Opera Singer Finds Grand Rapids Flooring Franchise for Sale

One of the things we hear most from prospective franchise investors is, “I have no background in construction or home improvement…am I even qualified to purchase a faith-based flooring franchise for sale from Footprints Floors?”

Actually, one of the most wonderful things about the Footprints Floors franchise family is the diverse array of backgrounds our Franchise Owners come from. We’ve got business executives, former high school teachers, and now… an opera singer?

Our newest Franchise Owner Matthew Horist is a perfect example of how our industry-leading model allows people of all backgrounds and skillsets to excel in entrepreneurship! His new Grand Rapids, Michigan location is already up and running, bringing a whole new level of outstanding craftsmanship and customer service to West Michigan.

Matthew’s Journey to Franchise Ownership

Grand Rapids is one of the most dynamic cities in the Midwest. It’s a flourishing cultural and economic center that’s still growing and on the rise.

Matthew fits right into this urbane environment, with his classical music education and career. He says, “I went to school at Indiana University Bloomington School of Music. I then sang opera for about 8 years.”

He’s still a true Michigander, both sporty and family oriented.  “My hobbies have always been primarily my kids. Along with skiing, bass fishing, wakeboarding, backcountry hiking, and reading,” he says.

Matthew has an intrepid disposition. He’s a born go-getter, not one to remain within a comfort zone or live according to anyone else’s expectations. He explains, “I have been an entrepreneur most of my working life. You can either fulfill someone else’s dream or you can fulfill your own.”

The entrepreneurship Matthew refers to is his post-opera career in IT, which included owning a couple of companies in the industry. He recalls, “After opera, I then moved into an IT career. A few years later, I was a partner-owner of a physical security company. A few years later, I co-founded an IT consulting company. I ran that company for about 10 years and then I bought Footprints Floors.”

Matthew doesn’t just have general managerial experience. He knows what it takes to start his own company from scratch and is highly resourceful.

Finding a Flooring Franchise for Sale With Footprints Floors

So what brought Matthew to the Footprints Floors opportunity? He says, “I wanted to find something based in the home improvement space.”

This push by entrepreneurs to capitalize on the surging home improvement space is growing stronger and stronger as the recession-resistant industry continues to thrive, 

Online, on-demand home services in particular are poised to take off as consumer behavior is increasingly oriented online. And astute investors are positioning themselves to benefit from this. Footprints Floors’ home-based business model allows Franchise Owners to operate without a brick-and-mortar warehouse or office space, and without any inventory or payroll employees, allowing them a much lower overhead investment than other home services concepts, making it especially attractive to investors like Matthew. 

By purchasing a flooring franchise for sale from Footprints Floors, Matthew was able to snag an exclusive territory from a robust franchise with a proven and tested business model, which he describes as “financially sound.”

We pride ourselves on maintaining a franchise with exceptional unit economics. Our business model is honed for efficiency in every area, so that Footprints can provide great returns. This is a core part of our culture. However, for Matthew, our outstanding financials were only part of his decision to invest with us. He also felt a kinship with our Founder, Bryan Park, and knew that the core values he has instilled in our company were in alignment with his own.

Bryan has a military background, and is a graduate of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He started Footprints to provide for his family after his service was complete. And Park infused his new company with the exemplary values and standards that the military upholds.

All our prospective Franchise Owners get to see this for themselves when they meet Bryan and the rest of our team during Discovery Day at our Colorado headquarters- a pivotal part of our Franchise Education Process.

Matthew can attest to this. He says, “Bryan is probably one of the most solid gentlemen on the planet. Rare breed.”

Matthew’s Discovery Day Experience

Matthew spent time with Bryan and the rest of our team during his Discovery Day in Colorado. This time was invaluable in helping him develop confidence in moving forward with purchasing a flooring franchise for sale, as it showed him how well his own traditional values aligned with our corporate culture.

“I am a believer in the old-fashioned handshake introduction,” Matthew says. Our corporate team goes out of their way to make prospective and existing Franchise Owners feel comfortable and supported from Day One- even before any agreements have been made. Matthew felt at home in this environment and could see himself as a long-term part of the Footprints Floors family.

Footprints Floors is designed to keep the most talented people as close to the ground as possible. That means having stellar Franchise Owners running our various locations and keeping our Founder’s direct involvement in further developing and nurturing the company.

Matthew was especially glad to meet Bryan, describing him as “highly intelligent, humble, faithful, well-grounded, well-read, [with] extensive hands-on experience in his trade, strong business acumen, very personable, incredible work ethic, I could certainly go on but that should paint the picture.”

When people decide to invest in a flooring franchise for sale with Footprints Floors, they can be assured that our Founder is fully invested in this company’s growth and success.

Not every brand does this. For Matthew, this is what sets Footprints apart from the other franchising opportunities out there. He says, “Biggest differentiator for Footprints…? Bryan Park!”

Matthew’s Advice for Future Franchise Owners

In the end, Matthew’s final commitment to take the plunge wasn’t about our impeccable franchise model, outstanding financials, or awesome personalities. It came down to one thing. “Instinct, (if I am being completely honest),” he says. “Simply a gut feeling.”

Now that he’s in, Matthew doesn’t mince words on what will make him successful. “Drive,” he says. “That’s what it ultimately comes down to. Personal initiative, followed up by sustained work ethic.”

This former opera singer and tested entrepreneur has been there before. Matthew knows the perseverance that it takes to make things work. And he wants anyone else considering our flooring franchise to understand this as well.

Matthew says, “You absolutely must go in knowing the first few months are going to be a challenge. No question about it.”

That’s good advice. It’s always a challenge to step into a commitment like buying a flooring franchise for sale, which does bring about a lifestyle shift. But, when we put our flooring franchises up for sale, we backed these opportunities up with full-service corporate support. This includes administration, marketing, lead generation, and customer service, along with proprietary tools, education, an Owner peer support network, and more. All our Franchise Owners can fully lean on us.

Matthew’s Flooring Franchise Future

Does Matthew intend to expand his Grand Rapids business into a multi-unit flooring empire? After all,  thanks to our flexible structure, Footprints offers our Franchise Owners the ability to grow as much as desired and at their own speed, and many leap in with the aim of creating their own home services empire.

Matthew, on the other hand, is intensely focused on the present. He says, “I’m too busy concentrating on the current game strategy and not really thinking that far ahead right now. We play one game at a time. If we get to a point where we start to find a high level of success, awesome. For now, I’m concentrating on the current game plan.”

We admire his focus, dedication, and patience.

Matthew Horist now has a brand-new business to add to his portfolio – one that he can easily scale up when ready.

Grand Rapids is a terrific territory to acquire. We’d like to congratulate Matthew on his prescience and great timing.

Our flooring territories are exclusive and in demand, which means that many areas are already fully sold out. (Including several entire states.)

But we still have faith-based, Christian Franchises for sale and good opportunities remain to be found. Just visit our franchise website to see which regional territories are still available.

And for more details, you can request our exclusive Footprints Floors franchise report.

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