Welcome to the podcast where we take a deep dive into the stories behind construction business leaders. We will share how they got started, how they found success, and the lessons learned along the way. I'm your host, Eric Fortenberry. Welcome to Builder Stories. Welcome back, everybody. Today I am here with Des Britt. She is the, are you the owner? Is that right?
I am the owner.
The owner of. Redeemed decks and outdoor solutions. They're located in Madison, Mississippi. Really excited to have you on the show today. Welcome to Builder Stories.
Thank you. Happy to be here.
So why don't you give us a little background. So how'd you get into to, to building decks, get into construction? What, what brought you down this path?
Sure. Um, so, uh, this was not what I thought I would be doing. Um, if you would've asked me when I graduated college, I had a communication degree. Um, met my now husband and he was actually in the teaching coaching world. We got ready to start a family and he said, I'll never be home. I said, okay. Um, he said, I kind of think I wanna shift. So we actually started as a landscaping company. Um, it was something that he had enough background in to be able to slide right into.
We did that for about a year, and then someone that knows us very well said, have you ever thought about doing decks? And we kind of were like, well, not, not exactly, um, but he said, I'll take on a challenge. So he did one deck and was hooked, um, because it was not the same day twice. Um, it was all about. Allowing some creativity, um, while also being able to, um, do something well that by and large in our specific area, there wasn't anybody doing what we were doing.
What would, what, what would you say has been like the biggest challenge to, to
starting this? Sure. A lot of people say, I don't know how you work with your spouse. Um, yeah. He has said it best. The things that he is really good at are things that I don't enjoy and things I'm not very good at doing and vice versa. Um, but I talked to several people who worked with their spouses and the very first thing that they all said in some way, shape, form, or fashion, was set a boundary of when you quit talking about work. So, um, we try to do that. Kids have helped us do that.
Um. And we, we've, we stick to it most of the time.
Yeah. What, uh, so, so what's kind of been like the, I mean, how many, what, what's the team look like today?
So we have one crew. We're trying to expand to two. We've got a project manager, which when we expand, we will have another project manager. Um, and then we have a guy that we're talking through with sales, and then my husband and I, so really, I mean less than 10, and we are just going as fast as we know to go.
And how has that, like over the last couple years, how have you sort of thought about building out that team and how has that sort of affected, you know, you guys' ability to sort of set those boundaries? Like, have you been able to sort of see a little bit of, you know, weight get lifted off your shoulders? Like you, you know, are you still going home feeling the weight of the world on, you know, on you?
'cause I, I know as an entrepreneur feels like, you know, yeah, at the end of the day everything stops with us and, you know, it's, it's hard to turn it off sometimes. That's,
um, it's gotten better. Um, I think I. I think the hardest part for, for my husband was letting go of realizing that the way he did the, there are other ways to do things than how he did them. So if the new project manager comes in and does things a little differently, that's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just different. I
definitely feel like that's one of the hardest things is learning how to delegate and to trust others. 'cause it's like we know, you know, we, we would do it exactly how, you know, we've always done it and that's exactly how it should be done. And you know, we think we're gonna do it the best. But it's like, well, you know, the point of building a team is to surround yourself with people who are, you know.
You know, hopefully better than you at, at doing their, you know, their roles and responsibilities. And so I think, uh, you know, it's, it's very natural sort of resistance to, to sort of wanna let go, you know, and kind of give, give the reins up to other people in those areas that, you know, you've brought 'em into to, to, to do and to take on. And, you know, I think it's a very natural challenge for, for, for a lot of people running, running businesses.
Yeah, it is. It's been, um. We're trying to go by the, the 80% role. Like if somebody can do something 80% as well as we can get rid of it, um, give that, delegate that task. Um, and so we got a new site manager in the role he started in March and um, he has a very extensive construction background, but of course he is trying to learn how we do things that. From a, a composite certification world, there are certain things we have to do differently than just building a traditional wood deck.
Yeah, that's great. I mean, I've certainly been really interesting just learning about all the composite boards and stuff over the years. I'm curious, I mean, are there any, uh, you know, any, any preferred manufacturers that you work with every time?
So we are certified in Trax. Timber Tech Bay, uh, Fiberon and Moisture Shield. Okay. Um, we, we also, so we don't have a whole lot of second story decks here, um, but we do have a lot of people that want to close in the bottom of their decks to, you know, eliminate any, you know, random animals. And so we have also.
