Thoughts On Branding and Compliance

By Chris Couri, CEO and Co-Founder of We Do Lines

"If this business were split up, I would give you the land and bricks and mortar, and I would take the brands and trademarks, and I would fare better than you." - John Stuart, Chairman of Quaker (ca. 1900)

In the last quarter of the 20th Century there has been a dramatic shift in
ascertaining shareholder value. For most of the century, tangible assets
were regarded as the main source of business value. Brands, technology,
customer relationships, and employees were always at the heart of a
company's success, but rarely explicitly valued.

With the rise of such consumer brands as McDonalds', Coke, Proctor and
Gamble, and a host of other late 20th century brand powerhouses today, it is
possible to argue that the majority of a business' value is based on
intangibles like 'brand equity', Management's attention to these assets has
grown exponentially and efforts to protect these assets have become a top
priority because their perceived values have so vastly increased with the
technology to penetrate the brand into a marketplace, whether it be globally
or locally.

A franchises brand is a very valuable asset. Franchisors know that a
customer will walk into a store or use the services of a franchise based on
the reputation of the brand name.

Remember that although franchise establishments are independently owned and
operated, they still maintain the high standards of the franchisor and the
uniformity that contributes to brand recognition and reliability. That is
why a McDonalds in Portland is a McDonalds in Pasadena.

Brand management is important in other business, but in franchising it is
paramount.

It is therefore important, especially in the early going that we all
understand that if there's one bit of cautionary wisdom to share with you it
is "If the brand fails, we all fail." It is true that being a small
franchisor poses all sorts of challenges in establishing a brand,
particularly when it comes to working within a limited budget. However,
affordability is secondary compared to the primary task of each franchisee
to understand the importance and the value of the brand itself. If we fail
at that level-it doesn't matter how larger your budget or how creative your
marketing campaign-we may as well have thrown the time and money away.

Why? Because no matter how effective our branding effort, it's not worth the
paper it's printed on if the franchise owners aren't fully committed to
living and breathing the brand at the local level.

We Do Lines Featured in Landscape and Irrigation

Just recently We Do Lines was featured on Landscape and Irrigation in an article entitled, “Adding parking lot line striping as a business opportunity.” The article describes why We Do Lines is the perfect bolt-on opportunity for Landscape and Lawn professionals saying that it is a simple, low cost add on with minimal equipment needs in which franchisees can leverage national relationships that We Do Lines has with Sherwin-Williams and a national lead generation call center. Check out the article here.

Adding parking lot line striping as a business opportunity

In the current economy, contractors from a variety of service fields like landscaping are becoming interested in exploring adding a We Do Lines franchise to their existing business. Many contracting businesses were hard hit, forcing these business owners to look to additional business opportunities which fit well with their pre-existing infrastructure and customer base.

A We Do Lines franchise fits nicely into this niche because it is a simple low cost add on with minimal equipment needs and leverages the relationships the contractor has already formed. Additionally, with its national relationship with Sherwin-Williams and extensive support systems including a franchisor supplied lead generation call center, the franchise owner can expect a rapid transition to profitability. The advantages of being able to offer an expanded ‘one-stop shopping’ service offering are clear. We Do Lines provides another in for the contractor.


Another important advantage for aspiring We Do Lines owners is the brand visibility the franchise brings to an otherwise fractured and professionally underserved segment of the commercial services industry. A We Do Lines franchise offers their franchise owners the opportunity to build strong local brand equity with the advantage of increased exit strategy valuation. The opportunity to be a part of a franchised system with national reach, and the local leverage that brings with it, make an investment in a We Do Lines franchise an attractive option in these challenging times.

(Read More)

We Do Lines Franchise as a Synergistic Business Opportunity

By Chris Couri, CEO of We Do Lines

In the current economy, contractors from a variety of service fields like landscaping, construction, and maintenance, are becoming interested in exploring adding a We Do Lines franchise to their existing business. Many contracting businesses were hard hit, forcing these business owners to look to additional business opportunities which fit well with their pre existing infrastructure and customer base.

