Q1) 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: Citadel Hardscape Marketing was launched in January 2025 and is focused solely on serving residential hardscape contractors. We are a national company in scope located in Fort Myers FL.
Q2) 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: With a background as an Air Force Academy Graduate and 5 years in the Air Force, I transitioned to healthcare before spending two decades in executive roles, leading sales organizations for a Fortune 15 company. After a stint in private equity-backed firms, I purchased a home services company in 2015, doubling its sales annually until its sale in 2021. In January 2021, I founded Polaris Marketing Solutions, a digital marketing firm catering to home services companies, leveraging my marketing expertise and hands-on experience. Inspired by our success in the cement and paver industry, I launched Citadel Hardscape Marketing, dedicated to scaling cement and paver businesses.
Q3) 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: In 2021 I launched Polaris Marketing Solutions which full service digital marketing agency focused on home services. With significant success with my cement and paver companies I decided to launch Citadel Hardscape Marketing to focus just on the Hardscape niche.
Q4) What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: Find a coach who is already successful doing what you want to do. Bring on good people to help you grow and come up with a plan to make your dream come true.
Q5) What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Resilience, determination and patience.
Q6) How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: 10-12 hours Monday through Friday and then some on the weekend.
Q7) To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Coming alongside really smart people and having a plan.
Q8) How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: Actually with Polaris Marketing it’s been BNI. With Citadel it’s been associations and Joint Ventures.
Q9) 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: I sold my home services company in 2021. I used the proceeds of the sales to initial fund Polaris Marketing and now Polaris has funded Citadel.
Q10) What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Consistent growth and building a team and processes.
Q11) Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: I want to scale Citadel to multiple 7 figures and then sell it in the next 5 years.
Q12) Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: I was fortunate to have joined a group called the 7 figure Agencies and it includes many very successful agency owners that are now coaching me. There are too many to list but it’s members of this group that have grown their company and given back that I really look up to.
Q13) How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Out of the gate your employees play a huge role since so much relies on them.
Q14) How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: I don’t give up until I see a better way or understand I may have made a mistake.
Q15) What motivates you?
Ans: Growing the kingdom for God and using the talents he’s given me.
Q16) How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: I’m open to all types of ideas. I’m consistently learning and exploring to see how things can be massaged to meet my needs.
Q17) What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: Setting my own schedule and running my own show.
Q18) What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: Selling my first business.
Q19) What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: The ability to take risks and develop your own platform.
Q20) 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: Team work
Q21) In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur?
Ans: Exciting