Meet Scotty Hager, Army veteran, father of five, and franchise owner of the five-star Image360 Center situated appropriately within the historic Scott’s Addition District northwest of downtown Richmond, Virginia.

After his military service, Scotty worked for a contractor charged with the delicate task of destroying the Army’s chemical weapons stockpile. From there, he worked for a consulting firm and ultimately wound up doing emergency response planning and exercises for NASA and state and local jurisdictions.

“I got burned out on the travel, and I wanted to get out of consulting,” said Scotty.  “I wanted to own my own business, so I started thinking about what I might do. And since I am, at the end of the day, a manager and have experience in business development and sales, I wanted to build an actual product. I began looking for a B2B franchise opportunity where I didn’t have to work nights and weekends. Franchising was a good bet because I really didn’t have any expertise in anything I was interested in doing.”

In November 2005, Scotty and his wife, Dorothy, purchased an existing Signs By Tomorrow franchise. “It really felt like it was a family, and the reason the franchisor was in business was to help us be successful. But over time, the brand didn’t represent what we were building. We’d moved up and out of a small space to a much larger, state-of-the-art production facility and had become a sales-driven company focused on the corporate and government markets.”

His solution was an emerging brand within the Alliance Franchise Brands portfolio—Image360. Now the fastest growing brand within the Sign & Graphics Division, Image360 provides a one-stop resource for B2B professionals who demand high-quality visual and graphics communications.

On May 7, 2014, Scotty flexed his early adopter muscles and officially converted to the Image360 brand. “I think we were the fourth or fifth business to convert to Image360. What I like best about the name is what it doesn’t suggest. There’s more to us than just producing cut-vinyl signs and banners.”

Today Scotty’s 15-person team creates and innovates for a corporate-focused sales mix made up of about 50% automotive, 25% financial, and 25% education and government. “I like problem solving and helping people to be successful. I love what our people do, and the variety of the projects. There are always new challenges to figure out; it’s never boring. When I look at the many Google reviews we have, they’re all five star. Our clients show us how much they like our work, too. Over 85% of our sales are in repeat business.”

Scotty is Chief Operating Officer of the business. Dorothy is President and CFO and weighs in on all major decisions. All three of their sons have worked in the business during their summer breaks. “I enjoy spending time with my family. My oldest son is 18. He just graduated from high school, and I spent probably thousands of hours on the sidelines when he was playing soccer. He just moved out and onto college. He’s gone. I don’t know [tongue in cheek] what I’ll enjoy doing now in my spare time.”

During his family friendly work time, Scotty has established a culture that’s highly collaborative. “We’ve created a very professional environment where everybody is pulling on the same end of the rope to meet our clients’ needs. Putting clients and their interests first—even when it seems to conflict with our own—is why we’re successful. And we focus on exceeding their expectations every single day. That’s what we’re best at. It starts with answering the phone when it rings and showing up when you say you’re going to. We approach the business as professionals and that’s worked well for us.”

If you ask Scotty, given what he knows now, would he do it all over again, he approaches it without hesitation: “In a heartbeat.”

Learn more about the advantages of owning an Image360 franchise

Image360® is the premiere B2B franchise serving the growing multi-billion-dollar market for graphic communications services—graphic design, digital displays, innovative branding, and signs for every surface and situation. U.S. and Canadian franchise owners have every opportunity to reach their financial and lifestyle goals when backed by a 30-year industry leader…a Franchise 500® brand…a robust business model…ongoing training…dedicated support…state-of-the-art equipped Centers…family friendly hours… recurring revenues from repeat customers…and, the Alliance Franchise Brands network. Our motto: Make money AND have fun!

Become a Member of the Alliance Franchise Brands Network

Alliance Franchise Brands LLC is a world leader in marketing and visual communications linking more than 650 locations in North America and the United Kingdom. Our independently owned and operated franchises provide national, regional and local businesses and organizations with a one-stop resource for technologically advanced and strategically sound solutions for their graphic communications needs. Our sought after and prospering brands include Image360, Allegra Marketing Print Mail, American Speedy Printing, Insty-Prints, KKP, Signs By Tomorrow, Signs Now, and RSVP Publications.