Kind of started shifting or adding into our portfolio the things like versetta stone that are applications that our guys can put in that you don't have to have a mason for, but that finish up a project and tidy it up and make it all a sustainable product.
So what is your, what's your sales process look like?
Majority of our leads are referrals. Um. Be it Facebook or an actual referral from a neighbor or something like that, or, um, and, and so, um, once we take that referral in, we put them in job tread. I am the first point of contact and the last point of contact for every customer. Um, we do follow ups to every conversation and then we schedule consultation visits and we go out and we look. We examine and we say, you know, this is what is the most, the biggest bang for your buck.
Um, this is something we would suggest based on things we've seen. Um, we ask everything from, do you think you may wanna add a pergola or a screen room to this space? Because if so, this is what we would do. You know, or tell me what your dream space is and then let's go from there. Um, so we'll do a consultation visit. Come back, quote that project. And if a customer's ready to move forward, then we, um, do a deposit and we start a drawing.
Um, we find that a typically, um, there's one home, one. If it's a two, two homeowner house, one of them needs to see it. Which would be me and one of them can envision it, which would be my husband. Um, and so, uh, we draw everything and we get it all right before we ever start.
And then they, they will choose their decking, their railing, any other materials they need to choose, and we go out and we build it based on, uh, timing from them, um, timing regards to permits, um, so lots of variables. Weather, um, that kind of come into play there.
No, I, I, I absolutely think it's so awesome that you, you know, you, you take the time to do the drawing. You know, I think when, when, like, we just had a, maybe, I dunno, six months ago, we, we ended up adding a pool to our backyard and, you know, I think there were, there were a couple just like, not even related to the pool. I mean, it was super helpful to see the pool and, and kind of the designs and the drawings of all that.
But like, it was other things like, you know, the retaining wall that was gonna go over in the back corner and like how the gate was gonna swing in and out. And it was like, it was just. So helpful to have the drawings, you know, things, things can obviously change as you go, but like, I think having that kind of, that baseline, making sure everybody's on the same page. That's, that's so helpful.
Yeah. And it, it just, it, it allows, I mean, it brings up things that people don't think about, right? So I will say, have you thought about putting, they'll say, I don't wanna rail there, but I feel like it needs something. Um, this last, the project we're actually on now. I said, well, have you thought about a bench or changing the color of the border of the deck to let your mind know, hey, something different is happening here.
Um, so we do try to give as much insight based on things we've seen before. Um, people will say, I like the size of my current deck. Well, we go out there and we measure, and it's 13 by 15. And I go, that is a. Terrible size for a composite project. Can we talk about this? You know? Yeah. You're literally cutting money off a board,
so, so how long do you typically spend kind of on that, that pre-construction phase there?
Pre-construction phase? We can, depending on the size of the project, we can be there anywhere from a week to three weeks. Um, a lot of times we have people come in. They say, oh, I'm stuck between these deck board colors. So I send them with samples and I tell people, treat it like paint. Um, you need to set it outside in the light. You need to look at it in the morning. You need to look at it at noon. You need to look at it in evening.
You know, um, if you're adding, uh, I tell people, you know, if you're gonna add a covering that adds a whole nother layer because you're not gonna have the same whitening effect, you know? Yeah. So. Um, a lot of times people have to set their own deadlines to choose a deck color, otherwise they'll, they'll spend forever on them.
Yeah. And are you charging for this design?
Yes. Okay. Um, so we charge, um, we do a deposit and then we do not draw until we have deposit and then a design fee. Um, now the design fee rolls in typically 'cause most people are designed. Process again, is significantly shorter.
When, when you're kind of in the, I guess sort of, you know, that initial, you know, quoting, estimating phase where you're, you know, is, is your goal to get them to, you know, basically approve this initial quote and then you're gonna go do the design, really flush out the details and come back with like an actual final, you know. What the cost would be.
So a lot of times when, when they accept a quote, um, that's when we bring them in, um, to the showroom and we show the various layers of their deck that we need to hammer out. And then once they make those decisions, uh, sometimes, not often, but sometimes we have to go back and we have to say, okay. You chose a board that was not in what we quoted you because they get in here and they're like, Ooh, I really like that color. Um, or like that deck board, or, I really want this, um, this look.
