His office building, which he shares with other clinicians, boasts various signs from Signs.com, including exterior plastic signage identifying the building’s businesses as well as dynamic “therapist in session/therapist available” signs. “My relationship with Signs.com is invaluable because they’re able to provide fast turnaround and exceptional quality and price for all my signage needs,” Joe says.

Taking the Leap

Tell us about yourself
I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice since 2012. I treat couples and individuals who are struggling with relationship issues, traumas, anxiety, and general life improvements. I own a four-office building in Flourtown, Pennsylvania (just outside of the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia), sharing the space with several other clinicians.

What does your company do?
I provide effective therapeutic services that include Rapid Resolution Therapy, communication, relational difficulties, anxiety, depression, conflict resolution, infidelity, sexual disorders, clinical hypnosis, process addictions (sex addiction, pornography, gambling), parenting support, anger management, stress management, work and career issues, and drug and alcohol addiction and recovery. In addition, I am a certified clinical hypnotherapist. 

Where did the idea of your company come from?
I have always dreamed of having a private psychotherapy practice. After working as a fee-for-service provider and in an in-patient psychiatric setting, I took the leap in 2012 and it has been a wonderful experience.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
In addition to working as a psychotherapist, I’m also the lead singer in Northern Lights, a classic rock band. I’ve only been with the band for three years, but most of the members go back to high school together, when they sang at local gigs and parties. They had a reunion four years ago when they all turned 60 and they had so much fun getting back together that they decided to revive the band. Unfortunately, their lead singer now lives and works in Europe – so they tagged me to step in and I was happy to do it. It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like this, but we are having a great time with it!

Valuing ‘Mind Health’

What sets you apart from your competition?
I’m a therapist who believes in helping my clients in as quick and efficient manner as possible. I don’t want to put my clients through years of painful talk therapy – I want them to thrive immediately! Some therapists will see people weekly for years, but I’m not so sure that this is helpful. I believe in fostering a relationship with the client so that they value their “mind health” in much the same way as their physical well-being. I encourage clients to address problems now, but to also consider an “annual checkup” for their mental health – just like they do for their bodies with their primary care physician. This is a different approach from “traditional” therapy.

How do you market your business?
I currently rely primarily on word-of-mouth marketing. However, I use Google Ads, and a couple of professional associations list me as a provider. I also do some speaking engagements to get my name out there. In addition, I have a Facebook page for my professional business, but my primary interest is to get people to my website because that’s where I can have the most impact – as well as provide them with the convenience of setting an appointment online in real-time.

How do you “wow” your customers?
Many of my clients are impressed at the fast and painless results they get through Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT). Developed by Dr. Jon Connelly as a fast and effective solution for many of life’s challenges, RRT is a pragmatic approach informed by science and philosophy. It shifts the way the mind processes information so that improvements in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are natural and automatic. And, an RRT session can often be completed in a single extended session.

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
I very often establish an effective rapport with potential clients by explaining my intentions for them in the therapeutic process.

How do you compete with competitors that are bigger than you?
I don’t really find that larger organizations are competitive with what I do. My greatest challenge is name recognition and having a limited marketing budget.

Going Virtual for Challenging Times

What is one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business and how did you overcome it?
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an extraordinary challenge to maintain a consistent practice. Unfortunately, many folks are struggling themselves with the circumstances and finding it difficult to not be anxious, afraid, and isolated. Now is an opportunity to really help others struggling with these challenging times.

As a result, I’m now offering virtual appointments, although these make up only about 10 percent of my business. I much prefer in-person if possible. I never offered virtual appointments before the pandemic. I believe that therapy is much more effective when conducted in person, but there are many folks who are hesitant to engage in that form at this time. That is certainly understandable.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I would be more proactive in speaking engagements and networking. I think that being more proactive in getting the word out about what I do through speaking engagements is a powerful marketing tool. Many folks aren’t entirely sure what therapy entails, so being able to address those questions directly can be very helpful for folks who are unsure or hesitant.

What is the one thing you would do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
The most important principle behind my success is endurance and consistent effort.

Is there a book you would recommend our community should read?
The two most impactful books I’ve ever read are Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl, and The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. 

Directed, Positive Energy

Can you speak to your growth to this point – why do you think it will continue?
Growth is a constant. Each moment, whether it feels like growth or some sort of setback, the reality is that energy is a constant that must be always directed – hopefully in a positive trajectory.

Where can you be found on the internet?
My website is at www.doctornines.com. And you can find me on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/DrNines.

Small Business Success Story: DoctorNines.com

Brad’s work with Signs.com has included an array of signage, including a 108 x 108-inch fabric banner scoreboard, multiple yard signs, aluminum signs, and more.

Tell us about yourself
I’m one of two partners in Valley Design & Manufacturing in Millersburg, Ohio. I have been involved in the furniture-manufacturing industry since 2003. Since that time, I have worked in various capacities with companies in the same or similar markets. In 2016, I began to build a solid team of passionate individuals with varying talents (and personalities) who understand this industry inside and out.

