Footprints Floors Franchisee Aaron Benedict Brings Exceptional Services and Support To Northern Denver Area

When Footprints Floors founder and CEO Bryan Park dreamed up his flooring and installation business 11 years ago, the idea was to fill a need within Colorado’s private flooring industry for top-quality workmanship at a fair price while creating a structure that promoted the best in people, products and business practices. Since starting in 2008—yes, right amid a national recession—Footprints Floors has taken the standard idea of a flooring company and reinvented it to be a simpler, more efficient, and extremely cost-effective franchise model and business opportunity.

Now, through streamlined operations, established support systems and an optimized business model, Footprints Floors franchisees like Denver-based Aaron Benedict are able to achieve an exceptional 200% increase in YOY sales.

Aaron Benedict was first introduced to Park through their church’s softball team, where the two immediately shared a passion and go-getter spirit. As a huge admirer of both Park’s leadership skills and the Footprints Floors brand, when Benedict was presented with a franchise opportunity in Fort Collins, Colorado, he knew he couldn’t pass it up.

Benedict garnered valuable experience in the sales and marketing world during his time working in telecommunications after graduating from Houghton College in Western New York in 2003. He eventually became involved in the medical equipment industry and cultivated meaningful relationships with both medical professionals and patients along the way.

“When I reached my mid-30s I realized I needed more autonomy and ownership within my work life,” said Benedict. He and his wife Dana decided to take the leap and franchise with Footprints Floors, moving the family from South Denver to the Fort Collins area with hopes of spending more time with the two kids and the baby on the way.

After completing the initial training program of 56 hours in a classroom and heading to Footprints’ corporate headquarters in Colorado to meet with the executive team for 67 hours of on-the-job training, Benedict learned the ins and outs of the Footprints Floors operations, opening his first location in Fort Collins, Colorado on May 1, 2016.

“By the time I joined, Footprints Floors had been building its infrastructure and community for seven years, so I leaned heavily on not only the corporate call center but the franchisees in my area for advice,” said Benedict. “From day one I was blown away by the unique level of support rarely found in the franchise industry. The familial community and bond between franchise owners is unlike anything I have ever been apart of—we are all like a band of brothers and sisters.”

According to Benedict, Fort Collins and the greater Northern Colorado area have proven to be successful because the communities’ flooring industry network continues to grow. “Our community of Footprints Floors franchisees within Denver and its surrounding markets understands how difficult it can be to find reliable subcontracting crews. We help each other out of any binds whenever a problem comes up.”

Footprints Floors also offers an industry-leading support system, with a call center staffed by specialists who have perfected the art of lead generation as well as managing new business for franchise owners. From scheduling customer appointments to answering business calls, the call center has helped the brand develop an efficient program for all markets across the continental United States.

In addition to groundbreaking support, Footprints Floors provides franchisees like Benedict with diversified services to increase revenue streams and keep the model recession-proof. “Not only do we install all types of service floors, including laminate, tile, stone, vinyl and hardwood, but a huge part of what sets our model apart is floor restoration and refinishing services,” he said. Thanks to this unique flooring franchise model, franchisees like Benedict are able to reach and service more customers than any of the competitors in the segment.

“Although my prior business and sales experience was helpful, I was interested in franchising because of the turnkey operations and proven concept,” said Benedict. “We were eager to join a business that provided a model where franchise owners can start making money the week after they finish training.”

Unlike competitors, Footprints Floors does not create or sell a product directly to the customer, eliminating the need for a showroom, mobile or brick-and-mortar establishment. Instead, franchise owners coordinate directly with expert subcontractors to complete the job, resulting in overhead that is considerably lower than that of competitors and attractive margins.

The combination of the brand’s exceptional business model, streamlined operations and call center support system position franchisees like Benedict for optimal success—with an impressive high system-wide average unit volume sale (AUV) of $831,682 and return on investment (ROI) of 25 to 30%.

For Benedict, the main goal is to provide each and every client with a higher level of customer service and sophistication than they are used to in the home services segment.

“Becoming involved with Footprints Floors has been an incredible opportunity,” said Benedict. “Bryan Park’s original idea has now flourished into one of the most progressive and exciting flooring franchises in the country and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”

Benedict’s operation continues to grow, experiencing a 200% increase in sales since the first quarter of 2018. Expansion is part of Footprint Floors’ overall franchise development strategy, with the executive team planning to sign 12 new franchisees by the end of the year and 20 more in 2020. As the company continues to set itself apart as a leader in the flooring segment, the brand is positioned to only get bigger and better. That’s a pretty solid foundation on which to build a business.