And so we will often, um, or sometimes re-quote based on the selections they made. So we had somebody come in here earlier today and she ended up going with a railing system that. She didn't anticipate and we didn't anticipate. And so we will now go in and re-quote, send it to her, um, and then we'll draw it based on the, if she says, yes, I'm good with this price. She had an idea, we were able to give her a pricing point, um, close to, um, and so then she will, um.
She'll accept that estimate and then we will, we will design it based on the conversations and the notes we have and things like that.
Sure. And when you, when you do get into the construction phase, how long does that typically take?
Most projects, I'm gonna say our average build, we are in and out in seven to 10 business days. Um, there are obviously exceptions, but, um, even then, and we've tr we, we share this with, with clients, even once we start, if something needs to shift or you don't like the way something's looking. Again, our goal is to take what you had up here and make it happen.
And so if we need to do some adjusting, let us know and we'll tell you that's not possible, or that's a whole nother, you know, that's a change order with a hefty tag. Yeah. Uh, we just learned to document everything and that was something. That was something that we had to learn the hard way. Something nobody ever said to us was document, document. Um, so now we have everything documented, um, which is why I do a follow up after every phone call, after every office visit.
Um, a lot of times after if I go out to the site just to see how things are and take pictures, uh. Say, Hey, just as a reminder, this is happening, you know, um, so that nobody's ever going, I didn't know about that, or, where did that come from? Or, I don't remember us discussing this. Um, it also allows the customer time to see, you know, to regurgitate the conversation and go, that's not what I heard when you said this. So a lot of times it's preventative as much as it is covering.
Us. Sure. Um, but that has been super helpful as well.
Was there a, a situation that occurred maybe, uh, before that might have, might have gotten you in some hot water? No.
Um, yeah, and, and you know, these, these, um, distributors can't just take all this composite material back. Right. That costs, there's like a 25% restocking fee. Yeah. Well guess who has to pay that if you back out or change things? Yeah. Um, so it has shifted how we do our invoicing. Um, and it's shifted how we do a lot of things. We had a, we had a customer that was ready to go. Um, we had ordered, paid for his materials. He had not paid us. Um, and then he just went off the rails.
Never heard from him. Still don't know. We reached out, our supplier reached out. I have no idea to this day what has happened with that project. Don't have a clue. Um, but we were stuck with material that we no longer could use. And I'm not gonna push a material color on somebody that doesn't feel right. If somebody chooses it, great, I've got it in stock. But then we're holding all this inventory and that's not what we do. We're not trying to hold inventory, we're trying to build a project.
Um, and then we had one customer that we did all the drawings on the front end. Again, this only happened one time. We did the drawings on the front end, gave them the drawings. They took the drawings to another contractor. We were like, yeah, we're not doing drawings without pavement anymore. Well, not. Um, so again, the, we didn't really have anybody. Local to pick their brains on that. Um, we've since found, um, a mentor, uh, a husband and wife couple in Atlanta, Georgia.
Um, and we called them about a lot of stuff. They're. They're about five to seven years ahead of where we were, of where we are, um, in size, in volume. Um, so as we're learning to navigate new hurdles, we just call now we're like, okay, how would you handle this? What do you think? I. Tell me what you did,
and you, and you said you were the last voice that a customer speaks with too. So what's the, I assume that's kinda like the closeout process.
Yeah, it's a closeout process. Any applicable warranties. So from the composite world, um, you all, you know, if you're a certified installer, it is your responsibility to file that warranty. So once their final check arrives, um, and we've done the punch list, we've done all of that, um, I'll. Sometimes schedule pictures, uh, depending on the time of year. Um, and then I write a thank you note. Um, I submit their warranty and I follow up and say, Hey, your warranty's been submitted.
You should receive an email. Here are links to our Google, here's our link to all these ratings. You know, if you could fill those out, that would be great. Um, but yeah, I'm kind of the beginning point and the ending point. Um, and. Just, you may pure, like being very transparent here, the number of females that tell me they appreciate talking to a female and in in a construction world, I. High. Um, 'cause I've helped to build, I've helped design, I've helped build, I've put it all in myself.
Um, every layer of what we do, I have been onsite and helped with. Um, and I think that's important too. Um, it just builds, um, a, a rapport and a trust with a customer, um, where I can say like, I've seen this, I know how this happens. Like, let me walk you through this. Yeah. Um, so. From the beginning when they call and they say, I need help. To the end when I call and I say, thank you so much for letting us be part of this. Tag us in any new pictures, you know, refer your friends.
