Latest / Epic Entrepreneurs / Why His Plumbers Have Homework with Noah Nasekos, Covenant Plumbing LLC

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Why His Plumbers Have Homework with Noah Nasekos, Covenant Plumbing LLC · Epic Entrepreneurs

• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: All right, everyone.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: I am Cliff McCray with Action Coach Business Growth Partners, where we work with local business owners to turn big ideas into real scalable growth.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Today I'm excited to be joined by Noah Nasikos with Covenant Plumbing LLC.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: Noah, how are you doing here?
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: Doing too good.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: How about yourself, Cliff?
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm doing great, and we're really excited to have you.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: So let's go ahead and jump right into things if you don't mind.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, of course.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: Excited to be here.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: So for those of you who may not know it yet, you know, what is Covenant Plumbing LLC?
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: What do you provide for the community?
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_02: Man, so we are first and foremost, like our mission is Covenant Plumbing exists to provide excellent services and promote growth.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_02: And the main way we do that is through plumbing, through the trade of plumbing.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: We offer residential from you know new construction to service, everything from the road to the septic tank is what I usually tell people.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: And we also in our name, we we we do provide excellent services, but we also promote growth.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: So we're really promoting growth in our community as well as our workers as well.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: And that looks like a lot of different things.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: One of those things actually might be kind of kind of funny, but our plumbers actually are required to read, believe it or not.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_02: So that looks like whether whether whether that's plumbing, like the code book or different certifications, or just a personal growth book.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_02: So that's we're a little different than that, but we're that that kind of shows how invested we are in our workers and in and in the area, of course.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: Plumbing, we we we strive to provide the best plumbing around.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_02: And so yeah, that's a little bit of who we are and what we do.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: And who are you as a person?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: Who is known in sequels as a person?
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: Man.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: No, no, it's good.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_02: First and foremost, child of Christ.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_02: He is he's my savior, and and that's where I find my true identity and in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_02: But I am secondly a husband, and then I don't know, thirdly, kind of mixing there, you know, son, friend, brother.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_02: My been married to my beautiful wife for almost two years now.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_02: And then I don't know, some of my hobbies are hiking, hunting, uh, just being outside.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: Uh nice.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, that's a little bit about me.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, perfect.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_02: No kids yet, I'm guessing.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: No kids yet.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_02: Nope, not yet.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, perfect.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: But you but there are the plan is to to go down that route.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_02: Me and my wife would love to have a lot of kids, and we're you know, just waiting on the Lord, see what, see what his plan is.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, good deal, Noel.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: All right, so let's go ahead and get right into the business side of it.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what's something about running a business that people think is amazing, but it it's actually not when you hear it?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, dude, that's a great question.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, so a lot of people, and I thought this myself was jumping into it.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, man, the freedom I'm about to have is gonna be unparalleled.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: And while, yes, man, I have been able to use my business to spend more time with my wife, which has been incredible, and family and friends, and do, you know, little weekend things I wouldn't usually be able to do or things during the week.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: But what they don't tell you is there's been some nights where I've lost sleep over either an upcoming job that I'm like trying to make sure I have every little piece in my head about how we're gonna do it, how we're gonna execute it, making sure that we're optimizing to the best of our ability.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_02: And some like interactions where people, you know, weren't happy with either, you know, the pricing or they thought it was gonna be one way and we had to do it a different way.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't know, that kind of eats me up because you know, and it may be that I put a little too much identity in my work because I like it's my business, it's my baby.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_02: I like I don't I don't like people, you know, not being happy with our services.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_02: So I've lost sleep over that, and that's like, you know, after hours, stuff like that.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: We've always made it right with our customers, obviously.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: But man, I just I just sometimes I get so consumed in thinking about it that sometimes I gotta like whew take a break and really like I mean, I didn't realize how important you know vacations are just to kind of step away from the business and trust your people to do their thing.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_02: Delegating has been super big, but I don't want to, you know, go jump into something else yet.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_02: But that that would probably be one of them.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_02: The freedom is great, but there's also a lot of time that you you don't think about where you're working for your business, just not on the clock.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: Mm-hmm.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: Now, what was the exact moment where you realized, you know, this business could either really work or it could completely blow up in your face and you lose everything?
