Best Practices: Totally Floored – Feb 2026
By Jessica Chevalier
It seems unfathomable today, but when Dan and Julie Hussey moved to Prescott Valley, Arizona in 1988, they purchased a neglected and near-death flooring retail store for a mere $5,000 and grew it into a thriving operation. That marked the first of two times the pair would nurse a retail flooring business on the brink of demise back to health.
REVIVAL
Dan and Julie left Los Angeles in the late ’80s in search of a more bucolic lifestyle. At the time, Prescott Valley was home to about 50,000 residents and a beacon of natural beauty at 5,000 feet with expansive wilderness and thousands of miles of hiking trails.
In 1976, back in Los Angeles, Dan had opened an office supply business with his father, so he had spent most of his adult life self-employed. Upon moving to Prescott Valley, Dan took a job at a flooring store. He stayed with that company for less than a year, then began looking for an operation of his own to acquire.
He and Julie came across a flooring store with a long, rich history that had fallen on hard times due to neglect and was on the brink of closure. The couple negotiated the owner down to $5,000 for the whole kit and caboodle, purchased the operation and got to work growing the business into a flourishing enterprise.
In the early 2000s, Dan and Julie were ready to retire. They sold the business they had grown and relaxed into a laid-back lifestyle. However, “the new owner didn’t do well,” Dan explains. “He ended up closing. To be in business for yourself, you have to have deep-seated beliefs if you are going to be successful long term, core beliefs that you don’t violate. If you don’t have those convictions, you will fail.”
It was heartbreaking for Dan and Julie to see the business they had built shuttered but that wasn’t the end of the story. “My wife was instrumental in inspiring me to buy the business back,” recalls Dan.
They re-purchased the assets and got the business back up and running. “We have been busy ever since,” Dan notes. In addition to customers, many of the business’ prior employees returned.
KNOWING THE CUSTOMER
Because Prescott Valley is a retirement destination, Totally Floored serves a somewhat older clientele, and that shapes some of the ways it does business.
For instance, Totally Floored still utilizes radio and direct mail advertising because these types of promotion reach its core customer base. However, it also keeps active with social media through CCA’s promotional programs.
Dan has noticed an uptick in the interest his customers have in buying local, so, while the business utilizes a Flooring America website, it includes a pictorial listing of ownership and staff. “Customers want to buy from a local company with its own crews, and many will go out of their way to support small business,” he says.
The store’s core clientele also impacts what it sells. While ceramic is a popular choice in Arizona, “we convert a lot of people from tile to LVT,” explains Dan. “Because a lot of our clientele are in their 50s, 60s and 70s, they need comfort and beauty, like a value plank product, rather than high performance.”
Dan notes that the customers’ mindset around this topic has been evolving over the last five years or so. “Instead of coming in and asking for ceramic, they are more open to our recommendations,” he reports. “They see their neighbors buying plank products, so they come in and ask about them. The fear of the word ‘vinyl’ has dissipated.” .
Totally Floored focuses on its retail remodel business predominantly, though it does do some mainstreet commercial work.
SERVICE MINDED
While Dan is a proponent of plank products for his customer base, the mindset of him and his team is grounded in personalization. “We greet everyone as they walk in with, ‘How can we serve you?’ rather than ‘help you.’ We are not here to sell but to serve. We are not here to convince them of something. Our competitors tend to commoditize, but we are looking to serve. We may or not be the right fit for a particular customer, but we want to give them the right information.”
Dan trains his team to use a consultative approach, asking a range of questions before recommending or showing a single product.
In addition, Totally Floored offers a lifetime warranty on everything. “If a floor hasn’t performed, we will install a new one at cost,” says Dan, who includes his private cellphone number on business cards, welcoming customers to call him anytime if they have a problem or a concern.
BETTER BUSINESS
Dan recalls, early in his days as a flooring retailer, attending industry conferences where his peers would often gripe about their installers. This is a perspective that mystified Dan.
He says, “Installers are critical to our success, and I always treat them with respect. Even if their life experience is different than mine, they deserve to be treated as equals.”
In supporting his installation crews, which are comprised of subs, Dan offers vacation pay and sick day pay. In addition, “we don’t typically back-charge for mistakes,” he says. “Everyone makes mistakes, and we don’t take it out of anyone else’s pay. Why should we take it out of theirs?”
In the last five years, Totally Floored has also supplied its installers with vans bearing the company’s name. Dan says, “We pay the insurance and gas. This provides a stable vehicle for our installers, and we enjoy having the vans in the community as advertising. Plus, it makes for a more professional image when they pull up to the jobsite.”
Dan doesn’t believe what he offers is exceptional, but a factor of basic respect. “Because of this philosophy, we have nothing but dedicated crews,” he reports. “I’ve always wondered why there isn’t more sophistication in the industry around installation, and I’m proud we have added to that.”
AGILITY THROUGH FINANCIAL FREEDOM
Dan and Julie take a very proactive approach to the business’ finances. The business carries no debt. All accounts payable are paid daily. In addition, the couple lives a modest lifestyle, allowing the money to remain in the business.
The modest approach has a host of benefits. “Our vendors love us,” says Dan. “We have peace of mind, which enhances the atmosphere of the store. Business doesn’t feel high pressure. Being debt free is a tremendous blessing. If you never borrow money except for real estate, you will have so much of it.” Julie, who oversees budgeting, puts money away for future expenses, so when an expense arises, Totally Floored never has to stress about how to pay the bill.
Dan notes, “CCA has invited us to come speak about our approach for years. If you don’t have debt, you will be more prepared for an economic downturn. It increases your stability.”
Monitoring the income is also key. The company has long offered its own financing program, which also bolsters the bottom line, and it does not compromise its margins. Dan adds, “Flooring America taught me how to run a profitable company and maintain margins. We keep our margins high. People are willing to pay for ethical, honest, high quality work.”
Ultimately, Dan and Julie are committed to maintaining peace and joy in both their professional and personal lives. “The word ‘contentment’ is very important to us,” Dan says.