308 - Keys to Scaling Your Sales with Tara Riley, President of Fresh Coat Painters

If you live anywhere in North America it is extremely likely that you have heard of the brand Fresh Coat Painters. Today I’m so excited to bring you Tara Riley, who has been president of Fresh Coat since 2014. With over 30 years of executive management and operations experience in franchising, Tara’s greatest success lies in creating profitable growth at every stop in her career. Leading teams in a variety of business models including home improvement and remodeling, Tara has experience working within global franchise icons such as McDonald’s as well as in much younger high-growth brands. Also experienced as a business owner, Tara understands the challenges and fears new business owners face and has a passion for helping franchisees push through to success. Today I’m so excited to talk with Tara about how to profitably grow and scale your sales at every phase of your business, as well as how she has been so successful as a woman in a male dominated environment. Show Notes: [2:18] - Tara says that she is an “accidental tourist” of her career. She never had a plan for herself early on. [5:50] - No matter what you are doing, be willing to do your best. [7:20] - Tara has been in the franchising business since she was 15 years old. [9:40] - Through her experience, Tara’s biggest lesson was about capacity and efficiency. Volume is not infinite. [10:34] - One of the best learning experiences for her was hiring and developing talent. [11:42] - Nobody is intentionally trying to screw up. Mistakes happen, but it isn’t intentional. [15:04] - Start with what you want to take home from the business. Start with your personal goals. [16:08] - Start with your goals, but really think about what you want. [17:54] - Once you have your goal, you can think about how much you need to reach it. [18:57] - The art of business is like building a machine. [20:41] - Tara is the president of a company in a male-dominated industry. [22:12] - The focus is on solving problems and providing a service, which is not gender specific. [23:36] - There are real problems we have to overcome in society that limit us, but a lot of the time we also create our own limitations. [27:09] - What is the balance of time and money that is important to you? [28:03] - You are likely at a capacity ceiling if you believe that the only way you can earn more profit is to work harder. [30:24] - As a business owner, you need to value your time and work at the highest value. [33:01] - Tara shares one of the reasons we need to shift our mindset on hiring help. [34:20] - The fear in hiring someone is understandable, but if you don’t hire them, are you sacrificing quality of life? [37:01] - Do you have a business? Or do you have a job? [39:30] - For every business, there are inflection points. [40:34] - We need to hire bigger when we are smaller. Connect with Tara: Tara Riley on LinkedIn Fresh Coat Painters Website Fresh Coat Franchising Links and Resources: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube She Sells with Elyse Archer Home Page Abundance Mini Course Join the $10K Club Apply for the $50K Club Mastermind