Running a Private Investigation ServiceBetween cracking cases and running the office, one franchisee uncovers hidden potential in the private-eye business.

Private investigation requires more than just a slight step anda keen eye, or so David Wilson has discovered since opening hisLyons & Wolivar Investigations franchise in November 2003. As afranchisee, Wilson's days are intense with cases to crack, butmurders and bank robberies are not among the offenses. Instead,specializing in insurance and workers' compensation fraud caseskeeps his team of five private investigators on their toes. Theycover the Nashville/Memphis, Tennessee, territory by hiding incars, following suspects and interviewing co-workers-anything ittakes to determine whether a suspect has committed fraud.

While the investigation work can be exciting and suspenseful,Wilson prefers to take care of the equally importantbehind-the-scenes tasks. He schedules caseloads, checks in with hisemployees, and markets his franchise. He also compiles andsummarizes reports to send to the insurance carriers andthird-party administrators that hire him. "Privateinvestigators will sit in the back of a car when it's 100degrees outside; but [they've] got to sit there because, ifsomething does happen, [they] need to get it," says Wilson,37. He respects the work his private investigators do but admits,"That doesn't appeal to me. Having and developing abusiness like this and getting in on the front end of somethingwith a lot of potential [does]."

Though much of Wilson's work is undercover, his satisfactionisn't. Not only has he fulfilled his entrepreneurial dream ofinvesting in his own venture, but he is also doing his part tofight the costly problem of workers' comp and insurance fraud."There are obvious situations where you know peopleshouldn't be receiving benefits," he says. "Just thefact that [we're] able to stop a few, and we're all doingthat together, we're going to make a dent. It's a veryviable enterprise for the future."