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: Oh man.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_02: Well, my first client.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_02: So I had been, you know, I've been working for my plump plumbing company locally.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_02: They were great.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: They taught me just about everything I know.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I'd been doing side work and they were totally fine with that.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_02: And they were like, you know, what you do after hours is totally fine.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_02: But my first client, it was it was a remodel.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: And when I officially, you know, took the leap, or maybe not my first client, but first bigger client, we were doing remodel.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_02: And man, I just butchered, I totally butchered the quote.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: I I told him one number, you know, being optimistic.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I was thinking, you know, you know, about how quickly I could do it.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_02: And man, I that job I probably lost twelve hundred dollars.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_02: And at the time, you know, it being my first bigger job, for me, that was a lot.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_02: Like$1,200 is a lot.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_02: And it was like I had to talk with him about the pricing.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_02: And ultimately, you know, my original quote is, you know, what uh what I charged him, and and I didn't charge him more than uh, you know, was required.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I was like, wow, okay, I've gotta, I've gotta do my due diligence.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_02: I've got to know, you know, I gotta be safe with my pricing and I've and I've got to be upfront about everything.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: I learned clear communication that almost day one, that if I if I need to communicate something, it needs to be crystal clear.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_02: It's not just I give a price at the front, and if things change, I adapt and don't tell.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_02: Like, no, that's gotta be up front with the customer the entire time.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_02: And that was the moment I was like, okay, I've gotta, I've gotta get this in check really quick before I before I move on.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_02: And thankfully, you know, the Lord's blessed me and we we've been able to keep going since.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, that was that was the moment, and I was like, man, I gotta, I gotta take this serious.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: Because at that point it was on me.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_02: Like I had, you know, left my business and started my own, or left my old plumbing company and started my own.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_02: So it was on me at that point.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: Now, what would you say was the most stressful moment you've had since you've started your business?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like, hey, how am I gonna get through this type of moment?
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Oh man.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I think I've been blessed in that there's only been a few minor ones.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_02: And and it was mainly when the phone stopped ringing.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_02: One thing I've learned is about, you know, I I've really got to do a lot of marketing and advertising as a plumbing business because, you know, I have other friends who have their own businesses and and they they talk about the jobs they get, and often those jobs are weeks at a time or months.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: And me, it's like I need maybe five jobs a day, you know.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_02: And so if that if that phone isn't ringing and I'm not getting calls or word of mouth is slowed down, I've got to prepare and I've got to do my part.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_02: That that has been, you know, a little stressful, but thankfully, you know, I've been able to stay afloat and you know, I've got two employees now.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: And so yeah, that that's that's it.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: Now, have you ever thought about quitting your business and going back to a nine to five?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: Oh man, not seriously, no.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Not seriously.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, there's been a couple times that I've been like, man, I would love not to, you know, be out here on a Saturday or working past, you know, five, but no, not really.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, not really.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: That's fair.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: Now, you know, if you could wave a magic wand and let's say you could instantly fix one part of your business tomorrow, what would it be?
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_02: It would probably be the advertising slash marketing.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_02: If I could, you know, if that phone just rang nonstop, man, I feel like I could grow my business a lot more.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, right now, because I do have those employees, those employees will get paid before I do.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_02: And I'd like to, you know, I'd like to be able to pay myself what I want.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I do think, you know, if I was to get, you know, the amount of jobs I would like every day, then I think that would be probably what I would do.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: Now, now is it the is it the lack of leads or the or the lack of quality leads?
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_02: We've been working on the quality for a while.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's the lack of leads in that, you know, uh in my area, there's there's three pretty major plumbing companies, and you know, they spend on, you know, on average, what I make, you know, in a month on their advertising, probably in a week, maybe, just in, you know, in that aspect.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: And it word of mouth has been really good for me.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_02: I do I do advertising, you know, on Facebook and you know, on Google.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_02: And Google has actually has been pretty good.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's I think it's the amount.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I well, I've been working on the quality, and that's I mean, I as most business owners know, like I'm working on all of that, you know, myself.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm learning to delegate, I am, and you know, put responsibilities in the right places with the right people.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I'd say it's probably the amount that I can spend on it each given month.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: Now, you know, let's say, you know, if you were given that magic wand and you were able to instantly fix that, would the current staff and processes you have in place be able to support that extra business?
