What was your career background prior to owning a Woodcraft store?
I graduated college with a degree in Computer Engineering to work for a large networking company in Raleigh, NC. I worked for them for six years before leaving to start my first Woodcraft franchise in Pompano Beach, FL.
Why did owning a Woodcraft store appeal to you?
Woodcraft represents many of the values that I hold: honesty, integrity and a strong commitment to its employees and franchisees. On the business side, it was important to me to have a company with a strong model and support for franchise operations with mature Marketing, Product and IT departments ready to get a new store off the ground. This meant that I didn’t have to figure those things out by myself.
What was your biggest concern?
I came into Woodcraft with little real experience running a retail business. This presented challenges as I had to learn on the job.
What’s it like being a multi-store owner?
Being a multi-store owner has a different set of challenges than being an owner/operator. In many ways the rewards come from helping our team to grow and become better at operating our stores. Our marketplace is an ever-changing landscape, and my job is very much a supporting role to help us to be “better today than we were yesterday.”
How has Woodcraft been helpful in your success?
Woodcraft supports stores with many different aspects of running the stores. Marketing, IT and Product departments make the business of running a Woodcraft store much easier than doing it alone. We spend a lot of time promoting in our local markets. Woodcraft’s marketing department is invaluable to us for getting out flyers, postcards, social media, and email marketing pieces that are all unified in appearance.
What advice would you give someone considering a Woodcraft franchise?
A Woodcraft franchise is fundamentally a retail business. Customer service is not just about how you treat the customers when they walk in your door: It’s about having the right product at the right time and at the right price for them. It’s about making sure that you anticipate those customer needs.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of owning Woodcraft stores?
The people. I get to work with some of the best and brightest people in retail. Customers love coming into our stores and our staff likes being there.
