How This 33-Year-Old Florida Native is Building a Family Legacy with Fresh Coat Painters

Lamberto Suazo, a native of Florida with a background in agricultural farming management, is ready to start a new chapter as a Fresh Coat* Painters franchise owner. Prior to joining the industry-leading painting franchise, Suazo spent a decade in a supervisory role at one of Florida's leading agricultural manufacturers. Completing a business degree in 2020, Suazo struggled to find a fitting career path that aligned with his educational qualifications. Feeling the desire for growth and prosperity for his family, he left his long-term position and turned his focus towards business ownership. 

While thinking through his options, Suazo recalled his teenage years spent helping his uncle paint houses, which inspired him to consider a painting business as a prospective venture. The discovery of Fresh Coat Painters brought his past experiences and future aspirations together. He found the brand to be well-established, resource-rich and nurturing a supportive, family-like atmosphere. 

Before becoming a franchisee, Suazo had considered the risk factor associated with starting a business from scratch, especially as the sole provider for his family. He saw franchising as a secure alternative, offering him the assurance of support and established systems to fall back on. With Fresh Coat Painters, he was especially drawn to the impact he could make on people in his community, whether it's the customers he would interact with or the relationships he would cultivate along the way.

As for his plans moving forward, Suazo aims to hit the ground running with his franchise and hopes to expand to additional territories in the future. Above all, he envisions this venture as a legacy for his children, an opportunity for them to own and manage their own businesses one day. Suazo plans to open his Fresh Coat Painters of Palm Bay franchise in July of 2023.

PROFILE QUESTIONS

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

Suazo: After high school, I spent about 10 years working as a floor manager for one of the leading farm companies in Florida. Around that time, I decided I wanted to move to a bigger city and find something that I could grow for my family and my kids. I resigned from my supervisor job in agricultural farming management and started thinking about business ownership. 

I graduated with a business degree in 2020 and I had a hard time aligning my degree with what I was doing in my career. I had always dreamed of owning my own business. I started researching and discovered franchising for the first time. I knew owning a franchise could be the right fit for me so the next step was finding the right franchise. 

In my teenage years, I often helped my uncle paint houses around town. That is where the idea of opening a painting business first came from. Once I narrowed down the type of business I wanted, I started looking into different concepts. In the end, it was clear that Fresh Coat was the best option — they have all the resources in place, a family atmosphere and incredible support from all the corporate members. I really fell in love with the whole brand. 

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?

Suazo: When you start from the ground up, there is a lot more risk. My wife is a stay at home mom and I am the sole provider for the family. It was already a risky decision to leave my current job and move into a business that could potentially fail, so I wanted to go with a franchise to ensure that I had all the resources behind me to succeed. 

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

Suazo: The ability to really see the impact of my work was what excited me most about Fresh Coat. With this franchise, I can be there with the customers, interact with them and see the results. To me that is a huge advantage because I wasn’t able to do that in my previous career. 

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

Suazo: My goal is to get this business off to a good start and hopefully buy more territories in the future. One day I hope to leave this business to my kids as a legacy so they can also have an opportunity to own their own business. 

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

Suazo: The hardest step is realizing that the opportunity is there. That is the most crucial. We are all in different situations, but you always have to take that first step and believe in yourself. The unknown can be scary, but in order to make that dream come true, you have to believe you can take that first step, work with a franchise and succeed. 

Fees to open a Fresh Coat Painters range from $66,150 - $96,250. To learn more about franchising with Fresh Coat, visit https://1851franchise.com/freshcoat

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.