The Mag
Today we have with us Bob Lehner with the 360 Painting of Frisco, welcome Bob.
Bob Lehner
Hey, thanks for having me, Lee, on the show.
The Mag
Sure. I'm excited to learn more about 360 Painting, how are you serving folks?
Bob Lehner
Well, we're doing pretty good, I guess, basically, you know, trying to survive the current pandemic, but we are pushing forward and we are really driving quality. At the same time, I think a lot of people now that sit at home and actually have time and work out of their houses, they look around and they see things that they need to update that they hadn't noticed before. And sure enough, they reach out for qualified painters. And that's where we come in, and we help folks out.
The Mag
So now for 360 Painting, is it just residential, you do commercial, what's kind of the scope of the work that 360 does in the community?
Bob Lehner
Well, we do a lot of residential. I'd say about probably 85% of our businesses residential 15% about business. But with the folks in the neighborhood and stuff, we paint exterior interior surfaces, we help with small carpentry works such as baseboards and trim. We do exterior we help with siding; we do soffits we do gutters. We paint cabinets, which is has been a really big push lately for us. So, a lot of people are trying to modernize their kitchens and doing it without actually replacing kitchen cabinets. So, we do a lot of that as well. And then another new trend that seems to be catching on in our area is the painting of brick. So, we do line washing and whitewashing of brick.
The Mag
Now how did you get into this line of work? Were you always into painting?
Bob Lehner
No, I, my background has been in mostly construction in commercial as well as residential. for commercial, I was a project manager for several companies coming out of the Navy. And then I transitioned into my own business for a little while open Illinois was a general contractor for 11 years we did design-build projects, custom homes, additions, kitchens, baths, basements, so I have a pretty strong background within the construction field. The reason I got into the painting is when we relocated down to Dallas, I didn't want to start from scratch based on my age I just wanted to kind of narrow into a niche kind of construction field and I chose painting.
The Mag
now can you talk a little bit about the process of kind of going through and choosing the right franchise for you because you had already been an entrepreneur and had kind of played by your own rules for a while? And now you're like gonna choose and say Okay, which one of these folks that I can choose from and there's lots of choices in that space, which is going to be the right fit for me and how'd you get to 360.
Bob Lehner
Well, you're right I had to do my due diligence, I was researching different franchises within the painting industry. And there's several of them, some of which are well established and then others that are growing, which was where 360 was I also looked at the management I wanted to see what kind of technology they incorporated into their business. The training was extremely important there were a few companies like that some of which were already kind of films, so they were kind of a larger brand that didn't have as many territories so with 360 they have the territory I was looking for I looked at their training I looked at how they support their franchisees and I just basically landed on them.
The Mag
And was there anything that was kind of like okay, they check this box so that that that makes is probably a good fit and then maybe in the other companies there were something that was like a red flag that you were like, I don't know, this is I can't deal with that, where there, you know what, we're kind of the red flag issues for you and what were the kind of the green light goes.
Bob Lehner
Well, yeah, what did go, like I said, it was really how they walk me through their process. You know, I went down to their corporate office in Charlottesville, Virginia, and got to meet the team, the management team got to see other franchisees went through the process, which was a real big eye-opener for me. And then I talked to other ones. And I didn't really get a chance to go see them. But I did talk to their management team on the phone. The flags, I would say, were really just how they handled the training portion of it, I think that was really one of the key features for me. In that case, the other part was, obviously, you know, the territory, everyone's kind of divided up differently with respect to the area you live in. And they just didn't have that large enough territory for me, where I felt comfortable enough to move forward. So that was kind of the only red flag for me.
The Mag
Right? So that was kind of critical, and 360 was able to give you the territory you wanted to, needed to grow.
Bob Lehner
Yes, yeah, yeah, I think so. And I continue to support me, my territory has actually grown a little bit since then, they worked with me through, you know, some key issues that we were having with respect to, you know, how to do the marketing, and how to handle customers outside the territory. And it's been a pleasant experience, I would say.
The Mag
Now, how does it compare to when you were running your own shop? Is it dealt with differently? Does it give you more kind of comfort and security that you have kind of a team around you?
Bob Lehner
Yeah, actually, it does. I mean, that was one of the reasons I chose to go to franchise rounds and start over again, from scratch. And although I am starting over from scratch, I, you have the support of the franchisee you have a coach that they assigned to you, which is huge, so that you have someone to bounce ideas off of, if you run into any kind of areas where you're not sure of how to handle it, they're available to you, within 24 hours to kind of, you know, talk you through whatever it is, and come up with some kind of game plan that you want to do.
