Feb 24 2011
Iowa native Brad Yaeger has opened his Fresh Coat Painting franchise to serve the Quad Cities of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline, Ill.
A former sales representative for an industrial painting company, Yaeger, 35, said that owning his own company fulfills a long-time dream.
“I’ve had lots of million-dollar ideas with a $10 budget,” he said. “Like a lot of others, I had the desire, but not the means.”
The low start-up cost for the Fresh Coat franchise was one factor that attracted him, he said, and the ongoing support provided the extra boost he needed to make the leap.
“For at least three years, I’ve had the feeling there was something else out there,” he said, yet he liked the “security blanket” of a steady paycheck. “The guys in Cincinnati showed me how they go about helping me. You can do it on your own, but having a collection of useful knowledge from a whole network of people makes a difference.”
“Helping franchisees succeed is a company imperative,” said Bernie Brozek, president of Fresh Coat. “We strive to support people like Brad who are dedicated, sincere and eager to reach the next levels of their lives by providing professional services such as company financing, marketing materials, excellent training and ongoing support.”
Yaeger said he especially appreciated the professionalism of the organization, and he will extend that to his company. His job is to promote and grow the business while his team of managers and professional painters actually do the work. Yaeger will not do any painting himself.
“First, I don’t like to paint. I’m sloppy, messy and don’t do a good job,” he said. “Second, if you’re holding a paint brush in one hand doing that job and holding a phone in the other hand trying to book the next job, you’re not giving 100% of your attention to either job.”
To help franchisees give excellent service to clients, Fresh Coat offers several assistance programs, Brozek said, including a 24/7 call center, the Paint Now-Pay Later financing program, an Automatic Touch-Up program for business owners, and a unique fund-raising opportunity for nonprofits.
Such offerings impressed Yaeger and his wife, Calley, who joined him during the training.
“I’ve checked out the competition and have not found another painting company with all the things we offer,” he said. “It’s what separates us.”
The fund-raising program for schools, churches and charitable organizations impressed Yaeger significantly. This program allows a group to sell services in its name with $50 of each $249 purchase being returned to the organization.
“That is a huge deal,” Yaeger said, adding that he pitched the idea to his church because it is growing and in need of money for its building fund and other programs.
“If I know that my paint job is going to benefit my church, I’d go for it,” he said. “And I believe people affiliated with other organizations – the Humane Society, Make-A-Wish, schools, sports teams, whatever – would feel the same. Going forward, I see that as something good, and I really like that.”
And, he added, it’s a real benefit to the individual unlike candy, trinkets and other fund-raising efforts.
“No one puts a dollar sign on their own time,” he said. “But when you think about spending an entire day or a whole weekend doing your own painting, wouldn’t you rather be spending that time doing something else? Your time with your family and friends is valuable.”
Source: http://www.freshcoatpainters.com/