Um, I'm, I'm the beginning and the end with the customer and so, um, that's gonna be a hard thing for me to maybe at some point step away from. I kind of doubt it, but, um, yeah.
No, that's, that's great. I mean, you know, I think it really does. It, it's, it's like you said, it, it, it gives them the confidence when they, you know, trust you, you know, from the very beginning that like, you're gonna be there with them throughout the entire process all the way to the end. I mean, I, I, I gotta believe that really helps kind of overcome that, you know, some of that, that fear of the unknown and what's gonna happen. Like, is this, is this gonna end up working out well?
And it's like, I think you can be that kind of, that that consistent voice for them.
Construction in general, and I think you would agree with this 'cause you came from a construction background, is that right? Yeah, so I think construction in general gets a bad rep or, um, like lacking in communication and, and just not maintaining a clean job site for a while. Our main clientele was retired engineers, male engineers. So that was a very interesting group to hear my voice, and they're like, well, I wanna talk to, you know, the guy that's gonna be building it.
I'm like, and you will. But right now you're talking to me. Um, and I, I promise I can answer your questions, I promise. Uh. Then they always, you know, I'm, I'm sorry. I should've, I should've let you talk. You know. Um, so it's, it's been interesting. Again, construction's not what I thought I would be doing. Um, but it's been a lot of fun being able to like, transform a space that, that people once thought could not serve them into this space where they're gonna.
Spend all this time, make all these memories, like that's what it's about for us.
So you talked about, you know, you, you again kind of had some unprecedented growth. Mm-hmm. You know, you, you mentioned that you're now licensed in, in Alabama as well. Mm-hmm. You know, it sounds like there might be some expansion there. Like what's, what, what's the next, you know, few years look like, you know, what is the plan? How do you wanna see the, the company continue to grow?
So we would love to get to, um. We plan to hire a second crew this calendar year. Um, we were told that would be the most challenging layer, and that is proving to be true. Uh, so we're, we've been trying to add a second crew since last summer. Um, and so we're, we're working on that part. Um, we we're license licensed in Alabama. We would love to eventually have a showroom there. Um. There's got to be enough interest there for that to, to happen.
Um, but we're looking at some, some outlets for that to become a reality. Um, our site manager is very much on board with us, um, broadening and, and growing and um, we're even looking at taking on projects. That may be a little bit more extensive than what we would've normally done because of the connections our site manager has, um, and people that he's worked with that we now can use as subcontractors for different layers where we didn't have anybody before. Um, so, um.
We're, we're on track to beat last year's, uh, gross, gross, um, income, and we'd love to do that this year. Um, we've looked at expanding into Tennessee and Louisiana as well. Wow. Um, just from a reciprocity standpoint, um, from having a Mississippi license. But, um, we'd, we'd also like to do a little bit more con uh, commercial work. Um, so there are some things that we're working on. Within the office to make sure, make that become a reality.
We take, I wanna say probably five commercial jobs a year. Um, and we'd love to, we'd love to have an entire commercial division, um, at some point. So, um, trying to take it all in stride, but focusing on what we do well, um, and, and just making sure we don't lose that.
Sure. So is, is the, would you say that, like, having the showroom, is that kind of like where, you know, you know, you've got a, a, a lot of potential in a market, it kind of gives you that stronghold. Is that a tool that like, you know, really helps to, I mean, you say you don't really bring 'em into the showroom until they've already agreed to the quote. Mm-hmm. And then is that like, I mean, why not use that? Earlier in the phase, like mm-hmm.
I hear a lot of like, at least, you know, a lot of design builders, you know, the remodelers where, you know, they'll bring 'em into a showroom and that really helps seal the deal for them. It kind of gets the prospect to start thinking about, well, you know, do I want to go with the, the red or the blue? You know, they're like debating which one, you know, what tile or what board or whatever it is, instead of like, do I want to do this at all or not?
It's, it's kind of progressing them down the, you know, down the, the, the, the, the process there. So. I'm curious, kind of, you know how it sounds like you kind of use it a little bit later in the phase,
so there's a reason for that. We started renting this building or these two units in March. Um, so we haven't had a showroom prior to mail. Um, we rented space from our supplier and he had an area where people could come and see samples, but, um. We, we acquired one unit in March, the second unit we got in April.
