For Alex Fonseca, owner of Fresh Coat Painters of Muskegon, building a high-performing team has been crucial to business growth. As he has expanded, Fonseca has consistently focused on his team’s role in the business's broader trajectory, emphasizing culture and demeanor as well as more technical requirements such as accuracy and efficiency.
“We get many of our customers through word of mouth,” he said. “So a customer being happy and telling their neighbors about us and our results… The painters who deliver that result are probably the most important people on our team.”
What makes a “good team member,” for Fonseca, may be a bit more nuanced than expected.
“Obviously, a very basic level would be someone coming in below the budget that we have for a project and being productive and efficient,” he said. “But for us, it’s just people who, when they show up, have a good presence about them.”
In the home services space, a team's attitude is especially important, as they’re working in customers’ homes and often making significant changes to their biggest investment. Building teams that both make customers feel at ease and meet the quality expectations set for them lays a healthy foundation for Fonseca to further develop technically proficient painters.
Shifting the definition of success from just speed and industry knowledge to a level of care, ability to build customer rapport, and potential for long-term value can be quite beneficial for the business.
“Sometimes I would rather have a slightly slower painter who does a good job,” he said. “Customers are happy with that person and write reviews for them, and we’re going to get more jobs from those over time.”
Since establishing these expectations, Fonseca has worked to develop a clear, actionable hiring and team development process. First and foremost, he focuses intently on hiring the right people, not just anyone who can do the job.
“My initial thought was to hire people who have a lot of experience, but that’s when I realized that just because someone is a good painter doesn’t mean they’re a good person,” he said. “It’s really tough to teach someone how to be polite and mind their manners when they’re in someone’s home. We’ve been successful at hiring people based on their personalities and training them in the painting skills.”
Fonseca doesn’t ignore the painting skills required to succeed as a part of the team by any means. He uses the resources available to him through the Painting Contractors Association and Fresh Coat franchise system.
“We’re a part of the PCA, and they put out a lot of material on how to train painters,” he said. “Fresh Coat also put together a painter advancement system. So we can place people in different categories based on their levels of expertise, and it shows them the skills they need to level up.”
These tools allow Fonseca to hire and train effectively while also setting the stage for talent retention and increased profitability. As painters continue to learn and develop their skills, they can take on more complex, higher-paying jobs, boosting their earning potential and increasing revenue for the franchise.
As the scaffolding he has provided within his business supports the professional growth of his teams, Fonseca has also worked diligently to build and maintain a team that truly supports each other, collaborates naturally and celebrates one another’s wins.
“Instead of seeing anything as a competition, we try to evaluate who is really great at something and pair them with someone else who is trying to develop that same skill,” he said. “Our painters are really open to giving each other feedback on the work that they do, and it comes from a place of love. They’re approaching it saying, ‘Hey, let me try to help you out.’”
In addition to supporting painters’ professional development and advancement, Fonseca and his teams also celebrate one another’s personal successes.
“I want my painters to enjoy their work, but I understand that they’re here to make money and support their families,” he said. “Understanding how work can be rewarding but also helps them meet their own personal goals encourages us to celebrate their wins outside of just work, too.”
Over time, Fonseca has carefully and intentionally built a team that not only works well together but also brings the soft and technical skills that propel the business forward. Often, this requires a more disciplined approach and a true investment in team building rather than taking a “just hiring” approach, but the results are always worth the effort.
“I’m willing to take longer to hire the right person rather than rushing to hire a bunch of people then realizing they’re not the right fit,” he said. “It’s important to try to envision, five years from now, what you want your company to look like. Who are the types of employees you want to have? And be intentional about hiring, supporting and developing those people now.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/freshcoat/info.
Fresh Coat
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Focusing on soft skills and professional development pathways as much as he emphasizes technical skill, Alex Fonseca has built and retained a thriving team of painters who power his business.
For Alex Fonseca, owner of Fresh Coat Painters of Muskegon, building a high-performing team has been crucial to business growth. As he has expanded, Fonseca has consistently focused on his team’s role in the business's broader trajectory, emphasizing culture and demeanor as well as more technical requirements such as accuracy and efficiency.
“We get many of our customers through word of mouth,” he said. “So a customer being happy and telling their neighbors about us and our results… The painters who deliver that result are probably the most important people on our team.”
What makes a “good team member,” for Fonseca, may be a bit more nuanced than expected.
“Obviously, a very basic level would be someone coming in below the budget that we have for a project and being productive and efficient,” he said. “But for us, it’s just people who, when they show up, have a good presence about them.”
In the home services space, a team's attitude is especially important, as they’re working in customers’ homes and often making significant changes to their biggest investment. Building teams that both make customers feel at ease and meet the quality expectations set for them lays a healthy foundation for Fonseca to further develop technically proficient painters.
Shifting the definition of success from just speed and industry knowledge to a level of care, ability to build customer rapport, and potential for long-term value can be quite beneficial for the business.
“Sometimes I would rather have a slightly slower painter who does a good job,” he said. “Customers are happy with that person and write reviews for them, and we’re going to get more jobs from those over time.”
Since establishing these expectations, Fonseca has worked to develop a clear, actionable hiring and team development process. First and foremost, he focuses intently on hiring the right people, not just anyone who can do the job.
“My initial thought was to hire people who have a lot of experience, but that’s when I realized that just because someone is a good painter doesn’t mean they’re a good person,” he said. “It’s really tough to teach someone how to be polite and mind their manners when they’re in someone’s home. We’ve been successful at hiring people based on their personalities and training them in the painting skills.”
Fonseca doesn’t ignore the painting skills required to succeed as a part of the team by any means. He uses the resources available to him through the Painting Contractors Association and Fresh Coat franchise system.
“We’re a part of the PCA, and they put out a lot of material on how to train painters,” he said. “Fresh Coat also put together a painter advancement system. So we can place people in different categories based on their levels of expertise, and it shows them the skills they need to level up.”
These tools allow Fonseca to hire and train effectively while also setting the stage for talent retention and increased profitability. As painters continue to learn and develop their skills, they can take on more complex, higher-paying jobs, boosting their earning potential and increasing revenue for the franchise.
As the scaffolding he has provided within his business supports the professional growth of his teams, Fonseca has also worked diligently to build and maintain a team that truly supports each other, collaborates naturally and celebrates one another’s wins.
“Instead of seeing anything as a competition, we try to evaluate who is really great at something and pair them with someone else who is trying to develop that same skill,” he said. “Our painters are really open to giving each other feedback on the work that they do, and it comes from a place of love. They’re approaching it saying, ‘Hey, let me try to help you out.’”
In addition to supporting painters’ professional development and advancement, Fonseca and his teams also celebrate one another’s personal successes.
“I want my painters to enjoy their work, but I understand that they’re here to make money and support their families,” he said. “Understanding how work can be rewarding but also helps them meet their own personal goals encourages us to celebrate their wins outside of just work, too.”
Over time, Fonseca has carefully and intentionally built a team that not only works well together but also brings the soft and technical skills that propel the business forward. Often, this requires a more disciplined approach and a true investment in team building rather than taking a “just hiring” approach, but the results are always worth the effort.
“I’m willing to take longer to hire the right person rather than rushing to hire a bunch of people then realizing they’re not the right fit,” he said. “It’s important to try to envision, five years from now, what you want your company to look like. Who are the types of employees you want to have? And be intentional about hiring, supporting and developing those people now.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/freshcoat/info.
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