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good question.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_02: I would say yes.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: I have a great bookkeeper slash administrator.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, she does really well and I mean has I mean, the business without her, it would, you know, it wouldn't be great.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_02: And we're learning to systemize everything in that I could hand it off to a different person or you know, I could I have a system in place that I can, you know, teach future apprentices or or other plumbers.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_02: But yes, I would.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I mean, at that point, if I was getting all that, I think it would be time for a for another van for sure.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_02: So I could prioritize, you know, getting the quotes out and you know, traveling a little bit more with my contractors.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: Now, you know, and and this you know, question may be hypothetical, but let's say if someone shadowed you or or followed everything you did for like a full day or even a full week, you know, at the at the business, what would you say would surprise them the most about how you operate your company?
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_02: Let me think.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_02: I think I think the personal so we our values um that we have for our business, we have three, and one of them is personal cultivation.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_02: And that really is just talking about growing not just as professionals, but as people.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_02: So the investing we do in ourselves as far as the training, the mentorship, and the spiritual development in the team, I think that would really surprise them, especially like in the van, you know, we we talk about, you know, how can we make this next job, you know, how can we make these people feel like they're our first customers of the day and we've had the best day and we want them to have the best day.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: I I think that would surprise them.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: And then also our interactions with the customers.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, everything is, you know, we're up front about everything as far as you know, pricing and how things have got to work.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: And and oftentimes, you know, people will have an idea of how things are gonna happen.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: And and then, you know, of course, we're we're required to work with code.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: And so sometimes those things aren't, you know, possible.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: And so we have to, you know, explain and that that communication is probably it can be the your strongest asset and also can be, you know, a real big point of weakness if you don't, you know, communicate well all around.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_02: And so I'd say our personal cultivation and communication with uh with the customer or client would probably be what stands out the most.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: Now, you know, let's talk about numbers without getting too specific.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know, how long have you actually been in business?
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I have been in business for just a little over a year.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I started back in April of 2025, officially.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, yeah.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: So you just came up on your year anniversary last month.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, pretty exciting.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: We we we went out to dinner and I gave I don't know if you've seen the office, but there's they have this thing called the Dundees, and that's where the the boss goes and gives, you know, silly gifts or or trophies to his employees, and they're usually just gag gifts.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_02: But uh it was fine with me and my employees.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_02: We went out to dinner, and you know, it's just three of us right now, but it was fun just celebrating the little things and and I gave them little plaques and like one of them had just started, and so I gave him the employee of the month as kind of like a you know, a little gag, but also serious.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I want people to know that I appreciate their work and the business, you know, doesn't exist without you know the employees.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, so yeah, just just a year.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um I digress a little bit, but but yeah.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: Now, what would you say actually moves the needle most right now in your business?
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, would it would it be kind of the leads you're getting, your conversions?
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: Is it uh your competitive pricing, or is it your team's performance, or is it something else entirely?
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: Ooh, ooh, good.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_02: I think I think it's uh probably a mix.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's definitely like our team performance, and that the clients that I have are almost always repeat clients.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: And I feel like I'm so blessed.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I I could probably call on, I don't know, 15, 20 clients right now and be like, hey, I can I use you as a reference or review?
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_02: And I know that they would be more than happy to do that because they've seen how we work and the integrity that we bring to the table.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_02: Can you restate the question?
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_02: I'm forgetting the second part that I had with that.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, no problem.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I was just saying that, you know, what what actually moves the needle most in your business right now?
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I would definitely say that.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: And then yeah, and then referrals, really.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_02: Word of mouth, especially where I live.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_02: It's kind of a smaller town, so I'm also having having to work with, you know, maybe not the largest budgets.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_02: And so referrals are huge in that people really only around here refer people that they trust.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, even if they're having to pay a little more, they know that they're getting someone that at least their colleague or whoever it may be does trust in their own house.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_02: And so, yeah, definitely word of mouth and referrals where I live is huge.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I agree.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: I agree.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: Now, you know, what's one thing you're doing today that's you feel like is giving you an unfair advantage over your competitors out there?
