Local Army Veteran Sees Layoff as Opportunity for Freedom

Window Genie announces the grand opening of its newest location in West Austin on April 11th. Local Army veteran David Wimberly is the owner. Window Genie is a nationally ranked home service franchise specializing in residential and light commercial window cleaning, window tinting, pressure washing, gutter cleaning and more. Window Genie of West Austin will serve Bee Cave, Lakeway, West Lake Hills, Oak Hill and surrounding communities.

The individualistic, entrepreneurial spirit that led him to business ownership has always influenced Wimberly’s decisions. Before purchasing a Window Genie franchise, Wimberly graduated from West Point, served in Iraq and eventually found success in medical device sales in Jacksonville, Florida. He said, “A lot of my friends who also left the military were going the recruiter route, but me being me, I wanted to figure out something completely different on my own. I’m very contrarian in that if everyone’s going in one direction, I tend to want to explore what’s on the opposite end of the spectrum if for no other reason than to say I did it my way.”

After experiencing a few years of great success in sales, Wimberly’s pursuit of a more challenging position landed him and his family in Austin in late 2013 when he was promoted to global sales trainer. “The best thing that came out of this new position was that it brought us to Austin; we’ve fallen in love with this town. It turned out that my new job required me to travel a lot more than expected, and it wasn’t the lifestyle I wanted given I had 3 young children at home. While passively looking for another opportunity this past winter, I got a call just before Christmas saying my department had been eliminated. While it bothered me that it wasn’t on my terms, the layoff was ultimately a blessing that launched me in the right direction towards business ownership.”

With his new found free time, Wimberly began his search for the right business opportunity. He said, “I finally decided to listen to my inner voice that always told me I could make it on my own. I have a friend who I call a serial entrepreneur and I’ve always admired his drive and envied his lifestyle.” Through networking connections, Wimberly was introduced to Merri Cronk, franchise consultant with FranNet. Wimberly said, “When we met, Merri was able to help me hone in on exactly how I wanted to spend my days. While doing research on my own, I hadn’t been able to nail down exactly what aspects of any given business would support or hinder my ability to be successful, balanced and happy. She helped me weed through the countless opportunities and I was able to focus on gaining the information that would help me make the best, most informed decision for me and my family.”

Ultimately, Wimberly chose Window Genie because the business allowed him the most autonomy. He said, “I wanted a business that I could comfortably grow within my control. Also, Window Genie has broad appeal in my territory because the services are all in high demand and very affordable. I feel confident in my networking skills and ability to earn and maintain customer relationships. Also, my experience in training and management will help me to build a strong, reliable team to serve the community I love.”

Opening just in time for the spring cleaning season, Wimberly says he’s excited to make an impact in the community. “What I sell is peace of mind and time. Peace of mind about who’s on your property and the quality of the service; and freeing up time to spend the way you want it, not on a ladder all day cleaning windows or renting a pressure washer to clean your driveway. Customers will find value in our services when they come home to a fresh, clean home they didn’t waste their whole weekend cleaning themselves.”

Window Genie’s field technicians are fully trained, insured, bonded and have passed a background check. All estimates are free. For more information, contact owner David Wimberly at dwimberly@windowgenie.com or 512-953-1233