Mandye Tovias Brings Footprints Floors Franchise to Melbourne, Florida!

Here we grow again! Footprints Floors is adding Melbourne, Florida to our list of U.S. cities where we offer premier flooring installation services, and it’s all thanks to new Franchise Owner Mandye Tovias!

We never get tired of hearing what led our new Franchise Owners to the faith-based Footprints Floors business opportunity, and Mandye is certainly no exception. We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Mandye and her husband and hearing their franchise discovery story. Here’s what they had to say about what led them to invest in our flooring installation franchise.

Mandye’s Road to Entrepreneurship

With an impressive resume featuring experience in industries as diverse as biotech, banking, and entrepreneurship, Mandye’s career has given her a wealth of experience that can successfully be applied directly to franchise business ownership through Footprints Floors. Thanks to her previous business ownership experience, Mandye is ready to hit the ground running as a Footprints Floors Franchise Owner, operating as the face of the business while her husband continues in his current role as a Senior Operations Manager for a major OEM corporation. 

Mandye’s rich and expansive career background has allowed her to accumulate the knowledge and skills that are necessary to own and operate a Footprints Floors home services franchise, but what led her down the path to entrepreneurship in the first place? Surprisingly, the impetus for her new venture came from an acquaintance who wanted to break free from the rat race. “A coworker of mine was disillusioned with corporate life,” she says, noting that a change to self-employment made all the difference in her former colleague’s way of life. “He talked about the weight that was lifted off his shoulders,” Mandye recalls. This piqued her own interest to the point of reaching out to a franchise consultant to look into some potential opportunities. 

After mulling over the idea and conducting her own research, not to mention taking a look at our low financial investment and outstanding potential for profitability, Mandye discovered that Footprints Floors was the franchise brand she’d most like to work with as a business owner. After some deliberation, the couple agreed that Footprints Floors was the ideal franchise investment opportunity for them.

How Footprints Floors Ensures Success

When they chose to invest in our flooring installation franchise, Mandye was far from making an ill-informed choice. To her, Footprints Floors seemed to provide the best support for their business needs, especially as a start-up in Florida’s exciting Space Coast region, which is home to Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, and numerous beach communities along Florida’s east coast.

One of the leading benefits of associating with Footprints Floors was the assurance that Mandye’s business will never be left to fade into the background. She claims to be a natural skeptic, always cautious of buying into get-rich-quick schemes and over-promising. According to her, no such treatment was received from Footprints Floors.

“Everything was laid out for us in the disclosure documents,” Mandye recalls. She was also able to hear from others who have taken the same decision before them, which was incredibly reassuring. “The low overhead and upside potential appealed to us. The support from both corporate and other owners sealed the deal.”

Beyond this, the owner of Florida’s newest Footprints Floors faith-based franchise was assured of continuous exposure to customers in need of flooring services. When asked about the leading assurances of buying into the franchise brand, Mandye’s answer was direct and simple: “The heavy marketing focus. Not just branding, but aggressively pursuing leads.”

In the end, “the emphasis on the model and the results provided” were more than enough to win Mandye over. The couple also stated that they believe our strong partnerships with vendors and industry experts across the country will extend to the continued benefit of Mandye’s business.

Why Go The Franchising Route?

Many entrepreneurs in the same position as Mandye Tovias will tell you one thing: there is a big difference between striking out on your own and starting an independent business from scratch and investing in a franchise. Even if you decide to rely on backing from investors to start your business, what these ventures rarely provide is a tried and tested formula for business success. Instead, once funding is given, they wait impatiently for your business to start bringing in a return on their investment.

Buying into any business sees you putting up your own money, to be sure, and this always comes with some level of risk, but the potential for success is far greater if you invest in a proven formula for success that comes with extensive corporate support with marketing, operations, and more. For this reason, investing in a franchise can carry a lot less risk than opening a business from scratch. Additionally, a franchise brand’s ability to provide Franchise Owners with solid guidelines on how to manage your business and, in many cases, a strong reputation to associate your business with, can help you establish a trusted brand that already has a strong positive association with customers in your community.

Building a Flooring Installation Franchise Legacy

Mandye personally states that she has no worries about the growth of her business as long as she puts in the hard work. She hopes to work with subcontractors who have the same values as she does. Later, as more employees are hired to help run the day-to-day operations, she hopes they will have the same mindset as well.

