For people who want to own, not rent
Your business. Not someone else’s franchise.
You can start a trades business without paying franchise fees. Your name on the truck. Your customers. No royalties on every job you win, and the guidance you want without buying into someone else’s brand.
- No franchise fee
- No royalties
- Your brand
You don’t want a logo to rent. You want a company to build.
A franchise can look like the safe way in. But for a lot of people the real goal was never to run someone else’s system. It was to build something with their own name on it, and keep what they build.
Your name on the truck
Every review and referral builds your reputation, not a national brand’s.
Customers who are yours
The relationships, the repeat work and the phone number all belong to your company.
No cut of every sale
No royalty or brand-fund percentage taken off the top of every job you win.
Guidance, without the strings
A plan and people in your corner, without a franchise agreement deciding how you run.
Before you sign anything
Two ways to start. Only one is yours.
Both paths cost money and both take work. The difference is what you’re paying for, and who owns the result.
| Question | Buying a franchise | Your own brand, with coaching |
|---|---|---|
| Whose name is on the truck? | The franchisor’s brand, under licence | Yours |
| Upfront fee to a brand | A franchise fee, usually non-refundable, plus startup costs | No franchise fee. You pay your own startup costs and a coaching program |
| Ongoing payments | Royalties and brand-fund fees, commonly a percentage of gross sales | No royalties and no percentage of your revenue |
| Territory and suppliers | Often set by the franchise system | No assigned territory and no required suppliers |
| Renewal, sale or exit | Subject to the agreement and franchisor approval | Your company to keep, grow or sell |
| Support | The franchisor’s system and training | Coaching and a structured 90-day launch plan |
Franchise terms vary by brand, so always read the Franchise Disclosure Document and get advice. Starting independently has real costs and risks too. This comparison describes structure, not results.
Try it
Picture your name on the door.
That’s the whole point. When you build under your own name, every five-star review, every referral and every repeat customer grows something you own.
Built by you. Owned by your company.
AI is changing a lot of work that happens on screens. A company that shows up at people’s homes still needs a local owner and a local team.
That doesn’t make any business AI-proof or risk-free, and AI will change how trades companies market, quote and schedule. But the work itself is done in person, in your community, by a team you build.
What kind of business?
A residential painting company, under your own brand.
The business is specific: a local company that paints the interiors and exteriors of people’s homes. You’re the owner. You sell estimates, hire and lead a crew, and run the company. You don’t have to hold the brush.
Painter Growth coaches new owners through a structured 90-day launch plan:
- Brand and startup plan. Your company name, your look, and a realistic plan for what you need to launch.
- Getting customers. How local homeowners find you, call you and come back.
- Estimating and selling. Walking a home, pricing the job and earning the yes.
- Hiring and leading a crew. Finding good people and running jobs to a standard.
Your company, your name, your customers. Painter Growth doesn’t license its brand to you and takes no cut of your sales. The coaching is a paid program, and you’ll see the full investment and terms in writing before you commit. No income promises.
Who this is for
Built for owners. Not for shortcuts.
You want to run it
You’re ready to sell estimates, hire a crew and lead people, not just do jobs.
You can fund a real start
You have startup capital or approved funding, and savings to cover the months while it ramps.
You’re ready to decide
You could start within six months, and anyone in the decision is part of the conversation.
Before you pay a franchise fee, see what starting independently could look like.
Eight quick questions about your capital, timing and goals. You’ll see your result instantly, along with an honest next step.
Takes about 2 minutes. Your result comes first.