Local Army veteran Ben Bare is the owner of Window Genie’s newest location in Redmond. Window Genie is a national home services franchise that specializes in window cleaning, window tinting, pressure washing, gutter cleaning and more.

Before joining the Window Genie team, Bare spent eight years as an Army ranger, earning the rank of staff sergeant during his service that included nine combat tours to both Iraq and Afghanistan. During his transition out of the Army, Bare explored his options in franchising.

“I knew I wanted to be my own boss; business ownership always interested me,” Bare said. “My fiancé and I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest while I was stationed here, so we knew greater Seattle was the community we’d want to settle in and build the business and our future.”

Working with Jim Frank, franchise coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source, Bare was able to narrow his search down based on his goals, interests, strengths and weaknesses.

“What drew me to Window Genie was the lifestyle aspect,” said Bare. “A mobile service business means I can operate without the burden of a storefront and my schedule is flexible; I’ll never have to send my crew out for emergency window cleanings in the middle of the night or a gutter cleaning on Christmas.”

Bare said what excites him most about his new venture is the opportunity to provide jobs and create a team.

He said, “As staff sergeant, I had 10 people working under me and it became a family. That’s the kind of environment I’d like to build again, a team my community can depend on. Our business will grow and thrive through the relationships we build with the customer base.”