Footprints Floors

With over 150 territories operating across 35-plus states, Footprints Floors has developed a broad network of passionate business owners. While the flooring installation franchise focuses primarily on providing a positive client experience through communication, honesty and integrity, its unique business model also lends itself to sustainability — in more ways than one.

By having open and honest conversations with their clients and considering clients’ needs first, Footprints Floors franchisees are able to fit clients with the flooring solution that works best for them, increasing longevity and reducing product waste over the years. However, the brand’s eco-friendly business model doesn’t stop there.

“One of the biggest ‘issues’ in the industry is hardwood flooring. There is somewhat of a negative connotation to hardwood floors because people think that we’re just cutting down trees recklessly to get the materials,” said Jon Jarvis, franchise development manager. “It’s actually a very controlled, forward-thinking process. There are entire forests grown and managed for this industry specifically. It’s really one of the greener options when you think about it.”

The Eco-Friendly Circumstances Surrounding Hardwood Floors
Jarvis went on to explain that hardwood floors are essentially a living organism. While they are no longer a part of the living tree they were sourced from, they continue to participate in the carbon cycle, absorbing carbon dioxide from the air in a home. Furthermore, because they are fully natural, when the life cycle is complete, hardwood floors can break down in a landfill the same way any standard tree would. Compared to synthetic options like luxury vinyl plank or laminate, hardwood floors spend a lot less time in the landfill.

Another major contributor to hardwood floors’ eco-friendly status is the longevity of the product between installation and transportation to the landfill. Hardwood floors are locked into place with a tongue and groove mechanism, and all of the material above the tongue is what’s called the “wear layer.”

“Everything above the tongue is what we call the wear layer, so it can be sanded down. Every time you sand hardwood floors, you’re taking off about a 16th of an inch,” explained Jarvis. “We typically say that a floor has between six and eight sanding cycles in it before it will need to be replaced. When you install a hardwood floor, if you’re taking care of it correctly, you’re sanding it every seven to 10 years. These floors will last for a long time.”

The ability to sand hardwood floors further contributes to their sustainability. With other products, if a homeowner desires to change the color or repair scratches and dents, it is possible that the entire floor will need to be removed and replaced. Hardwood floors can be sanded and refinished to match new aesthetics, mitigating the likelihood that vast amounts of waste will be created every time the homeowner wants to change things up.

“With hardwoods, really the only waste that comes from refinishing is some sawdust,” said Jarvis. “That’s a pretty cool aspect of it.”

However, not all Footprints Floors clients will choose to install hardwood floors. If the material is not their preferred option, a willingness to discuss the options with clients — and believe them when they point out why an alternative may be a better option — contributes to Footprints Floors' positive impacts on sustainability at large.

Footprints Floors’ Approach to Customer Service Lends Itself to Sustainability
Many environmental experts will point out that “reduce” is a crucial aspect of “reduce, reuse and recycle” for a positive ecological impact. Footprints Floors franchisees allow their clients to reduce the turnover in their homes and ultimately reduce consumption by focusing on education and a team-based approach to building a plan.

“We really do focus on education,” explained Jarvis. “We aren’t just trying to get the sale. There have been countless times where our owners make the conscious decision to lose money where they could have made a sale because they’re advising the homeowner on a different (better) approach.”

Footprints Floors owners are trained to focus on integrity in the customer service process. By communicating thoroughly and honestly with the consumer, local franchise owners can support each homeowner in choosing the flooring selection that is right for them. This is a key contributor to the brand’s long-term sustainability.

Because owners work with their clients to choose a solution that will work for them over time, not just the quickest option that will provide a cash-flow infusion to the owner, owners are working in partnership with their clients to choose a solution that will be sustainable for the specific home and family at hand, reducing the frequency or number of removals and reinstallations that will occur due to lack of compatibility in the future.

“We will walk away from jobs all the time where we could sell a service but it wouldn’t provide value to the customer,” added Jarvis. “We care about the customer and their experience, and that allows us to create a more sustainable, longer-lasting solution.”

Footprints Floors Also Follows a Mobile, Low-Overhead Business Model, Reducing Its Impact on the Environment through Its Everyday Operations
Decreasing flooring-related waste is the most obvious way Footprints Floors has created a sustainable operation, but many of the details of the business model contribute to its sustainability, too.

Because Footprints Floors is a low-overhead, mobile business model, franchise owners are not operating within and driving utilities to a large office space each day. Additional flexibility allows Footprints Floors owners, and many other members of the team, including corporate leadership and call center support staff, to work from home, removing dozens of cars from the daily commute to work.

In terms of inventory, franchise owners are not required to stock a range of flooring options to keep on hand at all times, meaning they are not driving up production in anticipation of making a sale. Rather, they work with the customer to determine how much flooring will be needed and allow the customer to source their materials however they like. With this model, only materials that are likely to be used are moved off the shelves.

The company follows a similar approach with its marketing and estimations. While door hangers, mailers and paper estimation forms are available for franchisees to use should they desire, many owners choose to take a digital route.

“This is great because it’s saving our owners money, and using the digital platforms cuts down on the amount of paper they are using and prevents the distribution of leaflets and other things of the sort that, eventually, will just be thrown away,” said Jarvis.

When Footprints Floors enters a community, it is looking to bring a new type of flooring experience. Through communication, consideration and treating each and every customer like family, franchisees provide a refreshing take on what a flooring business can look like. While its sustainable practices do benefit its owners in some ways, Footprints Floors’ eco-friendly model, no matter how it is manifested in a given transaction or business relationship, is just another illustration of how it is making its communities, and the people in them, better.