Miami grad builds business franchise into one of highest grossing locations in the nation
Brandi Brewer credits ºÚÁÏÉçÇø as an important partner in her professional success
Miami grad builds business franchise into one of highest grossing locations in the nation
Like many Americans, Brandi Brewer ’01 dreamed of owning her own business. She purchased a drug/alcohol/DNA testing franchise in 2017 and has grown it to be one of the most successful locations in the country for franchisor . She said her ºÚÁÏÉçÇø education has been an important part of her success in more ways than one.
After years of working in human resources for several different companies, Brewer said she was ready to try something new. A couple of experiences with corporate outsourcing, both personally and watching family members lose jobs, attracted her to the idea of being her own boss. When she saw an opportunity to purchase a Fastest Labs franchise in Fairfield, she decided to make the leap.
She knew something about mandatory drug testing from her years as a human resources professional. But the rest of the transition to business ownership she called “baptism by fire.”
“It was certainly a challenge to go from an employee to a business owner,” she said. “I had no experience in business finance or things like enterprise taxes. I never had those responsibilities. That was the hardest part to learn.”
She immersed herself in acquiring new skills. QuickBooks became an integral part of her life. She basically completed a self-taught crash course in bookkeeping and corporate tax law. It was rough going at first.
There were some advantages she had on her side, however. First, her husband was an experienced mechanic who knew his way around interior renovation and building maintenance, a big help with her new office. Second, her education at ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Regionals had given her some of the most important skills her business needed: the ability to network and sell her brand.
“Ultimately, this business is about cultivating relationships,” she said. “Miami prepared me for that by helping me learn skills like communicating with people from different backgrounds, learning how to work in a team, how to be a good public speaker, and networking. Those skills are what have helped me grow my business.”
Miami Regionals has become an important ally in growing her employee base, too. She has partnered with the university’s Work+ Program to hire Regionals ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs for part-time jobs. As part of the program, her company pays the ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs’ tuition as well as providing them with an hourly wage.
So far, Brewer has hired two Work+ ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs who have both turned into valuable employees. In fact, one of the ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs is now the manager for a second location she just opened in Roselawn in early March.
“From the business-owner perspective, finding the right employees can really be a struggle,” she said. “It takes you six months to train someone, so the one-year commitment that ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs make through Work+ is a huge benefit. The ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs are committed to their education, so you know they are working on skills that will be valuable on the job.”
Brewer also feels good about giving back to young ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs trying to start out and pay for school. She recalls how hard it was to juggle college and life. When she started at Miami Regionals in the late 1990s, she had a six-month-old baby, and by the time she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the main campus, she had two small children — one just an infant.
Finding her footing with franchise ownership
While the first few years as a new business owner were a struggle, Brewer said she is pleased with the success she is having now. Her Fairfield location did $65,000 in sales in January, the highest in the country for Fastest Labs, up from only about $15,000 in sales per month when she started. She feels her second location in Roselawn, near numerous employers in Cincinnati, can do even better.
“My current location serves about 300,000 people,” she said. “The new central office location will serve about 600,000 people. Required drug testing for employees has been our biggest source of growth.”
Brewer is also looking to hire more Miami ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs through Work+, saying it is one of the most valuable partnerships for her business.
Looking back on her journey from employee to business owner now, she said, “It was all worth it.”
She added: “I could never have gotten where I am without Miami.”