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_02: I would I would say right now I have the time.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_02: I have, which I don't ex you know, I don't expect to have for for a long time, but I have the time to really invest in my customers.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: For instance, I was there's been many, many occasions where I've gone, I've been able to do a job, and then I'm able to connect maybe a personal level or relate on a personal level with these clients and just you know be a friend as well as a plumber to them.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, there's there's obvious like, you know, it's still a business, and so you know that comes first, but I want people to feel totally welcome.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_02: And there's there's a couple of companies around me that I mean I get a lot of their customers because people are leaving them because they don't feel cared for, they don't feel listened to.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_02: You know, if a customer is investing a lot of money into something as simple as plumbing, you know, they want to feel heard, they want, they want to know that their investment is gonna be, I guess, well managed.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm able, at this point, able to really communicate that to them and and spend a little extra time with them if need be.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I'm not trying to stay, say super long, you know, but if I finish a job, I want to make sure that they're completely happy with everything before just like, you know, I got three more jobs today that I get it to, and you know, I want them to feel heard, especially, you know, when it comes to money and a larger investment.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I do feel like that's something that's you know kind of overlooked these days, you know, with all the different companies out there.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the people forget that that personal touch.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: And that's huge because I I've had to, I've, you know, lawn guys and stuff like that, just personal guys I've had in my life, you know, that I use on a regular basis.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: I've had to let people go because of, you know, communication not being there and and just lack of empathy, stuff like that when things are happening.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, you settle on certain people because of those traits, right?
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: Because they're they get back to you quickly.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: They tell you, hey, I'm not able to make it today, but they're upfront about it rather than telling you at the last second.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's overlooked sometimes is it's communication, man.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's huge.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it really is.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's a make or break.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_02: It really is.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Now, what would you say, Noah, is the hardest leadership lesson you've ever had to learn while growing your team?
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: I know you said you got two employees now.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna I'm gonna try not to say communication again.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_02: Let me let me think for a second.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because communication is something I have so key.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, well, yeah.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_02: So here's here's another thing.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's so for instance, my my one of my first employees, I was really, you know, as a business owner, my like this is my baby, this is my business, I want it to, you know, thrive, and I'll go the extra mile no matter what, because I love my business.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_02: And communicating that in a way to my employees has at first I struggled with it as, and I'm not saying I'm perfect by no means, but I've definitely grown in that area.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: And they're like, if I ask them to do something, you know, I want to not every time have to explain here's why we're doing it, here's why it's the best option, but you know, communicate to them that this is in the best interest of the company, it's in the best interest of the employee and client, you know, both of them.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_02: And just, you know, what I expect from them, I expect more from myself in in everything.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: And then also being, you know, they they also like being heard and listened to if they if they have a different, like, hey, this works better.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_02: There's been so many things that my uh specifically my administrator and and my apprentice have brought to me.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: They're like, what if we just tried this?
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, oh, that totally works.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I just, you know, it's just one mind here, and I'm trying to solve all these issues.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes, if I'm being honest, like sometimes I'm not the smartest guy in the room, or sometimes I don't have the best ideas.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_02: But listening to them when they bring things to the table has been a game changer because my my employees have brought several things, and so not I'm not saying everything, you know, everything they bring is like you know, gonna happen, but I do want them to feel heard.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_02: And we've implemented a lot of different well, whether it's you know, different spreadsheets or it can be as simple as that to you know larger things.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: I'd I I I like them to know that I that I care and and them feel heard.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Noah, have you ever had to make a tough call, you know, like example, letting someone go that wasn't a fit for the company, or maybe cutting off or or denying a job that ended up being the right move long term?
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I've had to make a few of those, as I'm sure most business owners have.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: And if you haven't, it's coming.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_02: Just wait.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_02: So for I'll I'll give one example without going into the details.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I had a I had a customer repeat, and you know, I had done two big jobs for them.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I've had a I've had a difficult time myself separating my personal life from my business life, and it's really hard to do, but especially now that you know I'm an LLC, you know, I'm getting you know trying to separate a little bit.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_02: But part of me loves to just do everything the client wants me to do and no questions asked.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_02: Like I want them to feel you know the most loved.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_02: But sometimes that turns into charity work, and charity work for a business is not a business, it's a charity.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_02: And so, for instance, you know, I had this repeat client and I had done two big jobs for them.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_02: They have both gone really well, and then they they're like, Hey, they you know, they called and like, can you do this other job for us?
