360 Painting

360 Painting Featured in the Painting Contractor

2010-05-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

360 Painting was recently featured in the May 2010 issue of the Painting Contractor. Below is a thumbnail of the article. Click the thumbnail to view the article in its entirety.

Franchisee Spotlight: Octavio Medina, Owner of Raleigh area 360° Painting and Maintenance Made Simple locations

2010-05-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

Each week we highlight some of the newest franchisees to celebrate them joining the 360° Painting and Maintenance Made Simple teams. This week, Octavio Medina is our spotlight franchisee.

Location: Raleigh, NC
Opening Date: January 2009

How Octavio Got Started With 360° Painting and Maintenance Made Simple…

Medina got his start in home improvement growing up. His Dad was a painter and he helped his Dad frequently on jobs, but when it came time to make a career decision, he went to the University of Florida for Pharmaceuticals instead. After a 28-year career in the pharmaceutical industry and becoming the General Manager for Latin America, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, with Bristol Meyers Squibb Medical Imaging, Octavio Medina was ready to test out entrepreneurial life and relied on his experience from his childhood for his next career opportunity. Late in his career, he desired the flexibility and ability to work for himself.

Medina’s two sons and their families had moved to the Raleigh area in 2007 and 2008 because of Raleigh’s reputation for being a good place to live with the benefits of a good healthcare system, which was important to Octavio Medina Jr. who developed Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and needed access to the best treatment in the country.

Because his family had relocated to Raleigh, Medina, with a desire to be close to his family, moved to Raleigh as well. During his transition, Medina began looking for independent business opportunities in franchising because of the corporate assistance he would receive while being able to manage his own business. He came upon 360° Painting while researching the Internet. Medina wanted a business that could back up its work. 360° Painting offers a three year workmanship guarantee, which was a big reason for Medina becoming a franchisee.

What Intrigued Octavio about 360° Painting and Maintenance Made Simple…

Medina became interested initially in 360° Painting because of the workmanship guarantee that 360° Painting provides on its work. He also found when looking more seriously into the franchise opportunity that 360° Painting was the best in the industry in customer service, providing customers fast response to their inquiries, specific and itemized quotes and billing, and an honest conversation about how 360° Painting would service their needs.

Once a 360° Painting franchisee, Medina understood that he could use his same customer base to offer them other home maintenance services. It would be easy to encompass this other business component into his already established painting business. 360° Painting has a sister company called Maintenance Made Simple, which is a handyman franchise, and Medina jumped on the opportunity to become a multi-brand franchisee.

Something Interesting About Octavio’s Story…

Medina’s business is family owned and operated. His son, Octavio Jr., assists in management of his two franchises. Octavio Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps starting his career in the pharmaceuticals industry as well. He spent five years in pharmaceuticals when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a very serious blood cancer. After five years of fighting, Octavio Jr. is now in remission, but in his long journey to recovery, Octavio Jr. lost his vision. It’s been about two and a half years since the day he lost his sight and he has made tremendous strides to live life to the fullest despite his disability. Aiding his father by coordinating the business, Octavio Jr. is an inspiration to everyone he meets.

360 Painting was just featured in the San Antonio Business Journal!

2010-04-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 16, 2010

Franchise incentives

San Antonio Business Journal - by Randy Lankford

While no one is likely to describe the current unemployment rate of nearly 10 percent as good news, there are those who are able to find a silver lining in today’s tough job market. Companies looking for high-quality franchisees see it as an opportunity.

“We saw a lot of people inquiring about the franchise system in 2008 and 2009 because of the high unemployment rate,” explains Paul Flick, CEO of Home Service Franchising. “They may have gotten downsized out of the corporate world or stuck in a job with no chance of promotion because of the downturn in the economy.”

Yet, the credit crunch has made it tougher for some with great entrepreneurial drive to get a franchise business off the ground. (Read More)

Home Service Franchising was featured in the Washington Post!

2010-04-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

Lending slowdown puts chill on potential franchisers

By Nicole Norfleet
Monday, April 19, 2010

Tim Lynch, 31, wanted a career change.

He was one of thousands of potential franchisees milling about the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the International Franchise Expo the weekend before last.

With banks freezing up on franchise lending, it's more difficult for potential franchisees to secure the financing they need to get their businesses off the ground. To help solve this problem and attract more franchisees, franchisers have cut start-up costs and some have offered financing themselves.

