Who doesn’t love a good romance story? However, instead of star-crossed lovers, this one is about the perfect franchise match that we found in Keith and Shelley Warren and the love they had for our tried-and-true business model. Even with more prime territories selling out each month, we still get excited with each new signing, and we know this latest pair of Franchise Owners feels the same way. Join us while we introduce the Warrens as our newest Footprints Floors franchisees as they get ready to open their home flooring franchise in their hometown of Lebanon, Ohio!

 

Introducing Keith & Shelley Warren, Our Newest
Ohio Franchisees

Returning to Business Ownership through Franchising

In the business world, no one is a stranger to mergers and acquisitions, and Keith is no exception. This year, after having worked through his second acquisition, he knew it was time to move away from the corporate grind in favor of something that would give him control over his own schedule again. If there’s one thing that can create urgency for change in a career (and quality of life!), it’s a merger.

Once the Warrens decided to take a leap of faith, the couple began their franchise search, working with franchise brokers to learn more about franchising before settling on the home services industry. Footprints Floors caught their eye partly because of Keith’s experience in the industry, but it was our recession-proof services, Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), and minimal seasonality that encouraged their decision to move forward and attend an Approval Day (or two).

Getting to Know Footprints Floors

The Approval Day process is usually a one-day affair, but Shelley fell ill the night before. In spite of this, Keith powered through and attended his first of two days on his own. It was there that he had the chance to chat with other prospective Franchisee Candidates and the entire Footprints Floors support team. It didn’t take long for him to fall in love with our home flooring business model and support options.

However, he headed home and – not wanting to push his wife into franchising blind – sat down and scheduled a second Approval Day visit for the two of them. On this second date, it was Shelley’s turn to gush over the Footprints business model; this time, the couple was able to make the joint decision that Footprints Floors was the franchise for them.

The Warren’s Admiration of Our Support & Lead Generation Assistance

Footprints Floors has always worked to uphold our commitment to extensive franchisee support, and that was clear to the Warrens shortly after getting to know us. During both their initial research and their Approval Day visits, Keith and Shelley recognized how thorough we are in our business development with new and veteran franchisees alike. From our CSRs (customer service representatives) and lead generation assistance to our corporate operations support team, Footprints Floors works to ensure every new home improvement Franchise Owner feels support, regardless of the level of prior flooring experience they bring to the table.

“Over the course of my career in the logistics field, I wore multiple hats. The one thing that I just never really liked about the sales hat was cold calls [and] trying to get somebody interested in the front side. I’m really excited about the fact that there are CSRs and [about] the marketing that [Footprints] does. The entire process of lead generation starts way before anything gets into my footprint – no pun intended.” – Keith Warren

Rather than asking franchisees to spend hours cold-calling on the phone each day, only to end 99% of calls with nothing to show for their time, we work hard to walk all customer requests through the sales funnel on the Franchise Owner’s behalf. Plus, with our variety of SEO (search engine optimization), social, and other marketing programs, the Footprints Floors team also aims to generate leads in the first place, leaving home improvement Franchisees to only deal with warm calls and pre-qualified customers.

The Warrens’ Decision to Join the Footprints Floors Family

While the Warrens had committed to joining a franchise after Keith’s exit from his newly acquired company, they had a few options available to them when it came down to their final signing. After two Approval Days, Keith and Shelley felt that our home services franchise resonated with his background and their long-term goals for the future – both their individual goals as well as the hope to turn their Footprints Floors into a family business.

“Because Footprints has been around [so] long, they really have this down to a science. It’s not like we’re trying to reinvent the wheel; we just follow what they’ve already done. [Also], they’re always looking for ways to improve, and I like that they’re not stagnant.” – Shelley Warren

Help Us Welcome the Warrens to the Footprints Floors Franchise!

As always, our team sat down with the newest couple to join our franchise family to hear more about their experience with Approval Day, their goals for the future, and everything in between. Here is a little peek into that Q&A to get you excited about Keith & Shelley and their new Lebanon franchise territory.

“Did you have a moment where you knew Footprints Floors was the one franchise for you?”

Keith Warren: “It’s kind of a funny story because there were actually two approval days. We were set and ready to go on the first one, [but] Shelley got sick, so she couldn’t go. I wound up going on the first day and fell in love with it. I came home really excited, but also – because we’re definitely a team operation here, we don’t do anything singly – I wasn’t going to come home and force my thoughts [on Shelley]. I wanted her to see for herself. So, we scheduled another day two weeks later, and both of us went back.”

Shelley Warren: “That’s what [made me feel] comfortable saying, ‘okay,’ and believe it was something that would fit us.”

“Were you interested in the home services industry due to your previous industry experience?”

K: “Yeah, that and looking at all the things that happened with the economy in the past several years, it’s a market that’s going to continue to grow, for one. With this, you’ve got both the new installs as well as the new refinishes and things like that. So, [with Footprints Floors], you’re constantly having some avenue of having some potential income. [And], culturally, it’s a big fit with us. The entire support network and the way the company operates – everything from Bryan to Todd [to] everyone we met really resonated with us well.”

“Sitting here now, what excites you most about launching your Footprints Floors up and going?”

S: “Getting up and going! Getting finished with all this preliminary stuff and actually getting to a point where we’re actually operational is what’s making me excited.”

K: “[I’m excited to] finish the on-site training, getting a better understanding of how we’re supposed to move forward, how the entire process works, and getting in front of customers. [We want to] get that ball rolling and build something of our own that we can manage [where] we’re not beholden to some other manager’s decisions controlling where we’re gonna go in the future. We’ve got a couple of sons in their 20s that might want to jump into the business at some point in time, [so that] gives us an exit strategy and keeps the business in the family.”

 

While Keith and Shelley finish up their training, we know both they and our entire team are excited to see them hit the ground running with their new home flooring business and introduce Footprints Floors to Lebanon, Ohio! However, their territory isn’t the only region that’s the perfect fit for our home improvement franchise. If you’ve been thinking about jumping into business for yourself so you can take control of your schedule like Keith and Shelley, Footprints Floors is the place for you. Complete our quick, 1-minute qualification quiz to get started today!