I think everything looks great.
If you ever need to get hold of us again, our phone number is right there underneath.
We'll go ahead and get the fliers.
Every time I do an install, I put these out.
Now, I'm gonna go on that side, and you can take this side.
- You got it.
- Okay.
Tom, this is how we get our workout.
Yeah, I love it.
I find it a little interesting that on my undercover experience, the only time I've done any canvassing has been with an installer.
This franchisee not only gets it for his business, but he's teaching his employees to do the same, and that's exactly what we teach back in corporate.
I love seeing what's going on today.
All set.
- Good job.
- Hey, you too, my man.
Good job.
How about a beer? Sounds like a plan.
[Laid-back music.]
Hey, cheers, by the way.
Thanks for training me today I really appreciate it.
You did a great job.
Yeah.
Oh.
Thank you for saying that.
I don't think so, but I appreciate you saying so.
But you'll get better as you go along.
So you have kids? You're married? - 25 years.
- 25 years! Yep.
Five children.
Lost one.
Uh What do you mean, lost one? He got murdered about three years ago.
Oh, my God.
Somebody was shooting at his vehicle, trying to rob him, they said.
- Really.
- Yeah.
That's the one that got murdered.
- What's his name? - David.
David? How'd you get the news? A phone call.
And they gave me the address, and I went over, and he was still out there.
I mean, I Oh, so you saw him, like In the street, yeah.
[Softly.]
Oh.
Nobody ever plans on burying their child.
- There would be nothing worse.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean Did they find the person that did this? Really.
Dennis, I'm so sorry.
- Yeah.
- I'm so sorry.
I just can't imagine.
I just don't think it's in the order of things to lose a child.
The parents go first.
Then the child goes.
I just pray to God nothing ever like that happens to my son.
I don't think I could handle it even close to as well as Dennis handles it.
I know I couldn't do it, as a matter of fact.
So we overdo a little bit during Christmas for the grandkids.
How many how many kids? Did he have kids? - Five.
- He had f he had five.
So that's real important to us, to keep 'em close.
It makes some things more important than others.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
- You know, and, um Family time being number one, right? - Exactly.
- Yeah.
Every birthday, um, anniversary of his death, we just have it at my house, so everybody's there.
The inside of our house is too small, but we have the property on our house to put a walk-out deck.
Oh, you're making it for to entertain the family.
Yeah.
I think Dennis has a real good grasp of life, and I think that might happen to folks that go through such a tragedy.
He really is putting his family first, as top priority, and that just made me miss being back home again with my whole family.
I've gotta get home.
I can't wait to see them.
Cheers to you.
Cheers to your family.
And truly, it's been a pleasure getting to know you.
Let's drink one last drink and get rock and roll, what do you say? Okay, that sounds great.
There's no doubt being back on the front lines has made me aware of some issues that definitely need to get addressed and solved.
Now, this is more like it.
People I worked with think they are at Budget Blinds' headquarters to watch me give a pitch to a panel of judges in hopes of earning a second chance at starting a new business.
Tom deserves a second chance because he is cute and very intelligent.
Hello there.
[Giggles.]
You look so different.
- Do you recognize me? - Mm-hmm.
You're Tom.
Uh, I'm not Tom.
My name is actually Chad Hallock, and I am the CEO and co-founder of Budget Blinds.
Ah, very interesting.
Wow.
[Chuckles.]
Oh,Second Chances, my patootie.
[Laughs.]
Can you believe it? - Really? - For real.
- Really? - Hi, Pam.
You cleaned up good.
- Oh, well, thank you very much.
- You're handsome.
Oh, you're very sweet to say so.
[Giggles.]
I really enjoyed my time with you at Springs.
Every kind of word out of your mouth was all about quality control, so I really wanted to thank you.
You had made mention that the morale has kind of dipped a little bit.
Mm-hmm.
Since you mentioned it, one of the things Budget Blinds and I would like to do back for Springs we're gonna bring back the picnics for ya.
Wow.
Well, it's just a little something to say to all of you and your coworkers that we really appreciate you.
That's awesome.
There's actually, um, one more thing.
You love to go to Mexico.
Yes.
So I've talked to my partners, and we want to pay for that trip for you and your husband to go to Mexico.
- No way.
- So [laughing.]
Oh, my gosh! Yes.
That that's too much.
I think what you do is too much.
Oh, thank you! - Give me a hug.
- Oh, God.
Give me a hug.
[Romantic harp glissando.]
Ohhh.
He is just a big hunka walka romance.
He's just sweet.
He's a tall drink of water.
I just really want to thank you.
Oh, I want to thank you.
Please come to my hot tub.
[Crowing.]
Ooh! Ooh! Maris, let's, uh, let's talk about the national advertising fund.
Okay.
I actually heard from another franchisee while I was undercover, they didn't know how that money is being spent.
I'm gonna make it a goal to make sure everybody knows clearly how those funds are being spent.
Okay.
Also, both you and another franchisee talked about this whole idea of a regional or local campaign.
Yes.
And what we've decided to do is take $25,000 out of our own pockets, and we're gonna do a Chicago regional campaign.
