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: My business is Your1DayFloor.com, we do concrete floor coatings in one day. The type of concrete floor coating we specialize in is a Polyurea/Polyaspartic system. We’re located in West Milton, OH and in Middletown, OH.
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 graduated from Tecumseh High School with honors from the National Honor Society. I have a completion certificate from Clark County JVS, where I studied carpentry. I have achieved some of the highest certifications – certified remodeler from NARI, certified kitchen and bath remodeler from NARI, one of two people in the state of Ohio that was a certified restorer for the Restoration Industry Association. I worked alongside the owner of a restoration business for 8 years, then became the operations manager. It was in this position I learned all aspects of business operations, which helped me gain further education for becoming an entrepreneur. I went on to become a project manager for other restoration companies and averaged over 1.5M in sales per year and managed those projects.
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 founded Restoration with Design to continue my work experience in completing restoration and remodeling projects for customers. Our customers then requested floor coating services. My team and I thought it would be a great idea if we could complete the projects in one day. Also, the coating projects would fill the open areas of our schedule between restoration projects. As the floor coating interest grew and we placed our focus on floor coatings. We saw a need, we enjoyed doing the projects in one day, and we started receiving referrals. Which in turn made that side of our business grow into the success it is now.
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: Find a mentor to share your business ideas with that will give you sound advice, never give up, and have an open mind for change – be ready to divert your course if needed.
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Risk taker, dedication, the ability to read people – to truly understand your customers and your employees.
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: I feel like I work 48 hours a day, but the average hours I work in the day are from 6AM to 10PM. So, I work roughly 16 hours a day.
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: The support from my employees and family. If I didn’t them, I would lose my drive to continue. Knowing this work is supporting my employees and their families keeps me going.
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: Everything we do is marketing – home shows, Home Advisor, our website, our vehicles, RSVP mailers, Google Ad words. The most successful form of marketing for us has been Facebook.
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: We don’t have any investors. I used my personal credit to cover the costs to have our building constructed, and to help establish our business. So, after our 2 years of being in business we would have assets in order to acquire lending. Our First National Bank and Wright-Patt has lent us funding to further establish our business. The lenders used the collateral of our business property as assets to extend us a line of credit for operational expenses.
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: For me, it’s been finding Conquer, a group of businesses similar to ourselves to help be our board of directors so I make wise decisions.
Q 11. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: I see my business growing at least 3 times its’ current size – being able to operate without me, so that I can help give back to other businesses that are wanting to start. To help mentor those businesses, and give investments into other businesses.
Q 12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: A-1 Garage Door Company
Q 13. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Pretty much everything. Without them none of what we do would be possible.
Q 14. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: I don’t give up; I often get side-tracked and go back to it. I don’t give up on much, I might be distracted from it, but it takes a lot for me to give up on something.
Q 15. What motivates you?
Ans: Helping other people motivates me. I like seeing the change in my employees’ lives – being able to provide for their families, and how their lives have changed. I like to work with other small companies, to see how their lives can be changed and how they can have a better business.
Q 16. What are your ideals?
Ans: Excellence, humility, and honestly.
Q 17. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: I drive in my car a lot, and so it really gives me time to think and mull over new ideas. A lot of time, I start with the end of where I want to be, and reverse engineer how I’m going to get there.
Q 18. How do you define success?
Ans: More in the morale of the people around me. If my inner circle – employees, friends, family – if they are doing well and if I was able to be a part of making that happen… To me that’s success.
Q 19. How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: Over deliver on your promises. Do what you say you’re going to do, focus on one thing and do it well.
Q 20. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: Being able to give back to others – your customers, your employees, your community.
Q 21. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: Being recognized by others in the industry for being successful.
Q 22. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: The ability to find your dream or create it. Opposed to following someone else’s dream.
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: Company culture is very important to me. I’d like to think that it’s a type of a family where we help each other. I don’t really feel like that doesn’t try to attribute to their job. That is kind of been the precedent I’ve been setting, by leading by example, never asking someone to do something that I wouldn’t do myself.
Q 24. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Q 25. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Ans: I would have just started sooner, would have taken more risks.
Q 26. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: My greatest fear is that it could all end abruptly. Fear is a feeling that you’re either living in the past or the future, so I always stay in the present because that’s what I can control.
Q 27. How did you decide on the location for your business?
Ans: Something close to home!
Q 28. If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans: Albert Einstein – because he’s a genius and we share the same name!
Q 29. Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans: My grandfather.
Q 30. What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
Ans: The E Myth by Michael Gerber.
Q 31. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: Not having a family work life balance, operating my business without a budget, trying to start a business all alone without a mentor for advice.
Q 32. How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
Ans: Making sure there is proper communication from our clients to the final outcome, to ensure the results are what they are expecting. Working alongside my team to train them to meet expectations. As for damage control, make sure I make time for myself.
Q 33. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: Attending hockey games and spend time with my family.
Q 34. What makes you happy?
Ans: I’m happiest when I’m at work – I enjoy seeing things go right, and seeing my employees enjoy coming to work.
Q 35. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Way too many to list.
Q 36. If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
Ans: After becoming an entrepreneur and seeing what it takes to operate a company, would you have visions of starting more companies or being a part of them? If so, what type of business(es) would they be?
Company Detail:
Company : Your 1 Day Floor
Contact : Lee Baker
Address : 157 W North St
City : West Milton
State : OH
Zip : 45383
Phone : 833-969-1329
Email : info@your1dayfloor.com