A We Do Lines franchise fits nicely into this niche because it is a simple low cost add on with minimal equipment needs and leverages the relationships the contractor has already formed. Additionally, with its national relationship with Sherwin-Williams and extensive support systems including a franchisor supplied lead generation call center, the franchise owner can expect a rapid transition to profitability. The advantages of being able to offer an expanded ‘one-stop shopping’ service offering are clear. We Do Lines provides another in for the contractor.

Another important advantage for aspiring We Do Lines owners is the brand visibility the franchise brings to an otherwise fractured and professionally undeserved segment of the commercial services industry.

A We Do Lines franchise offers their franchise owners the opportunity to build strong local brand equity with the advantage of increased exit strategy valuation. The opportunity to be a part of a franchised system with national reach, and the local leverage that brings with it, make an investment in a We Do Lines franchise an attractive option in these challenging times.

What Does an Alliance with Sherwin-Williams Mean for We Do Lines Franchisees

By Skip Barrett, We Do Lines Director of Franchise Development

We Do Lines has just entered into a strategic partnership with Sherwin-Williams to provide training, supplies and expert knowledge to We Do Lines franchisees. The partnership will position We Do Lines for further growth and development. Working with North America’s largest single-source paint and coatings supplier lends tremendous quality recognition and brand power to the company. Here’s how:

• There are over 5,000 Sherwin-Williams commercial sales representatives nationwide who are referring and actually selling for their local We Do Lines franchisee.

• The extensive Sherwin-Williams National Accounts operation will begin referring We Do Lines’ local operators to their accounts of $500K or more.

• The Sherwin-Williams stores will act as warehouses, supply centers, and repair depots for We Do Lines’ operators.

• Offices in Sherwin-Williams stores will be made available to We Do Lines’ franchisees for training, interviewing crews, and client meetings.

• Franchisees can use the Sherwin-Williams logo on We Do Lines’ trucks and marketing.

• There is a seamless internet ordering interface with N/C delivery by Sherwin-Williams to We Do Lines work sites.

• Special pricing on paint and supplies will be given to We Do Lines franchisees.

• Special leasing options on equipment will be given to We Do Lines franchisees.

This arrangement is unique in the striping industry and makes our offering all the more attractive. Through our partnership with Sherwin-Williams, we have taken a large step toward branding We Do Lines nationally and professionalizing the parking lot line striping market segment. In addition, it has dramatically increased the value of our franchisees’ businesses.

We Do Lines featured in Business News Daily

We Do Lines was recently featured in an article in the national online magazine Business News Daily called “Crazy Companies: Bizarre, But Successful Business Ideas,”. The article talks about the 500 million parking spaces in need of painting, how We Do Lines has stepped in to paint them, the type of paint they use, and how they got started in Ridgefield. It also mentions that We Do Lines became a lucrative franchise in 2009, and now has locations in several states. The article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Crazy Companies: Bizarre, But Successful Business Ideas
By Jeanette Mulvey

Got a crazy business idea but afraid to give it a try? It might not be as crazy as you think. BusinessNewsDaily tracked down a few small business owners who are making a living doing things you’d never expect.

There are more than 500 million parking spaces across America and someone’s got to paint them. But it’s not a guy in painter’s pants with a bucket and a brush.

We Do Lines, based in Ridgefield, Conn., is a franchise started in late 2009.
The businesses’ owners, Chris Couri, Dan Rella and Tom Darrow, got the idea to start the company after realizing how difficult it was to find someone to paint the lines in their business parking lot.

It started as a small business and now has franchises in several states.
The company uses a waterproof latex paint that is specifically manufactured by Sherwin-Williams to be durable, bright and approved by the Department of Transportation. The company does most of its stripe painting at night when parking lots are clear.