Mandye seeks to put in the hard work in the initial years of the business, then scale back over the years as employees and supervisors deal with much of the day-to-day activities.

When asked what they look forward to most, Mandye and her husband relayed their excitement to cater to the Melbourne community and its surrounding areas. According to them, working with the community and learning more about the people in it will be among the most fun aspects of starting Mandye’s business.

“We also want to dive deep into the flooring industry and build a network of friendships and professional contacts,” Mandye explains. “Lastly, we like the idea of growing a successful business to maybe someday pass on to our children.”

Welcome, Mandye, to our flooring installation franchise family We look forward to seeing you build a successful business in Florida’s Space Coast!

If you’re ready to take the plunge into entrepreneurship, why not invest in one of the top-ranking home improvement franchises in the world? We’re awarding territories across the U.S., but are selling out fast in major markets. Get started today on your Footprints Floors home improvement franchise journey by visiting our website here.

Footprints Floors Makes
Entrepreneur Franchise 500 for 2022!

Footprints Floors has again been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine’s prestigious Franchise 500 list for 2022! After ranking at 463 in 2021, our faith-based, Christian flooring franchise has moved up to 259, jumping over 200 spots in a single year. Needless to say, we’re pretty proud of the strides we have made since our inception in 2008!

What’s the Franchise 500?

Entrepreneur is the world’s biggest magazine meant for business owners in the United States of America and beyond. Its magazine is the leading publication for small business owners globally. Entrepreneur publishes two annual lists; the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 and the Entrepreneur 500, scoring business firms on various data points. The higher the score, the higher the firm on the annual list.

To make it onto the Franchise 500 list, Franchisors like Footprints Floors have to fill out and electronically sign an online questionnaire and submit their current Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), a document that entails a company’s most up-to-date information on franchise fees, number of locations, required investments, and level of Franchise Owner support, among other key details. Additionally, a franchise company must consist of at least 10 locations, with at least one being situated in North America, in order to be considered for the Franchise 500 list.

How Our Flooring Franchise Earned a Coveted Spot on the Franchise 500

The 43rd annual Franchise 500 ranking celebrates the changes and challenges that have shaped the franchise industry over the last year. Out of 1,177 companies that submitted their FDD, Footprints Floors not only made the cut but surpassed nearly half of the other franchises on the list based on criteria including reliability, convenience, reputation, franchise cost, franchise support, and flexibility.

Unmatched Franchise Owner Support

Footprints Floors offers a flooring installation franchise with unmatched support to its Franchise Owners and customers. We have developed our industry-leading call center to support our Franchise Owners with growing their businesses and keeping their customers satisfied. Our commitment to providing excellent customer service sets us apart from other flooring companies, and we are proud to uphold our outstanding reputation for customer care even as we grow by leaps and bounds.

In addition to our unique call center that handles the heavy lifting of lead generation, appointment scheduling, and customer service queries for our Franchise Owners, the Footprints Floors franchise business model is geared toward providing above-and-beyond training and corporate support to give Franchise Owners the tools they need to succeed. New Franchise Owners get over 120 hours of thorough training before venturing into the business, including our groundbreaking Footprints Floors University online training platform powered by NWFA (the National Wood Flooring Association). 

In addition to receiving comprehensive training and the opportunity to earn certifications from the country’s leading authority on wood flooring installation and restoration, our Franchise Owners receive ongoing marketing, operations, and field support from our Executive Team, along with peer support from our unique infrastructure that connects Franchise Owners with one another.

Freedom & Flexibility

Unlike many independent business owners in the Home Services industry, Footprints Floors Franchise Owners do not work extensive hours. Most of them operate a 9-5 business life, providing them a healthy work-life balance. 

Our Franchise Owners come from all walks of life to escape hectic, grueling schedules and chart their own course for their next career move. In order to join our flooring franchise family, one does not necessarily need experience or background in flooring. All that is required is a growth-oriented mindset, passion for the community, strong leadership skills, and a friendly personality. Because of this, Franchise Owners with extensive corporate backgrounds and management experience tend to find success despite never working a single construction or home improvement job in their lives. By hiring subcontractor crews to handle the actual flooring installation work, no industry experience is necessary, which makes Footprints Floors an ideal investment opportunity for people with an extensive sales and management background who are looking to exit the corporate world and be their own boss!

