A year ago, when Jake Canterberry started his Spartan Floor Coatings franchise in Stuart, Florida, he was anxious yet excited. His background in data analytics was a far cry from owning a floor coating business. However, he had already witnessed the company’s success in the high-demand home services industry because Rich Degen, founder and CEO of Spartan Floor Coatings, is his father-in-law. Canterberry’s first test run was doing the floor coating in his own garage, and it turned out that he enjoyed the process. By Nancy E. Williams
BUILD YOUR FUTURE
A year ago, when Jake Canterberry started his Spartan Floor Coatings franchise in Stuart, Florida, he was anxious yet excited. His background in data analytics was a far cry from owning a floor coating business. However, he had already witnessed the company’s success in the high-demand home services industry because Rich Degen, founder and CEO of Spartan Floor Coatings, is his father-in-law. Canterberry’s first test run was doing the floor coating in his own garage, and it turned out that he enjoyed the process. When the opportunity to purchase a franchise came about, Canterberry was all in.
“I just wasn’t 100% loving what I was doing anymore. At family gatherings, I would hear them talking about the great opportunity this business could provide, and I wanted to be part of it. I always had a desire to work for myself. I just didn’t know where to begin,” said Canterberry.
Canterberry described his experience over the past year as hard work with a lot of learning curves, noting that the support he has received from the Spartan Floor Coatings team has been “off the charts!”
“Once I signed on board with the franchise, I attended training in Colorado for a week or so. It was very hands-on,” said Canterberry. “You’re out there with the crew doing jobs. I’m a hands-on learner, so that experience was invaluable. They also offer additional, one-on-one training at a deep discount compared to other professional training centers.”
Another benefit Canterberry has experienced with the company is being able to build camaraderie with his fellow franchise owners.
“I’ve been able to help train some of the other owners here in my area,” he said. “It makes a big difference because training in Colorado, where the climate is very different from Florida, can be challenging. Working with fellow owners in Fort Lauderdale or Orlando creates a network where everyone feels like if they need anything, they have someone to go to. We’re building a culture that feels like we’re all in this together.”
As Canterberry enters his second year as a Spartan Floor Coatings franchisee, he’s keeping growth in mind. Not only has he acquired his second van, but he has also hired an additional employee, growing his team to three full-time members.
“This will enable me to have two crews, double stacking jobs, grow my business, grow the brand and increase revenues,” explained Canterberry.
Canterberry doesn’t think he could have grown as quickly were it not for the company’s third-party marketing support, which proactively identifies and qualifies leads.
“The marketing agency they work with takes a lot off my plate,” said Canterberry. “I’m still responsible for following up with the leads, getting the appointments and closing the sales, but trying to find those leads on top of everything else I’m handling would have been impossible.”
Canterberry is happy he took a chance with Spartan Floor Coatings and advises others not to be afraid of taking risks as long as they learn from their mistakes.
Nancy E. Williams