Navy Veteran Puts Down Roots with Color Me Mine

Color Me Mine Franchisee Credits Navy Discipline for Her Florida Studio’s Growth

• Nedy Trent, who served eight years in the Navy, opened her Color Me Mine franchise in 2024. She has long been a fan of the brand’s paint-your-own pottery studios.
• Her daughter, who suggested the idea of owning a Color Me Mine studio, works with her at the franchise.
• Trent’s Color Me Mine franchise ranked among the brand’s top 25 studios for month-over-month growth.
• The discipline and structure she learned in the Navy help Trent operate her franchise and accomplish her business goals.
• Owned by Twist Brands, the Color Me Mine franchise has some 150 studios in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica and the Philippines.

Nedy Trent has worn plenty of hats throughout her career. After serving in the Navy, she worked as a medical assistant for 15-plus years (her GI Bill benefits helped her pay for the necessary education and training). She also spent six years employed by John Hancock/Manulife insurance and earned a real estate license.

Since June 1, 2024, Trent, who enlisted right after high school, has applied her military discipline to operating her Color Me Mine franchise in Winter Garden, Fla., a community near Orlando. At Color Me Mine, customers choose their own pottery pieces to paint, with guidance from studio staff.

Trent’s familiarity with Color Me Mine began long ago in Oxnard, Calif. “Some military wives and I took our children out on a play date to paint, and I’ve been in love with the franchise ever since.”

Color Me Mine franchise owner Nedy Trent served in the Navy for eight years.

How She Came to Own a Franchise

More recently, when Trent couldn’t find a pottery painting studio near her home in Florida, her youngest daughter, Kiara, suggested she consider opening a franchise. “She’s a studio art major graduated from the University of Central Florida,” Trent says of her daughter. “She currently works at the studio.”

The venture into entrepreneurship has gone well. During most of the past year, Trent’s Color Me Mine franchise ranked in the brand’s top 25 units for month-over-month growth. The achievement was driven by “hard work, consistency and leadership,” she says. “I have an amazing team of 10 employees who show up for work day in and day out and love what they do. Customers feel at home and at ease when they visit us.”

Military experience also serves as an important contribution to her success with Color Me Mine, Trent says. “The discipline and structure I learned in the Navy help me stay on course and attain goals I set for myself and the studio as a team. Running a franchise requires organization and commitment and a whole lot of courage.”

After She Signed On

Of course, there are always hiccups to owning a business, and Trent identifies the studio buildout and interacting with subcontractors as early challenges. But the headaches delivered a delightful, unexpected result: “My biggest surprise as a Color Me Mine franchisee was how quickly we were able to open our doors to customers.”

Since then, work-life balance has been an ongoing challenge, with the franchise keeping her very busy. “I am an early riser and love to make the most out of my day. I am in the studio most days helping the team stay on track; promoting the store through social media, themed painting events and community partnerships; and keeping the administrative tasks running. It’s not unusual to see me on the floor helping customers, cleaning tables and supporting my team,” says Trent. Those efforts are steeped in rewards: “I love having my daughter work alongside me and seeing customers come back again and again.”

Trent enjoys working alongside her daughter, Kiara, and team

Another benefit of owning a Color Me Mine franchise has been that Trent has put down deep roots, a welcome change from the frequent moves that can come with military life. “Opening the studio has grounded me in so many ways. It feels really good to be out in town and hear someone say to me, ‘Hey, you’re the Color Me Mine Lady.’ We participate in local events where we live and work, and it really feels like home.” She hopes to open a second Color Me Mine unit in the future and ultimately to hand the business down to her children.

Trent’s thriving business has made her a strong, firsthand advocate of the franchise business model. “For other veterans looking to find their purpose after serving our nation, I would tell them to find a franchise that resonates with them and pursue it. The setup and resources are all there for you to use to get started, and the process is seamless. It is definitely doable and attainable.”

About the Color Me Mine Franchise

Marketed with the tagline “The Art of Having Fun,” New Orleans-based Color Me Mine was founded in 1991 and began franchising in 1995. Customers select a ceramic item such as a plate, mug, figurine or vase (average prices are $25 to $35) to paint with a variety of different colored glazes. Studio staff then fire the pieces, which are ready for pickup in about a week.

The Color Me Mine franchise, acquired by Twist Brands LLC in 2020, has locations in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica and the Philippines. A Sept. 1, 2026, post by Morningstar, an independent financial research firm, noted that Color Me Mine had opened its 150th studio and that average unit volumes were $513,044 in 2025.

The Color Me Mine franchising website has further details about ownership opportunities**.** For general information, visit Color Me Mine’s main website.