Low Overheads and High Revenue Potential

All Footprints Floors Franchise Owners are home-based, meaning that there is no need for a physical office space or showroom to rent, no employees to hire, and no office equipment to buy. Franchise Owners work exclusively with subcontractors on a per-job basis, eliminating the need to worry about human resource costs or payroll. Many Footprints Floors Franchise Owners report that they’ve been able to recover their financial investments within the first 3-6 months of launching their business, thanks to the low overhead expenses and high potential for profitability that comes with owning a Footprints Floors franchise.

Benefits of Owning a Franchise 500 Company

Ranking in the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 is a significant accomplishment to any business organization. Any company featured in the Franchise 500 list is highly regarded as an authority in the industry they serve. In addition to Footprints Floors, such heavy-hitters as KFC, Taco Bell, and the UPS Store have a place on the Franchise 500 (though we’ll admit, in a slightly higher position on the list!) The list is basically a who’s who of franchise companies that have achieved household-name status, and we’re proud to be in such good company. 

For Footprints Floors, being ranked on this esteemed list comes with significant benefits for our flooring Franchise Owners. As a Franchise 500 company, our brand has more visibility and recognition among customers, which allows us to uphold our stellar reputation for customer service and satisfaction. It also shows our prospective Franchise Owners that the members of our Executive Team practice what we preach, stay true to our core values, and deliver on our promises to help them build a successful flooring franchise business. After all, Entrepreneur doesn’t bestow this honor on just any franchise!

What We Do

Founded in 2008, faith-based, Christian Franchise Footprints Floors is one of the fastest-growing Home Services franchises in the market today. The company’s rapid growth is due to its complete dedication to providing quality flooring choices at an affordable price and doing what is suitable for its customer’s tastes and preferences. It is all about great impressions and great floors. The company boasts more than ten years of growth and success with a unique franchise business model that its imitators and competitors have not adopted. It is a one-of-a-kind flooring installation and restoration company. It specializes in installing tile floors, carpets, laminates, backsplashes, and hardwood floors.

What Makes Footprints Floors Different?

Footprints Floors offers a lucrative flooring installation franchise opportunity to its partners. The company stands out from other floor franchises because Franchise Owners do not have to build or rent a showroom, do the actual flooring installation, or be full-time employed. They are also not limited to a specific set of brands when completing a task, translating to overhead that is considerably lower than that of its competitors. The absence of a showroom benefits Franchise Owners. There is no rent, build-out, or human resource costs making Footprints an efficient, simple, and cost-effective faith-based, Christian Franchise. This further translates to minimal costs and attractive margins. It also keeps the business scalable, mobile, and home-based.

Footprints Floors Franchise Owners work directly with homeowners seeking floor repair; they will travel to clients’ homes to quote and secure flooring work and then oversee and manage the job as they hire subcontractors to work on the flooring restoration and installation. Best of all, our Franchise Owners don’t even have to worry about generating new leads or scheduling appointments themselves- our industry-leading call center handles all of that, leaving you free to grow your business and enjoy your life!

To join our premier flooring installation franchise, an individual needs to be goal-oriented, self-motivated, business-savvy, growth-minded, and a people person. These qualities matter far more to us than previous experience in the flooring or construction industry – the Footprints Floors Executive Team will train you how to run a successful flooring franchise even if you’ve never laid a piece of flooring in your life! 

With territories selling out fast in major U.S. markets, now is the time to get in on the ground floor of this home-services franchise. For those who are ready to make a change and leave their corporate career behind for something that truly belongs to them, owning a Footprints Floors can be the ideal opportunity! 

Interested in investing in a top-ranking flooring franchise with a stellar reputation? Visit our website today to get started.

Alfonso Ferreira’s Long Road to American Entrepreneurship

The dream of owning a business is a lifelong pursuit for many people, and becoming an entrepreneur may not always be the easiest goal to achieve.

Every year, people from countries all over the world come to the United States in hopes of achieving the American Dream of entrepreneurship. One such person, Alfonso Ferreira, found his ideal business opportunity as a Footprints Floors Franchise Owner in California!

Alfonso’s Story

At present, Alfonso Ferreira is a fully-fledged California resident. However, that’s not always been the case. He spent much of his early years in Mexico City, where he was born and completed school.

Following graduation, Alfonso has managed to work in various industries and with several large companies in different capacities. In his journey through the corporate world, Alfonso has worked for a consulting firm for 8 years, followed by one of the largest cereal companies in the world for another 8 years.

