Increasing drain-cleaning technology helps a company succeed.
Throughout his more than 20 years experience in residential drain cleaning, Jim Holcomb saw pipe cleaning and inspection transformed by computers. With his first company RotoCo, a Roto-Rooter franchise for Ventura County north of Los Angeles, Holcomb found that increasing technology gave his clients an added value. Software packages could give detailed print-out reports on-site, and inspection cameras could capture clogged drains lines in full color and streaming video. Taking advantage of the new equipment on the market, his business grew and he expanded to a second Rooter franchise, this one in Riverside County south of L.A.
But Holcomb saw an opportunity to break free of the limitations of residential service - the marketing woes and sales frustrations. With the economy working in his favor, Holcomb began Innerline Engineering, a municipal pipe-cleaning and inspection business. Now he could secure contracts that would generate millions of dollars in revenue, and extend over several years. In municipal work, payments arrive monthly and without requiring additional sales efforts or the headaches of paperwork.