When Joe Martinta moved to the U.S. in 2005, he got a job as a painter’s apprentice. Over the span of about 17 years, he worked in nearly every role within a painting company and started considering what he could build for himself. In 2022, Martinta invested in Fresh Coat Painters of Cypress. As he became more established in the business, he considered expansion to a second territory occasionally, but he never felt truly ready. This year, Martinta achieved significant year-over-year growth with the Cypress territory, and he began thinking about growth again. Coincidentally, a neighboring owner was looking to transition, and the opportunity to acquire Fresh Coat Painters of The Woodlands “fell in [his] lap” at the perfect time.
“It was probably my second year when I started to think about a second territory, but I never felt that I was ready,” Martinta said. “This year, I started thinking about it again. We saw a lot of growth in our first territory compared to last year, so that idea became more relevant again. This opportunity ended up kind of falling in my lap. Another owner was looking to transition out, and he reached out to me to ask if I had an interest in the territory. We were able to strike a good deal for me to acquire the Woodlands territory, and it’s already showing signs that it’s going to be really good.”
Martinta’s previous experience has been a key driver in his current success. As he grew from apprentice to master painter and transitioned into project management and sales roles, he had a firsthand look at what it takes to run a painting business, and he gained a deep understanding of the various functions required to keep the business running. But the more he grew, the more he started to think about what his professional future could look like.
“At some point, I decided that I was going to do this for myself instead of helping to grow someone else’s company,” Martinta said. “In my 17 years of experience prior to Fresh Coat, I saw everything that would work and everything that didn’t work. And I knew that we could do better than industry standard for a painting business. My last job before opening Fresh Coat was as a salesperson for another painting franchise, so I knew I wanted to get into franchising. I knew I wanted to be in business for myself but not by myself.”
As Martinta explored painting franchise opportunities, he wanted to find a brand that wouldn't require him to take on significant debt but still had long-term growth potential. Fresh Coat was the fastest-growing of the franchises he considered, and his meetings with the leadership and support teams helped him make his final decision.
As he launched his business, Martinta leaned on both his prior experience and the systems and support offered by Fresh Coat to ensure he wasn’t just completing each project to satisfaction but was actually building a scalable operation. One of his key considerations was how he balanced residential and commercial projects.
Martinta says any franchise owner should have a strong understanding of residential projects and the systems necessary to complete them before turning to commercial opportunities. While commercial projects can be incredibly beneficial for the business, they come with a different set of expectations and requirements.
“Residential is going to be your bread and butter. Those are quick projects that pay quickly and allow you to keep going,” he said. “When you get into commercial, those projects are larger, and you may be able to make more of a profit on them, but the payment schedule is a little longer. You have to be able to afford to do those projects. So, a good way of thinking is that you use your residential projects to fund your commercial projects.”
This approach has allowed Martinta to grow steadily for years, and this year, he accelerated that growth in his first territory with some systemic changes. As he expands with the Woodlands territory, Martinta is making subtle shifts to tailor operations to the area while keeping the core of the operation identical.
“We’re adjusting a little bit for different demographics in The Woodlands, but basically, we’re just doubling down on what’s working,” he said.
Replicating the processes that worked in the first territory is just the start. Long-term, doubling down with Fresh Coat will also allow Martinta more personal freedom and opportunities to make an even greater community impact.
Over the years, the business has also given Martinta opportunities to make more connections.
“One of the highlights of the past four years for me is the people. The other owners within the Fresh Coat system,” he said. “We create not only good business partnerships but real friendships. Regardless of where life takes us in the future, we’re going to remain friends.”
He has also taken advantage of the opportunity to serve his community through a Fresh Coat Cares project. After completing an estimate for an Army veteran, Martinta learned the homeowner was looking to keep his project under a certain price threshold. Every estimate he had received was over three times that amount.
“I told him, ‘I’m not going to be able to get it to that level, but we have this program where we can help people, and I think you’re a great candidate,’” Martinta said. “We put in an application for the Fresh Coat Cares project; it was approved, and we were able to paint the exterior of his house at no cost to him.”
For Martinta, growing the business is also about the independence he wanted when he first became a franchise owner. Managing multiple territories requires a lot of work, but he values being able to decide how he spends his time and where he takes the business financially.
“I do work more now than I did as someone’s employee, but it’s for my business, and at the end of the day, I have freedom,” Martinta said. “Franchise ownership has given me a level of freedom so that, if something comes up — if my son has something at school, or if I want to take a three-day weekend just because — I can still make things work.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/freshcoat/info.
