Barry Kreager spent years working in the restaurant industry, where he and his wife worked exhaustingly long hours for very little profit. In 1999, they decided it was time for a change and began investigating other business opportunities.
It was then that they were introduced to decorative concrete, and from the start it was a natural business choice, according to Kreager, because the market is virtually inexhaustible as the majority of homeowners have bare concrete in their homes.
But, it was more than finding a business opportunity with a large market. The Kreagers quickly discovered both the beauty of decorative concrete and the many creative things that could be done with it.
“We’re very creative and we found we can really create some beautiful product with the materials and the applications that were available at the time,” Kreager says.
As a result, they opened Royal Coat Inc, offering interior and exterior concrete designs to both residential and commercial clientele. In the last few years, Royal Coat Inc. has become especially popular with commercial architects and contractors, allowing the Kreagers to market to those professionals who want to use Royal Coat Inc.’s products and applications.
While Royal Coat Inc. specializes in concrete overlays, they also offer a wide range of products, including spray textures, knockdown textures, acid staining, color dust tile, interior and exterior commercial flooring, custom artwork and logos, specialty applications, Stardust Flooring System, and Royal Flake Flooring System.
“We have everything from stamped overlays to a commercial industrial coating for warehouses and airplane hangers,” Kreager says. “We do a lot of work for the military, resurfacing their airplane hangers.”
The longevity of the decorative concrete, according to Kreager, really depends upon the particular application and its use. All of Royal Coat Inc.’s products are backed by a five-year guarantee.
In the near decade that Royal Coat Inc. has been in business, Kreager has focused on growth.
In recent years, the industry has experienced a burst of growth due, in large part, to the popularity of home improvement shows on HGTV and TLC.
Kreager advises prospective clients to carefully screen decorative concrete contractors to ensure they are hiring someone, like Royal Coat Inc., who has the proper training, insurance, and experience.
“When you go to a manufacture training course, they literally tell you how rich you’re going to become and how easy it is to make money,” Kreager says. “However, people really need the training that’s required to do the work properly.”
In addition, as Kreager points out, many people leave these one-day training classes believing they are ready to start a business. What many don’t realize, for their business to grow, they will need business cards, brochures, letterhead, and shirts, and will need to engage in advertising, all of which requires knowledge and money.
To help aspiring decorative concrete contractors, Royal Coat Inc. began offering franchise opportunities in 2005. Today, franchising opportunities are available in Virginia and South Carolina. Royal Coat Inc. is also expanding into West Africa, where Royal Coat Inc. recently sold a franchise.
All franchisees of Royal Coat Inc. are required to complete a two week training course that will teach them, among other things, how to market and advertise their business.
Based in Morehead City, North Carolina, Royal Coat Inc. serves all areas of North Carolina, including Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, Cary, High Point, Wilmington, Asheville, Gastonia, Jacksonville, Greenville, Concord, Chapel Hill, Burlington, Wilson, Goldsboro, Hickory, Salisbury, Monroe, Huntersville, Kinston, Statesville, and Sanford.
Clients and prospective clients are invited to visit Royal Coat Inc.’s showroom during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about Royal Coat Inc. or to receive a free estimate, please visit http://www.royalcoat.com/, info@royalcoat.com, or call 252-727-5418 or 888-727-5418.
