Haeden Secor: Truett & Grace Construction
“You’re catching us in the very early stages. We probably went into business about seven months ago. So, we’re definitely in the growing stage, mostly just making connections, networking, and stuff like that. The long-term goal is we’re more of a general contractor.
That’s what the goal is. So, being in Lake Harwell, we’re here on the lake. So, our long-term goal is, we want to start building custom lake homes, kind of designated more towards the higher-end homes is what my end goal is, but for right now, just getting started, I’m not turning down any projects.”
– Haeden Secor
Welcome to a brand-new episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast. Today, your host Steve Larosiliere is joined by Haeden Secor from Truett & Grace, a professional contracting company, Located in Hartwell, Georgia.
Haeden launched his company roughly seven months ago. They were undoubtedly in the growing stage and were mainly networking and forming relationships. Situated in Lake Harwell, their long-term ambition is to build unique lake homes oriented more towards higher-end properties. However, as they are only beginning, Haeden is not rejecting any projects at this time.
In this episode, Haeden discusses his first six months of business ownership, how he transitioned from his day job to make his side hustle a full-blown business, and the most profitable projects his team has completed thus far, and more!
It’s challenging to work a full-time job plus a side gig. Haeden’s company’s initial marketing strategy consisted only of yard signs and word-of-mouth, but he had to approach it slightly different. After all, he had a full-time job and was working from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, so he could put only so much time into it. He also wanted to avoid overloading himself by advertising too vigorously. But how did Haeden handle it?
Listen now and get the whole story!
“One of my fears was advertising hard right off the bat, like just Facebook ads, signs, all that stuff. And then it taking off, getting so many phone calls and having to turn down so much of it and kind of lose, I don’t want to say lose a reputation, but you know what I mean.
But if you’re advertising super hard and you can’t do like any of the work, that kind of maybe puts a little bad taste in people’s mouths, so I think I started with maybe three-yard signs. I put them up. I made them stand out. Because you see yard signs all the time.”
– Haeden Secor
Building Good Partnership with Your Competitor
Most contractors eventually realize that they can only handle some things. It is increasingly essential that scheduled work is done on time as a small firm develops its reputation and solidifies its customer base. Although having more work than you can handle is a pleasant problem, it necessitates being creative to accommodate client demands and work deadlines. Such inventiveness can involve creating connections with other contractors that complement your efforts and your competitors.
When launching a firm, Haeden advises not to view your rivals as adversaries but as teammates. Because there aren’t many individuals in a small town offering what you do, you need to build relationships with others there because they might be lacking in an area where you excel and vice versa.
“You got to have some breaks. You put so much into the company and you need to do that, but at the same time, you need to have breaks. And you got to find people, when you’re first starting out, everyone has competitors, but when you’re first starting out, you can’t really look at them as competitors.
You got to look at them as teammates. Because if you look at them as competitors, especially in a small town, you need to create a relationship with other people in the area that’s offering the same thing you do because they might be lacking in one area that you’re really succeeding.”
– Haeden Secor
Want to get in touch with Haeden Secor?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truett_grace_construction/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJVKK8whATpx1gE9HOljGJA