TITANS OF FRANCHISING
Aaron Hardy Jr.
U.S. Army Veteran Continues Resilience When Business Opens as Pandemic Surges
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fter 24 years in the U.S. Army, Aaron Hardy Jr., U.S. Army Veteran, and proud father of two currently serving our country, decided to trade in his Army Green for the CertaPro Painters® Gold and in early 2020 become the owner of CertaPro Painters® of Denton, TX. Aaron’s decision to join the 370-franchisee unit system was rooted in the desire to spend more time with his family and deliver a muchneeded service to Denton and its surrounding areas. The Army taught Aaron discipline and how not to accept or settle for mediocrity — all values that customers see when they hire Hardy and his team for residential and commercial painting services. Hardy says he chose the CertaPro Painters® franchise because its culture, transparency, history, and reputation aligned with his goal to spend more time with his family while joining a corporate family at the same time. Culture is extremely important when it comes to choosing the right franchise to join and CertaPro Painters® has proven to provide
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a culture that many individuals, especially those with strong family values, look for and highly respect when choosing next steps in their career. Hardy started this business during the beginning months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the hardships that many industries faced during this year of unprecedented times, Hardy persevered and showed the resilience and tenacity he learned in the United States Army. “I believe that my time in the Army has taught me discipline and how to face different challenges that may arise and the ability to remain calm under pressure,” said Hardy. He followed the CertaPro Painters® business model and built a strong customer base, providing painting services to homeowners who shifted monies from vacation destinations to investing in home improvement projects. Opening a franchise isn’t always easy, however, the CertaPro Painters® Corporate team provides its new franchise owners with a multitude of training and resources aimed to help them
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build successful businesses from the beginning months and throughout their tenure as franchise owners. They provide franchisees with a variety of online courses and curriculum, digital and integrated marketing strategies to help generate business leads, comprehensive training sessions, and support consultation meetings to assist owners and help them create their own success stories in a $56B industry. When asked, what advice he would give others who are looking to start their own business and join a franchise system like CertaPro Painters® Hardy remarked, “I suggest that anyone wanting to own his or her own business, should do the necessary research. Take the time and ensure sure that you and the franchise are a fit. Make sure it represents what you stand for and that you align with the organizational culture.” As Hardy has built his local CertaPro Painters® over the last year and has focused on leading a professionally managed business, he has taken pride in the personal touches he and his staff have added to their services because they understand customers have other options to choose from. He ensures