Q 1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: Our business was formed to provide a better and more professional level of service for our customers. An area that we feel is sorely lacing in the construction industry. We specialize in helping out customers make a statement with their home. We are located in Chester NJ
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: After graduation from high school in 1983 I started my construction career. I have successfully grown my business over the course of the last 16yrs and most notably have been involved with and extreme makeover home project for television to benefit a family in need.
Q 3. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: I always wanted to have my own company, to be my own boss and make all my own decisions but it wasn’t unitl I had some life changing events in ,my personal life was I able to get over the fear and go all in.
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: Before you get started.
Think about how you are going to let people know about your business.
Think about how you are going to set yourself apart from your competition.
Think about how you are going to execute.
Then prepare to work harder than you ever have before.
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Highly organized
Highly motivated
Extremely reliable
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: 14-16
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Excellent employees
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: SEO, Job Signs,and print ad’s By far customer referral and job signs are the most successful marketing tools. Going out of your way to make people happy pays the best dividen.
Q 9. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: Fortunatly I was able to save enough capital on my own to get the business started. I have never need investors and currently the company carries no debt. We do use a line of credit that we established with the bank to leverage our buying power.
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Keep yourself and your company debt free. Manage your company’s finances like your own and never spend money that you don’t have.
Q 11. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: My goal if for the company to continue operation under new ownership and for me I hope to be retired.
Q 12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: I’m a huge fan of Elon Musk and Tesla motors. I think that they are going to revolutionize the auto industry.
Q 13. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: It’s paramount. By yourself you can make a living but with the help of others you can actually start making money. It’s easier to run with 100 that carry 1 so good employees are everything.
Q 14. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: What’s give up? The only way to fail is to quit.
Q 15. What motivates you?
Ans: At first it was fear of failure, but after I got over that realized that I’m really motivated by a low self esteem and inferiority complex. I know that sounds crazy but for me that is the truth.
Q 16. What are your ideals?
Ans: To try to build a company that continues for years and can not only take great care of it’s customers but take great care of it’s employee’s as well.
Q 17. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: Look at what’s going on around you.
Q 18. How do you define success?
Ans: The ability to take care of yourself and your family.
Q 19. How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: Consistently Exceed customers’ expectations
Q 20. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: The ability to control company policy and make it a better place to work.
Q 21. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: Anytime we earn the admiration of a customer and their pleased reaction when they see their completed project for the first time.
Q 22. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: I think that people who work for people are working for money.
Entrepreneaurs are people who are working for something else and making money is just a by product of their efforts.
Q 23. What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Ans: We are like a team here. Everyone in the system is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. We all acknowledge that we are all working hard and as such we are all willing to help each other. No is not in our vocabulary. There is no me only we. I try to lead by example you can’t expect people to act a certain way if you are not doing it yourself. This culture breeds success and as the company does well be all do well that is the key.
Q 24. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Rewarding
Q 25. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Ans: I would have started my business sooner than I did and get involved in some of the training and motivational organizations I’m involved in earlier.
Q 26. How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
Ans: I has made out life more comfortable financially but it is all consuming so I always struggle to find the balance.
Q 27. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: I have no fear when it comes to business.
Q 28. How did you decide on the location for your business?
Ans: It’s where I live. The office has always been in my home, that makes getting to work much easier. Som people think that it’s a bad idea to have your office in your home but my feeling is if you are going to be self employed you are going to have to put in a lot of hours so why not make it as convenient as possible?
Q 29. Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Some people say it’s luck but I say the harder I work the luckier I get.
Q 30. If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans: Elon Musk because he’s brilliant. I really think that he is going to do to the auto industry what Steve Jobs did to the music industry.
Q 31. Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans: Any entrepreneur that I have met over the years that I where I wanted to be.
Q 32. What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
Ans: A million little pieces really help me a lot.
Q 33. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: Not starting my business sooner.
Q 34. How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
Ans: I don’t know if you can prevent mistakes because if you knew what you were doing at the time was a mistake you wouldn’t do it. All you can do is learn from them so you don’t do the same or similar thing again.
Q 35. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: I really love to spend time on my boat and fish.
Q 36. What makes you happy?
Ans: Sun in my face
Q 37. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Time time and time
Company Details:
Company : Creo Construction Services, Inc.
Contact : John Creo
Address : 140 Pleasant Hill Rd
City : Chester
State : NJ
Zip : 07930
Phone : 908-879-9595
Fax : 908-879-9585
Email : info@creoconstruction.com
