Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2013 | Page 33

M U L T I - B R A N D

to look around for something that would
keep him in Salt Lake City.
Fitlow and Allen knew a local ReBath franchisee, a retired plumber they’d
swapped jobs with on occasion. “He decided the franchise was just a little more
than he wanted to take on, so he said,
‘You guys want to do it?’”
They did, adding it to their existing
business activities. “After a year and a half,
we realized the potential of the Re-Bath
model and partnered up with some ReBath guys in Idaho and Spokane,” says
Fitlow. “We knew the bathroom business
was going to continue to grow and we
were already spending money to capture
customers, so we thought, ‘Why not add
other products and services?’”

Name: Jim Fitlow
Title: President
Company: Re-Bath of Utah

and Colorado, Floor Coverings
International of Utah and
Colorado, HomeStory Doors of
Utah and Colorado
No. of units: HomeStory, 4 in
Utah, 6 in Colorado; FCI, 5 in
Utah, 2 in Colorado; Re-Bath, 1 in
Utah, 2 in Colorado
Age: 42
Family: Wife Vicky, and three little
girls
Years in franchising: 12
Years in current position: 3

The duo signed their first Re-Bath
contract in 2001 and today serve thousands of households. In 2012, Fitlow
and Allen were among nine Re-Bath
franchises named to Qualified Remodeler
magazine’s Top 500 list of the largest
revenue-generating remodeling companies in the U.S.
After concentrating on building their
Re-Bath business, in 2011 Fitlow and Allen signed contracts for Floor Coverings
International and HomeStory. “Our idea
was to create lifetime relationships with
our Re-Bath customers, working with
them on all other aspects of remodeling
in their homes,” Fitlow says.
Despite their success to date, juggling
three concepts, even in related indus-

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: I approach business in two ways: one from a pure
roots level with the primary aim of “challenge, enjoy, and win.” Our company’s
philosophy is to acquire customers for life. We used to be a bathroom remodel
company. By adding other related brands, our goal became to stay with customers for life while they’re remodeling the rest of their home. We do that under
the umbrella of our slogan, “Remodeling made easy.” Each brand has to have
a component that makes it special and easier for consumers than just hiring
Joe Contractor off the street, whether it’s fast installs, high-quality materials,
technology, or the sales process.
Management method or style: I try to let people do what they’re supposed to do, and to that end, for the past year and a half I’ve been working
from home more. I’ve found that I’m more efficient if I’m not around anybody,
and they’re more efficient when I’m not around. We have people who’ve been
with us for a while, and they’re good at what they do. My job is on the back
side, looking for ways that may make their work easier and more efficient.
Greatest challenge: Right now as a company, our greatest challenge is consistency in sales. Most of our processes and procedures are fairly deep-rooted
in the company. Some days I wake up and see a sales report with a big goose
egg, and on another day I see a huge win. One piece of this is process driven,
but it’s ultimately up to the customer. Greater consistency in sales would bring
more predictability to all we do.
How do others describe you? They say I talk a lot.
One thing I’m looking to do better: Complete tasks sometimes.
How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: By working at home three days a week.
How close are you to operations? I’ve backed off that. Mike deals
with day-to-day operations.
What are the two most important things you rely on from your
franchisors? I need them to uphold their side of the bargain. And then if
they’re open, honest, and have our best interests at heart, I’m okay with them.

What I need from vendors: I need them to be on time, every time.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? How? Yes. We are trying to be much more strategic with the
marketing dollars as far as where they’re going and what they’re bringing back.
How is social media affecting your business? For the remodeling
industry, social media is where websites were five years ago. It’s just gaining
traction but it’s moving quickly. We need to get ahead of the game on it.
How do you hire and fire? We are trying to hire differently, as far as
who we’re looking for, than in the past. When we started, my partner was
in his 20s and I was in my early 30s, and it was more difficult to hire older
people, because they didn’t want to work for young punks. Now that we’re
getting older, we can hire the right people. We also have more experience in
the business now, so we hire based on what we’ve learned over the past 12
years. As far as firing goes, we’re bad at it. We don’t do it fast, but we do it
when needed. We’ve been changing as the economy changed; team dynamics
have changed, and our process is probably changed as well. In a small business (roughly 50 employees), sometimes with people who are single-tasked,
it’s easier. But when you have people with you for a while who perform tasks
across different areas of business, you have to be more strategic, making sure
all the roles are finished.
How do you train and retain? A big part of retention is creating a work
environment that supports employees, helps to make them successful, and is
someplace they enjoy being and wor king. Training is ongoing throughout the
company. Retaining sales people is the biggest challenge.
How do you deal with problem employees? We have a regular
HR process to go through. It protects us and the employee, so there are no
surprises.
Fastest way into my doghouse: The quickest way to get on my bad
side is trying to sneak something past the customer.

Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s u e II, 2013



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