From The Foxhole To CertaPro Painters, Army Veteran Sees Continued Success With America's Largest Painting Company

Sean Collins, a U.S. Army veteran of 20 years, owns the CertaPro Painters of Fayetteville business. With North America’s largest painting company, Collins provides painting services to the Fayetteville, Stockbridge, Jonesboro, McDonough, Hampton, Morrow and Ellenwood areas backed by a company recently rated among North America’s top franchises on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2015 Franchise 500 listing.

With two decades of military experience under his belt, Collins has no shortage of grace under pressure. Collins served two tours in Iraq, in addition to time served in Korea, Germany, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Kansas and South Carolina; upon his retirement, Collins had achieved the rank of Major. When deciding to follow his dream of being his own boss, Collins explained, he was prepared for any eventual struggles. “There will always be challenges with starting a business. You’re learning every day; when you tackle one obstacle, there are two more awaiting your presence. It’s not about the number or the most challenging of the challenges, but how you react when presented with them. My military experience more than prepared me for that.”

Talking to other CertaPro Painters franchise owners, Collins was convinced that CertaPro was for him. “CertaPro has such a tremendous reputation and I knew it would be far easier to start a business when backed by name that customers immediately associate with quality,” said Collins. “Starting a business is never easy, but with a level of support that a franchise provides, I knew franchising was the right route to take.”

CertaPro Painters is a proud supporter of VetFran, which provides discounts on franchising fees and additional opportunities to qualified military veterans. “Being a part of a company that makes an effort to support members of the military makes me proud,” said Collins. “It says a lot about a company’s values when it takes that extra step to support those who have sacrificed so much.”

Collins stands today with the strong belief that his military background will enhance his new entrepreneurial endeavors. “Time in military taught me how to best go about building relationships with both customers and industry professionals. Further, my experience leading a crew and following and executing a plan and agenda has proven instrumental to running a business that will last.”