At home with his family, riding out the global pandemic, Blake Cockrum realized that spending his life working away in a cubicle wasn't what he wanted, or dreamed about. What he wanted was to take control of his future. What he dreamed about was becoming a leader, his own boss, and a business owner. Then he found WOW 1 DAY PAINTING - and made his dreams a reality.
Now our proud Franchise Partner in Kansas City, Blake is building friendships and a support network within the WOW 1 DAY PAINTING system, preparing for massive growth, and waking up 'inspired to get out of bed in the morning'.
Congratulations, Blake!
What made you want to own a WOW 1 DAY PAINTING business?
WOW 1 DAY PAINTING gave me an opportunity to take control of my professional goals and leave a lasting legacy for my family. It's allowing me to be the type of leader that I always wanted for myself and aspired to be for others. For the first time in my life, I'm able to set my sights on what I want to accomplish and go after it. My energy, enthusiasm, entrepreneurial spirit, ingenuity, and personality now come to work with me every single day and I'm inspired to get out of bed in the morning.
What do you see as the benefits of franchising, why did you decide to go down the franchising route?
As a Franchise Partner in WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, I've got years and years of experience and knowledge at my disposal from colleagues all over the country. Before even opening my doors, I'd built friendships with Franchise Partners from Bellingham, Washington to Raleigh, North Carolina. The existing infrastructure in O2E Brands and WOW are outstanding, and an incredible advantage to any Franchise Partner.
Why now, what was it that made you take the leap? What did you do before this?
After more than a decade in the financial space in corporate America and at least half of that mired in complacency, I was ready for a change. The COVID-19 pandemic afforded me more time at home and with my family, making it all the more evident that my cubicle was no longer where I wanted to spend the rest of my working life.
How did you hear about WOW 1 DAY PAINTING originally?
Mark Armstrong, a WOW franchisee from Raleigh, North Carolina, traded in his career in broadcasting to own and operate a painting company. I thought it was the strangest, most random move ever, and I began talking to him about what persuaded him to do so. Seven months later, and following a number of conversations via phone, text, and FaceTime, Mark and I are now colleagues in the WOW system and I couldn't be happier.
What are you looking forward to most about being a WOW owner?
I'm really looking forward to having the ability to meet the needs of my customers in a way that they never would have expected from a contractor, and helping my employees succeed in their roles and reach their own dreams. If I do both of those things while earning financial freedom for myself and leaving a lasting legacy for my family, I'll have succeeded.
What's your big goal - where do you see yourself taking this business?
The sky is the limit. Similar to the way I view myself, I don't think there will ever be a time when this business will stop growing, adapting and trying to get better. When we fail, we'll look at the results, acknowledge what went wrong, and do better the next time. We won't always succeed, but I'm not afraid to fail. My greatest lessons learned in life didn't come from my successes; they came from my failures.
Tell us about your territory - what makes it unique?
My four territories are very spread out and we'll have to cover a lot of ground. I purchased territories that are expecting massive growth over the next 3-5 years and beyond, and I believe that will prove beneficial in the future.
Finally, what do you like to do outside of work - what are your interests and passions?
I love spending time with my family, particularly my seven-year-old son, Braedan, and I absolutely adore coaching him and his soccer team. I'm a sports nut in just about every sense of the word. I've been running a blog focused on the North Carolina Tar Heels for over seven years and I'll welcome roughly 20 million readers to the site in 2022. I now get to own and operate the first Kansas City WOW franchise with my best friend, Jen, and work every day with my Job Site Manager and friend of nearly 30 years, James. Life is good and I am grateful.