His next career move led Alfonso to a company called Mabe, which at the time was the GE Appliances brand affiliate in Latin America, for three years, followed by Walmart’s corporate office in Mexico for a decade. Without knowing it yet, Alfonso was slowly acquiring knowledge and business management skills that are now instrumental in his faith-based, floor installation franchise.

Venturing Into The U.S.

Even as Alfonso was coming to the U.S. a few years ago, he had no idea he would be running his own business. He first came to Los Angeles, CA to work with a U.S. company. Sadly, this arrangement did not work out, leaving him out of work.

At the time, the obvious option was to relocate back to his homeland. However, that would not be. This is because his family was well settled in the U.S. and desired to continue living here. Moreover, his daughter, who is currently a senior in high school, wants to go to college here.

It was now on Alfonso’s shoulders to find a way for his family to stay in the US. Ordinarily, this would involve looking for employment. However, after decades of working for others and recent frustrations, a life of entrepreneurship was calling.

Starting a Floor Installation Franchise

If you spend a few minutes with Alfonse Ferreira, you’d think he’s been in the floor installation business for decades. But it wasn’t even his first choice. As with anyone in such a position, his mind was all over the place. While he had set his mind on franchising, he was not sure with which company, let alone industry.

At first, he thought of either a gym or restaurant franchise. Realizing the importance of making the right decision, he hired a franchise consultant. With an experienced person to guide his choices, the chances of success would surely increase. 

This is especially so, considering he also had a clear vision and his working experience. At this stage, he had come up with some primary requirements for any company he’d work with. These were:

• It’s a fast-growing franchise
• It’s yet to establish franchises in California
• A company that allows him to put his experience in finance to use

In hindsight, it’s such decisions that show why he was bound to succeed. This is because when a franchise is at the growth stage, they’re actively looking for Franchise Owners. And, partnering with a company that’s yet to set foot in California would give him greater franchise location options. 

With such guidelines, it did not take long before his franchise consultant presented faith-based, Christian Franchise Footprints Floors as an option. This was early 2020, and he was soon invited to an in-person Approval Day at our Denver, CO headquarters. It was there that his belief in our floor installation franchise was cemented. By interacting with the team and learning about the company and its vision, his search for a franchise ended.

Some of the things that were appealing include:

• The type of company and what it stands for
• Footprints Floors’ supportive relations with Franchise Owners
• The timing as everything seemed to be on cue
• The financial investment necessary to become a franchisee
• The union would allow him to put his knowledge and expertise to use

A Tale of Commitment and Perseverance

Alfonso had found the franchise opportunity that fit all his needs, and he was ready to sign his franchise agreement! However, the world was about to throw him a curveball: soon after his Approval Day, the nation and world were turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. While it was a challenging period for everyone, it also presented unique challenges for Ferreira. 

This is because for him to set up his home improvement franchise, he would need to work on his application for an E2 investor visa, which enables international entrepreneurs to own and operate businesses based in America. During the time, consulates were closed, bringing the process to a grinding halt. Along with the strict requirements to get licenses in California, he needed a smart solution.

The team from Footprints Floors assisted Alfonso with the hardwood and tile installation licenses he needed. As of November 2020, he had completed training and signed the franchise agreement. However, with consulates still closed, he could not start his business just yet. Or, at least have hands-on involvement.

Interestingly, to navigate this challenge, Alfonso decided to hire a General Manager to start his business for him and handle day-to-day operations until he could be more directly involved. As a result, he was able to launch his home flooring installation franchise in March 2021. It was also at this time that he returned to Mexico to get the necessary documentation from the consulate. This process took five months, causing Alfonso to remain in Mexico until July 2021, when he would finally be able to take the reins to his Footprints Floors business.

Adapting From the Corporate Setup to Running a Business

After his return in July, Alfonso Ferreira has been running his home flooring installation franchise and handling all day-to-day operations. He acknowledges that it’s a bit different from life in the corporate world because he has greater responsibilities that come with owning and operating a business. He attributes his success as a Franchise Owner to his experience with various companies and the project management skills he’s picked up along the way. Over the past few months, his franchise has enjoyed increased revenues. 

Alfonso Ferreira’s journey to starting his floor installation franchise has not been easy. Despite the challenges that would have seen others lose heart, his resolve remained unwavering. This not only shows entrepreneurial resolve but a husband’s and father’s commitment to satisfy his family’s desires. Through Ferreira’s perseverance to achieve his dreams for himself and his family, along with the comprehensive support he has received from our corporate team along the way, he is now a successful California business owner.