And that was huge, because when you're running your own business and you started from scratch, you know, it's really everything rests on your shoulders, there's no one around outside of your, your friends and family and other business people that you know, from previous experiences, but even then, it's not the same because they’re not specific to your industry. So, I found that to be very helpful and supportive.
The Mag
And it would be kind of like a luxury item for you and your past business. And this is kind of built into the system. So that's helpful.
Bob Lehner
Yeah, yeah, it's very helpful. I mean, it brings a kind of peace of mind because you know that there's someone there that if you run into issues, you have someone to support you not only is the corporate team, but also our other franchises. I mean, the franchisees basically, you know, support each other we talk to each other, because we've gone through training together, we've met other people. So, I have friends in other parts of the country now that if, if I'm not able to get ahold of the corporate office quickly enough, I can also reach out to them. And so, I made some friends within the organization through the franchise.
The Mag
Yeah, it's not as lonely because like you said, when you're running your own shop, it's kind of heads down, and everything kind of relies on you. It can be very lonely.
Bob Lehner
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of responsibility. It's, it's a, it's a huge undertaking. I mean, it was a big leap for me back then. And I just didn't feel like I wanted to go through that process again. So, this was a much better choice for me.
The Mag
Now, when you took on this market, were you looking to like this was going to be kind of now this is going to be my livelihood? Or were you saying, look, I'm going to put a bunch of people in here and I'm going to take over a larger and larger territory and kind of be an Empire Builder in this kind of area? What was kind of the mindset or was it just one area? Or were you looking to kind of be aggressive in the growth?
Bob Lehner
Well, initially, I thought, yeah, I want to be able to, you know, create a market share within the territory that became profitable. You know, the goal really was to build the business within the territory before actually taking on too much. I know there are some franchises that have branched out and you know, acquired other hair. And territories before actually establishing himself within the territory they're in, I felt that wasn't a good game plan for me, I wanted to make sure that I had the market share within the territory before pushing out.
And I'm only in year two, so I'm not quite there yet, but we are going in the right direction, we, the marketing is actually taking off, our reviews are off the chart, we have over 35, five-star reviews on Google, I think I got like 12 or 13 on HomeAdvisor. And, and some other sites that we use for our marketing. So, I think that's the most important is to build your business within the territory, you know, create that value and then branch out from there, because you can use that as a leapfrog to expand. And as far as my timeframe, you know, I'm, I'm hoping to do it within the next 10 years. But we'll see, I think I have five years old right now. So, whether or not at five years, I decided to continue to grow it or just stay put or retire. I don't know yet.
The Mag
Now, how did when the pandemic hit? I'm sure that was extremely disruptive for everybody in this space because people didn't know what was what and things were changing so quickly. How did kind of the franchisor help you through that? Or did they help you through it? Or do you have to figure out on your own how to deal with kind of now these new safety regulations and there's new protocols, I gotta wear masks all the time? Like, there's certain rules now that, you know, when you bought the franchise, those rules weren't in place. So now it's a new world. So how did they help you through that?
Bob Lehner
Well, that's a really good question. Because that was another thing that was very supportive was that 360 corporate has hired in some good team leaders, some senior management, people who have been in this industry for a long time, and they jumped on that quite quickly. They established some protocols and created some procedures that they handed out to people. And they recommended that not only you follow them, but you hand them out to the clients to let them know, this is how you're going to go forward with the project once you know, win the contract.
And I found that to be very helpful, because, as I mentioned before, you know, we got our hands full with just doing our own marketing, trying to keep the jobs running, making sure you're keeping the pipeline full, that I didn't have the time to research the pandemics to understand quite what the, you know, procedures were for dealing with people in their houses. So that was a very big, big help to us. And I think they consistently had training on that. Also, they did zoom meetings regarding that, and then kind of how it was going to look like going forward with this, and how long of a projection they felt like this is going to be, you know, going on so yeah, I felt they were really, you know, they were on their game when it came to this. So, I was very helpful in that regard.
The Mag
Now, so I'm sure the work at first was a little tricky, maybe in the first quarter, maybe beginning of the second quarter. But you mentioned now that people are kind of acclimated to their situation, they've kind of accepted where they're at, and they're looking around, they're going, hey, I wish we this should be nicer and, and maybe now they have more money to spend on this stuff because they're not spending it on other things. Anything you've been working on that kind of cool.
