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: I own G&G Deck and Fence, we are a family owned and operated full service landscape company. While we serve all of the East Bay our primary service areas are in Solano and Contra Costa Counties with our office and yard space right on the Benicia, Vallejo border. We specialize in decking and fences while also offering pergolas, retaining wall and custom gates. We strive to marry quality craftsmanship with outstanding customer service for every project we work on.
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: I grew up in concord CA and graduated from Concord High School, became a land surveyor like all the men in my family but when the housing market crashed I went into home improvement sales and worked my way up to a level where I had the knowledge and motivation to go out on my own.
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 was watching the market praise mediocre work and wanted to bring the old school mentality back into the construction industry.
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: Find a mentor, learn as much as possible about the industry you’re in and most importantly write down your goals. I recommend setting goals for the short term and long term
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Being motivated, people skills, not being afraid of learning the hard way. I truly believe the last skill is the most important. I have learned a lot of lessons in business the hard way and it has made me a better entrepreneur and boss from falling down and getting back up.
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: On average I work about 10 hours a day. While working for yourself has amazing benefits and allows for a lot of flexibility in scheduling it also is a 24 hour a day job. I am on call 24 hours a day, if there is an issue on a job site or an employee is in need of advice, I am the first call.
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: I attribute my success to my unwavering perseverance. As a small business owner there are days I want to hang up the towel and days I’m over the moon about a project. It’s about pushing through the hard stuff and always pushing myself to be the best boss I can.
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? Whas been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: Digital marketing is the most effective in my industry. I have also found that word of mouth and returning customers are a huge part of what has made us successful. Preforming quality work.
Q 9. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: I have found writing down your goals and having a plan to achieve them is key to achieving long term success. If you don’t have a map, you’ll never know where you’re going. Another component is help others find success. You never know who will be able to in turn assist with your own journey to success.
Q 10. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: In the next 5-10 years I see our company taking on larger projects that involve more heavy equipment. Being able to use heavy equipment really opens the doors to the next tier of projects.
Q 11. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: If I had to pick, I would say Ford motor company. Mostly though, I admire individual achievements. I believe it’s the small acts of perseverance that can make or brake a company. Those acts come from anyone in any company, at any level.
Company Detail:
Company : G & G Deck and Fence
Address : 1600 Benicia Road
City : Vallejo
State : CA
Zip : 94591
Country : USA
Phone : 925-849-5089
