Meet Dusty Lepper, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING's Franchise Partner in Cincinnati, Ohio. After 2 decades in HR, he decided it was time to take back control of his own destiny - and discovered that franchising was the way to do it. As he says: "I liked the idea of running my own business and being in control of my own success, while having a strong playbook to work from".
Here's more from Dusty.
Hi Dusty. Let's start with this: what made you want to own your own business?
I was beginning to feel stuck in a rut of the corporate world. I was facing the same recurring problems, and I just knew that it was time to do something different - something for myself. I wanted to take control of my work/life balance, and that's what WOW 1 DAY PAINTING will allow me to do. They don't just talk about being 'people first', they live it.
So what was it that gave you that push, what made you decide 'now is the right time to do this'?
Well, as I mentioned, I was starting to just feel run down from a long commute and the day to day of the corporate world. I stepped back to reevaluate what is most important to me, and that's my two daughters - I have two daughters, they're 16 and 12 - and spending time with them. Having the ability to spend more time with them. I'd honestly not really thought about business ownership through franchising before this, but then a franchising broker reached out to me and brought it up. I stayed open minded, and the more research I did, the more it just seemed to make sense.
What was it about franchising that made sense... and why did you ultimately decide on WOW 1 DAY PAINTING?
In terms of 'why franchising', I liked the idea of running my own business and being in control of my own success, while having a strong playbook to work from. I was a corporate director of HR, I spent about 20 years in Human Resources, so I also think I have a skill set that matches this business model, things that will help me and that I'll lean on - talent management, people development, recruitment... getting the most out of my team and building them. As for 'Why WOW' - they really impressed me with the market assessment, the business model, and the culture that they have created, that I was able to view on discovery day.
Your discovery day was virtual due to current travel restrictions related to COVID-19: how was that?
I thought it was excellent. To be honest, I was concerned going in to it, because I wanted to make the trip up to Vancouver, and I wanted the entire experience. I wanted to touch it, and feel it, and get that first-hand look. So yes, initially I had a lot of concerns - but actually they did such an excellent job. Once I went through it I was really relieved.
What are you looking forward to most about being a WOW 1 DAY PAINTING business owner?
Making money! Can I say that? [laughs]. Running my own business is exciting to me in so many ways - I can control my own success and control my own destiny, that's a huge thing. My daughters are also very excited - my 12-year-old thinks it's really cool. Cincinnati is a great city, and I'm just really looking forward to providing the WOW customer experience to them.
Tell us a bit more about your territory - what's it like?
Oh it's an awesome place, with nice, down to earth people. It also has a very fragmented market - so I think that providing a little more professionalism and centricity will be a welcome change for them.
Well, welcome to the WOW 1 DAY PAINTING family, and good luck! We can't wait to watch you build your business.
Interested in business ownership with WOW 1 DAY PAINTING or one of our other brands? Learn more about our available franchise opportunities today.