(Read More)

Franchisee Profile: Bob Russo, Tim Hastings, & Leon St. Jean - franchisees in Connecticut and Southwest Florida

Franchisees Since: March 2010
Franchise Locations: Connecticut; Southwest Florida

How Tim Bob, Tim, and Leon Got Started With We Do Lines…
Bob, Tim and Leon are all lifelong residents of Ridgefield, CT and had seen several articles in local newspapers about We Do Lines and the franchise opportunity. The three friends came together and realized they had a great opportunity in front of them with We Do Lines and began researching more in depth the business opportunity. After speaking with the We Do Lines team, Bob, Tim and Leon knew this was the business they wanted to become part of. Together they are part of a development deal and have taken over five territories, including the state of Connecticut and Southwest Florida, which includes Port Charlotte, Venice and Greater Orlando.

What Intrigued Bob, Tim and Leon about We Do Lines…
With combined experience in commercial construction, manufacturing and sales, Bob, Tim and Leon had seen the We Do Lines proposition of an untapped market hold true across the state of Connecticut, as well as through Southwest Florida. Bob, Tim and Leon saw the growth potential of We Do Lines throughout the state of Connecticut and Southwest Florida and with the support of the We Do Lines corporate team, together Bob, Tim and Leon are able to exclusively concentrate on interacting with customers and gaining new clients.

Something Interesting About Bob, Tim, and Leon’s Story…
All lifetime Connecticut residents, Bob and Tim have been friends since elementary school, and Leon was Tim’s college roommate. The three business partners have great business experience to help make their new We Do Lines business successful and profitable. Bob has extensive experience in sales and marketing within the commercial construction industry. Tim has a strong background in sales as well and is part owner of a mortgage company in Ridgefield. Leon is an experienced entrepreneur having owned his own mortgage bank in Connecticut, as well as partners in a mortgage bank throughout 18 states. Additionally, he also has experience and knowledge in computer logistics and manufacturing.

Bob is married to his wife Pamela and together they have two children, both who are very excited to be working part time for their dad throughout the summer. Leon is married with three children. His daughter is five years old and his twin boys are three years old. Tim has three children.

Where Specifically Did Bob, Tim and Leon Learn About We Do Lines?
Tim was reading the Danbury News Times article about We Do Lines and presented the idea to his friend Bob. They came together with one of Bob’s college friends, Leon, and realized they had a great opportunity to grow and expand as business owners together.

We’re Here, And We’re Wacky: A Retrospective on the Success of We Do Lines

I think we can all agree that those who attempted to launch their small business during the recession took an extra risk – some might even say an uncalculated risk. Sure, the concept may be viable, but even the most viable small businesses have had problems surviving over the past two years.

Perhaps the key to success is eccentricity. Perhaps it’s those recession-launched companies that are just a little funkier than the others that did the best job of sticking out, raising eyebrows, and creating a foundation for success, gaining market share once the economy starts picking back up.

At We Do Lines, that’s exactly what we did.

It all started one day in 2008, when three business partners had a rather strange problem. We needed to accomplish a simple task: get lines painted in our business parking lot, yet we could find no one to do it. We called a slew of companies who did parking lot line striping on the side, but most never even called back. That’s when we discovered that there was a very specific void to be filled, and decided to come together and revolutionize an industry.

What we saw was a need for a more professional, reliable and efficient business to paint all those much-needed lines in parking lots across the nation. For two years, the three of us striped parking lot lines from Maine to Florida, putting a face to the parking lot line striping industry. Who couldn’t remember a name like We Do Lines? Then, late last year, we decided to turn our new small business into a national franchise. Within four months of launching, we had already signed 6 territories with a pipeline full of future prospects from all over the country. We Do Lines is the first and only company to tap into this estimated $1 billion industry segment. The reason for our success? A wacky yet simple concept that would capture people’s attention and fill a need in an untapped market.

Now, the risk has more than paid off. When other industries are failing due to the recession, at We Do Lines we’ve doubled our growth and are planning on expanding our business nationwide using a new franchise model that’s currently being implemented quite successfully in Cleveland. We Do Lines is now in the process of signing on a whole new slew of franchisees across the country—anyone could be next!

The fact is, parking lots need lines. And that’s what we do.