Lynch, an engineer for a defense contractor, said he was at the conference to get a feel for his opportunities. He walked from booth to booth on the expo's opening day, not sure exactly what kind of franchise he wanted. (Read More)

360° Painting was recently featured in the Mississauga News

2010-04-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Chef turns painter for new business

Anum Khan- Apr 15, 2010

Mississauga's Rui Dias, a former chef, thinks he's cooked up a winning recipe with his newest business venture.

He's started a 360 Degrees Painting franchise in Mississauga. It's a full-service exterior and interior painting firm, and Rias believes his experience in the hospitality industry will help in his new line of work.

"I've been in the hospitality business since 1988, but I wanted to get involved with something on my own," said Dias, a former chef at a Mississauga banquet and convention centre.

He considered buying a restaurant franchise or banquet hall, but realized they were too expensive, so he decided to go in a different direction altogether. (Read More)

360° Painting was recently featured on AllBusiness.com

2010-04-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Truth About Home-based Franchises

By Sara Wilson

Does going to work in your pajamas, setting your own hours, and never getting stuck in traffic on your way to the office sound like a dream? Ranging from commercial cleaning to business coaching to pet waste cleanup, home-based franchises abound — and one of them might be just the solution to creating that lifestyle. But, before you get swept off your feet by all the advantages that working from home has to offer, let’s take a closer look at some of the often overlooked realities of operating a home-based franchise.

1. The initial and ongoing investment required for a home-based franchise may be significantly lower than the typical franchise investment — but not always. Running a franchise from home means that you don’t have to worry about leasing out a physical location and often allows you to invest your startup capital in more than just inventory. “Most, if not all, home-based franchise systems do not require franchisees to carry inventory, so you are not tying up capital that could be used for marketing initiatives and obtaining new clients,” says Paul Flick, CEO and founder of Home Service Franchising, parent company to three home-based franchises: 360° Painting, MonitorClosely.com, and Maintenance Made Simple. However, don’t assume that just because a franchise opportunity is home-based it automatically means a super-low investment, cautions Matt Boswell, CEO of Pet Butler, a pet waste cleanup franchise. Says Boswell, “The average Pet Butler franchise partner invests over $70,000 during their first year in business working from home.” (Read More)

Franchisee Spotlight: Steve Dixon, Owner of Oakville 360° Painting

2010-03-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

Each week we highlight some of the newest franchisees to celebrate them joining the 360° Painting team. This week, Steve Dixon is our spotlight franchisee.

Name: Steve Dixon
Location: Oakville, ON
Date: June 2009

How Steve Dixon Got Started With 360° Painting …

When looking for an independent business opportunity, Steve Dixon specifically targeted highly respected franchise concepts, and stumbled upon 360° Painting. Paul Flick, CEO of 360° Painting and its parent company, Home Service Franchising, a franchisor of multiple home-based brands, first introduced Steve to the 360° Painting franchise opportunity. As a good friend of Paul's, Steve trusted the 360° Painting business model and had faith that his business would grow rapidly.

What Intrigued Steve Dixon about 360° Painting …

Steve chose to franchise with 360° Painting because of the support and national branding provided by 360° Painting corporate. 360° Painting prides themselves on customer service and satisfaction, and with the demand for professional and reliable painting services in Oakville due to the booming housing industry, Steve is excited to fill the Oakville community's need for quality painting services.

Something Interesting About Steve Dixon’s Story…

Steve opened the Ontario market to further expansion for 360° Painting by becoming the very first 360° Painting franchisee in Canada. Previously, Steve was a golf pro for 13 years, where he gained the customer service and managerial skills pertinant to running a successful 360° Painting franchise.

Steve is married and has two children, a son who is four and a daughter who is six.

For more information about Steve Dixon, 360° Painting, or the 360° Painting franchise opportunity, please visit http://www.360paintingoakville.com/.

Franchisee Spotlight: Rui Dias, Owner of Mississauga 360° Painting

2010-03-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Each week we highlight some of the newest franchisees to celebrate them joining the 360° Painting team. This week, Rui Dias, is our spotlight franchisee.

Name: Rui Dias
Location: Mississauga, ON
Date: December 2009

How Rui Dias Got Started With 360° Painting …

With a degree in hospitality and experience in hotel management, Rui began researching business opportunities specifically within the hospitality industry. After coming across many excessively expensive opportunities, Rui met with a franchise consultant to narrow down his options. Rui chose 360° Painting not only because of its affordability, but because of his expertise in the hospitality industry.

