The average person will spend more than 90,000 hours, or 13 years and two months, at work. If you’re one of the lucky few who is fulfilled at their job, that figure may not seem all that alarming. But, for the nearly three-fourths of people who are unhappy at work, that’s just more motivation to focus their pursuits elsewhere.

While there can be any number of reasons behind someone’s workplace discontent, more often than not, it stems from a feeling of lacking control of one’s own destiny. That’s why so many people turn to business ownership to find more fulfillment and empowerment at work.

And, for those new to a given industry or new to business ownership in general, franchising provides them with the perfect solution to be in business for themselves but not by themselves.

Far from the monotony and humdrum that accompany many 9-to-5 desk jobs, SpeedPro franchise partners enjoy the limitless benefits they reap from owning a business while working in a creative, collaborative studio every day.

Here’s a more in-depth look at a day in the life of a SpeedPro franchisee:

A Dynamic and Distinctive Day-to-Day

At SpeedPro, every day – and franchise location – are different, so pinning down a typical day for franchise owners is not an easy feat. Still, there are some best practices and general guidelines that our network of franchisees follows, in order to foster their business’ success.

Most SpeedPro owners start with two employees, including a production manager, who organizes projects, deadlines and deliveries to keep daily operations running smoothly. Over time, as a SpeedPro owner’s business scales, they can add more employees. The average studio has two to four employees per location, depending on how big of a team the franchisee wants.

“There really isn’t a typical day as an owner, but some of the basic things I do every day include obviously opening the studio and having a production meeting in the morning to get everyone focused,” said Dan Pickett, owner at SpeedPro – Mission Valley. “Other than that, my day-to-day can include anything from going to meetings with clients and prospective clients, performing quality control and doing site inspections, to entering invoices and doing some profit and losses analysis. Every day is different, but I really love everything I do.”

In addition to daily meetings with his team and production manager to coordinate projects, Dan also meets with his marketing coordinator each week. They set goals for the number of new clients to prospect, how many follow-up calls to make and how many meetings and proposals to facilitate. Marketing coordinators help franchisees develop ongoing relationships with repeat B2B clients, freeing up the franchisees’ time to focus on current projects and business development.

“I think the most rewarding aspect of the SpeedPro franchise is that I’m building a future for myself and my family,” said Dan. “I’ve been in business for four years, with no prior graphics or art-related experience, and I’m confident the business I’ve built up will continue to be successful and take me into retirement.”

Creating In-Studio and Taking to the Road

Many SpeedPro owners work in-studio with their production managers, going over which projects need to be accomplished in a given day. The franchise owner typically provides general direction and the ultimate goal of each project, and the production manager will see the project to fruition.

“Being part of SpeedPro means you’ve got a really great support system – both from the franchisor and the franchise partner managing the individual location,” said Rachel Lunney, production manager for SpeedPro – Denver.

“You’re not out in the deep water by yourself, and you have resources you can use,” Darren Schneider, owner at SpeedPro – Denver added. “We’ve got a good support system, and I know the corporate team genuinely cares about the franchisees’ businesses and helping to grow them.”

Graphics production takes place in-studio, where the production manager and other employees use the cutting-edge wide format printing technology provided by our corporate team to create custom graphics for each client.

Our executive-style studios are typically in tech/flex commercial locations and can operate with as little as 2,000 to 4,000 square feet of space. When our corporate office helps franchisees select a site, we target high-traffic locations with at least 5,000 businesses within the territory. Since many of the B2B nature of SpeedPro’s clients, however, our model is not very location-sensitive.

Franchisees get out of the office when they travel to client offices to drop off proposals or finished products. They also have the flexibility to come and go as they please, providing them with a healthy work-life balance.

“Owning your own business lets you be the master of your time,” Darren said. “Some things I have the freedom to do are picking up my kids at the bus stop, getting them to soccer practice or even something as little as taking them to get a haircut – you have that flexibility.”

By owning a business in a collaborative, profitable environment, SpeedPro franchisees are able to enjoy more fulfillment and control over their personal and professional lives – making for a much more pleasant 90,000 hours.

