The Corporate Executive Turned Franchisee Now Serves as Brand President
Roxanne Conrad jokes about her busy home life. The wife and mother of two children ages 2 and 4 (“with so much energy”) who has two Jack Russell terriers (“also with so much energy”), she says, “I almost don’t need to exercise. I have an in-house fitness plan called momming!”
The corporate executive turned franchise owner who recently took the helm of 360° Painting as brand president says she wouldn’t have it any other way. She and her husband Brian left their corporate jobs to launch a 360° Painting franchise in the greater Chicago area because they wanted more control over their time, personal lives and financial future.
“The freedom to choose our path, the rate that we grow and an acceptable work-life balance while we also grow our family is just not available in traditional corporate America,” Conrad says.
Taking the Lead
Now as president of 360° Painting, she’s helping others create their own success stories as franchise owners. Being a franchisee was a factor in Conrad’s being chosen to lead the residential and commercial painting company, which is under the Premium Service Brands umbrella.
“Honestly, my main driver was centered around knitting together our corporate team with our local owners,” she says. “I wanted to provide a level of communication and organization to close the gap between our franchise partners and our corporate team and vendors.”
“Being a part of the system for five years myself, I have witnessed first-hand the brand’s tremendous growth, and that growth brings change and the need for realignment and transitions,” she says. “Constructing essential communications and aligning vendors and internal parties with necessary details help alleviate the worst of transition pains.”
Franchising with 360 was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.
Jumping Off the Corporate Ladder
In choosing to invest in 360° Painting, the Conrads considered potential competition, both local and national; support from vendors and training; and the potential for growth and income. Their plan was for Brian to leave his corporate position and launch 360° Painting of Naperville, Ill., and for Roxanne to join a year later. But the growth of their business compelled Roxanne to join in just three months. She has no regrets about taking that leap sooner than planned.
“Franchising with 360 was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made,” she says. “It allowed us the opportunity to build an organization we could be proud of while providing income opportunities to sustain our family and our lifestyle.”
A Proven Investment Opportunity
The $506 billion home services industry, including painting services, provides excellent business opportunities. The market size of the house painting and decorating contractors industry in the United States was $18.6 billion in 2022, and grew 3.8 percent from 2017 to 2022, which was faster than the economy overall, according to IBISWorld, a global industry research firm.
Since 2019, 360° Painting has experienced 32 percent growth systemwide, and Conrad’s goal is 25 percent growth in revenue and total systems in 2023, she says. The brand has grown from 115 systems at the beginning of 2023 to 125 as of July, “and we’re looking to end the year with 140 live or signed,” she says.
One factor in the Conrads’ decision to go with Premium Services Brands, and 360° Painting in particular, was the company’s professionalism, which distinguishes it from the competition. “Home services — and painting specifically — are riddled with poor customer experiences,” she says. “But customers love 360° Painting because we’re reliable and provide project transparency and regular communication updates throughout the process. We have a two-year warranty as a brand standard so customers can count on a quality outcome for their project, and we use technology and communication tools to provide accurate and up-to-date information.”
The Ideal Owner
Conrad says the company caters to two models of ownership: active owners who are driven, self-motivated, and seeking to own their own time while reaping financial rewards from their efforts; and semi-absentee owners with excellent leadership skills looking for an investment opportunity with relatively low start-up costs that can be capitalized fairly quickly for short-term revenue or larger resale value.
“We’ve invested heavily in our systems, and, while advancing and syncing our tech platforms has helped streamline our processes, it’s also created added value for each local owner,” Conrad says. “In addition, we’ve really honed our onboarding process, creating a methodical approach to launching new locations that provides a holistic approach to not only running a painting organization, but growing and scaling a business. Now is the best time to join 360!”
For more information about the 360° Painting franchise, visit https://www.premiumservicebrands.com/360-painting/.