It’s not too late to follow your own dream of entrepreneurship! Footprints Floors is currently awarding territories to Franchise Owners across the country.

We’re selling out fast in major U.S. markets – visit our franchise website today for more information. 

What’s the Story Behind Our Flooring Franchise? Our Founder and Development Director Tell All!

Have you ever heard our flooring franchise’s origin story? If not, now’s the perfect time to take a couple of minutes and get to know us better.

Footprints Floors Founder and CEO, Bryan Park and Development Director Brian Knuth just did an interview with Vetted Biz, a franchise business data platform. They shared our background story with the platform’s Co-Founder, Patrick Findaro.

You can watch the entire interview on YouTube, but we’ll also cover it here for those who aren’t familiar.

As some of you know, Footprints Floors was started way back in 2008, when Park found himself jobless and out of tens of thousands of dollars of his hard-earned wages by his bankrupt former employers.

Deciding to go into business for himself, Park developed what would become the core of the Footprints Floors faith-based business model, a customer-first approach with a primary focus on professionalism, courtesy, and integrity.

The Early Days of our Flooring Franchise

But back then Footprints Floors certainly didn’t always look or work like it does today. The company only became a flooring franchise in 2013. During the past twelve or so years, we’ve grown, worked a lot of kinks out, refined the system, and scaled.

But in 2008 the fledgling home improvement business was simply a practical next step for an enterprising husband and father who needed to take care of his family.

That year, Bryan Park found himself out of a job and six months of hard-earned wages. He had been working as a flooring technician for a home services company.

This wasn’t where he’d envisioned ending up for a dream career. But Bryan had recently left the Air Force and was searching for his next path in life.

He became interested in the flooring industry by chance. Bryan and his wife were just starting their family then. At the time, the Park family consisted of the couple, their infant daughter, and three rambunctious teething puppies. And this gave Bryan his first lesson on why homeowners need flooring services.

“My wife and I had gone out dinner one night. When we came home the three puppies had eaten our carpet,” Bryan said. “They just tore it up and shredded it. The pad was all over the house!”

“So, we called and hired a flooring company to come in and put in hardwood floors,” he continued. “I’m watching this guy install it all and I was like this is kind of cool.”

Seems like Bryan was on the home renovation kick long before home flipping and interior decorating turned into such a craze. But what really interested him is the promise of how much he could make.

“I asked him, how much money do you make doing this? He said, ‘Don’t know, 100 grand,’” Bryan recalled.

The idea of a six-figure income from installing floors was an instant winner for Bryan. He immediately started thinking of how he could use that income to fund his other life goals.

“I was like, I can still go to school at night! The vision was that I would install hardwood floors while I was finishing a different degree,” Bryan said. “I was going to be an engineer until that job ended up changing the course of my life.”

Finding Opportunity in Crisis

So, how did Bryan end up short six months of wages at what should have been a six-figure income job? Well, it might have seemed perfect. But the company was poorly managed and struggling to make it in the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Instead of bringing a fat check home, Bryan ended up subsidizing his employers with free labor. He spent a full six months working without any pay until his boss sat him down at an Arby’s and informed Bryan that the location had gone under.

“I know, I got fired at an Arby’s! They owed me like 35 grand, and they were like, ‘good luck!’” Bryan said.

It was the worst timing ever for him. “I was 30 or 40 thousand dollars in credit card debt, had four dogs, my wife was pregnant with our second daughter, I had a two-year-old, and an 800-square foot house,” Bryan said.

“In that moment I was unemployed in the worst recession since the Great Depression. And that’s when I started faith-based Footprints Floors.”

Growth and Success in the Flooring Franchise Industry

So, what was the big idea driving Footprints? Well, there wasn’t one really, at least not at first. Footprints simply started as a way for Bryan to take care of his own family.

“My intentions were to feed my family really,” he remembers. “And that was it, that was all I was planning on doing with it.”

Even so, it certainly took a lot of hard work, pavement pounding, and mental grit to get things running during the Great Recession.

“December 9th of 2008 was our starting date. I’m starting a flooring company in the winter and it’s a seasonal business, so it’s not ideal,” Bryan said.

“We went the next couple months not doing any work. I was walking neighborhoods, putting flyers on doors, hanging out at Home Depot, hitting up customers in the flooring aisle, just trying to drum up any business. Just anything I could to support my young family.”

