We recently connected with Robert Franco and have shared our conversation below.

Robert, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

Building relationships is key! I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it wasn’t for my friends and connections I made while I was a bartender in Dallas Tx. When I wanted to start this company it was just an idea, but my friend Shannon believed in my idea and believed in me. So he loaned me the money to get it started. Mind you he loaned it to me knowing that I had never done this type of work before and just believed that I could make it work. Then as I was building furniture for clients I got a call from another friend who I had met while in the service industry, Nicki was in the business of furniture distribution and introduced me to the world of commercial furniture which changed everything! To this day I am aware that relationships are what make businesses. Be kind to everyone, listen to everyone, give everyone the same respect, and you can be successful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Robert, or Rocko to those who new me before I started this business. I am a former bartender/musician in Texas. I knew that someday I had to let go of the dream to make it as a musician and that’s how I fell into the world of furniture. I have always been passionate about the creative side of things, and building just seemed to be an extension of music to me. So I decided to start my own furniture company. It started with just me, an idea, a friend who was willing to loan me money, and a commitment to myself that I would make it work. But in reality I had no idea what I was getting into, everyday I would take the time to learn and build on my ideas. Over the course of 7 years we have become a successful furniture company in Dallas, Tx with annual sales of around 800,000 and building. We have moved into our new production warehouse in Rowlett Tx at 5,000 sqft and hope to continue to grow. My team consists of former service industry employees and career tradesmen. We pride ourselves in building for our customers one at a time, specifically for them, right here locally. We work with designers, businesses, home owners and home builders. We hope to continue to grow this dream and be the next great American furniture company.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Everyday is different. Everyday we walk through the shop door, have a cup of coffee, and talk about the local sports game from the night before. It’s like hanging out with your best friends while creating things that we put into the world that people enjoy. I almost don’t know how to explain how rewarding it is to scroll though the pictures of everything that my team has done. Together we have transformed homes and businesses to the extent that I’m not sure we realize. We take jobs one at a time so sometimes it’s hard to see the totality. But I want my guys to know that its because of them that this is possible. I love this company and what we have done soo far, there is only more to come!

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I didn’t start this company to get to an exact point. I just did what I felt was right for me. I want others to see us and it drives them to reach for their dreams, and know that it’s possible if you put in the time and effort to make it work. I believe that if you are committed to anything then you can make it happen. In reality every person’s situation is different and that might make it tougher or take longer to get to this point. I was in the right situation to take a leap of faith to commit to this endeavor. But I believe if you want to do this type of work then it just takes commitment and the drive to devote everything to it. So go for it!

Contact Info:

• Website: thefrancocompany.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/thefrancocompany
• Facebook: Facebook.com/thefrancocompanyfurniture

Image Credits
instagram.com@tazbentleyphoto