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_02: Pretty pr pr pretty small.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_02: Job.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, yeah, I can definitely do it.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_02: And I kind of walked through the steps of what it would take and what that would look like and when we can do it.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I told them, here's what that would cost.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: And they were like, well, you've already done, you know, two jobs for us recently.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: Could you just come out and do this for free?
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, no.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: And here's why.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's going to cost time and going out there and meant a little bit of material.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_02: And they they were just pretty upset that they had to pay, which, you know, any business owner, that's like kind of funny.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_02: Like, yeah, you have to pay for work to be done.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_02: That's just how a business runs.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: But it kind of hurt in that, like, I didn't it part of me, I didn't want to lose them, but then there's part of me that's like, I also have a business and I can't, you know, just go out and do free work for everybody.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: So, I mean, that's not super crazy, but it it did hurt a little bit having to tell them, like, you know, I have done a couple jobs for them, and then, you know, and I know it's not on me.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_02: They I don't know why they expected free work, but that that was a little difficult for me personally.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, let's go ahead and head to what's called the quick fire round.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: So, how this works is I'm gonna give you one word, and then I just want you to give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear each word in regards to running your business, and they gave me a small paragraph on why you chose that.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: I I listened to these on the other podcasts, and I'm I'll I'll do my best.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_02: Here we go.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: The first word is success.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_02: Success.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_02: Ooh, probably my father.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, one word, dad.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_02: My father.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and and so I don't really see success as necessarily having the most profitable or biggest business, but I look at my dad and he has amazing kids who love him, a wife that loves him, people around him who will do anything for him.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, he's a leader around not too far from here.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_02: He's a executive director, and man, he has created things that'll last for generations.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, he he's a believer as well.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_02: And that is that's success in my book.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_02: Having family and friends that love you, and yeah, that's success.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_02: Failure.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_02: Failure.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: Ooh.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_02: Lack of intrit lack of integrity?
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know what that word would be.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I have seen so much lack of integrity.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_02: As you know, as you may know, this area of the of the country has grown a lot.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so I have a lot of, you know, there's a lot of realtors and house flippers that'll flip for as cheap as possible and then sell it.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_02: And that has been really hard to go into customers' houses and tell them, look, someone kind of kind of got you as far as pricing goes.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_02: And I have to redo just about everything because nothing is up to code.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_02: And that falls on, you know, inspectors as well.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_02: But man, the failure in and just lack of integrity, it's it's awful sometimes.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_02: It's hurt it hurts to communicate that to a to a client.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: Burnout.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: Burnout.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh gosh, that's a good one.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's a tough one.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_02: Gosh.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: Exhausted.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: I guess I I don't know.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: I I know I know when I felt burnout with my business is just been go, go, go, go, go, go, go, big jobs.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_02: You know, not spending not prioritizing my time where I should have.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_02: I I feel like I don't really have like one good word for that, but I know it when I when I when I'm doing it, and my wife knows it too.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_02: Scaling.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_02: Scaling.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_02: Optimizing.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_02: One way I'm trying to scale my business is that you know everything works and works well and has got a system.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_02: And we're we're working through that right now, and we've seen a lot of growth in that area.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: But we're we're definitely trying to scale up in just everything we do, really.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_02: Hiring.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome, super fun.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_02: I know some people may not love it, but and and you know, I've only got two employees, and I've had some part-time people, but man, I I enjoy it.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's really fun.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_02: Competition.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_02: Who?
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_02: Honestly, I mean, it is kind of funny because I don't know.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_02: I I have so many employees that use other plumbing companies around me.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_02: And there, and there are two others that I would be like, okay, those would probably be, you know, if I can't do it for you, I would I could, you know, reference them and because I've seen their work, but the big companies around here, man, they don't they don't stand a chance as far as you know personal and even pricing.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I don't thankfully I don't have to charge what they do, and so I can, you know, get them on those jobs.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, that's kind of funny.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: And the last one is freedom.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: What does freedom mean to you?
