ShelfGenie : Kelly Barefoot on Family-First Lifestyle Goals With ShelfGenie

This testimonial features Kelly Barefoot, owner-operator of ShelfGenie of Coastal Carolinas and the brand's Franchise Owner of the Year. The video also brings in her husband West Barefoot and members of her team to describe how the franchise has scaled into a multi-team operation while fitting around the family's lifestyle. Kelly walks through the operational shape of her franchise: five professional designers working as 1099 contractors, plus four installers, with Kelly running the day-to-day. The lifestyle reasons for choosing ShelfGenie come up early — she wanted a business that let her stay home with her daughters (now three of them), be present at dance practice, recitals, and school functions, while still building something she is proud of. The peer network across the franchise system is positioned as a defining benefit. Kelly describes fellow ShelfGenie owners as some of her best friends — people she calls while driving down the road to compare wins and struggles, talk through operational situations, and exchange playbook moves. The franchisor's code of values, particularly its emphasis on customer focus, has been instilled in her team and shows up in how the team follows up with clients. The video closes on the human dimension of the business. Building a ShelfGenie franchise alongside her husband has given the family more control over their livelihood, financial outcomes greater than they would have had as employees, and a business their kids get to watch them build. Team members describe Kelly and West as family-forward operators whose support has translated into real life-changing moments — including a Christmas where one team member did not have to put gifts on a credit card for the first time.