From Fast Food to Finance to Franchising, Marc Azurin Finds New Purpose With Footprints Floors

Marc Azurin’s journey into franchising with Footprints Floors, the 160-plus-unit flooring installation brand, began with his formative years at McDonald’s, where he learned essential workplace skills. Reflecting on his early career, Marc said, “I’m a firm believer that McDonald’s is one of the best first jobs ever.” He even considered franchising with McDonald’s, but ultimately pursued a job in real estate appraising before landing his current job in finance at Edward Jones. The opportunity to franchise with Footprints Floors came through family connections, sparking his interest in owning a business that could provide stability and support for his extended family.

Azurin’s decision to join Footprints Floors was driven by the brand’s innovative leadership and vision for revitalizing the flooring industry. “I wasn’t on board until I met with Bryan Park — the owner and founder of Footprints Floors — and his leadership team that he’s hand selected. I just think they’re great people,” he said. “They have a great business model set up. They seem to want to make a lot of improvements in the outdated flooring industry, taking advantage of their skill sets and emerging technologies.”

Azurin’s goal is to establish a thriving, long-term business that not only benefits his family but also contributes positively to his community. He has approached this new venture with faith and determination, believing in his ability to overcome challenges and succeed.

His advice to aspiring franchise owners is to thoroughly prepare and understand the commitment required. “Make sure you’re ready,” Azurin said. “Just make sure you do your homework — your research — and make sure you’re ready to dive into the franchise opportunity that you’re pursuing because a lot of the time it’s going to take a lot of your resources and spirit.”

1851 Franchise spoke with Azurin to learn more about his journey into franchising with Footprints Floors and his plans for the future.  

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

Marc Azurin: I think it hearkens back to my first job ever when I was 16 and started working at McDonald’s. I’m a firm believer that McDonald’s is one of the best first jobs ever and fast food taught me to get to work on time, to handle time pressure, to put on a uniform and just a lot about what the workforce might expect of me. I was there for seven years, ending my term as an assistant store manager. 

I was always interested in maybe franchising with McDonald’s. They’re a top brand — amazing company — and that was always something that appealed to me. I was part of a corporate McDonald’s, but I saw franchise McDonald’s in the area and was intrigued. That led me to wanting to own my own business, whether through a franchise or developing one myself, and that’s what planted the seed for me. I realized that managing a restaurant is a lot of work and I ended up deciding that it wasn’t for me, especially with restaurants being one of the top businesses to open and close within a year. So I put that on the back burner for then and ended up pursuing real estate appraising.

One of my friends brought me over to finance at Edward Jones, so that’s where I still currently work. However, I heard about the franchise opportunity with Footprints Floors through my in-laws, who were franchise owners. My wife and I looked into it — did our own little discovery process into Footprints Floors — and found out that it was an excellent opportunity for us to pursue, which brings us here.

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?

Azurin: Well, I’ve only been at it for three weeks and I haven’t even really worked on the franchise itself, but I will say that you have to be just as committed as if you were making your own business. It’s still dotting your I’s and crossing your T’s, and even though you have a great support structure through the franchise and the brand you’re taking a part of, just be ready to tackle things head on and learn a lot of new things as you go along.

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

Azurin: I think they have a great leadership team. I wasn’t on board until I met with Bryan Park — the owner and founder of Footprints Floors — and his leadership team that he’s hand selected. I just think they’re great people. They have a great business model set up. They seem to want to make a lot of improvements in the outdated flooring industry, taking advantage of their skill sets and emerging technologies. 

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

Azurin: In my plans for growth, my goal is to build a stable, long-term business that can provide a livelihood for my family and my extended family. I think when people want to create their own business or franchise, a lot of the time it’s because of a loss of control over their own schedule or because they want to focus on earning a profit for themselves.

I have a lot of extended family. I own my mom’s house and I support my dad, who’s in the Saint Louis area, and my in-laws are nearby.

After meeting with the leadership team and hearing just a little bit about how they can offer a better experience — a better service — that I know can benefit my community while providing a livelihood for my family.

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

Azurin: I think when you start a franchise, you have to have a lot of faith in something. For me, I have a lot of faith in God and where He’s going to bring me whether I fail or succeed. I have a lot of faith in the ability He’s given me to pursue and succeed at the goals that I have. I think it just takes a lot of drive and faith in what you’ve got to do because you’ll come across obstacles or hurdles along the way. I’m able to do this—I’m able to put up a certain amount of capital and feel at peace with what’s going on — because I have a lot of faith in the plan for me and what’s going to happen.

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

Azurin: Make sure you’re ready. When I first started and — again, I know I’ve only had three weeks experience here — but we had a wedding coming up and there was a lot of family coming into town, a lot of personal engagements that I couldn’t really give up or push to the back burner and I wasn’t ready in that time, sense or regard. Just make sure you do your homework — your research — and make sure you’re ready to dive into the franchise opportunity that you’re pursuing because a lot of the time it’s going to take a lot of your resources and spirit. 

ABOUT FOOTPRINTS FLOORS

Upon his return to Littleton, Colorado, after serving in the U.S. Air Force, Bryan Park noticed that Denver’s flooring industry lacked a higher level of customer service and sophistication. So, in 2008, he founded Footprints Floors, which today specializes in installing hardwood floors, tile floors, backsplashes and laminates. With more than 150 territories, Footprints Floors offers franchisees a robust support system, including a call center, flexible hours for work-life balance and a low cost of entry with outstanding economics. For more information about the Franchise Times Top 500 brand, visit https://footprintsfranchise.com/.