A few uncertain months without income must have felt like a much longer stretch. But once work started trickling in, it was a go for the future home flooring franchise.

“And then in February of ‘09, we did our first project. And things just started to roll from there,” Bryan said. “We kicked on marketing, and I ended up doing almost 550 thousand dollars that first year.”

There’s a secret to why Bryan was so successful early on. It’s because he concentrated on generating business and getting the jobs done, while his wife handled reception and administrative work. It was the earliest form of our centralized back-end setup that still delivers outstanding business results.

Bryan kept strengthening the structure until he met Brian Knuth, the VP of Development for a Denver-based franchise growth firm called Raintree, in 2018.

“I immediately had an attraction to the business for a variety of reasons,” recalled Knuth about his first encounter with Footprints Floors. “I’ve been closely related to the service industry. And I’ve always been attracted to the needs-based business where there’s an easily identified need from the consumer. It’s not a hard sale per se.”

“I evaluated Footprints Floors,” he continued, reflecting on what drew him in. “It was largely the infrastructure that he and his team have to support Franchise Owners. Bryan’s put [infrastructure] into place to create this operation where you can manage multiple jobs, multiple individuals, and a tremendous amount of output.”

Walking the Talk

Brian Knuth believed in our flooring franchise concept so much that he came on board as part of our executive team in addition to his position at Raintree. Not only that, but he’s also a Franchise Owner, and operates three of his own Footprints Floors territories on a semi-absentee basis. Similarly, Park owns and runs five flooring franchise territories in addition to acting as Founder and CEO.

Because of their hands-on experience, they both understand what it’s like to be a Franchise Owner and use this to help guide their big-picture strategy.

“I think that’s an advantage as a Franchisor,” Park said. “I run a flooring company to this day. Whatever I’m telling a Franchise Owner to do, I’m doing the same thing. Whatever we’re implementing at the Franchisor level, is affecting my day-to-day business as well.

I’m not just talking the talk. I’ve been walking the walk for 15 years.”

Want to Be Part of Our Next Chapter?

Our background story is certainly compelling, but we’re even more excited about what the future holds for our Christian Flooring Franchise! Our operations may look a lot different now then in those hard first few months, with a robust call center infrastructure and dedicated support team taking the place of flyer distribution and hanging out in hardware store flooring aisles. But to this day, and beyond, our faith-based business philosophy and model are still shaped by the same principles of hard work, integrity, and dedication.

The values that made Footprints Floors an early success still dictate the direction of our company, and that is something that will never change. If you share those values and are interested in a Christian Flooring Franchise, we’d love to hear from you.

Just visit our franchise website for more information.

Meet our New HR Manager, Molly Hancock!

Big news! We have a new HR manager at our corporate office in Denver, Colorado. We’re proud to introduce Molly Hancock and welcome her to Footprints Floors.

Molly’s here to make sure that our executives and corporate employees have an organization that runs smoothly as our flooring franchise company continues to grow.

The Need for Outstanding Human Resources

Footprints Floors is still young, in spite of the tremendous growth and success we’ve experienced over the past several years. Molly is coming on board now to help us get some fundamental HR management practices established before we grow even larger.

“There are things that a small company just kind of does,” Molly said. “But as you grow HR is needed. You get to a point where you need an expert to tell you how to do things in the right format for compliance purposes. And if they decide to add benefits down the road for their employees, that will be a huge thing that I’ll take from the very beginning.”

Molly won’t be working directly with our Franchise Owners. But the effects of her work will be felt by everyone.

Even though her focus is our corporate team, Molly’s been reflecting on everything our new Franchise Owners have on their minds and thinking of how to make things easier.

“It’s not my responsibility as the HR person to make sure that Franchise Owners are compliant,” Molly said. “But I do plan on maybe creating some kind of welcome packet that gives them the ideas of what they actually need to run a business.”

“They just started their own business,” she continues, “And they’re wondering, ‘Am I making the right decisions?’”

“So, it would be an employee handbook to simplify the process. With tax forms and all the things that are important as they bring on employees,” she said. “So no, I will not be having contact, but I do have plans.”

Welcome Home, Molly!

Molly is a Colorado native, but she’s been away from home for over a decade. “I’m originally from Colorado,” Molly said. “I grew up here but then I married a military man and then I lived in Maryland for 10 years, which allowed me to really diversify.”

