Girls just wanna have fun.
After Hurricane Katrina roared into town, flooding her home, Cathy Deano was looking at ways to bring a little joy to her area. She found it with the idea of an art studio where women could gather, paint and relieve the stress of the day. Adding wine to the mix didn’t hurt!
Catherine Deano, co-founder of Painting with a Twist, joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this week’s episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.
Meet Catherine Deano
Catherine Deano started her journey to become co-founder of Painting with a Twist, the largest Paint and Sip system in the United States, as well as Twist Brands, the umbrella company, by volunteering in her community. After Hurricane Katrina roared into town, flooding her home, she was looking at ways to bring a little joy to her area. She found it with the idea of an art studio where women could gather, paint and relieve the stress of the day. Adding wine to the mix didn’t hurt! She and her partner opened their first location under the name Corks n Canvas in 2007. In 2009 with four studios under their belt they started franchising. At the beginning of 2014 they merged Corks n Canvas with Painting with a Twist.
Painting with a Twist has always had very definitive brand values. Since PWAT started out as a women owned and women centric business, she knew that any career for most women had to include a strong dedication to family. Their motto was always “Family First”. This included the Home Office Team, as well as the way they governed from the top. This motto first and foremost let their franchisees know that as a women owned business they understood, as well as honored the pull they would always have between a family and a business. This has served them well. Their business values were always to lead with honesty and ethics. Cathy felt these two attributes would get her wherever she wanted to go and help with any decisions she needed to make, and it has.
One of Painting with a Twist’s proudest accomplishments is their Painting with a Purpose. This initiative encourages franchisees to host classes where at least 50% of the revenue goes to a non-profit group in the area where the franchise is located. PWAT does not take royalties on these classes as a way of giving back to the communities that support their franchisees businesses. To date PWAP, via individual franchises, has donated over $7,000,000 to non-profits in the areas where they are located.
In 2021 Cathy bought out her co-founder and brought on three new partners.
To date Painting with a Twist has licensed 223 studios in 38 states. In early 2019 Painting with a Twist acquired a paint and sip competitor, Bottles and Bottega adding 23 franchises to the company. In 2020 Painting with a Twist bought Color Me Mine, the largest paint your own pottery franchise in the United States, as well as the supplier company for the paint your own pottery industry. This added 120 more franchises to the newly formed umbrella company, Twist Brands.
In her role as Founder and Brand Ambassador, Cathy visits franchisees, speaks to women about her journey to franchising and participates on panels at franchise conferences.
Cathy has always felt community service is a cornerstone of owning a business and to that end has been very active in her area volunteering for multiple non-profits.
Cathy’s past volunteer service include, President and board member of St. Tammany Parish Hospital’s Parenting Center, PTA President Cedarwood School, President and board member St. Tammany Art Association, Board member Pontchartrain Yacht Club. Presently she serves on the board of The Friend of the Dew Drop which host concerts at the Dew Drop, the oldest unaltered jazz hall in the world as well as fostering music education throughout the schools in St. Tammany Parish. She is President of the Board at St. Tammany Art Association. Also, she currently serves on The Franchisor Forum for the International Franchise Association.
Cathy has one son, Ryan, 25. Her hobbies are traveling, reading, cooking and laughing. To feed her creative spirit she works in multi-media assemblage.
In 2022 Cathy was named to Franchise Directory’s 50 Women of Wonder and Forbes 50 over 50, joining the likes of Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Sandra Bullock and more.
Learn more about Catherine Deano
Learn more about Painting With a Twist