Her Story
About Tracy
I've been in the disaster recovery and restoration field since 2018, working with ServiceMaster franchises across Texas. I started at the bottom in collections, which I honestly think is the worst job in the whole industry, calling people asking for money when they don't know you and don't like you. But I worked my way up through payroll, bookkeeping, estimating, and job coordination. I became a branch manager, started a new location, and eventually became general manager overseeing multiple locations in Abilene. My team and I were awarded the Marion E. Wade Award, which is the highest honor in the ServiceMaster brand, the Founders Award. After working as general manager in Plano for almost a year, I planned to return home to East Texas and work remotely. That's when corporate called me about a brand-new position they had just created. Because I had helped them with new franchises in the past and they knew my work, they asked me to take on this role. Now, as Franchise Startup Manager, I help new franchise owners implement all our systems and software, stand beside them during on-the-job training, and support them through the huge learning curve. My typical day involves meetings, traveling to their locations, and going with new franchisees to high-performing locations so they can see what a typical week looks like. I provide solutions, give instructions, and really hold hands with new franchise owners to prevent burnout in this high-pressure industry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tracy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think it's my experience that helps, and the fact that my heart is to help people. I wouldn't say that I thrive on somebody else's disaster, but I know what to do, and I want to do it. I'm waiting to help somebody. I don't get tired of helping people. It's the satisfaction of putting somebody's home back together. Your home is really the best place you can be, and it's your sanctuary a lot of times. Our customers just want to get back in their home and get life back to normal, and that's what we do. We help people get back to normal after something pretty terrible has happened in their lives. For me, it's seeing the end goal. I can always see the big picture. I know that this happened, and it's hard, and it's dirty, and it's hot, and sometimes it's cold, but we have a job to do to get those customers back to where they need to be, to get back in their home. So you focus on the end, and that helps me not have burnout.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think the best piece of advice is going to be something that's very age-old. It's going to be work hard. Just work hard every day. Nothing of value is handed to you. So, if you're going to be proud of something, you should have worked for it. How can you be proud of something that somebody gives you? That would be the best advice that I would give somebody: don't expect things to be given to you, expect to work for it.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It's a high-pressure industry, and there's a lot of burnout in our industry, and that's what I want to prevent. I want to give the help that I can so that doesn't happen, so new franchise owners don't say, 'I can't do this.' I want them to see that they can do this. We meet people on their worst days, when they have disaster, when they have a flooded home, or when they have a fire. That's the industry that we're in. There's a huge learning curve with all of our software and systems, so having somebody that's actually done this in the field to kind of walk beside you and help you do it, and help you get through it, that's really my key responsibility.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My heart is to help people. I want to help people, and I don't get tired of helping people. It's the satisfaction of putting somebody's home back together. I am proud of our team members every day. One of the things that we do in ServiceMaster is we all represent the same brand, so helping everybody get to the same place, and knowing that when you call and that yellow van drives up or a yellow truck drives up in your yard, that you're getting the same excellence as you would if you called another ServiceMaster anywhere in the country, that makes me very proud. I also highly value integrity. I have never been one to ask people to notice me or tell them about my work. I just do it.
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