Five Star Painting : Mike Routon on Growing Beyond Word of Mouth With Five Star Painting

This video features Mike Routon, owner of Five Star Painting of Spokane, who opened in 2022. Mike explains that the previous owner of the Five Star Painting location in Spokane had talked with him over the course of a couple of years, walking him through how the business worked before he decided to buy. He credits franchising with pushing him to grow in ways he had not before, especially by making him advertise. Where his work used to come mostly from word of mouth, the business now uses a diversified mix of marketing that has helped it grow by leaps and bounds. A major theme of the video is the value of the wider network. Mike emphasizes that the franchising network is about more than just painting. With Neighborly's many concepts, he is able to work in conjunction with other owners, from lawn companies to home inspectors, to drive leads to one another. That collaboration, he says, is what makes the network so valuable. For any painting contractor looking to grow, he points to a system that has been proven, and to a network that keeps building his business family well beyond painting alone. Watch the video to hear how Mike grew his operation.