With the average Mississauga home on the market for only 10 days, Rui is confident that 360° Painting will fill the demand for reliable, quick, and professional services in the Mississauga community.

What Intrigued Rui Dias about 360° Painting …

Rui needed a franchise concept willing to accommodate his needs as a first time business owner. 360° Painting was able to provide the support and industry knowledge needed to help Rui become successful as a franchisee, providing him with the necessary tools to grow throughout the Mississauga area. Rui is confident that 360° Painting will allow him to provide exemplary customer service to the Mississauga community and fill the demand for reliable and professional painting services.

Something Interesting About Rui Dias’s Story…

Rui has a ten-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter, and is hoping to turn his 360° Painting into a family business when his children are older.

Rui is a chef by trade, and would some day like to own and manage his own restaurant or hotel, where he will cook for his guests.

For more information about Rui Dias, 360° Painting, or the 360° Painting franchise opportunity, please visit http://www.360painting.com/.

Franchisee Spotlight: Matt Phillips, Owner of 360° Painting and Maintenance Made Simple of Charlotte

2010-03-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Each week we highlight some of the newest franchisees to celebrate them joining the Home Service Franchising team. This week, Matt Phillips is our spotlight franchisee.

Name: Matt Phillips
Location: Charlotte, NC
Date: January 2010

How Matt Phillips Got Started With 360° Painting and Maintenance Made Simple…

This year, Matt has used his business experience and innovation to think outside of the box to help his business not only withstand the recession, but also become a household name in communities across the country. Formerly the CEO of The Painting Pros, Matt has merged his painting business with competitor, 360° Painting, becoming a shareholder in 360° Painting, in order to grow national brand awareness. 360° Painting is part of a larger parent company called Home Service Franchising, which includes Maintenance Made Simple, a handyman franchise. Because of the close affiliation of these two brands (each in the home service industry), Matt decided to become a multi-brand franchisee as the two businesses coincide nicely with one another, and provide an increased benefit to his customers.

What intrigued Matt Phillips about 360° Painting and Maintenance Made Simple …

Matt was intrigued by 360° Painting because of his desire to grow his business nationwide and push it to the forefront of the painting industry. Teaming The Painting Pros with its competitor, 360° Painting, allows him the ability to create a national brand awareness while still being completely ingrained within his local market. He recognized the benefits of becoming a franchisee of Maintenance Made Simple because he will be able to provide his 360° Painting customers with two valuable services for all home improvement needs.

Something Interesting About Matt Phillips’ Story…

Matt and his father, John Phillips, have over 20 years of combined experience in the industry and are partners in the Charlotte Maintenance Made Simple and 360° Painting franchise location. They are veteran business owners and like the idea of being able to offer many different services to their customers, creating a convenient one-stop-shop for the Charlotte community's home improvement needs.

For more information about Matt Phillips, 360° Painting, or the 360° Painting franchise opportunity, please visit http://www.360painting.com.

Franchisee Spotlight: Jeff Cocain, Owner of Denver 360° Painting

2010-03-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Each week we highlight some of the newest franchisees to celebrate them joining the 360° Painting team. This week, Jeff Cocain, is our spotlight franchisee.

Name: Jeff Cocain
Location: Denver, CO
Date: July 2009

How Jeff Cocain Got Started With 360° Painting …

With the massive downsizing in corporate America, Jeff, an 18-year veteran of the financial sales and marketing industry, began looking for another career opportunity that would be unique, professional and enjoyable. Jeff began researching several different franchise opportunities with a franchise consultant to narrow down his business options. Deciding between opportunities in the healthcare industry and the home improvement industry, Jeff chose 360° Painting because of his extensive experience in marketing and sales.

What Intrigued Jeff Cocain about 360° Painting …

As a 360° Painting franchisee, Jeff is able to use his previous experience and skills to drive sales and market to new clients. As the first franchisee in Colorado, Jeff is hoping to spearhead 360° Painting's growth throughout the state, supporting new franchisees in their business endeavors.

Something Interesting About Jeff Cocain’s Story…

Jeff has a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and is working on his Masters in Management and Leadership, both of which are great assets as an independent business owner. When Jeff first opened in July of 2009, he found business ownership challenging, but rewarding, and is excited to keep growing and gaining new clients throughout the Denver community.

For more information about Jeff Cocain, 360° Painting or the 360° Painting franchise opportunity, please visit http://denver.360painting.com/