When Mike McKenny graduated from Florida Southern College with a degree in music, owning a wide-format printing business wasn’t in the cards. Mike went on to become a music teacher and work at a large insurance company. Molly McKenny, Mike’s wife, business partner and high school sweetheart, also held a position in insurance for 10 years after completing her duty as a member of the United States Army Reserves.
The couple’s careers were soon uprooted once Mike approached Holly with an idea.
“One day I told Holly, ‘Hey I have this crazy idea – we’re going to start our own company,’” Mike said. “She thought I was absolutely nuts. Then I told my dad that I needed to pull him out of retirement, and I dragged everyone into this fun, wild craziness.”
For the past three years, Mike and Holly have been running their own SpeedPro in St. Petersburg, Fla., and living out Mike’s crazy idea of business ownership.
He Says, She Says: Owning a SpeedPro as a Married Couple
If you asked Mike and Holly five years ago if they could ever work well together professionally, the answer would have been “no.”
The reason their business partnership works, however, comes from their strategic approaches. Holly is more focused on the day-to-day operations, which allows Mike to dream big. She calls him the “Yes Man” of their SpeedPro team – no idea is too outlandish, and no goal is unattainable.
“What makes our relationship work is that we’re opposites,” Mike said. “I tend to be very big picture, throwing stuff up on the whiteboard and hoping it works.”
Together, Mike and Holly embody the hard-working, entrepreneurial traits and skillsets we look for in a SpeedPro franchisee.
Growing the Business on Their Own Terms
With minds as creative as Mike and Holly’s, it’s important for them to be given license to mold their business how they see it. One of their favorite parts of coming to work each day is the freedom they feel as owners of their own business.
“SpeedPro gives us the freedom to do what works for our particular location,” Mike said. “The products we offer, staffing, pricing and equipment is all up to us.”
One of the ways Mike and Holly have used that creative liberty is in the equipment they have acquired over their three years in the wide-format printing industry. The husband-wife team opened with store with a simple printer and laminator. After seeing the needs of their clients and considering how they can improve the service they offered, they began buying new equipment, including a full flatbed printer. Mike and Holly’s SpeedPro is now so equipped and customized for their clients that their new concern is a lack of in-store space.
Mike and Holly run their business with client satisfaction as their highest priority. If their clients are happy, they’re happy.
“I’m fulfilled being a SpeedPro owner,” Mike said. “That’s the best way to say it. I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy the growth.”
Are you looking to start your own business? Contact us today to learn more about our franchise opportunities.