Brandon Doyle, the owner of Caring Transitions of Smyrna & Dallas, Georgia, spent years honing his leadership skills and dedication to service both in the military and the automotive industry. Now, as a Caring Transitions franchisee, Doyle is taking those experiences and channeling them into a successful business focused on helping seniors and their families through challenging transitions.
"When I was in high school, I joined the National Guard. I was infantry for six years," Doyle said. “I was also in the automotive space, working as a technician.”
After leaving the National Guard, Doyle ventured into the automotive industry, where he spent the next two decades running high-volume service departments for Mercedes Benz and BMW.
"For the past 20 years, I’ve been running service departments for big dealerships — it's a very complex business to be able to deliver that luxury experience," he said. This experience not only sharpened his business acumen but also reinforced his passion for delivering high-quality service.
While he enjoyed the fast pace of the automotive industry, Doyle began feeling the strain of managing such a demanding role. "It got to the point where I decided if I was going to run at this pace, I might as well go on my own," he said.
This realization led him to begin exploring franchise opportunities, where he could still utilize his operational expertise but also create something of his own. “I knew I didn’t want to start a business from scratch,” said Doyle. “All of the work that would entail was too big of a leap. I wanted to find something that would be a good fit, and there are thousands of options out there.”
Discovering Caring Transitions
Doyle’s search for a business to call his own led him to Caring Transitions, a senior relocation, estate sales and downsizing franchise. "When I came across Caring Transitions, I couldn’t even believe it was real," he said. “I never felt like I was being sold anything; I felt like I was being vetted more than I was vetting them, which is good!”
Caring Transitions helps seniors relocate by spending time at their homes, helping them pack and organize their belongings, then moving those belongings to the new home and setting them up in a way that feels comfortable and familiar. Then, the team returns to the original location to arrange and host an in-person or online estate sale through its proprietary platform, CTBids. These equate to multiple profit centers and customizable client solutions that allow franchisees to scale their business and increase profitability.
The brand's mission to help seniors and their families during difficult life transitions immediately resonated with Doyle’s service-oriented mindset.
"With Caring Transitions, it aligns with me perfectly,” said Doyle. “I love helping people. I wanted a playbook and to be able to have some guidance. They delivered on all of that.”
Doyle officially launched his Caring Transitions business in May 2024 and has already expanded his operations in the Smyrna and Dallas areas of Georgia.
“We recently had an online estate sale that was so big, we had to break it up into three sales because there were so many great items,” said Doyle. “The client was embarrassed by how much stuff she had in the house, and when we were downsizing, she was so happy. We are giving her her house back, and she already is having friends over! Right in the beginning, she told us that she had lost her father’s WWII medals and grandfather’s WWI medals. She thought they were in the garage, but it was floor-to-ceiling full of stuff. We opened every drawer, every book, and we couldn’t find them. We were getting towards the end, and sure enough, behind one of the drawers, we found them. She was blown away and could not believe we found them. That is what it is all about for us.”
A Perfect Fit for Veterans
Doyle believes that veterans like him are well-suited for franchise ownership, especially with Caring Transitions. "The franchise model aligns with veterans because you are trained to follow a process," he said. Veterans bring a unique blend of discipline, the ability to follow procedures and a willingness to put in the hard work — all traits that make them ideal franchisees.
"Most veterans are not afraid to put in the work. That is what it takes to be any type of business owner," Doyle said. "Veterans, in most cases, didn’t really know what they were getting into when they went to basic training, and their whole life got rocked. They figure it out, they work hard and they become successful soldiers, airmen or sailors. That is the same as franchising — you get into it, you get trained and then it's up to you."
For Doyle, owning a Caring Transitions franchise has allowed him to continue serving others in a meaningful way.
“My whole life — through the military and the automotive space — I was in the service department,” said Doyle. “I take care of people. I have always been serving, whether it be customers or associates. It's all about putting other people first, which is what really attracted me to Caring Transitions. These are people who really need help. Us coming in, spending time with them, getting to know them, taking on that stress — there is no better way to serve.”
As Doyle continues to grow his Caring Transitions franchise, he remains committed to building a business that not only serves his clients but also provides opportunities for his team. "I’ve always wanted to do more and have something that I could grow, as well as team members that I could grow,” he said. “That's the best part.”