Young Entrepreneur Expands Business in Houston and Beyond

Young entrepreneur Masroor Fatany started Sears Garage Solutions of Houston in 2009 at the age of 22.  Sears Garage Solutions is a Sears franchise that provides repair and installation services and offers a full line of garage doors and accessories.    

Masroor’s exposure to entrepreneurship came at the early age of 10 when he frequently accompanied his father on service calls in his air conditioning business.  He later worked in another family business in retail packaging and shipping.  While attending college he and his father launched Unlimited Calling, Inc. selling pre-paid Cricket wireless products.  They expanded the business and now have 6 locations.

After graduating from Texas A&M with a bachelor’s in accounting and a Master’s in Finance, Masroor worked as an Assurance and Advisory Associate at Ernst and Young.  In less than a year, he realized he wanted to be a full time entrepreneur and began his search for a business idea.  His search took him to Sears where he was chosen among 30+ applicants.  He started the business with the help of a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).  Masroor also utilized the services of the University of Houston Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a resource partner of the SBA, that provides assistance to small businesses.  Always looking for ways to improve and grow his business, he took advantage of all the services the SBDC offered, including research in their library, training classes, counseling, procurement and technical assistance, and the Professional Services Network of providers. 

Upon completion of the Sears franchise training, Masroor hired one technician and committed himself to learn every aspect of the business.  He launched an aggressive on-line marketing plan, and implemented an innovative customer service and scheduling system.  His business covers 4 territories in Houston with a recent addition in San Antonio, where he turned the struggling location around increasing sales to over 500% in less than a year.  Masroor hired an additional 6 technicians to accommodate his rapid growth rate and after his first full year in operation, was recognized by Sears Home Services Garage Solutions as the fastest growing franchise in 2010 and the 4th largest franchise (out of 45 Sears franchises) in the network.  He was distinguished as the youngest owner to run the fastest growing franchise across the entire Sears franchise network covering carpet cleaning, garage solutions and home services.    

Now at the age of 25, Masroor continues to develop his mentoring skills and keeps active in business organizations.  He is a member of the Advisory Board for Sears’ franchises and is a member of the Greater Houston Partnership-Business Leadership Council, Texas State CPAs and Private Equity and Venture Group.  Masroor is the 2012 SBA Houston District Young Entrepreneur of the Year. 

Sears Garage Solutions of Houston is located at 1331 Gessner Dr., Houston, TX 77055.  For more information, visit their website at http://www.searsoverheaddoorhouston.com/.  For information about SBA and the UH SBDC’s programs and services, visit http://www.sba.govand http://www.sbdc.uh.edu.