“Moving to Maryland, which is so diverse was great for me personally and in my work career,” she continued. “I had a daughter over there and then we moved back here in 2019, to be with my family here.”

Molly was able to work remotely after her move, but eventually wanted to put down firmer roots.

“I worked for a Maryland-based company for two years out here in Colorado,” she said. “So, I’m happy to be with a well-known successful company here in Colorado that I can base myself into. That’s probably the most exciting part.”

The Perks of Small Business

Maryland is home to several federal contractors, like Molly’s previous employer. And federal contracting means HR work has to be taken seriously.

“I was with a smaller company over in Maryland, but it was larger in comparison to Footprints. I managed around 85 to 90 employees. I was there for nine and a half years so I really built my career there. It was in a completely different sector,” Molly said. “We did human resources and staffing for the government. We hired fully cleared personnel. When you have a federal contracting company, there are so many more HR laws that have to be complied with.”

“It’s nice to be with a smaller company now where I get to be my own HR person and run the department with the skills that I’ve gained in the last 10 years,” she added.

Molly’s a pro, to say the least, and she’s bringing those high federal HR standards over to Footprints Floors. She has some key objectives outlined for further developing our corporate department.

“They’ve already been doing a great job here. My main goal to start is to streamline the processes,” she said. “They don’t really have these. With new hire orientations, they just send everything through email, have you sign it, and then, ‘Here’s your start date!’”

That’s completely true. Founder Bryan Park bootstrapped this company like a classic lean-running entrepreneur. In the early days, having the formalities of HR in place wasn’t the priority. But we’re growing up fast and ready to get those in place.

“I plan on developing a new hire orientation at corporate, depending on if they’re in Colorado or not, if they’re not in Colorado, I’ll do those virtually. Technology today allows me to do everything,” Molly says. “Just to put a face with the company as they start and get them involved in that way. And then also to define an exit interview process as people leave.”

We’ve started including more virtual services, but this is generally for our Franchise Owners. With Footprints flooring Franchise Owners operating all over the country, we definitely need a way to reach corporate talent wherever they are.

Vision for a Bright Future

Molly is building a solid foundation for this company’s growth. And she has a vision for the long-term future.

“Just streamlining for now. But if they add [corporate employee] benefits, I would be very excited about that,” she said. “And I think that’s kind of why they brought me on because we might be in the realm of adding benefits, but we actually need an HR person here who understands that.”

Well, Molly has free reigns to develop our HR according to her best judgment and there’ll be plenty for her to do later on.

A Warm Welcome

In the meantime, she’s been getting to know our team and has already meshed with us well.

“As an HR rep, my goal is to know every single employee and their families and really give them that personal touch,” she said. “And when I know them personally that makes them feel good, it makes them feel appreciated, and so forth.”

Molly actually does have a personal family connection here. Her brother-in-law is our Franchise Development Manager, Jon Jarvis.

Jon thought she’d be perfect for our new HR role and introduced her to the company. And Molly fit right in.

“It’s been great. I’ve felt welcomed and like I’ve been here forever already. Everyone is just so warm and welcoming. They made me feel like I made the right decision and I’m very happy with coming onboard with Footprints,” she said. “I hope that I exceed their expectations in the HR realm.”

We feel we’ve made the right decision as well. We’re pleased to welcome Molly Hancock into the faith-based, Christian Franchise, Footprints Floors Family. Getting Molly on board is the latest step in our journey to building a thriving national flooring franchise.

If you’d like to learn more about Footprints, how we operate, and what our values are, then please visit our franchise website.

Accountant Brothers Spot a Sound Investment in Our Floor Franchise!

Meet Ben Norton, who, along with his brother Jim, just became our newest floor Franchise Owner! The brothers are all set to launch their Kentucky Footprints Floors franchise, and we couldn’t be more excited to have them in our faith-based, Christian franchise family.

About the Nortons

Ben and Jim come to us from careers in public accounting. They’ve built great careers at top global consulting firms like Ernst & Young.

But accounting is only their day job. Ben and Jim have their hands busy with other entrepreneurial ventures.

“Accounting is my professional experience,” Ben says. “On the side, I work in real estate investing with my brother and a couple of other brothers specializing in mobile home parks. And then I do small multifamily real estate on my own as well.”

