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Footprints Floors Is Headed to Sugar Hill, Georgia with Franchisee Chip Dunn!
The Footprints Floors home services franchise has come a long way from our humble Colorado beginnings back in 2008. Since offering franchise ownership opportunities, our home state has completely sold out, and our business model has expanded into 34 other states with over 150 territories now in operation – with more territories being awarded every year!
However, despite all this growth in our past, present, and future, we still get excited with each new franchise we award. This time, we’re excited to introduce you to Chip Dunn, a former Retail Operations Manager and excited husband from the Lawrenceville-Sugar Hill neighborhood of Georgia! Let’s take a look at the path Chip took to find us and how he knew we were the right fit for him after meeting our support team at Approval Day!
Coming to Us from Georgia, Let’s Meet Chip
Chip’s Background
Every candidate who becomes a franchisee experiences a moment in their career that encourages them to take a leap of faith and go into business for themselves. For Chip, his sudden job loss from his retail store operations management position is what caused him to begin looking for new business opportunities – and, ultimately, franchising. In addition to managing operations across multiple major retailers, Chip was also a Project Manager for a national commercial security company, where he was exposed to sales and empowered to develop his own accounts.
Also, his residential real estate sales and family office supply business experience helped give him the varied background he’ll leverage as he wears multiple hats in growing his new flooring business.
Why Franchising
While Chip’s initial reaction to being suddenly laid off was to search for another 9-5 position, he eventually shifted to look at franchise business opportunities instead. After being approached by a franchise coach, Chip began to research franchises at the same time as pursuing interviews for traditional jobs. As time went on, franchising became the obvious, most viable option as he became frustrated with the months-long interview processes and the frustrating traditional job offering system.
“Frankly, I felt strongly that God was closing one door and opening another where I could actually realize my dreams.”
During his franchise search, Chip reviewed four franchises before resonating with Footprints Floors and deciding to take the next step in the discovery process.
Getting to Know Footprints
While it was a franchise coach who facilitated the introduction between Footprints Floors and Chip, it was Chip who took the initiative to move forward with the discovery process and approval day. After researching and chatting with some of our current Franchise Owners, Chip appreciated the home-based model, low initial financial investment, quick ramp-up time, and successful, well-established business model. Additionally, after reviewing our Franchise Disclosure Document, it was the higher earning potential – even in year one – and the territory demographics of his community that sold Chip on the Footprints franchise concept.
Meeting the Team at Approval Day
Approval Day is a chance for potential franchisees to meet with the Executive and Support Team in Colorado, spend a day with them to get to know each other, and see the Footprints Floors business model in action. While not everyone who attends goes on to join the flooring franchise, Chip Dunn was one who liked what he saw and used that experience to make his final decision to become a home improvement Franchise Owner.
“My decision was 90% made prior to Approval Day, but there were a few things that sealed the deal for me. I was impressed that the executive team made time to load up strangers like myself in their personal vehicles, tote them around to job sites, and make themselves available to answer any questions while providing a ‘day in the life’ overview of a Footprints Owner.”
However, he didn’t attend Approval Day on his own. Although she won’t be directly involved in the business, Chip considers his wife a huge part of any decision in their life, and it was her belief that franchising with Footprints was a viable business option that validated Chip’s decision. Plus, once Bryan Park answered his question on the origin of the Footprints name and its meaning, the Dunn’s felt they had confirmation that this was a company rooted in relatable principles and integrity, and they knew it was a great fit for their life.
His Decision to Move Forward
After returning home from Approval Day, Chip knew that while he was ready to pull the trigger and become a home services Franchisee, he needed the second opinion of the person closest to him: his wife. Together, they saw the unique, proven business model supported by our team and operational systems, in addition to our low initial financial investment, low overhead expenses, and quick ROI. With her careful scrutiny leading to her full support, Chip was ready to take the next step and officially sign on with the Footprints Floors flooring franchise.
Bringing Footprints to His Corner of Georgia
Once Chip decided that Footprints was for him, he looked toward his Georgia territory, which was determined to stretch from Sugar Hill northward to Gainesville, eastward to Athens, south to Monroe, and back west through Lawrenceville and Buford. This market will likely have tremendous revenue potential for both solid hardwood floors and refinishing services, and Chip also suspects tile and laminate surfaces will also be in demand in these neighborhoods.
This territory represents a great mix of existing homes and homeowners who not only plan on renovating and updating their existing properties but also look toward new construction and areas for future development. With a mix like this, it looks like long-term sustainability won’t be hard for Chip to come by. There will also be a vast demographic of middle to upper-middle-class communities within this territory, giving our newest home improvement Franchisee plenty of opportunity to introduce Footprints Floors to Lawrenceville-Sugar Hill, Georgia.
Join Us in Welcoming Chip to the Footprints Floors Family!
The Footprints Floors team sat down with Chip for a Q&A to hear from him what he thought of our discovery process, what about his background has prepared him for this, and what he’s most looking forward to with opening his own Footprints Floors location!
“What was the most surprising thing you learned during the education process?”
Chip: “The Footprints Owners I spoke with during the discovery process were all operating at a much higher level than those in other franchises I investigated. They were much more responsive, they could speak to their numbers, they were mostly consistent in how they operated their business, they were very candid, and there was little to no discrepancy in how they answered the same questions. With other franchise opportunities, these things were absolutely not true. I felt like there was a clear business structure and competence with Footprints Owners that was simply lacking elsewhere.”
“Why do you believe you will be successful with this franchise?”
C: “[My] years of exposure in a retail environment has uniquely equipped me to run my own business both in terms of a P&L operational aptitude but also from a service-first mentality. The blueprint is already drawn [at Footprints Floors], so it’s literally a matter of duplicating what’s been designed.”
“What are your goals with owning Footprints Floors, and what are your long-term entrepreneurial goals?”
C: “I have a number of personal financial goals I’d love to achieve, but I’m singularly focused on that being a byproduct of serving my customers with absolute integrity and commitment to exceeding [their] expectations. Additionally, I look forward to giving back to charitable causes [that] positively impact children, veterans, and first responders. [My long-term] goal is to build a successful legacy business that can be taken over by my son and perhaps also move into other home service trades.”
“What excites you most about your Footprints Floors location?”
C: “Every Footprints Floors territory is designed to demographics that are proven to be successful. All I have to do is follow a proven plan, and the business is just waiting to be captured. My service area has tremendous growth potential.”
As our team works to bring Chip on board in the Lawrenceville-Sugar Hill area, we’re also looking forward to our next new home services Franchise Owner! If Chip’s story resonates with you, or you can imagine yourself in his shoes as he prepares to open his new business, you’re in the right place! To learn more about how you can leave the corporate world behind and join the Footprints Floors family, contact our team to get started!