N-Hance Wood Refinishing Franchise Review: Meet Brandon and Dick Holcomb
Prior to joining N-Hance Wood Refinishing’s franchise family, Brandon Holcomb had a successful career in marketing and advertising as a client services representative for various marketing agencies, including Turner Sports, in Atlanta, Georgia. After some time, Holcomb realized that he didn’t want to sit behind a desk and wasn’t being fulfilled.
He sought an opportunity that would not only be financially rewarding, but also personally fulfilling for him and the people he provided a service for. Not long after, Holcomb attended an event hosted by a friend who owned an N-Hance Wood Refinishing franchise. Before the meeting ended, Holcomb knew he had found his perfect fit.
“A light bulb went off and I told myself that I could sell all that all day,” says Holcomb. “It wasn’t the high pressure, tense selling, reading from a script approach that I was accustomed to from my advertising sales days. N-Hance made so much sense given the alternatives of new cabinets, traditional refinishing costs, and how different the brand is compared to painters who don’t specialize in cabinets and do not understand the nuances of wood, which all results in a low-quality product.
N-Hance Wood Refinishing has helped entrepreneurs like Brandon excel in business for nearly two decades. With around 500 locations throughout the United States, N-Hance has been ranked the #1 Wood refinishing franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine. One of the reasons we are growing so fast is because our business model is designed to be friendly to first-time entrepreneurs. As part of the BELFOR Franchise Group, the leading name in renovation and service franchise opportunities, N-Hance has ramped up our robust training and ongoing support to a powerhouse level that is unmatched in the $450 billion home remodeling industry.
Today, Brandon co-owns a successful N-Hance franchise in Atlanta with his father, Dick Holcomb, who brings more than 30 years of business experience to the table as the owner of his own advertising sales firm. In this interview, the father-and-son duo talk about what it’s like to own a family business, the importance of having a meaningful career, and how the culture of N-Hance helps new owners be successful and prosper, and much more.
This is their story.
What were you doing before you opened your N-Hance franchise?
Brandon Holcomb: When I started my career in advertising, I started with my father who has owned a publisher’s representative advertising sales firm for 35 years. Talk about a hard sale, right? It was something that I struggled with and he was very good at it. Later in my career, I was shuffling papers and realized I wasn’t really happy with my job at an advertising and sales company. I was progressing within my career but wasn’t being fulfilled. So I thought I could either suck it up and get a check bi-monthly and be miserable, or I could go out and take a chance on something different. After hearing a friend speak about N-Hance and his experience as a franchise owner, it all clicked and made sense.
Given your significant experience in business, how does that help a new N-Hance franchise get off the ground?
Dick Holcomb: It’s been important for me to visit Brandon in his shop not only to support him, but also because I’m on the brink of retiring from my current company. I saw what he had been doing and what he’s trying to accomplish and he was taking on everything himself. So I thought that my business experience over the years might lend itself a bit in areas where he might need support. He mentioned that he may need me to take over inventory control, work with him on the bottom line profits, and more. Additionally, I’ve always enjoyed working with people, which is the reason why I stayed in business for as long as I have. So I’ve been listening to his needs and filling in where I can.
Brandon Holcomb: My father’s presence has certainly helped. I felt a different tone from the guys as they were super engaged on a level they weren’t before. His business experience makes up for a lot that I don’t have a background in. For instance, understanding when to buy bulk orders versus keeping cash flow open and available, and much more. So, he’s already making a huge impact. We’re selling at a good level where we should be seeing some serious returns and profits. Also, we have about 40 online reviews and they are all five-stars.
With N-Hance, you’re able to be creative and connect with customers because you’re helping them enjoy their homes more. It’s a stark contrast from when you’re in marketing, or any other sales job, as you don’t get to necessarily connect with anything you’re selling. Do you agree?
Dick Holcomb: Definitely. The results are also intangible in the marketing area. When people make an investment they hope it’s going to work for them but there are no guarantees. With N-Hance, this service is spot on and right in front of the customer’s eyes. They pay a price to get quality services and then about five days later they reap the benefits. So, it’s quite different.
Brandon Holcomb: In my previous career, I tried to figure out if what I was doing was helping someone, myself, the company, and even the world. I still don’t know the answer to that question. However, I do know that what I’m doing with N-Hance is undoubtedly job fulfillment. Granted, it’s a struggle and grind when you are a small business owner. There’s no better feeling than unveiling a new kitchen to a customer on a Friday afternoon. The smile on their face, the sense of pride and accomplishment you feel because you just made someone happy and made them fall in love with their kitchen again. Then when I go home, I truly feel good about myself and what I’ve done, which carries through to my family and everyone else I come into contact with.
It’s clear that the success of this business has a lot to do with relationships. You’ve kept your relationship strong with your family, and now you get to forge strong relationships with your customers. Can you talk about that?
Brandon Holcomb: Personally, creating relationships with my family, friends and colleagues in business has definitely been a strength of mine. And I do my best to make that one-on-one connection happen in the short window I have to impress and win customers over. I think that is what sets my own N-Hance franchise a part from the rest out there in the market. I always try to find some level of similarity or shared likeness and oftentimes, we may even know the same person.
For example, I got to talk to this lady about my age, and I shared where I went to HS; then, she mentioned how a good friend of hers married Kevin McKing, and I told her we’re best friends and I was in his wedding. She said she was in the wedding, too, and it turns out that we walked down the aisle together. So, it’s a funny story but it’s a small world out there.
What about the relationships you have with N-Hance franchisees? Are they open and willing to help you?
Brandon Holcomb: Yes, absolutely. I already have a lot of feedback from this year’s convention that I plan to implement within my business. Although I was tired, I lit up when I started conversing with people because everything they said was relatable to what I’m doing and vice versa. Some of these franchisees have been around since 2005 or longer. They are so willing to give their good and bad experiences, what they learned from them, and what they’re doing now. From my fellow franchisees to corporate, everyone in N-Hance is supportive and willing to help your business excel in business. There’s not anything more valuable than that.
How do you measure success?
Dick Holcomb: That’s an excellent question. Through my marketing and advertising career, I’ve had some terrific successes and some dramatic fall-outs. Not particularly because of my management of my own firm, but because of the people I contracted with. Having said that, I’ve been very fortunate over the years, so I thank God that I was able to survive all that. As I look back, the most comforting thing to me is that I think my success was certainly financial, but the well-being of my very close friends is the greatest thing of all. I have great friends I can go see today and we can still relate through our times together over the course of the last 30 years. We laugh, remember good times, and I know that I helped make them successful along the way. That is what I call a successful career.
Learn more about the N-Hance franchise opportunity
N-Hance is a low-cost, highly-scalable investment opportunity with the potential for high returns. The total investment estimate to begin operations ranges from $52,369 to $168,747 which is significantly lower than other home improvement franchises or concepts within the home remodeling industry. The franchise fee for your first territory typically ranges from $11,669 to $47,752.
For in-depth details about the N-Hance franchise opportunity, download our Free Franchise Opportunity Report. You also can learn more by visiting our research pages.