Their professions might be white-collar, but the brothers don’t mind doing some hands-on labor of their own (not that they’ll have to with our industry-leading model that takes the actual flooring off our Franchise Owners’ plates!). And even with a growing real estate portfolio, they were still looking for new opportunities to take on together. While Ben will be handling the day-to-day operations of owning a Footprints Floors franchise, Jim will be working in the background to ensure the success of the business.

Discovering Our Floor Franchise Opportunity

Jim is the one who discovered Footprints and presented it to Ben.

“It just seemed like a great opportunity that fell in line with our prior experience with residential real estate,” Ben says. “There were a lot of similar aspects like working with contractors to do renovations and things like that. That’s really what drew us to Footprints.”

Our home services floor franchise was the perfect addition to their portfolio. But we weren’t the first one on their mind. It turns out we had a touch of early competition with another floor franchise.

“I looked at Floor Coverings International and it just seems very large and bulky,” Ben says. “And I had just been coming from E&Y, which is a huge organization. But I was definitely looking for something that was smaller and a little bit more personal.”

Our floor franchise is run like a close-knit family business, even with our rapid growth. But our personal touch wasn’t enough to convince these accountants, though they appreciated the close-knit company culture. 

In addition to a good cultural fit, the floor franchise opportunity had to be financially sound and right for both of their lifestyle needs, which happen to be quite different.

“For Jim, the draw was the ability to create cash flows and being able to take a more hands-off approach to get more flexibility. He needs more flexibility moving forward as his family grows and as they get older,” Ben says.

“I think Jim is more looking at it along the lines of trying to transition away from a more hands-on approach to property management. To the Footprints model where you can either have an owner-operator or an owner and managed by someone.”

So, Jim wants less daily involvement and more family time. Ben, on the other hand, is ready to dive into his floor franchise.

“I’ve always really liked different home improvement jobs. One of my favorite things about property management is getting to do different small jobs here and there. I like to get my hands dirty sometimes, so that’s definitely been an appeal for me,” he continued.

“We’re both technically owner-operators but I will be doing the vast majority of boots on the ground stuff, you know,” Ben says. “I’ll be running the day-to-day and stuff and Jim will mostly be there for support and strategic direction.”

The Footprints Floors Approval Day Experience

Ben and Jim got an experiential preview of what running our floor franchise is like when they came to our Denver, CO headquarters for their Approval Day, also known as Discovery Day, to get a taste of what a day in the life of a Footprints Floors Franchise Owner is truly like.

“Discovery Day was great,” Ben says. “It was great to meet the team and everything. I got to see what it was like interacting with the customers, with the jobs that were currently being run and managed. And I had the opportunity to go on a sales call.”

“It was really good to see how that works in person,” he continued. “You know there’s a little apprehension there. And it was good to see just how that worked and how the team made the pitch.”

The Norton brothers also met Footprints Floors Founder Bryan Park and our executive team. This gave them a sense of where Bryan is taking the company and how he relates to our Franchise Owners.

Ben says, “you know, he’s a really nice guy and a really smart guy. One of the things that I’ve noticed is that Bryan, the rest of leadership, and the other principles are all very active. They’re answering people’s questions and offering suggestions. It’s great to have that kind of support.”

Outstanding Floor Franchise Support

One of the most practical support services is the training our Franchise Owners get for managing the day-to-day tasks of a floor franchise.

See, Ben and Jim still felt a touch apprehensive about certain aspects of management, even with their real estate background.

“One thing that has been our concern is finding good contractors,” Ben says. “We were able to talk to Bryan and Brian [Knuth, Director of Franchise Development] and we feel pretty confident that we’re going to be equipped with the tools and training to go out and find those contractors and be able to manage and interact with them.”

Many of our new Franchise Owners feel the same way, particularly when they come from white-collar backgrounds.

This is why we put so much emphasis on providing a supportive franchise structure with plenty of resources. We let our Owners focus on being energetic, passionate, and connecting with the customers in their floor franchise territory. And they can do this at their own pace.

“I’m very outgoing,” Ben says. “I love meeting people and I love seeing people’s homes and the possibilities.”

“I am looking forward to having a little bit more flexibility,” he continued. “I’m going to be able to decide the days that I work and the days that I take off and I know Jim is looking forward to the flexibility as well.”

It can be tough for business partners to find an opportunity that works for both of them. That’s one reason why our floor franchise is the perfect choice for a solo or joint investment.

If you’re looking for a business with strong profitability potential that’s flexible enough to suit your lifestyle and fit the needs of any business partners, visit our franchise website for more information.