ASK A PRO
Q:
HEWERSON MORAIS is head of commercial operations and is a senior commercial estimator at CertaPro Painters of Westchester, NY and Southern CT. He is also part of the advisory board and past president of the Westchester County Chapter of PCA. Hewerson has been in the paint industry for the past 20 years and plans on continuing to expand his knowledge and help elevate the paint industry standards. CertaPro.com
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inPAINT | Mar/Apr 2021
Having worked in both worlds, what are the advantages of being independent vs. joining a franchise?
A:
There are a lot differences between the two opportunities but what makes one better than the other really depends upon the individual. I started in the paint business while in high school, working for my uncle in NYC. I learned a lot at his side and became accomplished at the trade. As time went on, I decided to strike out on my own. I quickly learned that there’s a lot more to running a painting business than being a good painter. The areas that I struggled with were finances, business planning, training, and other HR issues. I lacked a lot of understanding and I didn’t have a mentor to turn to for help. I stuck with it for 11 years and got better in a lot of areas, mostly by learning from mistakes. I even weathered the recession, but came to realize that wearing a lot of hats wasn’t my strong suit. I really liked the painting business, but the way I was going about it wasn’t working. I knew there was a CertaPro Painters franchisee nearby and reached out to learn how the model worked. Once I learned they could support me in the areas where I wasn’t strong, I decided to join the company. I’ve been with the company for going on eight years now. While you’re part of a franchise, you’re very much running an independent business ... we set our own rates and are in charge of our own local marketing, hiring, scheduling and other local business decisions. Where we lean on them for support is brand recognition, strategic marketing and financial planning. I don’t have to learn by mistakes any more. If I’m ever stuck on what to do, I just contact our regional manager who will share how other operators are handling the issue—or will put us in direct contact with them. Corporate support doesn’t dictate anything; they just share solutions.
I also appreciate the access to the proprietary software that handles estimating, scheduling, billing and CRM. It’s all integrated and it even generates the proposals. Plus, because it’s from CertaPro, I have built-in tech support. The other thing I really value is the networking. There are over 350 CertaPro locations in the U.S. and Canada. That’s 350 people I can tap for ideas and information on any aspect of the business. That’s really helpful when you’re bidding a type of job you’ve never done before. You can bounce your product choices and approach off of others. It gives you a lot of confidence. In terms of drawbacks, you have to be mindful of marketing. You have a territory that you need to stick to and you can’t market in someone else’s area. If you get a referral in someone else’s region, you can usually work that out to get the job, but you can’t pursue work outside your zip code territory. The other challenge is that your reputation, in part, hinges on the performance of other franchise operators. So if an operator in another part of the state, or even country, doesn’t do a great job for a customer who is a cousin or a friend of your potential customer, they might say, “Stay away from them. They did a terrible job.” Fortunately, the bad eggs don’t last long in the business but the potential for them to make it harder for you does exist. Ultimately, what makes the franchise choice right or wrong for you is really personal. I encourage anyone considering making a change in either direction to do their homework. Figure out what you struggle with at the end of the day and if a franchise can help you overcome it or if it’s something you can resolve on your own. Only you can determine the right path for you.
