How Voda Went All In and Scaled Nationwide (with Dan Claps) | Ep. 4

Franchise growth rarely happens overnight, but Sean McKay sits down with Dan Claps to share a journey that proves persistence pays off. Born with an entrepreneurial streak, Dan went from running college businesses to discovering franchising in his early twenties. He learned the hard truth about scalability, built a lead generation company serving the franchise industry, and eventually made the leap into home services and restoration.

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With the acquisition of a single-location Northern Virginia business, Dan and his team rebranded and launched Voda Cleaning & Restoration in 2023. The early months were brutal — losing $70,000 a month with zero franchise interest — until a pivotal moment turned the tide. Now with about 100 franchise owners in 30 states, Dan reveals the leadership decisions, financial insights, and operational systems that fueled Voda’s rapid expansion. Listeners will hear candid lessons on building ahead of the curve, avoiding early-stage pitfalls, and why the first franchise sale is always the hardest.

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👤 Guest Bio

Dan Claps is the CEO of Voda Cleaning & Restoration. He began his career in franchising in 2014 after years of running his own businesses. Dan built a successful lead generation company in the franchise space, which was acquired by private equity in 2022. With that capital, he co-founded Voda alongside industry professionals and original founder Dragon. Under Dan’s leadership, Voda has grown from one location to about 100 franchise owners across 30 states.

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📌 What We Cover

• Dan’s unconventional entry into franchising after early entrepreneurial ventures
• Lessons from hitting a ceiling without scalable systems in his first businesses
• Building and selling a franchise-focused lead generation company
• Why he chose the restoration industry and partnered with Voda’s founder
• The all-in risks of launching a franchise brand and surviving early losses
• Growing to 100 franchise owners by focusing on operations, leadership, and support
• The importance of finance leadership for franchisors and unit economics
• How franchise consultants, SEO, and Facebook ads fuel their lead generation
• Nurturing leads with immediate follow-up, automation, and education
• Why franchisors must focus on supporting owners and continually adding value

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🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Voda Cleaning & Restoration
• LinkedIn – Dan Claps