Ground Floor: To owner of new Cedar Rapids drywall repair firm, ‘everyone is your boss’

About two years ago, Lincoln Prins, not long after returning from eight years in the military, opened his first business, a Mosquito Squad franchise. He wanted a business that would allow him to be his own boss.

But pest control can be seasonal. So in July 2016, he started up Iowa's first Patch Boys franchise.

The Patch Boys is a drywall repair company that was founded in 2008 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and began offering franchises in 2015.

'We come in after plumbers and electricians and fill in any holes they leave,' Prins said. 'We are good at blending and matching textures and bringing your ceilings and walls back to their original condition.'

Prins learned of the Patch Boys in early 2016 through his ongoing research into franchise opportunities.

'It was a novel concept,' he said of the Patch Boys's business model. 'The more I looked into it, the more attractive it seemed.'

Prins first spoke with a number of local builders to determine whether there was a need for drywall repair services in the area.

'We do a lot of small jobs that the typical drywall company doesn't want to do,' he said. 'The majority of the needs were being met by handymen, but we are a licensed and insured company that won't disappear the next day.'

Prins also spoke with several existing Patch Boys franchise owners, a lesson he learned from his first foray into franchising.

'The company will give you a list of people to talk to, but it's important to talk to people not on the corporate list,' he advised. 'It's also important to talk to franchisees in similar population environments. You need to talk to enough people that you start getting a feel for the real scoop as opposed to what's advertised.'

Prins's legwork paid off — he employs five technicians and one manager and aims to add more staff. Adequate staffing, he said, is critical for a service-based business.

'One thing that we do well and that sets us apart, I believe, is simply answering the phone,' he noted. He added that his technicians 'come out for a quote the same day or next day.

'It's vital as a service-based company to have someone who can answer the phone. If you wait 10 minutes to call back, that customer is already gone. Even if you have to hire someone just to answer the phone, it's worth it.'

While a desire to be his own boss was what motivated Prins to become a business owner, he has found that the reality of business ownership isn't what he envisioned.

'Being a business owner is different than being a boss,' he said. 'As a business owner, everyone is your boss.'

AT A GLANCE

Owner: Lincoln Prins

Business: Patch Boys of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City

Address: 593 62nd St., Suite 106, Marion

Telephone: (319) 449-3388

Email: contact@corridorpatchboys.com

Website: www.corridorpatchboys.com

Know of a business in operation less than a year that would make a good subject for 'The Ground Floor'? Send an email to michaelchevy.castranova@thegazette.com