Down to Business: Naperville-based franchise floor business an extension of family profession
Business: Footprints Floors Naperville/Fox Valley
Address: Naperville
Phone/website: 630-613-0519, www.footprintsfloors.com/naperville
Owner: Dan Yangas, 59, of Lombard
Years in business: Started April 28
What does your business do? 'I don't do carpet, but I do tile and LVT, luxury vinyl tile. It looks like wood. Actually, it's a vinyl product. We install that and regular wood as well,' Yangas said. 'Footprints Floors has been around since 2008. They started franchising around 2013.'
Why did you purchase this franchise? 'I've been in corporate American off and for my entire career. The last four or five years, I was seriously considering doing something for myself, going to work for myself. I looked into other franchising opportunities. This one stood out as being something that would fit my lifestyle and what I enjoy doing.'
What's your area? 'Lombard to the east. Sugar Grove to the west. Most of Naperville north from 75th all the way up to Geneva and back east through West Chicago, Wheaton, Warrenville, Winfield, Lisle. … It keeps me busy. I enjoy meeting people.'
What did you do before? 'I had been in sales my entire career, mostly in paper and security. … However, I grew up in the flooring industry so I'm quite familiar with it.'
How so? 'I had a grandfather who owned a flooring store in Chicago in the 1930s and '40s. My grandfather was a tile setter. My uncle owned a flooring store in St. Charles and I worked for him through high school and college doing installations, deliveries and so forth. For him, it was carpet and tile.'
What about your father? 'He was in the business his entire career. The last 10 years of his life, he owned his own hospitality furnishings company. They provided carpeting, furniture and so forth for retail (stores) and hotels.'
Do you enjoy your work? 'I do. Very much. I've always enjoyed doing things like installing tile. All the tile in my house I've installed over the years.'
Is there a science to tile? 'There is. You have to do it in a specific order, a specific way. The floor has to be brought to a certain level before you start installing. If it's too slick or too wet the mortar or thinset will not adhere to the floor so you have to condition the floor in a way that the thinset will stick to it. Thinset is what you set tile in. … You trowel it on and then you trowel it onto the back of the tile. … There's a lot of different tools you use.'
How's business so far? 'It's good. It's been ramping up. … I'm happy with where things are. I certainly want to grow as quickly as possible.'
How do you grow? 'Through social media advertising. Through stories such as this. Through referrals. … Angie's List. Thumbtack. Google.'
What's your business philosophy? 'Show up when you say you're going to. Do the job in the time you say. And complete the job to their satisfaction. That's one of the things missing in a lot of the industries out there. The customer service. The attention to detail. The communication with customers. … I pride myself on strong communication. … It's a big disruption for people when they have floors or backsplashes or tub surrounds put in their home. You lose a bathroom or kitchen for days. It's important you have clear communication. We have different crews, but I'm there throughout the process to make sure the customer knows what's going on. … My goal is to get a five-star review from every customer.'
What did you learn from your father? 'His attention to detail. He prided himself on good quality products installed correctly. … You don't want a slick tile on your bathroom floor. Slip and fall. You want a tile with some texture.'
What happens when you meet a customer? 'Often times, a customer has selected a tile. They'll ask for suggestions. I will measure the area. Do they have dogs? What's their usage? You want to know if it's above or below ground. You don't want solid wood in your basement because solid wood absorbs and releases moisture. A basement tends to do that dramatically. … I do recommend to squegee your shower (walls) when you are done with your shower. That helps keep the tile clean.'
What's your advice for someone starting a business? 'If you have an interest in a particular type of business, I highly suggest looking into a franchise because they have a lot of the beginning processes taken care of. That helped. That's one reason why I picked Footprints.'
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