1 – Q) Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what yourbusiness is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
A) Cross Concrete and Excavating is a full service concrete company located in Mineral Ridge Ohio.
2 – Q) Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
A) I come from a working class family who has always been in the construction business. I was formally a foreman with one of the largest construction companies in the Ohio labor union.
3 – Q) 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?
A) As I was running jobs for the Ohio labors union I became very knowledgeable in concrete and excavating. I was thriving in the business and decided it was time to make a leap of faith, relying on my vast understanding of the concrete business and my work ethic.
4 – Q) What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
A) It’s not as easy as some may think. Master your craft and become knowledgeable in the business world before you commit yourself to it.
5 – Q) What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A) Speed, time is money! The faster you can put out a product without sacrificing quality the more jobs you can take on. Secondly, is confidence. You may question yourself and what you’re trying to accomplish but you must be confident in the services and products you produce. Finally is honesty, you shall not lie to land a deal, if your service isn’t what the costumer is looking for just accept it and find a more suitable client whose needs align better with your services.
6 – Q) How many hours do you work a day on average?
A) typically in the summer months I work 10-14 hour days.
7 – Q) To what do you most attribute your success?
A) I can largely attribute my success to my work ethic. Being a hard worker will get you through a lot of the bumps in the road.
8 – Q) How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
A) best marketing strategy that has got me this far is simply word of mouth and Facebook business page.
9 – Q) Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
A) No investors here. I worked hard for the labors union and saved my money until I could afford to make the transition.
10 – Q) What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
A) Develop a skill or product that is truly exceptional and desired. That is only half the battle though, nothing moves forward without an exceptional work ethic.
11 – Q) Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
A) I see myself transitioning from residential work to commercial work and potentially expanding.
12 – Q) Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
A) helly and Sands is a remarkable company that I strive to compete with.
