The Great Franchisee: Derek Daniels, 360º Painting, Delaware

Derek Daniels knows a thing or two about home improvement. After more than 30 years of managing big box hardware stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot, Daniels was looking for a way to best invest his 401k when he came across a franchise opportunity that fit his experience like a glove. Now, Daniels is opening his own 360º Painting, the residential and commercial painting franchise backed by multi-brand franchisor Premium Service Brands.

Daniels plans to employ his local relationships and managerial experience to build a successful painting business that will benefit the local community. 

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story – what did you do before franchising?

Derek Daniels: I’ve spent most of my life in the MOT (Middletown, Odess, Townsend) community and went to Middletown High School. My professional experience primarily comes from working in the home improvement industry. Right out of high school, I worked in a local hardware store and later on, I continued working at that same hardware store and at Lowe’s as well. In 1997, after 10 years, I left the local hardware store and went to work for Lowe’s full-time as an assistant store manager. Years later, they laid off assistant store managers, so I left Lowe’s and went to Home Depot, where I became the department supervisor. In 2020, Lowe’s recruited me back, and I was there until April 2021 when I found 360º Painting. 

While I was with Home Depot, I was watching football and I thought to myself, How can I invest my 401k? From that research, I came across franchises. 

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising and what was your perception of franchising before becoming a franchise owner?

Daniels: I pulled out my laptop to research ways to invest and I came across franchising. I reached out to a franchise consultant at FranFinders and they outlined the benefits of franchising for me. We looked at different franchises based on my background and my consultant felt 360º Painting would be a good fit for me due to my experience in the home improvement industry. She connected me with 360º Painting, and we spoke every week for four months. They were vetting me as much as I was vetting them. 

1851: How did you decide you wanted to be a franchisee?

Daniels: Working in retail can be tough. The hours don’t leave any work/life balance or family life. I didn’t see my son as much growing up and missed out on that part of his childhood. Over the years, Lowe’s taught me how to manage a business and people, so I decided I might as well start a business for myself. I’ve met a lot of people in the community through my roles at Lowe’s and Home Depot, so it was a great start for me to work with people in my area.

1851: How did you perform your research?

Daniels: I really only worked through my franchise consultant. During the vetting process, they would give me a list of franchisees that I could reach out to. I reached out to about five different franchisees to find out their pros/cons of owning a 360º Painting. 

1851: Why did you pick 360º Painting? What excited you most about the potential?

Daniels: The growth potential of the company and the franchisees. I started in the home improvement business when I was 18, but over the years, the physical heavy lifting became tough on me. With this model, there is no physical labor for me. I do estimates for clients, which is something I had done with Lowe’s, and it’s easier on my physical well-being. It is more indirect managing rather than physically working. 

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Daniels: My goal is to grow the business where I have employees doing the everyday business for me. Eventually, I would like painters, someone doing estimates and a production manager. I would like to be able to step back and do some of the things I missed out on earlier in life. 

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Daniels: Stop waiting and take that leap of faith. The reason the founders of franchises are where they are today is because they took a leap of faith. 

1851: What do you do in your personal time?

Daniels: My only hobby is sitting in my basement and watching movies. I have a movie collection that I am constantly adding to. 

ABOUT 360° PAINTING:

Charlottesville, VA-based 360° Painting is one of the nation’s fastest-growing residential and commercial painting franchises offering comprehensive and personalized painting services with an approach founded on quality, responsiveness and customer experience. Founded in 2005 by parent company Premium Service Brands, 360° Painting has received major industry recognition by Entrepreneur magazine’s 40th Annual Franchise 500 list as No. 1 in the painting category for three consecutive years. 360° Painting has also placed on Franchise Times’ Top 200 list, which recognizes brands for their growth over the past 18 months. Since it franchising in 2006, the brand has grown to over 120 units nationwide with plans to award 30 more locations by the end of this year. For more information about franchising opportunities with 360° Painting, please visit: https://www.premiumservicebrands.com/360-painting/