Traits of the Ideal Footprints Floors Franchise Candidate

A successful business partnership is a two-way street: we have to ensure that our Franchise Owners are as good a fit for us as we are for them. After all, we consider ourselves more than just a company – we’re a family! These are a few of the characteristics we’ve found make the best, most successful Footprints Floors Franchise Owner.

You’re Business-Savvy

At Footprints Floors, our onboarding training and ongoing support will go a long way to launching your business the right way. Beforehand, however, you will need existing business know-how and passion for business operations to truly succeed. Whether you gained this through climbing the corporate ladder to a management or executive-level position or prior experience starting your own business, knowing exactly what it’ll take to run a business will help you launch and scale as quickly as possible.

You Hate a Conventional Desk Job

Chances are, if you’re looking into franchise opportunities, you’re already among the thousands of people we see every year looking for a way out of the boring, unfulfilling corporate grind that has you chained to a desk in a grey cubicle every day. If this sounds like you, we have good news: owning a Footprints Floors home services franchise will have you in the field a lot, meeting customers and working with subcontractors face-to-face. Every project and every day is different, so you can expect to work on the road and on-site at properties across your territory – sometimes even more often than your home office!

You Love to Lead & Motivate a Team

As a business owner, there are few things that can affect your profitability, customer satisfaction, and the end result of your projects quite like your ability to lead your team – subcontractors included! – toward a common goal. Home renovations, even if it’s just replacing flooring on one level, involve a lot of moving parts and people of all different roles and responsibilities. It will be up to you to ensure everyone is on the same page and working together seamlessly to ensure the project is completed on time and up to standards.

You Want to Grow, Grow, Grow

While starting your own business and making just enough to justify leaving your corporate job can be satisfying to some, the Footprints Floors business model is designed especially for Franchise Owner candidates who dream of growing a franchise into their own personal business empire. If the idea of smashing your own revenue and profit margin records year-over-year or building enough generational wealth that allows you to positively impact your community excites you, this is the right place. Whether you want to start with one or multiple territories and grow to take over your city or your entire state, we’ll be there to help you.

When it comes to the franchise process, Footprints Floors has met with people of all backgrounds, but only a fraction of those interested are the ideal candidate for our model. Today, we’re excited to introduce one of the few who met all our criteria–and then some!–a veteran and former Secret Serviceman that’s bringing our franchise to multiple towns across Virginia!

Join Us in Welcoming Rich Ricciardi, Our Newest Virginia Franchise Owner

The Ricciardi’s Background

Like many of our candidates, Rich began looking at franchises after returning to civilian life following his time in the military across both the Marine Reserves and the U.S. Navy, as well as his 21+ years in the U.S. Secret Service. During this time, he had the opportunity to serve in several different capacities, including the New York Field Office, Special Operations Division, Presidential Protective Detail, Protective Intelligence Division, and his last assignment as the Resident Agent in Charge of the office in Estonia. Rich’s wife, Hannah, was also involved in government work and enjoyed a career with the U.S. Embassy at the same time.

Outside of work, Rich and Hannah enjoy spending time outdoors with their family, playing ball with their young son, or staying active at their local CrossFit gym. As a Pittsburgh native, Rich has also maintained his Steelers fandom throughout his life, so the family huddles around the TV after church every Sunday.

Retiring & Looking Into Business Ownership

Once the Ricciardi’s chose to retire from their government work and move to the country in Goode, Virginia, Rich knew the time had finally come to strike it out on his own and start a family business. While the pair originally started researching business concepts they could start from the ground up, they eventually settled on franchising because of the draw of a well-established system and the pressure it would take off their shoulders. Rich also recognized that their chances of success would be heavily influenced by a solid support team behind them, so they began their search and never looked back.

Our Q&A Session with Rich

As the Ricciardi’s prepare to open their first business and Rich returns home from his onboarding training, it’s no surprise that the couple has had a busy schedule since their Approval Day. Even with their franchise launch just around the corner, Rich sat down with our team for a quick get-to-know-you session so we could learn more about his thoughts on becoming a flooring business owner and making his way through the franchise discovery process!

How did you first learn about Footprints Floors, and were you looking at any other franchises at the time?

Rich Ricciardi: “A few months ago, I did a search for any faith-based franchises, and Footprints Floors caught my attention. Honestly, I probably should have looked at other franchises more; however, after learning more about Footprints Floors, I never felt the need to look anywhere else. As we moved forward in the exploratory process, we continued to feel at ease with the decision to possibly move forward with Footprints Floors.”

What drew you to Footprints Floors, and why do you feel the model is the right fit for your lifestyle and your family?

R: “I was initially drawn to them because they had a faith-based culture. As I learned more, it was evident that their model prioritized the support of the franchisee and their success, [which] was important to me. They value family and having a good work/family balance, which I feel is very important to be fulfilled in both areas of life. These values aligned with ours and it ultimately became an easy choice in the end.”

What aspects of your professional background do you think will serve you most as a Footprints Floors Franchise Owner?

R: “During my career, I had the privilege to work with several men and women of high character [who] led with a selfless mindset and servant attitude. This helped me truly understand what good leadership looks like. I also understand the importance of working with others as a team and encouraging teammates when needed to ensure the job is completed at the highest level.

In several instances during my career, I ran up against challenges and learned the importance of perseverance and the willingness to adjust your plan in order to succeed. I hope that my understanding of what it takes as both a team member and team leader will help us become successful in the business world.”

Now that you know how you stack up as a franchise candidate and have met our latest candidate-turned new Owner, are you ready to start a franchise process of your own? With over a decade of franchising experience under our belt, Footprints Floors is the ideal flooring business concept for motivated, community-driven entrepreneurs who strive to grow their businesses into generational wealth-building machines. Join Rich and our hundreds of open franchise units and leave the corporate world behind for good. Take the first step to launching your own home flooring business today by taking our quick, 1-minute quiz to see if you qualify today.