Press Release

In the world of franchising, it's not uncommon to assume that a background in the industry is a prerequisite for success. However, Fresh Coat Painters, a leading painting franchise with over 170 units under the Strategic Franchising Systems umbrella, challenges this notion. As part of the brand’s commitment to empowering entrepreneurs from all walks of life, Fresh Coat ensures that franchise owners don't need a painting background to become a successful business owner — they simply need passion, drive and a desire to work within the franchise system.

Brian Santos, Fresh Coat's Director of Education, sums it up by emphasizing that Fresh Coat is a people business, not a painting business. "We really want business-minded franchisees who are good with people," he said. "We will provide you with all of the resources, support and processes on the technical side, but it is up to you to support that in the day-to-day interactions with human beings." 

At Fresh Coat, this in-depth franchisee support comes in the form of a development team, onboarding team, education team and specialized business coaches who maintain ongoing communication with franchisees. The Fresh Coat team provides training, business coaches, digital marketing, PR, estimating/quoting technology, painter-recruitment systems, regional/national conferences, online seminars, peer-to-peer educational programs, national supplier/vendor alliances and more. 

"That support system is one of the best values that you get for this franchise investment," said Santos. “What is great about a franchise system is that you are in business for yourself, not by yourself. We have peer reviews and communities you can draw experience from. Moreover, by joining Fresh Coat, entrepreneurs have the chance to leverage the backing of an expert leadership team that has helped grow the brand to nearly 200 locations.”

Fresh Coat also offers over 150 hours of virtual training and 40 hours of hands-on training at their academy in Cincinnati. The training covers both the business aspects and the mechanics of painting, including wall assessment, proper application standards and more. From there, franchisees are provided with over 100 standard operating procedures that have been vetted by the Painting Contractor Association.

When it comes to finding customers, Fresh Coat provides franchisees with in-depth digital marketing tools. "We do a lot of training on how to make connections with home shows, interior designers, retailers, general contractors, etc." Santos explained. "They spend money via the national branding fund with us, but at the end of the day, what really makes them successful is the money they spend locally. To get the most out of those funds, we have extensive support and training on how to handle marketing at a local level.”

And amid ongoing labor shortages, Fresh Coat also ensures franchisees have the tools they need to connect to the painters and contractors in their market. “We have a lot of resources on how to effectively hire, manage and retain people,” said Santos. “We work with ADP, for example, which offers an extensive employee manual to ensure projects get done right.”

So, with so much support available, the ideal Fresh Coat franchisee doesn’t have to be a painting expert with decades of experience — they just need to be a self-motivated individual with great communication skills, Santos says. 

"Since this is a people business, our best franchisees are the ones who know how to communicate with clients and approach people," Santos said. "It is about creating consistency in that dialogue, not only with customers, but with fellow franchisees."

Now, the Fresh Coat team is looking to help more passionate and qualified entrepreneurs to achieve their goals while expanding the brand’s footprint across the country. 

“At the end of the day, our goal is to bring in the right people that fit within our system,” said Fresh Coat VP of Sales Leo Haley. “They want to be an owner executive. They want to be successful. They want to get out of the corporate world. They want to steer their own ship and achieve their goals. If we find 30 franchisees like that this year, fantastic. If we find 60, even better. Overall, we just want to work with our franchise owners to ensure they are as successful as possible and to showcase that we are not just another painting franchise concept.”