Fresh Coat
SPONSORED
Joe Martinta is pairing his decades of hands-on and operational experience with the national painting franchise’s business systems to replicate his success across multiple Texas markets.
When Joe Martinta moved to the U.S. in 2005, he got a job as a painter’s apprentice. Over the span of about 17 years, he worked in nearly every role within a painting company and started considering what he could build for himself. In 2022, Martinta invested in Fresh Coat Painters of Cypress. As he became more established in the business, he considered expansion to a second territory occasionally, but he never felt truly ready. This year, Martinta achieved significant year-over-year growth with the Cypress territory, and he began thinking about growth again. Coincidentally, a neighboring owner was looking to transition, and the opportunity to acquire Fresh Coat Painters of The Woodlands “fell in [his] lap” at the perfect time.
“It was probably my second year when I started to think about a second territory, but I never felt that I was ready,” Martinta said. “This year, I started thinking about it again. We saw a lot of growth in our first territory compared to last year, so that idea became more relevant again. This opportunity ended up kind of falling in my lap. Another owner was looking to transition out, and he reached out to me to ask if I had an interest in the territory. We were able to strike a good deal for me to acquire the Woodlands territory, and it’s already showing signs that it’s going to be really good.”
Martinta’s previous experience has been a key driver in his current success. As he grew from apprentice to master painter and transitioned into project management and sales roles, he had a firsthand look at what it takes to run a painting business, and he gained a deep understanding of the various functions required to keep the business running. But the more he grew, the more he started to think about what his professional future could look like.
“At some point, I decided that I was going to do this for myself instead of helping to grow someone else’s company,” Martinta said. “In my 17 years of experience prior to Fresh Coat, I saw everything that would work and everything that didn’t work. And I knew that we could do better than industry standard for a painting business. My last job before opening Fresh Coat was as a salesperson for another painting franchise, so I knew I wanted to get into franchising. I knew I wanted to be in business for myself but not by myself.”
As Martinta explored painting franchise opportunities, he wanted to find a brand that wouldn't require him to take on significant debt but still had long-term growth potential. Fresh Coat was the fastest-growing of the franchises he considered, and his meetings with the leadership and support teams helped him make his final decision.
As he launched his business, Martinta leaned on both his prior experience and the systems and support offered by Fresh Coat to ensure he wasn’t just completing each project to satisfaction but was actually building a scalable operation. One of his key considerations was how he balanced residential and commercial projects.
Martinta says any franchise owner should have a strong understanding of residential projects and the systems necessary to complete them before turning to commercial opportunities. While commercial projects can be incredibly beneficial for the business, they come with a different set of expectations and requirements.
“Residential is going to be your bread and butter. Those are quick projects that pay quickly and allow you to keep going,” he said. “When you get into commercial, those projects are larger, and you may be able to make more of a profit on them, but the payment schedule is a little longer. You have to be able to afford to do those projects. So, a good way of thinking is that you use your residential projects to fund your commercial projects.”
This approach has allowed Martinta to grow steadily for years, and this year, he accelerated that growth in his first territory with some systemic changes. As he expands with the Woodlands territory, Martinta is making subtle shifts to tailor operations to the area while keeping the core of the operation identical.
“We’re adjusting a little bit for different demographics in The Woodlands, but basically, we’re just doubling down on what’s working,” he said.
Replicating the processes that worked in the first territory is just the start. Long-term, doubling down with Fresh Coat will also allow Martinta more personal freedom and opportunities to make an even greater community impact.
Over the years, the business has also given Martinta opportunities to make more connections.
“One of the highlights of the past four years for me is the people. The other owners within the Fresh Coat system,” he said. “We create not only good business partnerships but real friendships. Regardless of where life takes us in the future, we’re going to remain friends.”
He has also taken advantage of the opportunity to serve his community through a Fresh Coat Cares project. After completing an estimate for an Army veteran, Martinta learned the homeowner was looking to keep his project under a certain price threshold. Every estimate he had received was over three times that amount.
“I told him, ‘I’m not going to be able to get it to that level, but we have this program where we can help people, and I think you’re a great candidate,’” Martinta said. “We put in an application for the Fresh Coat Cares project; it was approved, and we were able to paint the exterior of his house at no cost to him.”
For Martinta, growing the business is also about the independence he wanted when he first became a franchise owner. Managing multiple territories requires a lot of work, but he values being able to decide how he spends his time and where he takes the business financially.
“I do work more now than I did as someone’s employee, but it’s for my business, and at the end of the day, I have freedom,” Martinta said. “Franchise ownership has given me a level of freedom so that, if something comes up — if my son has something at school, or if I want to take a three-day weekend just because — I can still make things work.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/freshcoat/info.
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