From out of business to a million bucks

Before he became co-owner of Kitchen Solvers of the Gulf Coast, William Newkirk was working construction for a builder who was going out of business.

He began to talk to his brother Shane Svarckopf about joining some kind of franchise system in late 2008. After discovering the Kitchen Solvers concept and flying out to meet the team, the brothers decided they had found the one.

“We officially opened our doors in May 2009,” Newkirk said. “We’ve done nothing but increase sales each year since.”

Newkirk said the brothers did $175 thousand in sales during 2009 before hitting $350 thousand in 2010. This was followed by $550 thousand in 2011 and $800 thousand in 2012.

“Last year we were going to break the million dollar sales mark,” Newkirk said. “Other than those first couple months, it’s been a pretty consistent climb upward.”

Consistency was one of the primary reasons the brothers got involved with Kitchen Solvers, according to Newkirk.

“Small remodels remain consistent,” he said. “What fell off in the crash were new homes being built, not remodeling per se. Remodeling is a good field that will continually do well.”

Newkirk is also quick to spotlight the brand’s support as a key driver of success.

“We didn’t know a ton about running a business, especially the sales aspect of that,” he said. “We knew how to do the work – that was the easy part. During the beginning stages, it was definitely lots of phone calls back and forth and talking through different questions, from sales to installation. The owners got us focused on knowing the numbers side of our business.”

Together with marketing support and training in other business areas, Newkirk and his brother were given a clear path to follow.

“Customers ask me all the time: Would you still go the franchise route knowing what you know now?” he said. “My answer is: I don’t know if I would know what I know now without the franchise system. It’s like a business in a box – there are so many things you don’t have to think about when starting a franchise business. The support factor, the products they’re able to offer you – they spend the time to work it all out for you.”

According to Newkirk, he and his brother are aiming to hit the $1.2 million sales mark during 2015. If the past few years are any indication, this is one goal the brothers should have no trouble reaching.