To learn more about what sets SpeedPro apart from other franchise opportunities, visit our website.

Opened for only a year, and SpeedPro in Magnolia, Texas, has a constant flow of business opportunities generating revenue for franchise owners Brian and Kathy De Noble. Ironically, wide-format printing was unfamiliar for Brian, whose background was in locksmithing, and Kathy, who spent 17 years working in her family’s oil and gas business.

Despite being new to the printing industry, the couple didn’t waste any time letting the community know they could handle its printing needs. They got their first job in April 2017, only a month after signing the franchise agreement. The De Nobles didn’t open their SpeedPro studio until March 2018.

Clearly, the couple had the energy to drum up business. But, it was support from SpeedPro and Brian and Kathy’s community engagement that complemented their drive and boosted their success.

Community Support from SpeedPro

The De Nobles discovered a support system with community spirit at SpeedPro, which helped them get their business up and running and helps them get over obstacles as new business owners in the printing industry.

For example, a “buddy studio” produced the De Noble’s first job before they even had a studio of their own.

During the site selection phase, the couple was paired with a real estate agent familiar with the SpeedPro concept. She has experience finding a studio space for another SpeedPro franchisee.

“She was very familiar with what we were looking for,” Kathy said.

Being a new business owner naturally comes with some challenges. For Brian and Kathy, it was entering an industry foreign to them. But the ongoing support provided by the SpeedPro corporate team and fellow franchisees helped set the De Nobles up for success.

“Learning a brand new industry was the biggest struggle,” Brian said. “The way we overcame it was SpeedPro’s support from corporate and existing owners. If you have a question, you’re going to get help from everybody. It’s a great network.”

Because wide-format printing was an industry so foreign to them, Kathy worried about not having all the answers if asked a question by a potential client. But, the SpeedPro corporate team trained her how to handle those situations. She learned that it was OK to potential and real clients that she’ll get back to them with an answer as soon as possible – and was able to because there were more than 100 other SpeedPro owners and the corporate team providing her with information.

“People are so appreciative of that,” she said. “SpeedPro has never told me, ‘Sorry, you’re on your own.’”

Often, you don’t even have to ask your question to the corporate team because someone else already has and received an answer on the SpeedPro forum.

“SpeedPro has a family culture,” Brian said. “They don’t open studios near each other and create competitors out of each other. Therefore, everyone is naturally inclined to help.”

The Reward for Helping Your Community

A desire to help others is a large part of who the De Nobles are and a big reason for their success. The couple, for purely altruistic intentions, got involved in their community upon joining the Greater Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce in 2017.

Brian and Kathy volunteered for high school and chamber of commerce events, and their efforts began to be noticed by the community.

The De Nobles and SpeedPro Magnolia were awarded Volunteers of the Quarter in last quarter of 2017.

“When we started doing all these things, I discovered they were things I really enjoyed doing,” Kathy said. “It wasn’t about getting our name out there, it was about helping the community. When they gave us the award, it spurred us on for 2018.”

The next year included judging margarita-making and cooking contests at the annual Magnolia BBQ Cook-Off in March. Because they donated banners to the event, they were recognized as sponsors, too. In December, they did fundraising and made banners for the annual Christmas parade.

Their work earned SpeedPro Magnolia a prestigious Greater Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce award – Business of the Year for 2018. It also earned them a lot of clients. Without thinking about it, every event they participated in turned into a networking opportunity. They met hundreds of people and developed a reputation for caring.

“We are supporting our community, and in return, the community is supporting us,” Kathy said. “Anything we sponsor, we try to volunteer our time, too. Even with all the money and signs, it’s the time and people community organizations need the most. I think that’s one of the contributing factors to us winning Business of the Year.”

Continued Success for 2019

The De Nobles can expect to have a fruitful 2019, too. Since becoming SpeedPro franchise owners, their work-life balance has improved. In addition to spending more time with family and traveling, they have more time to remain actively volunteering in Magnolia.

“We can have our name out there,” Kathy said. “SpeedPro is a company people can count on and the De Nobles are people who will help out.”

To learn more about what sets SpeedPro apart from other franchise opportunities, visit our website.