Today’s Notable Young Entrepreneur is Carmelo Marsala, who appeared on Dragons’ Den last week to pitch his business, Spray-Net, which was previously one of the top 20 young franchisors in the world by the International Franchise Association. We caught up with him to find out what inspires his work and what advice he would share with other young professionals…
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WORK
1. Describe what you do in less than 140 characters. Go.
We have bridged the gap between conventional exterior painting and industrial factory painting by custom formulating our own unique coatings.
2. What was the inspiration for your career route?
I don’t think I had much of a choice; I was never able to keep a job for that long. During university, as a student painting franchisee, I realized that not only was there an opportunity in the home improvement industry, but that being in business for myself was the only way I’d ever be happy.
3. What is the most memorable milestone in your career so far?
We started franchising a little over two years ago and we were honoured to be named one of the top 20 young franchisors in the world by the International Franchise Association. What was even more memorable for us was that we were the only franchise on the list from Canada.
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?
I think at the speed at which things move nowadays, projecting ourselves 20 years or even 10 years in time is very far. We’ve only been in business for five years and we’ve built a super solid foundation on which growth can now be exponential. I feel that we now have the team, the infrastructure, and the knowledge to go forward at the speed of light.
That said, I’ve always believed that a business is either going up or down and can’t stay stagnant. For that reason I’d like to leverage the team we’ve built to franchise other business models that share synergies with Spray-Net. Eventually, we will be the one-stop shop for home embellishment but always with an innovative touch and, who knows, maybe even other industries.
5. Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
I like that you used the word young professionals here and not only entrepreneurs. I feel that the term entrepreneur can be overused and glamourized as the ultimate success. An entrepreneur needs to surround himself with the right people to complement the skills or attributes he/she doesn’t have.
First, figure out if you have an entrepreneurial profile, and if you don’t, that’s not a bad thing as long as you recognize and accept it. If everyone was an entrepreneur, it would be impossible to build great teams, so find a business that you feel passionate about and you will do great things. We have people who work at Spray-Net that are super smart and without them we wouldn’t be where we are now. Conclusion: there should be more recognition for the “behind the scenes” people because they are equally as important if not more so at one point.
6. Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is it (or they) important to you?
We donate a portion of our sales every year to the ALS foundation of Canada. My father passed away from the disease when I was 10 and the principles I live by are all from him. He was an entrepreneur himself and I feel a duty to help in any way I can.
7. What is one major challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career? How did you overcome it?
This can be answered from many angles because awareness for our unique product was, and definitely still is, the biggest challenge for Spray-Net. Personally, I feel my biggest challenge is the ability to communicate to people that I feel they have reached their limits. It’s pretty hard to genuinely tell someone you don’t think they’re good enough to do something you want them to do; especially since it’s partially an opinion and even more so when they are close to you.
8. What does the word notable mean to you?
Not going to lie, I googled the definition to make sure I was on the right track but I think my answer will deviate a bit. It says, “worthy of attention or notice; remarkable” or “a famous or important person.” To be honest I don’t think either of those definitions apply to me but I do think what the team at Spray-Net has done in five years is worthy of notice. Everyone works hard, they’re passionate, and have a high level of integrity so, for me, I’d say someone with integrity is notable and the two seem almost synonymous; in my opinion, of course. Google clearly states otherwise.
PLAY
1. Where is your favourite place to wine/dine in your city and why?
Well, my wife and I recently had a child so I’d say at home is best for the little one. My wife Lisa is an amazing cook and avid viewer of the Food Network, so I’d say she can compete with any restaurant.
2. What’s the most visited website on your Internet browser? The most played song on your phone?
If we don’t count Google and the Spray-Net website, I think I’d have to say LinkedIn. It’s kind of a hub for all interesting articles and to stay in touch with what people are doing. I have “Hello” by Adele in my head right now so I guess that might be the most played song.
3. Who’s one person you think everyone should be following on social media?
Travis Bradberry. He posts a lot of great articles and is the author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0. I would consider myself a passionate person, and with passion comes emotion. The problem is that emotions greatly affect decision-making and can sometimes hinder the results that we want to achieve. Emotional intelligence is so important and I think everyone should work on it.
4. What’s your favourite country to visit and why? And what’s the next one you plan on travelling to?
I’ve always been fascinated with the U.S. because so many successful businesses are from there. It’s always interesting to visit different states and see how different they are from Canada even though we’re neighbouring countries. The next country that I plan on visiting is Greece; I’m ashamed to say it because my family is Italian, but I love Greek food!
5. What gives you the greatest FOMO?
I guess I’m a little out of touch because I had to Google what that acronym meant. I think my greatest fear, and maybe because people keep trying to engrain it in my head, is missing my child’s first steps, words, or basically any special moments. I’m always working and I don’t always take the time to balance life and work. But as we build our solid foundation and team, I will take everyone’s advice and make an effort to do so. I don’t want to have any regrets.
6. What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
I had to think of this one because I’m not sure if it’s really a guilty pleasure. I HATE losing, so as a result I love winning. Let me explain… I think it might be a guilty pleasure because you can’t have a winner without a loser.
7. What’s something you wish you didn’t spend so much money on? What’s something you wish you spent more on?
I spend so much money on drive-thrus because I never take the time to pack a lunch, or when my wife does, I forget it at home. It’s not so much the money that bothers me but more the fact that it’s quite difficult to find something healthy at a drive-thru and food has such an effect on mood. I don’t know if I wish I spent more on this but I feel like I should: some clothes. I pretty much wear the same thing every single day. I have the same pants in four fairly similar colors and I alternate with my six Spray-Net polos every day.
8. And finally, what does success look like to you? Work, play, or otherwise…
This question is often asked and my answer is quite simple, yet complex. I believe strongly in the quote by Albert Schweitzer, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
That said, what makes me happy personally is spending time with my family; professionally, it’s enabling others to succeed. It’s cool to see that the people who first believed in the business are now having success still being at Spray-Net.
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