Heroes in Business - Craig Ceccanti co-founder Pinots Palette

Episode Date: November 29, 2024

Craig Ceccanti is co-founder of Pinots Palette, interviewed by David Cogan of Eliances Heroes radio show. Craig talks about how the Pinots Palette idea came during a dining room discussion with co-founders. The company has seen meteoric rise in popularity and spawned copy cats across the Country.

Welcome back to Alliances Heroes, where heroes in business align. To be part of our super community and find out more about Alliances, visit www.alliances.com. Now, back to our super host, David Kogan, founder of Alliances. All right, so let's recap what this morning of heroes has been. We had the NHRA funny car race car driver, daughter of John Paul DeGioia, Alexis DeGioia. We had in the studio the founder of FreeConferenceCall.com. And last, we just had the youngest Osman brother,

Jimmy Osman from the Osman family, but it keeps getting better and better because next, a hero, let me tell you, is one that can create a new concept in entertainment, something that we can all use more of. And our hero Our hero is Craig Sicanti. He is the co-founder of PinosPalette.com. That's P-I-N-O-T-S-P-A-L-E-T-T-E.com. Craig, let's talk about this new entertainment concept that Forbes has reported is on the rise. Exactly what is it? David, yeah, I'd love to talk about it. Pinos Palette, we are in the paint and sip industry.

It's a fun night out, girls night out, date night, great team building event. We bring that to customers through retail establishments all over the U.S. We have 190 locations. And you book online. It's a painting that we take you through step-by-step, typically about two to three hours, and you enjoy a beverage along with that, and you leave with a masterpiece at the end of the night. Wow, sounds like a lot of fun. Now, you've mentioned hundreds of studios across the U.S. I know you expanded into Canada.

You've also won numerous awards, including making the Inc. 500-5000 Entrepreneur's Top 500 list. But what was the spark that enabled you to come up with this idea? This started for us in 2009. I had a roommate, Charles Willis, and his wife, Beth. We were just looking for a fun thing to do, a fun night out. Beth had some friends in town. I had an experience at a painting class in 2004, and we're all from Louisiana, so mixing alcohol with entertaining concepts is something

we do well there. We took that general idea to market in Houston, Texas, and it's just been a really exciting thing for us to continue to grow all over the U.S. I mean, it's scary to start something new, especially in entertainment. I mean, what kind of research did you do, and how did you know that it was going to work? I mean, you're all over now with hundreds of locations. I think the thing for us is we weren't sure it was going to work, so we really tried to build a prototype location in Montrose, in a very vibrant Houston area, to see how customers would respond. And I think that's an important thing.

For sure, very scary for us to walk away from corporate America. Charles, Beth, and I all have had very lucrative careers in different industries. So to go out on your own and start that entrepreneurial journey, especially in a space that really did not exist at all anywhere before, is a scary thing to try to tackle. Now, when you were doing this then, OK, were you part doing it at night while you were working your other, you know, secure position? I mean, or at what point did you say, hey, listen, I got to now jump into this full time and leave something so secure? We did. We walked a tightrope for a while. I'd say for about 10 months as we were working that prototype, we worked, all three of us worked nights and weekends and kind of sidelined it for the first 10 months until we knew it was a concept that had a lot of legs that we could continue to grow. It was about February of 2010 that we decided, hey, we really need to open a second location. We have a lot of consumer interest. We're sold out four or five weeks in advance.

And we're also getting interest from other people looking to open a similar concept. And that's where we explored the franchise model and opened our second and third locations in the end of 2010. So we walked away from our jobs then because we knew it really was going to take our full focus. And we're talking here with Craig Secanti of PanosPalette.com. You can also go to Alliances.com, the place where entrepreneurs align. We'll have the information on there of how to reach Craig. You're ranked number one in your category for franchise satisfaction by the Franchise Business Review. I mean, how do you achieve something like this?

