Engineer Turned Entrepreneur: Why This Local Augusta Resident Is Ready to Serve the Homeowners of His Community with His Fresh Coat Painters Franchise

Andrew Hughes, a mechanical engineer with experience in real estate, is thrilled to open his new Fresh Coat* Painters franchise in Augusta, GA. Tired of the corporate world, his journey to the brand began when he started searching for a customer-facing business that involved working directly with homeowners. Hughes found the perfect opportunity in the painting industry, which doesn't require years of apprenticeship like other trades. 

Hughes was initially skeptical of the franchising model, but upon further investigation, he realized the numerous benefits it offers. After weighing the risks and rewards, he chose to start his own franchise with Fresh Coat due to the lower upfront cost and the company's well-established brand and resources. A proven game plan, dedicated business coaching and access to extensive marketing materials have been invaluable to him as a new franchisee. 

With his Fresh Coat franchise, Hughes aims to build a trustworthy local team that provides exceptional services at a fair price. His background in real estate and residential services, including flipping homes and acting as a landlord, has given him a unique perspective on what it means to be reliable in the market. Now, he is excited to delight the homeowners in his community and embark on this next phase of his career. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Hughes: I was originally born in Canada, but my dad worked in the oil and gas industry, so we moved around a lot from the U.S. to Egypt to Canada. I graduated from high school in Katy, Texas and started to follow in my dad’s footsteps by working in the oil and gas industry. I did that for 11 years, and eventually earned my mechanical engineering degree and helped build a nuclear power plant in the Augusta, GA area. During school, I also sold residential pools, worked as a realtor, and flipped houses.

Around the start of 2021, I started looking at opportunities for a customer-facing business. I liked the person-to-person interaction of working with homeowners. We weren’t hyper-focused on painting at first, but I knew I wanted a residential services company that didn’t require years of apprenticeship, such as becoming an electrician or a plumber. With painting, the license is easier to obtain.

We weighed the risk of the huge investment it would take to buy an existing business versus the smaller investment it would take to start our own franchise. We opted to start our own — there was less upfront cost, we wouldn’t owe anything to the bank and all the upside would be ours. We looked at several franchises and eventually settled on Fresh Coat. I really ran them through the ringer with all of my questions, and they met me every bit of the way. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Hughes: The idea of a franchisor taking a cut off the top wasn’t very appealing at first, but as we looked into it, it became obvious that franchises come with a lot of advantages, chief among them being the proven game plan. That was very attractive to me as I had never operated a full-fledged business. I knew it would be good to have a dedicated plan on paper. I just had to bring the energy to execute it. With every item on the checklist, there is a lot of guidance, and you are given a dedicated business coach to help answer any and all questions. 

When you are building a business, you spend most of your time in the day-to-day operations. Most of us aren’t marketers, for example, so putting together strong marketing materials will either take a long time or be very expensive. But when you buy a franchise, they already have all those materials available. 

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Hughes: There are really only five big painting franchises in the industry — CertaPro, Fresh Cost, 360º Painting, 5 Star Painting and WOW Painting. 

As far as size of resources, Fresh Coat is well-established compared to the rest, and they have really catchy branding. In talking to their team, I got the sense that they were on a good path in terms of brand growth. They were recognizing where they had some gaps, and they were finding ways to fix them. I felt as though I was coming in at the very beginning of an upside trajectory. 

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Hughes: I want to build up a team locally that our neighbors can trust. That is important to me, because we’ve all dealt with residential service providers that were lackluster or untrustworthy. Most important to me is to build a team where we can legitimately earn that trust and do really good work for a fair price and a fixed quote. I also want to provide for other families by building a business that gives them an opportunity to work for a reliable and supportive company. We do what we say we are going to do. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Hughes: With a background in real estate and residential services, I’ve flipped homes, been a landlord and been a homeowner myself. I know how rewarding it is to fix something in your home and take good care of your property. So, the ability to be on the service side of that experience is exciting. I will be able to draw on my own experience in the real estate industry as I understand what it means to be truly trustworthy in this market. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Hughes: I made the decision very slowly and comprehensively. I read every word of the franchise contract, and everytime I didn’t understand something, I talked with the team until I was satisfied with the answer. 

When you are going to buy a franchise, you will be given the FDD, which will have a lot of information in it. One of the most useful sections is the list and contact information for not only all current franchisees, but also people who have left within the last year. I made it a point to call a lot of those people and ask them questions, especially those who had left the system. You get a few more insights that way as they can tell you how it really is. 

I also recommend asking to come along and sit in the truck with them for a day. I spent two days in Houston following a local Fresh Coat owner, for example, and also traveled to the Austin area and spent an afternoon picking the brain of one of the brand’s top-performers. That was really revealing and gave me the encouragement that if I follow the plan, I can be successful. 

ABOUT FRESH COAT PAINTERS:

Fresh Coat Painters, the residential and commercial painting franchise under the Strategic Franchising Systems umbrella, offers a low-cost, high-margin business model that gives entrepreneurs from all walks of life the chance to become successful business owners in the communities they serve. Since starting in 2004, Fresh Coat has expanded to over 170 franchise locations nationwide. Thanks to its unparalleled professionalism and affordable business model, it has become one of the leading concepts in the booming residential and commercial painting segment. With continued year-over-year growth, Fresh Coat is well on its way to achieving its overall goal of becoming a truly iconic painting brand.