Signing On

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Signing On

A career in corporate America prepared FASTSIGNS® franchisee, Steve Hill, for business ownership

Steve Hill always wanted to build his own business, but nobody accuses him of rushing it. Before buying his St. Louis FASTSIGNS® franchise in 2017, he served in the Air Force, earned a master’s degree in business, and worked in sales for Microsoft.

During his research, Hill considered burger, sandwich, pastry, and shipping franchises. “What really attracted me to FASTSIGNS is that it’s business-to-business, and that’s my wheelhouse. Brand strength also enticed. “All of my customers have heard of FASTSIGNS. It’s a business card that always gets you in the door.” Flexibility is another perk; he can set prices and develop partnerships as desired.

Hill concedes there’s stress—“speed is part of our name.” But he says the 20-plus “pressure-packed years at Microsoft” prepared him for it. “Customers have two expectations, speed and professionalism,” and FASTSIGNS corporate is ready to assist with both. “I would be hard-pressed to find an organization that supports its owners any better,” says Hill.

The schedule is sweet, too. Although Hill admits to being two stories up in a bucket truck for a recent Saturday installation, store hours are 8 to 5 weekdays. After closing, he rides his bicycle 20 to 30 miles and still has more family time than corporate America allowed. He trims his hours by delegating to his team of 3.5 employees: graphic designer, inside salesperson, summer intern, and parttime installer. Hill is ecstatic about his choice. “I love delivering for our clients. It’s great when they say, ‘I didn’t think you could do it.’ There’s a high level of satisfaction”… so much that he’s thinking about a second location.

For more information, call 888-285-5935 or visit www.fastsigns.com.