Yeah, I'm glad you pointed that out. I can't stress that enough. And anybody looking into getting into a franchise system, definitely go to the Franchise Business Review. There are a lot of franchise rankings out there, and they're one of the only ones that actually ask the franchise in that current system how they like it. And they grade it and rank it based on the leadership's vision. Are they happy with the money they're making? So being number one in category for that has been spectacular. And we've really achieved that by working very closely with our business owners. We call them

partners, our franchisees, to make sure that we're aligned with what we're doing and the support we're providing, the technology, the marketing programs, so that they can achieve their entrepreneurship goals in their local markets. That's great. I mean, and you're listening to Alliance's Heroes. Be a hero with me, David Kogan. Go to where entrepreneurs align. Be part of the community, alliances.com. That's E-L-I-A-N-C-E-S dot com.

So if we mix wine and painting together, I can imagine you see some very interesting art created by your customers. Which one of these stood out the most or amazed you? We see so many things. I think what has surprised us the most is not just the artwork. We're really an entertainment brand and our goal is not to have people leave with the perfect masterpiece or copy of what our artist is teaching that night, but for them to leave with a smile on their face, I think what surprised us the most and one of the best stories, we get so many from all over the U.S. We've had engagements in the studio, but people come to us and use us for therapy and entertainment. We get letters from couples that

says, you saved our marriage. This is our date night once a month. You helped me through cancer treatment. So we've learned that we've really been able to impact people's lives way much deeper than just a painting, but memories and experiences with friends as well as just enjoying life a little bit more. I mean, designing, creating, and launching a franchise takes a ton of work. Lots of paperwork, all the legal disclosures, implementing a training program, and so much more. What are some of the secrets maybe you have for others that are wanting to franchise their business in other industries? Dave, that's a great question. We get asked that a lot.

As new entrepreneurs have a concept they're looking to expand on they come to us and we try to give support franchising a concept is a big feat there's a lot to know on every aspect the legal all the things you mentioned we've learned very quickly that the franchise industry and franchisors all over the US are very helpful and very willing to lend a hand. So getting involved with the IFA is huge, and it's the International Franchise Association where you'll get in touch with franchisors all over the country, and you'll find a lot of very similar challenges that you can pick their brains on and get best practices and things to watch out for as well.

So that would be probably my biggest piece of advice is get involved and things to watch out for as well. So that would be probably my biggest piece of advice is get involved in the IFA as early as possible. And I've said it before here, Craig, with others that we've interviewed that are CEOs of franchises. I'm very pro-franchise. Again, I think franchises enable people to be in business for themselves, but not by themselves. However, I've seen some franchise owners grow much faster than others, and I'm sure you've seen it too. And some people try to pin it on luck, or they try to pin it on location, or this or that. But what's your take on those that have been most successful in your system? Yeah, I love the franchising model. And we picked it specifically because Charles and I have a deep

passion for consulting and helping other entrepreneurs achieve what we were able to achieve. My first job in high school was at a Subway franchise, so it was incredible to me to get to meet Fred DeLuca at one of the IFA shows. I think the secret sauce that I see, and we're constantly looking for that variable. What are the most successful people doing? Because we want to spread that across the system. And inevitably, every time and everywhere I look, it's hard work in, results out.

And that's going to be true in any business, small or big. You work hard on it. You follow the program and the plan, you're going to see the results come out the other end. There's no magic button to press for sure. Excellent, excellent. And again, Craig Secanti, you can reach him at panotspalette.com. That's P-I-N-O-T-S-P-A-L-E-T-T-E dot com.

A hero is someone who creates something new for everyone to enjoy. They spark creativity and community, and they show others how they can make their way in business while not having to do it alone. Craig, you're our hero. Thank you again, David Kogan with alliances,

the place where entrepreneurs align and our producer loopy docs.com for all your editing needs. And if you're in the mood for some tasty treats, make sure you go to vanellaswirl.com because she has the most amazing cookies. And guess what? They're all square. Thank you again. You have been listening to Alliances Heroes, where heroes in business align. Alliances is the destination for entrepreneurs, investors, CEOs, inventors, leaders, celebrities, and startups. To present your superpower, visit www.alliances.com.

To unmask Alliances Heroes' secret identities, be sure to tune in every Thursday at 9 a.m. right here on Money Radio 1510 and 99.3 FM.