And we have immediately started, um, taking down some walls, creating openings, making it, um, getting the materials and the supplies in, in order to create the showroom look that we want, which is walking on the decking lines, looking at everything put up. We want you to walk in and go. I could, I can see that in my backyard now. Like that's, that's exactly what I want. Build me that, um, builders, we'll bring, bring builders in. Let them see, um, and talk to them again.
A lot of it here specifically is educating the public on why you need a certified installer. Why not hire Chuck in a truck to handle my composite decking? Well, let me tell you why. Um, and so there's. Again, there's layers to that here. Um, but we're, we're getting this showroom done so that we can have all these open houses so that people know that we're here, um, to then, you know, hey, you wanna do a renovation? Some of it's outside.
Go to redeem decks, they're, you know, in Madison, and then they can send them right over.
Yep. It's interesting. You, you also talked about how your site manager has really opened up a lot of, you know, doors for you that you might not have had. You know, that, that, those opportunities before, I mean, I think that really goes to show when you, you know, when you bring on the right people to your team, you know, there's sometimes more than just that one specific role, you know, that, that, that they can, you know, serve. It's, it.
There's a lot of opportunity that they might also be able to do, like opening up all these doors and connections and, and subs and, and things like that, you know, super interesting that, that, that you did that how, how, you know, how have you sort of gone about finding people like your site manager and like, is that the plan to, you know, as you build out this second crew, are you trying to find, you know, sort of a similar opportunity?
Yeah, so. Long term we would love for our current site manager to be over all the project managers. That would be ideal. Um, we, the next person we hire in terms of like project site management, I don't necessarily need that individual to have the same credentials. Um, a lot of site management. Yes. Some of it is, is knowing.
Knowing how to build the project with quite a bit of it is just running and gathering items that you know, that, that all of a sudden we realized we needed more two bytes or more two by twelves. And so we need a few more to finish this. So some of it is a runner component. Um. So we would love for our site manager to be over all the crews ultimately, um, over all the projects managers that are associated with those crews.
But I'll be honest, we, we have been very, very fortunate and, and the Lord's been really, really good to us. The guy that is coming to us for sales reached out to us, um, and, and. I told my husband and I said, I think that says something about the culture you've created and the brand you've built. Yeah. Um, because you built it. I came alongside you, but like you built this baby on your back. Um, and, and he, you know, this guy knows the pride you take in your work.
Yeah. And I think, I think for us, the site manager came to us. We tried to hire him four years ago and he said, no, I really like doing my own thing and Okay. Um, and he called, I think the day we found out we had to be out of our old space before we moved into this building, he called and he said, oh, I want to come work for you. And we were like, okay, let's go. Um, and then this sales guy called Mm, maybe a month ago. Hey, I wanna have this, this conversation. What does this look like?
Can we, you know, would you be willing? And we're going, okay, let's do it. You know, so a little bit of fear, but, um. A guy that told us one time, uh, when we were building our, our business plan, he said, if it doesn't, if your goals don't make your stomach turn, then they're not big enough. And I was like, well, that's, here we are. Both of our stomachs are turning. So I guess we're doing it right, but we just had the right people reach out.
And I think now that we've got people in the right spots, it's less of a. Taking somebody and making them fit what we need it to be. It's can this person add to the value, and if so, where and what does that look like? Um, and how can we best utilize their abilities and their resources for the growth of the company.
Yeah. What would you say has been the biggest challenge for, for you all, you know, from when your husband kind of. Early on and he got you roped in to building out the team and kind of where you're today. Like what, anything unexpected?
Um, I guess we, when my husband was still building, so this would've been before I was working for him full-time, um, with him, now he works for me anyway, um, before we were working together full time. I was spending every lunch break I had and every extra I worked eight to three 30. So I used my lunch break and three 30 to five to do his invoices, his estimates, all of that.
And I remember coming home one night and he had been at the job site, but he had all these estimates he had to get done and he was getting ready to send out a, an estimate. I don't know why he had not. Done like an auto sum on our, on our Excel document. But the estimate was supposed to be like 18,000 in some change. And it said 81. And I looked at him and I said, I know math person, but that is not right. And he said, what do you mean? And I said, it's not right.
