Fresh Coat Franchise Information

Fresh Coat Painters, the residential and commercial painting franchise under the Strategic Franchising Systems umbrella, offers a low-cost, high-margin business model that trains franchisees on how to find and unite all painters, hire them as employees and provide customers with the security and professionalism they deserve. Since starting in 2004, Fresh Coat has expanded to over 170 franchise locations nationwide. Now, with plans to cross the 200-unit mark this year, the Fresh Coat team is looking for passionate and qualified franchisees to establish Fresh Coat as a truly iconic painting brand.

Fresh Coat is the flagship in the Strategic Franchising Systems’ portfolio of five national brands and benefits from that thirty-year track record of franchising expertise and success. Most relevant, we’ve mastered the art and science of marketing and staffing home-service brands. As one of the largest and fastest-growing painting companies in the world, Fresh Coat proudly continues this legacy of success, innovation, financial strength, and franchise owner satisfaction.

The award-winning Fresh Coat business model provides three lucrative profit centers to maximize your earnings potential: residential (interior and exterior), commercial (retail stores, restaurants, offices, apartments and more), and government projects. Residential projects cover everything, not just walls and ceilings. From cabinets to decks and even fences... if it can be painted, you can do it. Our commercial support provides not only specialized training and certifications for you and your team, but free leads vetted by our dedicated National Accounts team. These profitable painting projects come to you signed, sealed and delivered. Your team simply does the painting and collects the money.

Lastly, Fresh Coat’s innovative Winner’s Circle Program is another big differentiator for franchisees and is unlike anything else in the painting industry. The program allows franchise owners to earn back their franchise fee in full as they achieve certain milestones — possibly lowering the startup costs by $44,900.

Even during market downturns, demand for painting remains strong. Over the past two years, Fresh Coat has proven to be a uniquely pandemic-proof business, especially as homeowners spent more time investing in home services during lockdown. In fact, the brand grew its systemwide sales by 44% year-over-year, saw six record-breaking sales months and opened 31 new locations in 2021 alone.

According to a report completed by Home Advisor, home services represent a $506 billion market in the United States. Painting makes up a heft majority of these home renovation and decoration projects, with the industry expected to hit a whopping $212 billion by 2026. Whether it's just a repaint or a full remodel, painters will be part of the process. Plus, as the real estate market continues its meteoric rise, the demand for painting has never been higher across both residential and commercial clients.

Fresh Coat is an ideal franchise for home services professionals who are looking to start their own business. Whether someone was a residential painter or was involved with commercial projects, Fresh Coat gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to be their own boss, stop following other people’s orders and carry their own business to success.

But Fresh Coat franchisees don’t need to be painting experts or focused on reinventing the wheel — the team provides the business model, trusted brand name and support so they can be successful with Fresh Coat. This support has allowed the brand to attract a uniquely diverse group of franchisees, including veterans, women and those from underrepresented communities. Owners come from all types of industries and backgrounds, whether it be tech, consulting, teaching, manufacturing, construction, home improvement or working for the state.

There are several benefits that come along with Fresh Coat franchise ownership. Most notably, franchisees get the rare opportunity to invest in two franchises for the price of one — the right to serve both residential and commercial markets. Unlike other concepts, there are no extra fees for that dual service, and the franchisee’s exclusive territory includes both red-hot markets to maximize their profits.   

Fresh Coat is also one of the most affordable painting franchises available. Franchisees’ operating costs will be significantly lower and their potential profits much higher, with a competitively low franchise fee, small branding and technology fees, royalty minimums and no training fees. In addition to profitability, the Fresh Coat business model is about providing franchisees with flexible and attractive lifestyle benefits.

To position franchisees for success, the Fresh Coat team is proud to be a marketing company first, and a painting company second. The brand’s goal is to drive more leads than franchisees can handle, compelling them to grow their staff and profits over time. Fresh Coat’s dedicated HQ marketing teams not only drive residential leads, but also provide access to National Accounts that are already signed, sealed and delivered. Franchisees simply provide the painters. The team will also vet commercial projects in a franchisee’s local area to help them bid and win lucrative painting jobs for stores, restaurants, businesses and medical offices. Finally, the brand’s unique customer-attraction promotions (“We paint any room for $299”) allows franchisees to get their foot in the door fast and start building a trusted name in their market. 

When it comes to resources and support, the Fresh Coat team provides training, business coaches, digital marketing, PR, estimating/quoting technology, painter-recruitment systems, regional/national conferences, online seminars, peer-to-peer educational programs, national supplier/vendor alliances and more.