Sarah Ross spent years working in company accounting, following a path that felt predictable — however in the end unfulfilling. The lengthy hours, inflexible construction and lack of autonomy started to put on on her. Although she appreciated the steadiness and had a knack for numbers, Ross began to query what it was all for and who was actually benefiting from her effort.
“I felt, if I am working 14-hour days, it needs to be for me as a substitute of anyone else,” she says. That realization marked the start of a serious profession pivot.
However Ross knew herself properly: “I used to be too risk-averse to start out one thing from the bottom up,” she says. “I felt comfy operating the back-office aspect of a enterprise. So I made a decision to go the franchise route as a result of I knew I wanted teaching on gross sales and advertising.”
Changing into the contractor who “will get the job executed”
After researching her choices, Ross landed on Fresh Coat Painters, a residential and business painting franchise. She says three elements drove her determination: affordability, a promising territory and confidence within the product. Ross additionally had firsthand expertise with unreliable contractors and noticed a possibility not simply to run a enterprise, however to repair an issue she — and lots of others — understood all too properly.
“Having been a feminine house owner myself and coping with some unreliable, undependable contractors, I felt like I may very well be that reliable contractor,” she says. “The one which exhibits up [and] will get the job executed.”
Ross was additionally drawn to the expansion potential within the U.S. residence companies trade, which was valued at $212 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $893 billion by 2031.
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Rent one of the best and deal with them pretty
Ross launched Recent Coat West Austin in Texas in 2015 and introduced in revenue of about $300,000 within the first 12 months. Ten years later, she’s grown the enterprise to $2.8 million — and he or she’s aiming to hit $3 million this 12 months. Considered one of her key methods for progress is constructing deep native relationships.
“We’re closely tied to the true property market,” she says. “So the relationships we constructed with realtors helped us. Publish-Covid-19, we had a bump in enterprise, then it slowed when the market cooled. Now, we’re beginning to see issues pattern again up.”
Ross additionally credit the demographic progress of her territory as a serious benefit — the Austin metro space is without doubt one of the fastest-growing areas within the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However the true driver, she says, has been consistency — exhibiting up for patrons and incomes belief over time.
One other essential issue is her dedication to her staff. The portray trade has excessive turnover as a result of, in contrast to many different commerce professionals, painters often aren’t required to be licensed. That lack of regulation can result in inconsistent talent units and poor therapy by some contractors, so Ross has developed a eager eye for figuring out nice painters and preserving them. “Deal with them pretty, pay them on time and present them respect,” she says. “That is considerably of a recreation changer for them.”
Connecting with purchasers
As a woman business owner in a historically male-dominated trade, Ross has discovered her identification to be a energy. “We primarily do residential repainting,” she says. “After we’re quoting, it is typically to feminine owners they usually’re virtually pleasantly shocked when [a woman shows up]. It helped me stand out.”
Recent Coat has deliberately sought range amongst its franchisees and staff and its prime management sees this as a energy. “My predecessor was additionally feminine,” Recent Coat President Lisa Hudson says. “About 30% of our house owners at Recent Coat are both feminine house owners or husband-wife house owners, so we now have a reasonably sturdy feminine presence, which is necessary as a result of it is about 70% ladies clients that you just’re speaking to.”
Ross’s leadership model has additionally advanced because the enterprise has grown. Early on, she says she approached issues with a extra analytical mindset, typical of her accounting background. At the moment, she’s extra targeted on being solutions-driven and people-first. “If one thing’s flawed, I am not going to take a seat on my palms,” she says. “I will attempt to repair it. I inform my guys, ‘Simply inform me what’s flawed and I will work out how one can assist.'”
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Going for $3 million in income
Wanting forward, Ross is not planning to develop into new territories. As an alternative, her focus is on deepening relationships and maximizing progress inside her present footprint. “I’ve a tremendous territory,” she says. “So the purpose is to proceed to develop these relationships and add further ones the place we are able to.”
Ross has her sights set on hitting the $3 million mark this 12 months and he or she’s added a little bit of pleasant competitors to the purpose. One fellow franchisee within the system has intently matched her income over the previous few years and that rivalry has turn out to be a motivating issue. “I jokingly say my plan for this 12 months is to beat him to $3 million.”
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