Joey Billiot’s background is rooted in the discipline and dedication he learned through his years of military service. Prior to owning a Signal franchise, he served in the Marine Corps and later as a security contractor overseas where he honed his leadership skills and developed an understanding of the value of teamwork.
After coming back to the US, Billiot began researching Signal, which he had heard about from a coworker overseas. He was intrigued by the concept and, after finding a business partner, made the decision to buy a franchise.
Although he runs multiple successful franchises today, the first year of Billiot’s business was anything but. That year he says he signed seven patrol contracts, but wasn’t profitable, and had to pick up odd jobs to make ends meet. Many people would be defeated by a first year like this, but not Billiot.
“I don’t quit,” he said. “I don’t like losing. And I’m not going to quit something just because I didn’t get it in a year. This is a long play. This is not a five-year thing, not even a ten-year thing. This is something I’m going to be doing for 20-30 years.”
Billiot said that, after a challenging first year, he was able to persevere and start seeing success. The no’s began to turn into yeses and the team picked up a large, dedicated contract. A few months later they expanded into New Orleans and felt like they finally were on solid ground.
Since then, Billiot and his team have expanded into five markets across three states, including Little Rock, Arkansas. His franchise in Little Rock has seen exponential growth since launching in late 2022, picking up a massive contract with Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield. Running franchises across such a large physical area may be overwhelming for some folks, but Billiot’s team has faced the challenge head on. Billiot emphasizes communication with clients as the key to successfully running large contracts.
“It is just nonstop communication,” he said. “We still communicate frequently with our point of contact and we’re very upfront with him. I believe in telling people right away that, yes there may be mistakes on day one, and they’re much more understanding if that happens.”
As a franchise owner with markets in multiple states, Billiot also knows there are differences between his territories, and challenges to face when launching in a new city. Getting used to the nuances both clients and staff have in each market can take time, and Billiot has invested time in changing the culture of the Little Rock office.
Billiot said that the initial culture shift in Little Rock aimed to implement new systems and processes but was met with resistance from existing employees who resented the new management team. After transitioning out team members who opposed the changes, the culture shift happened much faster. A key player in this shift, Billiot said, was Janelle St. Julien, who they call their “fixer.”
“She goes in and starts working on the culture immediately,” he said. “It was probably six or seven months in, and she was already doing a great job getting the team to better understand what we were looking for. Like, this is what we’re looking for, these are the teams we build, this is how we work together. It’s not just, ‘I’m here for a job,’ it’s true team building.”
That kind of team building is central to Billiot’s success. Running franchises with teams across several states requires building meaningful connections and a strong communication framework with all team members. He understands that strong relationships are the foundation of a successful business and investing in them pays dividends in the long run.
“Relationships are the only thing that matter in this business because we are in the people business,” he said. “Without relationships we are not going to have any people. I'm not in this to just make money. Obviously, we want to be profitable and have good lives, but helping somebody change their life is more rewarding at the end of the day. When I build these relationships with all our coordinators, directors and anybody, it's because we want to see them successful. And if I want to be successful, I need to make them successful first, at what they're doing. They use my name whenever we do the Million Dollar Club or whatever else it is, But it ain't me. It's them. They're the ones out there. They're the ones in the field. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are.”
For those just starting their journey with Signal, Billiot offers a valuable piece of advice: grit. Being able to keep moving forward in the face of challenges has been a trademark of his time as a Signal Franchise Owner, and he knows success is not guaranteed, nor does it happen overnight.
“It’s never good all the time,” he said. “You’ll have awesome things that'll happen in the day and then you'll have a super low and it can go from one extreme to the other and you have to go from being super happy to all right, let's go deal with this and then go home and not let it affect you and not let your team see it affect you ever. You can't bring it to work. They bring it to work. That's one thing. You as the owner, you have to have grit and keep going.”
