Eddie Khan is truly a testament to living the American dream. Originally from Bangladesh, Khan came to the United States in 1992 to escape political and economic hardship. With odds of obtaining a student visa at one in 500, Khan luckily was awarded one and came to the United States with only $450 to his name. Through scholarships and grants, Khan attended the Colorado School of Mines and graduated with a degree in petroleum engineering.
Following graduation, Khan worked in Alaska for a petroleum engineering training program. He then moved to Hawaii, where he simultaneously began working for a construction engineering company and in timeshare sales.
Khan caught the entrepreneurial bug and decided to go into business for himself and started a recruiting company. Khan was later offered the opportunity to purchase the master territory for LA Weight Loss Centers Inc. and did so while continuing to run his recruiting company. In 2006, Khan sold his LA Weight Loss Centers territory and purchased the master territory for Anago of Hawaii. To diversify his business portfolio, Khan purchased the Warrick vacuum dealership for all of Hawaii and in 2011 he purchased Hawaiian Sign & Design.
Khan resides in Honolulu, and has been working as a master franchisee for Anago for the past six years. Founded in 1989, Anago Cleaning Systems is based in Pompano Beach, Fla., and has over 2,200 unit locations nationwide. Anago has been ranked one of the top 50 franchises for minorities.
The benefits of working within a franchise concept are the business owner works for themselves, but not by themselves, according to Khan. He said as an Anago master franchisee he has the freedom to build up his business, but reap the benefits of the support, guidance and name of a national company. “The structure of the company and the support that Anago provides is the greatest part of the franchise system. Anago offers excellent training and can always be called on whenever I have any sort of question,” Khan added.
Although there are competitors in the commercial cleaning business, Khan strives to differentiate his business within his community. “The greatest difference between my Anago business and our competitors on the island is that we know the market better than anyone. We do a lot of market research to figure out what our clients need,” said Khan. “Through all of my business ventures and years of experience in Hawaii we have created a powerful network that allows my Anago territory to succeed at the highest level.”
Ever the entrepreneur, Khan is invested in developing his Anago territory. “Currently I’m focused on building up my business and expanding throughout all the islands of Hawaii,” said Khan.
Khan thoroughly takes advantage of all that Hawaii has to offer, and takes the opportunity to surf whenever he gets a chance. “There’s nothing quite like catching a big wave. I also enjoy running and I take part in The Honolulu Marathon every year,” said Khan.