Footprints Floors: Learn What it Takes to Own & Operate a Home Improvement Franchise

We were lucky enough to sit down with the wonderful people behind Footprints Floors Franchise Development Team for an inside look at what makes this franchise brand so successful. Vice President of Development Brian Knuth, and Development Manager Tyler Woodard, also answered questions from prospective home improvement franchise owners of Footprints Floors.

When thinking about buying and running a franchise business, the first question you might ask yourself is, ‘What type of franchise should I invest in?’.

After that decision is made, the others come flooding in…

• How much money is needed for an initial financial investment? 
• Can I operate a successful Franchise during a severe market downturn? 
• What will my month-to-month business overhead expenses be? 
• How do I begin the process of hiring employees and staff? 

And those are just some of the questions you and other future franchise owners will face. But we’re here to assure you it’s possible, and you can do it, primarily when investing in a franchise brand like Footprints Floors home services.

Whether you’re an experienced tradesman or someone who enjoys dabbling in carpentry here and there, owning a Footprints Floors flooring franchise may be the perfect fit. Wouldn’t you want to control your own schedule and workflow, manage your own team, and create a thriving local business? We think so, too.

When people reach out to us about investing in a home improvement franchise, they reach out with a lot of questions. And rightly so. It’s a huge, life-changing decision with tons of commitment and responsibility attached. Because of that, we’ve taken over the Footprints Floors blog, pulled together the most frequently asked questions, and let our industry experts do the talking.

Let’s get started!

Are subcontractors hard to find?

Brian: In the world of trades, folks start as employees to learn the craft. They then graduate into being subcontractors to make the most money, so they are always looking to work. Finding them is not a challenge because they are always out. Acquiring subcontractors is not a challenge either; you just need a job for them to work. Retaining them is not challenging because you just need to keep them steady. Subcontractors are probably the number one or two concerns for everybody going through the process, and after a month, subcontractors don’t even make the top-10 list of worries. It’s not a challenge or concern whatsoever.

How do you handle customers that want you to provide products considering Footprints Floors’ flooring business focus is labor sales?

Brian: The reality is that about 95% of the customers we visit know precisely what they want, where they are getting it from, and what it costs before they allow us to enter their property. So when a worker rings the doorbell and that worker or representative walks through the front door, the customer will tell them all those things. We don’t want to convince them to buy our product. I don’t want to add the complexity of logistics and sourcing that product, and scheduling for delivery. We want to meet them where they’re at. So to answer the question of ‘how do you work with people that want to provide the product?’ it’s simple; 95% of our customers want to get it themselves.

The other component is we have every resource to provide them with flooring products, including vendor relationships and preferential pricing. We have a room visualizer tool that allows us to show them what their room will look like with the new floors they select. We have every tool to provide that service, but we try to avoid it because it’s not necessary for our business model. 

I am concerned about the economy, inflation, and possible recession. Is now really a good time to invest financially in a Footprints Floors home services franchise?

Brian: The business was founded during a recession in 2008, and arguably, a recession is related to real estate, specifically residential real estate. So during a time when residential real estate was extremely vulnerable, we were able to thrive. And right now, we’re seeing the same thing. While the economy, our stocks, and our 401ks are vulnerable right now, real estate is slow to react to that. So we do not see any challenges, but when we do, what we know is going to happen is the lesser flooring companies, the lesser flooring installation guys, will struggle to find work. We can get in front of customers and continue to find work and continue to provide for our crews.

This is with the hope that you realize that to run a million-dollar business with Footprints Floors home improvement franchise, we don’t need a tremendous amount of jobs. We’re doing two to three jobs a week. So I don’t need hundreds of thousands of transactions. I just need a couple hundred to run a million-dollar business. So while we might see buyers slow down, I only need a few of them to run a really, really successful flooring business.

Can I sell my family or friends flooring products from within the home services franchise?

Brian: We have every resource to sell flooring products. We have supply chain operations. We have preferential pricing with the major companies. We even have a company that’s decided not necessarily to have a private label with our name on it, but the samples they’ve sent us, franchise owners, have Footprints Floors stickers on them. Again, we don’t want to sell products, but we have every resource to do it. Nothing stops us from selling flooring products. 

How can I be sure I’m getting my home services franchise in the best, most profitable area of my town or city?

Brian: We’ve built every franchise territory to be equal around the country. We’ve utilized demographic information, consumer patterns, and lead count information to validate that one territory is one territory. The franchise owners that have launched over the last three years share the same experiences, whether in Dayton, Ohio, or Columbus, that’s sliced into three franchise territories. One is one, and they’re all equal. Our franchise owners will validate their sharing of the same experiences.

How do I get customers?

Brian: WE ARE A HARDWOOD FLOORING LEAD GENERATION AND MARKETING MACHINE! We know the game, play it well, and win. It’s irreplaceable. Footprints Floors flooring business crushes it by queuing up franchise owners with estimates.

Who finds the subcontractors?

Brian: We’ll pave the path for our home services franchise owners. We’ll show them everywhere to look and how to look. We’ll even look on their behalf if needed, and usually, within a couple of weeks, they want you to move out of the way because they got the search for subcontractors under control.

Do Footprints Floors do epoxy floors?

Brian: We tend to stay away from that. If I had to consolidate an answer for what we provide, it would be hard surface residential flooring. No carpet. No concrete.

Why should I buy a franchise business during this unstable economy with a possible recession on the horizon?

Brian: The market is down, so why is it a good idea to invest financially in a franchise right now? It’s an opportunity to invest in yourself versus riding the market and hoping that Jeff Bezos continues to make a decision with your Amazon stock. To me, there’s no better time to invest in yourself. The job landscape is going to become volatile. Companies will feel the same crunch that homeowners are feeling, and the dollar is continuing to move on us as far as the value is concerned. Why gamble on yourself if you’re trying to create security and maturity? You’re somewhat doing it daily as a commitment to fulfill your corporate America job. Do it with the added benefits of being a Franchise owner.

I have funds in my 401K. Can I use these?

Tyler: Absolutely. We’ve discovered it’s one of the most popular ways to fund new business investments. There is a program called Rollovers as Business Start-ups (ROBS). Once you begin the Franchise Discovery Process, we can discuss funding options that best suit your needs and introduce you to potential financial lenders.

If I’m not into spending my life in a 100-hour work week, what do the hours of operation look like at Footprints?

Brian: We are a Monday through Friday, 8-to-5 flooring installation business. We are 100% scheduled, which allows us to have an outstanding work-life balance and provide our families with our physical time.

I have a few geographic locations in mind already. Can I use these?

Tyler: Our team can provide feedback on any geographic locations you have in mind and if they may be a good fit. We ask that you keep an open mind to all options in your market to find the best fit.

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We can’t thank you enough for these questions, but just because you’re at the end of the feature doesn’t mean you can’t keep submitting your questions. We want to ensure that you have everything you need to begin investing in yourself.

Anything we didn’t address here? Visit our flooring franchise website to schedule a call so we can speak with you one-on-one. We are looking forward to hearing from you!