Bob Lehner
Well, as I mentioned before, there's new trends that are being established least in our area, I've seen it more and more is a lot of people are paying a brick because we have a lot of red brick houses around here. You know, they're all new custom homes. And, you know, Frisco is a newer community, it's not as old and established. So, they're kind of the look is kind of repetitive, and mundane. I guess the best way to say so people have reached out is to come from other places in the country. You know, I decided to paint their brick, which is now kind of caught on a little bit. I mean, it's not, it's not taking off, like tenfold. But I mean, I've gotten at least two or three requests for quotes. I'm doing some of that.
So that's kind of cool because the pictures look really neat, and it gives it more of a European look. If you, do it right. And I think it's nice, but one of the things that most homeowners have to get past is what we have our homeowners’ associations and obviously, there are rules and regulations on what you can do to the exterior house. They don't want anybody painting, purple houses, and pink houses and things like that. So, depending on the community or the area that subdivision that you're in, you may have to get through those challenges with your homeowner’s association. But yeah, it's kind of a cool trend.
The Mag
Now you mentioned you have a Navy background, did that kind of background help you kind of in your business career having come from the military, where they do such a great job in terms of training and kind of discipline in the tenaciousness it takes to kind of see a project through?
Bob Lehner
Well, it's certainly, yeah, it gives you the, you know, the leadership part of it, I think, you know, how to how to deal with teams, I was fortunate enough to rise up pretty quickly within the ranks. And, you know, we worked on aircraft for teams back in the day, and, you know, you had to have, you know, certain kinds of skills, not only from a technology standpoint, but also from, you know, working with employees, we're calling employees, but, you know, you had to be able to manage the team, get people to, you know, figure out what they had to do to, you know, solve some problems, and you had to do it pretty quickly. So, it was a, it really forced you to, you know, know how to establish systems right away. And then you would go from that point and it's, it was something that wasn't within what we knew, you know, you had to come up with new ideas and technologies to try to solve problems. So, I think the problem-solving aspect of it helped with my career as an entrepreneur and as well as a franchisee.
The Mag
Now, any advice for somebody that's thinking about maybe they're in that second act of their career, maybe they got laid off, or their, you know, career has been disrupted because of this pandemic, and they're considering being a franchisee or starting their own business? Any advice for that kind of new person that's never done things on their own before, but has always like worked for somebody else?
Bob Lehner
Yeah, actually, you know, I've been in and out of businesses, as I mentioned, I would say the main thing is doing if you're going to jump off into a business, either through a franchise or on your own to make sure that it's something you have extreme knowledge in, you have a good background, and so that you understand what it is you're going to do. And then another thing is that you have to have a passion for it, I mean, it's not going to be easy, you'd have to have the willpower to stay and push forward through problems and learning.
Because it's not all. Roses, as I like to say, the process is slower than most people anticipate. Even for myself, like with this franchise thing. I anticipated the growth to be a little bit quicker because it was a franchise, and it was going well. And then of course, you have pandemic hits. So now you have to be able to navigate that new crisis, and then continue to push forward. So, you really have to have the willpower to stay in there and fight and push forward and come up with new ways of acquiring business and customers. And if you don't have that type of passion, you're probably better just staying with your employer.
The Mag
Right? And that's something that people I don't think fully understand that no matter what, no matter how big the franchise is, you're the one that they're the boots on the ground that you have to do the legwork to get the clients, I mean, your that's your job. They can, you know, try to help you but ultimately, your franchise lives or dies by your efforts in that regard, I think.
Bob Lehner
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, they're not going to be here to kick you out of bed to say, work and as you easily been late or something or you don't feel like doing something, they're not going to, they're not going to, you know, pamper you. So, it's really up to you. It's your business. They put the systems in place you just have to act on.
The Mag
Right. Good advice. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. And congratulations on your success. If somebody wants to learn more about what you're up to. What's the website for 360 Painting in the first go location?
Bob Lehner
Yeah, if anybody's interested in reaching out, they can go to 360painting.com. That's our website. Or they can reach me at 224-688-9596.
The Mag
All right, well, congratulations again, Bob on all your success, and we appreciate the work you're doing.
Bob Lehner
Thank you. And thank you for having me.
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