Gene Moore, 46 (Gene Moore.jpg)
FASTSIGNS
North Baton Rouge
THE FRANCHISE
In business for 30 years with 570 locations worldwide, FASTSIGNS offers wall, window and floor graphics, architectural signs, tradeshow displays, vehicle wraps, digital signs and more.
December 1992
Moore, who graduated from Mississippi State University in 1989 with a degree in agriculture, begins working at Kirby Inland Marine after three years at another marine company.
September 2011
He leaves Kirby as a vice president overseeing about 600 employees when he decides to pursue a franchise.
November 2011
Moore takes over the FASTSIGNS location in Baton Rouge at 8350 Florida Blvd., which had been in business for 18 years; the location hauls in $750,000 in sales that year.
December 2012
The location hits seven figures in sales for the first time under Moore’s direction and becomes a part of an elite group within FASTSIGNS.
December 2014
Moore’s franchise location secures $1.15 million in sales for the year.
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THE LONG VIEW
It takes dedication to succeed. Also, [it takes] a commitment to your employees, and having the right people in place. Your business is only as good as the people working for you.
We make sure we follow up with our customers so that they get the best product and they are satisfied. We eat, drink, and sleep the business to make sure our customers are satisfied.
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION (match with September 2011) (iStock No. 1333219)
You have to do something you like. Make sure you are happy. If not, it will be a short career, or a miserable one.
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION (match with November 2011) (iStock No. 35514910)
I saved up a bundle of cash, and I started looking at franchises. I knew the guy who owned it [FASTSIGNS]. The margins were good. The terms were good. We jumped in it.
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION (match with December 2012)Â (iStock No. 46931022)
In the early days, you’re getting your feet wet in the business, and eventually you have to go door-to-door to get business. The financial struggles at the beginning can be tough. When you get it established, you are good. Now the dividends are paying off.
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION (match with December 2014) (FASTSIGNS.jpg)
There is a lot of potential in Baton Rouge. In 24 months we’ll have another business open, in the sign business or something else.
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION: (Don’t match this illustration with a point on the timeline. Let it float by itself. We did that for one of the graphics in the Jan. 6 issue’s Franchisee, and it worked out) (iStock No. 4115533)
We invested in an expensive flat bed printer in 2013. Now we can do extremely large direct print jobs. We’re excited about our capabilities, and the company is going well.