We're gonna sit you folks down, and we're gonna kind of have a little committee that's going to I'll facilitate it, but they're gonna dictate to me how you want that money spent.
How do you like that so far? - So far, we're good.
- So far, we're good.
So far, we are so good.
If I can make you happy, then I can probably make anybody happy.
Would you agree with that? [Both laughing.]
Um, during our other conversation, I found out that your son Tyler? Yes.
There may be something neurologically going on there.
My son, Ian, had problems when he was a child.
He had some seizures.
I know what that feels like when your son might have things or issues to deal with, and I know how expensive that can be.
And, um, we're going to give you $30,000 - Oh, my God.
- All right? To help pay for whatever your son Tyler needs.
[Quietly.]
Thank you.
My pleasure.
Thank you so much.
I mean, I I [stammering.]
Thank you.
You're you're very welcome.
They didn't have to do any of this.
This makes it so much like one huge stress level off of my shoulders.
Like [Exhales.]
I feel like I can take a breath.
Hey, Keith.
So you feel a little off guard right now? A little off guard, yes.
So there's twin brothers - There are yes.
- Twin brothers.
- My brother Brent.
- Yeah.
And somehow, he's this wonderful human being, and I'm this intense, don't listen, serious person.
And you're right.
As soon as I heard you knocking the national advertising fund, I do get defensive.
Well, I think I've got a solution.
Instead of having you guys fork over your own money, I'm gonna help you come up with a local marketing plan, and we're gonna put $25,000 into it.
- Love that.
- All right? Now, I'm gonna facilitate it personally so that we can get everybody to land on an answer that we can actually execute.
That would be cool.
Just one request.
Shoot.
You sure Brent can't oversee it? [Laughs.]
Oh, Keith, you're killing me.
You're just killing me.
Um, something else I noticed when we did that sales call together that couple really needed some guidance, as opposed to just giving them so many choices.
And quite frankly, that just made the call take much longer than it should have.
As you know, Brent's probably the best salesman we've got.
- Yeah.
- Right? And since you're such a big fan of Brent's, I'm gonna actually send Brent out with you on a few sales calls to kind of have him see improvements.
And I think you're gonna find that it really isn't that difficult to improve.
I like that.
And last, but not least, one of the things I noticed talking about your kids is that's everything.
- Yeah.
- It's just everything.
And I know it's hard in this economy.
It's hard to make ends meet.
So we're going to put $15,000 per child into a college fund.
[Quietly.]
Wow.
So that [Laughs.]
[Voice breaking.]
Um Here.
Yeah, I might need that.
[Inhales shakily.]
That makes life a lot easier.
I mean, you really have no idea.
It's it's huge.
It's huge.
I never went to college.
I'm not saying that my life is bad or anything like that, 'cause it's not.
But hopefully, it'll make their life a lot easier.
Well, I gotta tell you, Dennis, I really enjoyed working with you more than I worked with anybody else.
Wow.
You exemplified the Budget Blinds spirit.
I can't tell you just how proud I was.
It's the way my mommy raised me.
Yeah, you can see that.
I want to do a few things for you.
First things first.
I want to fly you out to our upcoming convention - Wow.
- To spend time with us at the awards banquet.
That'll be neat.
The other Part of getting to know you was I know you lost your son.
Um, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for what you have gone through and what you go through, I'm sure, every day.
Nothing I can do or say to you could ever bring him back, I'm well aware.
At the same time, I know that family means more to you than anything.
[Sniffles.]
Yeah.
You talked about doing a remodel for your home, making it bigger, making it more able to entertain all those grandkids of yours.
- Yes, sir.
- Right? Yes, sir.
We want to give you $40,000 [Sniffles.]
So that you can, uh [Voice shaking.]
so that you can remodel.
[Whispers.]
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I don't know what to say.
[Laughs.]
Well, just say you're gonna love it.
I'm gonna love it.
And, um, just enjoy it.
- Okay.
- All right? Yes, sir.
All right, buddy.
Thank you so much.
You're so welcome.
That's the nicest thing anybody ever done for me.
I love you.
[Laughs.]
Forever.
I wanted to help your family too.
$40,000 is gonna be amazing.
The grandkids will be okay.
I'm about ready to pass out.
[Laughs.]
[Whispering.]
Open that door.
Go first.
- Hello, Chad.
- Hello.
Oh, my [Laughs.]
Gotta get a little in the back over here, buddy.
[All laughing.]
I feel like I actually have some hair.
That is too funny.
We thought, what better way to show our support, all of our solidarity, than going and getting mohawks ourselves? That says a lot, so thanks.
- Well, welcome back.
- Thank you.
I realized that what the franchisees really need is to be heard.
They want to feel like they're helping the corporate office make decisions on their behalf.
All those things I got to see loud and clear.
So why not tap into that a little more? I can tell you this.
It is great to be back home.
Now we got work to do, don't we? You guys have things to do? - Yes.
- Yeah, we sure do.
- Get lost.
- All right.
Thanks, guys.
Thanks, man.
- Thank you.
- See ya.
Because of going undercover, I had to be a lot more patient than I would otherwise have to be being Chad Hallock.
I love to debate, and maybe I should debate less and listen more.
That just might be a better way to go about running this business.