I don't know what you've done to the formula, but it's not right. And he looked at me, he said, I'm so tired. Like. He was so tired that the numbers had flipped on him. Hmm. And I remember going, we can't keep doing this. Like we are roommates. I never see you. Like you get, you know, he, he was playing with the kids. We would get the kids down. He was going and working on quotes in the living room. I said, you can't even enjoy our living room because it's also where you do your quotes.
Like, we can't keep doing this. Um, and, and it was not long after that. I. That we found, the crew that we have now, that has just been such a blessing. Uh, but there was a breaking point where I was like, you've got to either find somebody or hire somebody to do what you're doing. And, and so I think that was when he realized like, they're not, nobody's gonna do it, just like I'm gonna do it. They're gonna do it differently, but that's okay.
So is this the kind of the, the, the showroom that's also sort of like the office space? Now you, you've, you've been able to separate the, the, the house Yes. In the living room?
Yes. Our old office was probably four feet wide by, mm, I'm gonna say 10 feet long. And so we couldn't be on the phone at the same time. We c. I've worked from home before. He never has. So he couldn't stay focused. Yeah. So like, I mean, you saw like the, the refrigerators in my office because I can keep working when people come in and out, he cannot. And so he has his own office space of my own office space. Half the time. He doesn't even know when I'm here or when I'm not here.
Yeah. So how, and, and, and how have you all been able to sort of, you know, draw those boundaries for the, the, the, the personal versus the work, you know, you know, obviously having the kids kind of creates a natural, well, we gotta feed 'em and get 'em out the door in the morning and we gotta feed 'em and get 'em in bed in the evening. But like, you know, what else have you done to, to make sure that, you know, you guys can keep, keep your own personal relationship strong.
So we. I, we always, and, and my parents used to say this all the time, we have a date night every week, and it's a date night in like a three small, uh, our kids are eight to two and a half. So finding a sitter that can get everybody ready during, for bed during the witching hour, which at our house is from six to seven. Okay. Um, or thereabout. Um, that's hard that it's a, you're in the thick of it and my 8-year-old is so kind and so helpful.
But if my 6-year-old is in a bad mood and my two and a half year old is in a bad mood, it does not matter how good my 8-year-old is. Um, so every Sunday we put the kids down for bed like we normally would during the week for school. And then he and I have a date Night Inn. And we may be eating leftovers, doesn't really matter, but we are sitting there and we eat together and we don't talk about work. We may watch a show on Netflix, but we're not talking work. Zero work conversation.
And um, and so we, we'd kinda set that aside as like sacred time. And our kids know, like during the summer they know you go upstairs, you go play. Daddy and mommy are having a date night in. Um, and we felt it was important to model that for them, but also to maintain that for us. Um, we also try to go to lunch once a week, um, where again, we don't talk about work just from a standpoint of, my kids always say, well, y'all have been together all day, but we don't really talk. We really don't.
Yeah. Um. And, and so we just try to make sure that we have time carved out, set aside every week for just me and him. Um, and in the mornings we're definitely not talking about work. Like you said, we're shuffling to get kids ready and dressed and out the door. Um, and we try to make a lot of that time about them. Um, we also both go to the gym sometimes together, sometimes not. From a mental health standpoint as much as anything.
Yeah. Um, so, um, there are just some, some non-negotiables that we kind of set in place from the beginning and we felt like that was what needed to happen.
That's awesome. Glad, glad to hear that you all have been able to sort of figure that out and kind of work through it. I mean, you know, I know a lot, a lot of times that people struggle, right? And it's like, you know, the, the, the, the, you got all the stresses of the business and then, you know, you got the natural stresses of, you know, being parents and, you know, having your own home, you know, life there. And then it's just like, you know, they just. You know, combine and explode.
And it's like, you know, a very, very challenging time all around. And so, you know, it does, it takes good strong communication, setting those boundaries, working through it and committing to it. Mm-hmm. And I think that's, you know, probably the biggest challenge of my wife and I have is, you know, we, we got it blocked out on the calendar, but like, you know, it's so easy to, to, to kind of, well, you know, now's this, you know, this day isn't gonna work.
And we just kind of keep pushing it and, you know, it's, uh, it's, it's something that. You know, I think it, it can be very challenging and so I, I, I can only imagine, you know, working together, it, it, it kind of compounds the, the challenge there for you. But, you know, glad, glad to hear that you all have been able to, to, to figure out that right balance and you really have, you know, it sounds like kind of di divide and conquer, right?