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_02: I know you said business, but freedom in in Christ is everything.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_02: I I there's been so many nights where I've stayed up late, and the only thing that gets me through it is prayer, man.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_02: Just praying to the Lord being like, look, if if this is gonna work, it's because of you.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_02: It's I've brought nothing to the table except just hands, you know, saying, Lord, use me.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_02: And at any minute, I could, you know, hopefully not, but I could fall off a ladder or anything and it could be over.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_02: But I've I've found freedom and joy in Christ.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: No, I appreciate you getting through that quick fire round.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, with all this talk of AI and self-automation, you know, where do you think your industry is going?
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_01: Where do you see your industry 10 years from now?
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_02: You know, as far as the trade side goes, I'm not super concerned.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_02: I think 10 years, you know, there's still plenty of jobs for plumbers.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_02: Heck, there might even be more plumbers because people won't won't need other jobs as much.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_02: And so I'm uh I think I'm in a good position right now as far as you know as growth grows, everyone's gonna need plumbing.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I haven't really integrated AI into my business, except for really small things.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_02: But every time someone calls me, they're gonna get either my voicemail if I'm not available, or my administrator's voicemail, or you know, my voice or her voice picking up and you know communicating with them what what's needed and everything.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I mean, I think where it's appropriate, we will, but I can guarantee that there will never be AI answering my phone because that's that's just not part of our I guess one of our core values.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's that's not part of it.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, okay.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_02: That doesn't mean okay.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: I and that doesn't mean like I'm gonna be stubborn and never use it, though they don't hear that, but as far as the the client side, they won't ever see that side of it.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: Now, where do you think your particular business will be by 2030?
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, 2030.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's only four years.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's not that far, actually, not at this point.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's cool.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's so it's it sounds far far when you hear it, but then it's like, wow, that's actually not that far.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: We're already halfway through 2026.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, yeah, June 1st, we're halfway through 2026.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_01: So 2027's right around the corner.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's crazy.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we're closer to 2030 than we are, you know, 2020, which is wild.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_02: Where will we be?
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, one thing I've been I've been you know thinking about and some I don't I would I don't know if struggling is the right word, but you know, I've been thinking about where do I want my business to be?
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_02: What do I want it to be in the future?
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the core values that we have now, I think remain the same.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_02: I think as far as growth grows, man, possibly a couple more employees, definitely another van and a truck.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_02: But I, you know, I've I've seen these companies grow and you know, they've got whether it's you know five, 10, 15, 20 vans and they're out doing all this.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, they're making a lot of money and they're getting a lot done.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_02: But I I just don't really hear that many happy customers from them.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_02: And that's just, you know, that's gonna be one thing that I'm gonna have to fight if we really do get as much, you know, if we just keep getting calls over and over and over, you know, and we really are growing, you know, I'm gonna ultimately have to make that decision, you know, do I turn down work or do I keep hiring and growing?
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously part of our business is we we do want to promote growth, but I don't know if our core values match having 20, 30 guys who aren't gonna have at that point, they're so far removed from me.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_02: And as much as I would like to be personal with all my employees when it comes to 30 different guys, that's gonna be, you know, hard to manage.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, I'd I'd say definitely growth, you know, a couple more employees, but I don't I've I've seen too much hurt from bigger plumbing companies to to want to be there myself because you know that's just not our goal.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_02: As much as we would like to grow, and I want my employees to have everything they ever need, and we can all live off of you know covenant plumbing.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_02: I think the growth is gonna be in ourselves and efficiency.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I think that's I think that's the start.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I want you to be as candid and honest as you can on the answer to this nice question.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, let's say a small business owner, a small entrepreneur is listening to the podcast episode today, and let's say they they say they're feeling stuck or overwhelmed, they're just not profitable yet in 2026.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: What's a piece of advice you'd want them to hear from you today?
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_02: I would say I mean, I two two things.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_02: Like it kind of sounds like a broken record, but you know, Christ has really gotten me through through so much.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_02: And another thing would be mentors.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_02: Mentors are so important.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_02: I've I've surrounded myself with other business owners and then older men who can speak into my life.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, I I've bounced so much stuff off of them because I mean, I know, like I'm a business owner, that's cool.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: I'm also 24.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm pretty, I think I like to think I'm young, I'm getting old.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_02: But, you know, big decisions that I make are ultimately, you know, in my hands, but I will take them to a mentor first or another business owner and be like, hey, have you experienced this before?
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_02: What does this look like for you?
