Color World Painting is much more than just house painting, offering repairs, staining and power washing.
Starting out in the lucrative field of banking, Color World Painting franchisee Gary Sheffer has seen quite the upheaval in the last three years. Changing his career amid what he called a “mid-life crisis,” Sheffer has already made his mark in Birmingham, Alabama, and within Color World.
“Some men go out and buy fast cars,” Sheffer said. “I decided to do a 180 in my career and live on my terms.”
Acquired by Authority Brands in early 2022, Color World Painting does more than house painting. The company also handles power washing and gutter installations as well as drywall repairs and even some carpentry.
Gary Sheffer, Color World Painting franchisee out of Birmingham Alabama, who won Franchisee of the Year in 2021.
Franchising wasn’t completely unfamiliar for Sheffer. As someone who spent more than 20 years in banking, he had the chance to interact with business owners and franchisees.
“Most of that time was a lot of fun,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to help people, which I enjoy doing. I enjoy meeting people, talking to them, even though I’m kind of a closet introvert.”
As he advanced in banking, Sheffer found himself looking for a change as he sought to take his life “into my own hands,” he said. Since he’d worked with business owners and businesses throughout his career, he decided to see what he could do with that knowledge.
While admittedly not a painting expert, Sheffer said he chose Color World because the business was one he could quickly learn. He knew that he would have to do “the hard part” of finding customers and closing deals, but felt confident with the support behind him, he said.
After signing with the brand in June 2020, Sheffer hit the ground running despite the COVID-19 pandemic being in full swing. “That was definitely a pretty scary time to start this, but at the same time in hindsight it was a blessing,” he said.
Remote work was also a blessing. Workers forced to stay home wanted their homes to be comfortable, and many tackled repairs, renovations and refreshes that put a variety of home services in high demand. Those customers came through for Sheffer right away, and he won Color World’s Franchisee of the Year title in 2021 following his first full year with the brand.
Color World Painting takes care of homes inside and out.
“I was really proud of what we did and were able to accomplish in that short amount of time,” said Sheffer. “That probably lends to just back to what I said about everything being in place.”
Sheffer attributes the success to Color World and his ability to run the business with confidence. While knowing that he always had the support center behind him, he was still making his own decisions and cultivating customer relationships in order to succeed.
With three years under his belt, Sheffer is looking to hire more hands to help with his territory in Birmingham. He’s looking at a few new markets, though nothing is confirmed just yet.
“I didn’t have the choice to fail,” he said. “I definitely think my banking and sales background has been beneficial. You have to be a chameleon in a sense and adapt to your surroundings or who you’re talking to, always with a positive attitude.”