Carmelo Marsala of Spray-Net Shares Advice For Propelling a Young Brand Forward

Carmelo Marsala’s brand, Spray-Net, has had quite the year.

Founded in 2010, Spray-Net is a premium painting franchise that uses specialized spray equipment to deliver better results than traditional brush and roller painting, ultimately transforming and upgrading the curb appeals of homes throughout Canada.

But despite Spray-Net’s unique model, Marsala found that in the beginning, it was often a struggle to get the brand awareness needed to take the business to the next level. After winning Canada’s version of Shark Tank, brand awareness skyrocketed, and Spray-Net nearly instantaneously sold out all territories in Canada. Following that success, Marsala looked at ways to expand this awareness to the U.S and beyond. Just this year, at the International Franchise Association’s conference in San Antonio, Texas, Marsala got the exposure he needed after winning the NextGen in Franchising Global Competition as well as the FranShark Competition.

Now, Spray-Net is fueled by the momentum needed to propel them to the next level—expansion throughout the United States. We spoke with Marsala about some of the challenges he and the brand has faced and what’s next for 2016 and beyond.

How was the concept of Spray-Net born?

I got into franchising as a College Pro Student Painting franchisee while in University, and I would continuously get customers who would ask about painting their wood surfaces, like siding and doors. But, I was hesitant as the products weren’t made for this and could potentially ruin these surfaces. When you buy a door or window the manufacturer finishes it on-site. So, I looked into how they did this in the factory, but the formula and process was too complicated. I knew if there were a water-based technology we would have something where we could bring factory-quality work to these homeowners and the ability to paint these surfaces effectively. From there, Spray-Net was born.

What were the challenges in starting your franchise?

Before starting the franchise, the main challenge was that most people didn’t think this idea was possible, and education and awareness was definitely our biggest challenge. Getting the first few franchisees working really helped with our validation, both from the development and consumer sales sides. From there, we experienced a snowball effect. We are fortunate in that we never had a big issue with development and growth, but the challenge was keeping up with that growth and providing the support system that you need to have a successful franchise system. Spray-Net started franchising two years ago, and we have sold out all of Canada since that time. However, I didn’t have the staff and expertise around me to keep up with that growth. But now, we’ve built a great team and are ready to take on our next stage of growth in the U.S.

How did IFA’s NextGen competition propel your business forward, and what does the future look like?

NextGen definitely gave us the awareness in the U.S. we needed. The whole IFA team and so many other people showed Spray-Net their support, and we’ve made those valuable connections needed to be successful in the U.S. and beyond. I’ve learned so much and have been able to ask about what mistakes other big companies have made. As a result, we bypassed those headaches, allowing us to focus on doing things a better way from the beginning.

What development is in the works for 2016 and what are your goals for 2017?

As I mentioned, we are sold out in Canada, however, we do have a few tiny holes to fill. So we are looking to fill those gaps while putting our main focus on U.S. growth. We really would like to start development on the East Coast, including Florida. We’re already in the process of opening corporate territories in Miami in early 2017. In addition, we’re focused on Minneapolis and New England.

What’s next for Spray-Net, and what advice do you have for those looking to get their business concept off the ground and running?

The advice I would give is that you often will stumble upon something that hasn’t been done before, and you will hear it hasn’t been done before for a reason. But, if you believe in it, you should go for it. Everyone has an opinion. Take some with a grain of salt and stick with the positive influences around you.