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_02: How do you do this?
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_02: How do you, you know, how do you make your clients and employees feel heard?
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_02: Or, you know, I I don't rely on myself because I I it I can't, you know, we're people humans are people of community and they always have been.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_02: And it would, I don't know, it would seem kind of silly to me to have, you know, someone who's done what I've done for 40 years, you know, beside me.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_02: And then I'm just like, I'm gonna do it my own way and you know, hope for success when you know someone could tell me, you know, this is like super simple stuff, wisdom or advice that would help me avoid the mistakes that maybe they made in the past.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, mentors and surround yourself with other business owners, because there's just a whole nother drive that comes with it too.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like I don't know anyone as driven as like CEOs and business owners who who've who've put in the work and they know the stress and they know that their business, you know, if it doesn't completely right now at one time did completely fall on their shoulders.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_02: And those that drive is is like nothing I've ever seen.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_02: And I love it, man.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_02: It keeps it's it's great.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_01: So what's next for coming at plumbing LLC?
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_01: What should people be excited about coming up in the near future?
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_02: Man, what's coming up?
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_02: Well, we are providing, I mean, so many different services.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_02: Like I like I said, we can we can do anything as in residential and then we do service and commercial.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_02: But I I think definitely we are getting better equipment, which is super awesome.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I started with mainly all of the stuff that I had bought, and now we're you know, getting better equipment, better trucks.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_02: We just rebranded uh uh the the picture I sent you was was my old logo and everything, and so I'm super excited about that.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_02: I know people probably don't care about that, but I think it looks cool.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_02: I I think it looks you know professional and and everything.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, we're getting to a point where I mean with with my with my apprentice that I'm teaching right now, we're getting certified at all kinds of different stuff.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_02: Like we just took a sorry AO Smith certification course.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_02: And so, and he's like, I mean, he's been in plumbing for you know just a few months now, but I'm getting certified in it, he's getting certified in it.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_02: So that and the reason is, you know, that we can offer superior services and that all of our guys, you know, are growing and learning.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_02: And he's you know, he he's actually reading the code book right now.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_02: I I have the code book at his house and I pay him for every hour he reads, and he writes a little bit of you know, a little summary on that.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_02: We are filling our tool belts mentally and physically.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_02: And we're we're here to serve and we're excited, and we just we're ready for your call.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_01: And finally, what's the best way for someone to connect with you, Alarma?
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: What more and more about what you all do?
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_02: Best way, if you want to connect with me, you know, would probably be my phone number, but also covenantplumbingtn.com is our website, and you can go there and see, you know, a lot of the stuff I've already communicated, but it talks about our services, how to contact us, you know, why we do what we do.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_02: And that would probably be the best.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_02: And there's a little link page on there where they can, you know, send a message, and then it has, you know, where we work, has our Facebook page on there, phone number, hours, all that good stuff.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, do you want me to share my phone number on here or does it matter?
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that yeah, it's up to you.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, I I can share it.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_02: It's 423-552-8516, and that is Covenant Plumbing LLC.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: All right, perfect, perfect.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: All right, no, yeah, this has been fantastic.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you for coming on and sharing your story and your perspective.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, any last words you want to give the audience before we go ahead and sign off?
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_02: Oh man, well, I I do appreciate the time.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_02: No, just if you're thinking about it, man, go for it.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_02: I would have never, you know, I wouldn't have taken that leap had I, you know, I went in and I gave my two weeks and my boss was like, well, you can leave right now at my old company.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_02: And that, and I'm serious, that was like, that's what I needed.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't know I needed it in the moment, but man, I was like, okay, I'm getting all my, you know, my city license and everything today, my business license and everything.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_02: And I just, you know, I started there and then I was like, all right, here I am.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, he kind of pushed me to that edge that I didn't know I he needed.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_02: But if you're thinking about it, do it.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you know, be wise and you know, save a little bit before, you know, you just make that leap.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_02: But if if you're ready and everyone's telling you go for it, I mean, go for it.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_02: You can always get hired another job later.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_02: But man, it's it's awesome.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I appreciate those wise words.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_01: I love it, man.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, appreciate everything you're doing for the community and wish you continued success with your company.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for coming on.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, of course, Cliff.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_01: All right, thank you.