Another Client Success Story: Meet Ken and Amy Kish
Ken and Amy Kish are the proud owners of Floor Coverings International of East Metro Detroit, a turnkey provider of high-quality home flooring options and personalized service. Their entrepreneurial journey, which began many years ago, is nothing short of inspirational, which is why FranNet of Michigan chose to feature them as part of our ongoing series of client success stories. Assisted by FranNet Consultant Mark Cory, Ken and Amy were twice able to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality. Below, in his own words, Ken shares the details of their personal journey – from previously successful careers in the automotive and accounting industries to entrepreneurial ownership of their very own home services business…
Background
“After initially meeting at Albion College, my wife Amy and I have been happily married for 33 years. We have three grown children and have been blessed with six beautiful grandchildren. After graduating from Albion, I got my master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and Amy became a CPA with Arthur Anderson, one of the big-six accounting firms. My career trek began with a consulting role, primarily for automotive companies in Detroit – including both GM and Ford. I also worked with some of the larger automotive suppliers in the industry. This consulting work eventually led to a transition into the automotive supply base to work for Lear Corporation, which is one of the largest suppliers in the industry.”
On Becoming an Entrepreneur
“In 2007, I moved on from my work with Lear Corporation to work for a logistics startup company which began my entrepreneurial journey. The company was acquired in 2009, which provided me with a little bit of experience before I looked into franchising. I knew Mark Cory before we began working together, as both of our kids played little league together. When we got serious about franchise ownership, we went through FranNet’s process and took the assessment to see which opportunities best aligned with our interests. After reviewing several concepts, we decided to go with Expense Reduction Analysis (ERA), which is a consulting operation that specializes in cost management, control, and optimization for small businesses. My stint with ERA was shortened by an opportunity to work with a good friend to turn around a struggling automotive supplier. Thanks to Amy’s help and contributions, we were able to grow the ERA business effectively and finish up our 10-year commitment. By that time, we were looking for something a little different and went back to Mark Cory to reassess new franchise opportunities. This time around, we landed on Floor Coverings International (FCI), which is a turnkey provider of quality home flooring options delivered with highly personalized customer service.”
What Attracted You to the Floor Coverings International Opportunity?
“We were looking for a franchise with an established business reputation – one that placed a heavy emphasis on customer satisfaction and went about doing things the right way. And eventually realized that Floor Coverings International really checked all of those boxes for us. They’ve been around for 30-some odd years and customer service is a big priority for them. I wanted to get back to that, as the value of providing an exceptional customer experience is something I’d learned back in my automotive industry days. In the end, we did look at several other options, but FCI was a great fit culture-wise and flooring is a good, in-demand product when it comes to consumer sales.”
Tell Us About Your Experience Getting Started
“We started out in September of 2022, and I’d have to say it was a pretty good first year. Though it began a little slow, we actually closed a sale on our very first appointment. From that point on, the follow-up sales wouldn’t turn out to be as easy as the first one, but we did have a good first quarter. Then, in Q1 of 2023, we were fortunate to land a couple of pretty big opportunities that came our way, and overall sales began to go much better for us. At the one year mark, we saw the need to bring on an additional salesperson and our daughter also began to work with us, joining the team to serve as our office manager. The marketing spend can be a little steep, but it’s necessary to augment the sales process and we’re pretty happy with the revenue we generated at the end of 2023. I think it really gave us some good momentum heading into 2024.”
Where Do You Stand Today?
“At the close of last year, we had our new salesperson onboard and our Q4 sales were great. At the end of Q3 this year, we have surpassed our prior year sales, even during a slower economy and the uncertainty of being in an election year. We’ve been doing things a little differently this year and we’ve added staff to help us grow – including a new production manager who is managing the installation side of the business. These additions have really freed us up to work on the business, as opposed to in it.”
How Did FranNet Support Your Journey?
“Well first off, Mark is just a genuinely great guy. I think he really cares about the people he works with, and he has a lot of patience. He really digs deep to help candidates find the right fit for their circumstances, but he’s never pushy or impatient. He basically tees it up so that you can make an informed decision that’s best for your future. Of course, we knew each other beforehand, so it’s been a great relationship but on two different occasions, he’s helped us locate the best possible business opportunity. We really appreciated how he streamlined the process and helped us narrow down our choices. Both ended up being great decisions.”
How Things are Going
“Right now, I’d say we’re actively looking to grow the business even further. Our ambitious plan is to double our sales for the next year. We’ve got the pieces in place to do it, just waiting on the economy to catch up. This past year has been quite instrumental, as we’ve put a lot of effort into building new relationships with other businesses who have customers that need flooring. These partnerships have really helped us level out the highs and lows when it comes to consumer lead flow. Overall, I believe we have a great foundation, and we plan to continue widening our network and remain on the path we’ve established.”
For more information, please visit Ken and Amy’s Floor Coverings International franchise on the web.