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Meet FASTSIGNS®Owner Greg Shugarts
 Moving up in the World
Greg Shugarts, Kirkland, Washington Greg Shugarts became a FASTSIGNS® franchise owner the old fashioned way: he earned it, by working his way up from the ground floor. Greg started his first business while he was still in college, then worked in the corporate world and as a FASTSIGNS store employee for a number of years. “I knew that if I worked for somebody else, I would be making money for somebody else,” Greg remembers. “I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart, and knew that the best way to maximize my earning potential was to be my own boss. So I knew for some time I wanted to own my own FASTSIGNS store.”
Working His Way Up
Before taking full ownership of his own store, Greg had considerable experience – both in the corporate world and in the FASTSIGNS franchise environment. A graduate of the School of Communications at the University of Washington, Greg owned a clothing company called Superior Sportswear that sold t-shirts and other novelty items primarily to campus fraternities and sororities. After college, Greg managed a FASTSIGNS store in Bellevue, Washington for several years, and worked in sales at Honeywell for a couple more. Then in 1990, Greg went to work for Hank Ness, who owned a Seattle-area FASTSIGNS franchise. After five years he joined his boss as a full partner in the business. In 1999, after almost a decade of experience in the FASTSIGNS environment, Greg bought his partner’s interest in the store and became a full and independent owner of his own store. It was a decision he has never regretted.
His Own Store
“Having worked for or managed a FASTSIGNS store for nine years, I knew the business very well,” Greg says when explaining his decision to buy the store outright. “So I knew that no other franchise does it better than FASTSIGNS.” Greg’s store is located in Kirkland, Washington, a beautiful suburb of Seattle situated on the Lake Washington waterfront. The store employs eight staff members, and serves a diverse clientele that includes a number of large corporations and event-related customers. Greg said his biggest challenge as a store owner was learning to deal with employees, and that he is most proud of ranking number two in worldwide FASTSIGNS store sales in 2000. He says that to succeed in franchising, as in any entrepreneurial venture, you must have a real passion for the business. His FASTSIGNS franchise keeps him busy, and when he is not overseeing his store, Greg enjoys playing golf, working out and traveling. He credits the FASTSIGNS system for much of his success as a small businessperson.
Proven Support
“The staff at FASTSIGNS International care about the success of your business as much as you do,” Greg says. Since pioneering the franchise sign store concept in 1985, FASTSIGNS has been a leader in the growing signage and graphics industry. That achievement, most agree, has been built on a foundation of solid success for its franchise owners. FASTSIGNS has worked to keep its owners on the cutting edge of sign and graphic technology, with full-color graphics, advanced signmaking systems, e-commerce and personalized store websites. Greg has taken full advantage of the many services and programs offered by FASTSIGNS to its franchise owners. He notes in particular the quality of FASTSIGNS’ marketing research, the training modules that help keep franchise staff up-to-date, and the responsive attention the national organization gives to each local store owner.
Looking Ahead
Greg expects FASTSIGNS’ support oriented approach will continue to give him and other franchisees a competitive edge in the sign and graphics marketplace. “I believe that with the changes in technology, franchises will operate quite differently in the next five years,” Shugarts predicts. “I do believe FASTSIGNS is well-positioned for this transition because they are constantly researching and testing the latest equipment to ensure what they recommend to the franchisees is top of the line. For anyone considering a FASTSIGNS franchise, it’s important to understand that this business requires a high level of owner interaction”, Greg says. “It’s critical that the owner be very proactive, in sales as well as in operations for at least the first year or two.” “After 12 years in the FASTSIGNS world, I still enjoy what I do,” Shugarts says. “Nobody else can dictate when I work, how hard I work or how much money I am going to make. Being an owner has given me complete control over my own destiny.”
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