“People don’t necessarily believe in you. You have to convince them that what you’re doing makes sense and get them to be part of your story.”
For Spray-Net founder Carmelo Marsala, you could say the idea to franchise his exterior painting business fell from the sky.
“I was on a ladder, thirty feet in the air, taking a sales call when my phone fell to the ground and smashed into a million pieces,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘well, this is no longer sustainable.’”
As head painter, lead sales representative, and production manager at the time, Marsala decided to develop training and operating manuals so he could delegate some of his tasks and better manage his rapidly expanding business. He decided to use these materials to develop a franchise system. “I always liked the model,” he says. “Group power makes more sense than doing it all on your own.”
Finding His Niche
As a business student at Concordia University in Montreal, Marsala operated a College Pro painting franchise during his summers off. He learned about the painting industry and identified a gap in the market; certain exterior surfaces, such as siding, window panes and doors, could only be properly painted in a factory using solvent-based products that dry too quickly to be applied outdoors.
Determined to bring the factory finish directly to the homeowner, Marsala met with a chemist to develop a proprietary line of products and application method that would enable him to paint any exterior surface on-site in just one day. Each product is specially formulated for a specific surface and can be adjusted to slow down or speed up the drying time according to weather conditions.
“We don’t consider ourselves a painting company,” Marsala says of the Spray-Net concept. “We say we’re the most cost-effective way to increase curb appeal, because we’re essentially an alternative to replacing siding and doors and windows.”
And so Marsala’s business was launched when he was just 21 years old. Asked how he managed a full course load on top of starting a business, Marsala laughs. “Let’s just say I didn’t show up to all of my classes.”
Upon graduating, Marsala had a job as a stockbroker lined up but, with his business picking up speed, he decided to pass on the job and focus on Spray-Net full time. The seemingly bold move came as no surprise to those familiar with Marsala’s entrepreneurial bent. “I’ve never been able to keep a job for more than a couple of months,” he admits.
Facing the Dragons
After franchising his business in 2013, he sold his first two franchises in Gatineau and Quebec City in March 2014. As the franchise grew, Marsala began to win accolades from the business community. In 2014, he was a finalist for the EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and, in 2015, winner of the Air Miles Small Business Achievement Award. The win caught the attention of the producers of Dragons’ Den, who invited him to appear on the show.
Marsala pitched his concept to the Dragons in May 2015, and was offered $175,000 from Jim Treliving in exchange for a five per cent equity stake. Although that’s exactly what Marsala asked for, he decided not to move forward with the deal.
“It was during a busy period,” he explains. “I didn’t have time to do due diligence and when we looked at it again, the business was in a completely different place and it didn’t make sense anymore.” Although his Dragons’ Den appearance didn’t end in a deal, it did generate leads. In the three days following the episode’s air date, Marsala says he received more than 400 franchise inquiries.
Industry Accolades
Today, less than three years after launching franchise operations, Spray-Net is almost completely sold out in Canada, with locations from coast to coast. Marsala’s next step is to take his concept to the United States, where he was recently recognized as a top young entrepreneur in the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) NextGen in Franchising Global Competition.
Out of more than 250 applicants from around the world, Marsala was one of 20 young franchisors selected to travel to San Antonio, Texas for the IFA’s National Convention in February. From that group, he was one of three finalists chosen to present his concept to a panel of judges, who voted him the Grand Prize winner.
The 29-year-old has clearly earned the respect of the international business community, a far cry from his early days as a young entrepreneur trying to get his business off the ground. “Showing up to someone’s house when you’re 19 and promising to make their house look good when it’s their most prized possession – you’ve got a bit of an uphill battle.”
He faced the same challenge when it came to managing staff in the beginning. “People don’t necessarily believe in you at that point. You have to convince them that what you’re doing makes sense and get them to be part of your story.”
Building a Solid Team
Today, Marsala has a dedicated team of head office staff and franchisees, many of whom are also under the age of 30. “You’re only as good as your team,” he says, which is why he places a lot of emphasis on selecting the right franchise partners. “We don’t sell franchises, we award them. The franchise fee might be appealing at first, but it’s not worth it in the long run if that person is going to be negative for your brand.”
Once a franchise has been awarded, franchisees receive a mix of in-class and on-site training prior to opening, and are partnered with a team of mentors who coach them throughout their first year of business and beyond. Franchisees also benefit from a complete turnkey system, which includes a fully equipped trailer, a centralized call centre, and an online suite of tools.
With all the training and support provided, franchisees don’t need a painting background to be successful. All they really need is the same drive and entrepreneurial spirit that helped Marsala make his business a success.
“Everyone says I’m too demanding and a little crazy, but it’s only because I have a sense of urgency and I want things to be done perfectly,” he says of his Type-A personality. “Maybe I am crazy,” he admits, “but at the end of the day, at least it will get done.” Given his incredible success story, it’s hard to argue with that logic.