So you're not Yeah. You know, combating, you know, o over different things. Like you both have very discreet roles and you know, that, that lets you kind of get, get everything done during the day that you need. Yeah. And still come home and, and be able to have that good, happy life.
That's right. And he, like, he loves taking the kids to school. That is his favorite part of every day because they're just funny in the mornings. Like they're, they're funny, nice. And he loves getting to drop 'em off so that, that for him is a win. And then he is in the office early. You know, I'll get to the office 8, 8 15, but he's here by 7 27 30. Then he gets to hammer, you know, he hammers out stuff. Um, in that time when nobody's here, um, I can work later.
He typically is done mentally, you know, and so he needs to step away a little earlier than I do. So, yeah.
That's awesome. I'm excited to see you all continuing to, to grow and expand the business. Sounds like you've got, you know, good, good goals. Hopefully not, you know, making your stomach turn too much, but, uh, you know, that, that, that is, that is a very healthy, you know, uh, way to think about it is like, Hey, you know, we, we can't just have, you know, super easy goals. We need things that are gonna push us. Challenge us.
So, you know, I really appreciate you coming on kind of sharing your story, how you've, you know, been able to build this with your husband. You know, I, I'm, I'm curious, kinda any last, like final, you know, advice that, that you might give to other people who, you know, are, are in that early, early stage grind, you know, working out of their, their, their, their home, trying to figure out how to make this thing happen. Like, you know, what, what advice would you give to them?
So, as the type A person, I can't even believe I'm saying this, like, don't be afraid to take a chance. Um. This showroom was, was on our plan. Um, it was not on our plan as fast as it ended up becoming the reality. Um, me leaving my job was on the plan, but it happened about a year early. Um, and there were some, my dad got sick, so there were some family things that led to that. Um, but, but the Lord very clearly opened those doors and shut the doors he needed to.
And so don't be afraid to take the risk. Um. My brother looked at me one day, he said, I mean, what happens if, if you don't? I said, then we lose money. And he was like, but you can make more in a different way. And I thought, okay, well that's a little less terrifying, you know? Um, so don't be afraid to take the risk. Um, and, and, you know, just. Try to learn from people in the industry that have been doing it longer.
Some of the things you're gonna learn from them are things you absolutely want to implement, and some of the things are gonna be things that you don't wanna implement and equal. Those are both equally important and equally valuable. But don't, don't ever stop learning, um, about honing your craft and what that needs to look like.
Yeah, I love it. That's, that's such great advice. You know, I, I think it's, uh. Part of being an entrepreneur and, and business owners is, is you do need to sort of figure out how to become comfortable with risk. Mm-hmm. You know, I think it's important that people realize that, like, you know, if, if you want to continue to, to innovate and push the balance and grow you, you know, you do have to get outta your comfort zone.
And, you know, look, if, if, if it doesn't work out, you know, at the end of the day, like, you know, just learn from it. And figure out how to adapt and how to keep pushing forward and don't keep making the same mistakes twice, but like, you know, getting comfortable with taking that risk. You know, that's, that's how you're gonna continue to grow and grow faster than you're probably, you know, comfortable with. But you know what, you just keep going. You keep adapting.
So I think you're, you're absolutely right there. And, and, and also I couldn't agree more, like, you know, being able to network and learn from others. Such a great way to, to hopefully shed a little bit of a, you know, time off, off, off what it takes to kind of figure everything out the hard way.
You know, maybe being able to skip a couple of those, you know, hard knocks that some other people have taken will, will certainly, uh, you know, not, not, not, not be, uh, you know, to too bad to, to be able to accomplish there. But, you know, I think just continuing to, to, to grow, keeping your mind, you know, open to new ideas and being able to adapt is, is how we see a lot of builders continuing to scale their business.
And, you know, it's, uh, it's awesome just being able to hear from, from your perspective. Perspective and your story. So I really appreciate you coming on and, and sharing all this Des means, means a lot that you've taken the time outta your day to do that. So thank you.
Well, thank you for having me, Erica. It's, it's been fun.
Awesome. Thanks Des. See you. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Builder Stories. We hope you enjoyed the conversation and gained valuable insights that can help you in your journey along the way. Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave us a review. And as always, if you or someone you know has a story to share, please contact us@builderstories.com. We'd love to hear from you. I'm Eric Fortenberry, and remember, every builder has a unique story. Keep building yours.