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Q&A with DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen Franchise Owner Jay Nutting

DreamMaker Franchisees Jay Nutting with his wife Stacey and son, Logan.

Jay Nutting is the newest addition to the DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen remodeling franchise family. He started his business in Southern Lakes, Wisconsin, in November, after having built a career in automotive engineering. Jay liked to do remodeling work as a side gig hobby, and happy happenstance led him to the realization that remodeling could be a new career.

He recently sat down with us for teleconference conversation from his home. This is his story.

https://youtu.be/6zl7HnD6OEw

What were you doing before becoming a DreamMaker franchisee?

So, before becoming a DreamMaker franchisee I wore a couple of hats. I was a mechanical engineer in the automotive field, and worked with a lot of different OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) around the world in terms of safety development for their vehicles. The other hat was a part-time remodeler, more as a hobby. I really enjoyed building things and altering people’s homes to meet their dreams. So that was kind of my nights and weekends as a hobby while I was an engineer full-time.

How did you decide to look into franchising?

Believe it or not, from what I would call junk message. I was looking at different job boards just to see what else was out there, specifically in the engineering, and there was a note on the job board that says, ‘hey, interested in franchising? Call us up.’ So I said, ‘OK, why not? I’ll give it a shot. My options are wide open.’ And that started it.

As of about six months ago, franchising was very new to me. After several interviews and discussions with franchisees and franchisors, I’ve grown to realize that franchising is a very powerful tool for us. I think it’s very easy to think of your Subways and you McDonald’s, and think that’s what franchising means. But there’s different brands and there’s different services out there that use the franchising model to build powerful businesses and brands. Marketing, vendors, internal expertise — those are just a few of the things on the surface that I can really benefit from thanks to the power of franchising.  

And what ultimately won you over to DreamMaker?

I think the final decision to go with DreamMaker just came from, I think, from the possibility and the potential that DreamMaker offered me in terms of how I can enjoy my life and, quite frankly, financials and the power of what I could make.    

How do you feel about the direction of the brand?

The direction of the brand was one of the reasons I chose DreamMaker. Because it’s a powerful name around the country, with great owners. It’s full of people that are high quality, that you can trust. There’s an internal code of values and ethics that we all abide by, and it’s something you can stand by as a network.

How does DreamMaker help you? What are some of the most valuable things they do to support you?

A couple of things that helped me make the decision to move forward with DreamMaker: The vendor relationships that would be very difficult to build on my own. Number two would be the marketing aspect, which, of course you can do on your own, but you can spend a lot of dollars marketing without knowing if you spending that in the right channels. They know how to really effectively use the marketing dollar and what channels.

DreamMaker President DreamMaker President and Chief Stewarding Officer Doug Dwyer leads a training session during the annual DreamMaker Reunion in 2015.

Why is this a durable business?      

Bath and kitchen remodeling is a service that’s not going away. It’s not a fad. Those who provide great service and results will always have customers.

How important is it to have previous industry experience?
Previous industry experience here, I think, helps. With DreamMaker, you have a network of experts to support you, but I think some experience may help you in the short term when you’re trying to get up and running.

Tell me about your family.

I do have a spouse, Stacey, and one five year-old son, Logan. A beautiful family that I cherish very much. That’s also a big part of this decision. There’s more freedom. For one example, in corporate America you may have to work ‘til 7 o’clock at night to finish a quote or a bid. I may still do that myself — being a company owner there’s gonna be long days, there’s gonna be long hours — but I also have the option to go pick up my son from school at three-thirty in the afternoon, bring him home, and then get back to the desk. Taking the time to spend with my family is very critical. I think it’s very easy to be sucked up into careers and corporations and lose focus on really what’s most important in your life and, at least for me, for sure it’s my family.

Would you recommend DreamMaker to other entrepreneurs?

I would recommend DreamMaker because the corporate staff, the people that you work with, are exceptional. They’re the type of people that you can trust, you can count on. They have proven systems with a long track record, decades of a track record. The franchisees are also very high quality people, so there are many avenues you can count on when you’re looking for support, or you’re looking for advice or just general help or someone to bounce an idea off of. I think the network DreamMaker offers is exceptional.

Ready to learn more?

For in-depth details about the DreamMaker remodeling franchise opportunity, download our free franchise report and start a conversation with us. You can also learn more by visiting our research pages.

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