What does your company do?
Valley Design & Manufacturing domestically manufactures furniture and fixtures primarily for the restaurant and hotel industries. Our disciplines include fabrication in wood, steel, glass, and upholstery, and usually a combination of those mediums. Our clientele includes major hotel chains, boutique hotel developers, and mid- to high-end restaurants. We have also supported many public-amenity spaces in high-rise living facilities and global brands with their store fixture needs. We have increasingly been introduced during the project design phase to offer our expertise on best-use material selections, manufacturing efficiencies, sustainable finishes for constant sanitizing, and cost-saving processes.

Where did the idea of your company come from?
I have either been self-employed or in an operations position since 2003, so being an owner was the logical next step for my personal ambitions. A previous company that I worked for had a great vision for commercial and hospitality furnishings industry, and we grew that company exponentially in a short amount of time. By 2014, however, I felt that company had lost sight of what made us “great” and I left that company for a new path. In 2016, I began to assemble the team we have now; Lester Miller, who I worked with at the previous company, was able to come on board in 2017 as our operations lead and became a partner this year.

Each team member and partner with Valley Design & Manufacturing has a specific role and a specific process to deliver the best experience to the client as possible. We’re very forward-thinking in our use of technology, yet rely very heavily on the business relationships that we develop to increase our market impact.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
While our warehouse/logistics operation is located just outside of Millersburg, about an hour south of Akron, we also have a studio in historic Roscoe Village in Coshocton County. Our studio is on the “Canal Level” of the original Roscoe General Store next to the former Ohio & Erie Canal. The building is more than 150 years old and still has the original timbers, sandstone, and bricks from the late 1800s within our space. It has been amazing to be on so many high-profile projects in major metropolitan cities and yet come from such a quiet part of the country. It’s interesting to explain to our clients where our team is located – and why it’s hard to find on a map of Ohio!

Hands-On, Forward Thinking

What sets you apart from your competition?
We are very hands-on, and we’re personally engaged with all aspects of marketing and sales. My responsibility is to showcase our company’s talents and work with our team to deliver an outstanding experience to our clients and consultants.

As I mentioned earlier, we are very forward-thinking when it comes to technology. Since the vast majority of our supply chain/vendors are part of the Amish community in nearby Holmes County, the need to have a cloud-based ERP system for our own communication became a necessity. We invested in a system so that everyone on our team could immediately be up-to-date and informed on any information relevant to the production process: For production, we can see the physical movement of material from one process to another; client facing can track on-time status; financials are always at our fingertips, etc.

Other tech we employ includes: a cloud content-management platform paired to our ERP system, for all of our client folder management needs – giving everyone instant access to drawings, approvals, project details, and photos; advanced 3-D software resulting in some of the most robust client and shop drawings in the industry – our renderings are near photo quality and every detail is available for review by our team and our clients; and we never miss an opportunity to apply automation to any of our manual fabrication or finishing methods.

How do you market your business?
Our main marketing tool is simply relationships. From there, word-of-mouth and repeat clientele continues to expand our network of designers, consultants, developers, and corporate brands. We also feel that a great website is important as a reference tool, and we plan to make our website more robust in the future with case studies focusing on our clients.

How do you “wow” your customers?
We always deliver more than what we promise!

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
When we are brought onto a project that has a new designer, architect, etc., we make it a priority to meet with that team face-to-face. Having that time to explain our process and our capabilities creates the greatest level of communication going forward.

How do you compete with bigger competitors?
Our team never loses the drive to be better. Our ability to make decisions, pivot, and react to changes in this market is key for us. Our business model is unique, and it allows us to compete with any size company, including overseas companies, without the exhausting overhead of “big” companies.

Never Taking the Team for Granted

What is one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business – how did you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge has been the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry. However, we have been able to stay fully operational with smaller projects through this year – so we’re in a great position as the country begins to return to normal.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Our primary market was New York City, including some of the most iconic and high-profile locations in Manhattan. We had expanded our footprint into Nashville and South Florida at the end of 2019. If we were to do anything differently, it would have been to establish ourselves with a much larger footprint in more markets.

What is the one thing you would do over and over, and recommend everyone else do, too?
Built the best team possible – and never take them for granted.

Is there a book that you recommend our community should read?
The Forgotten Man, by Amity Shlaes. The impact of the individual is underestimated.

Lessons Learned

Can you speak to your growth to this point? Why you think it will continue?
We are very optimistic about our position in a post-COVID economy. We experienced more than a 100% growth from 2018 to 2019, and we were poised to do the same in 2020. Our team has remained intact and the lessons we have learned this year will impact our financial decisions for the future of our company.

Where can you be found on the internet?
You can find us via our website, at www.valleydesignandmfg.com.

Small Business Success Story: Valley Design & Manufacturing

For this Small Business Success Story episode, we talk with company co-owner Francisco Rangel about his challenges, his family, and how his firm is seeking to expand.

Creative Iron Arts has purchased clear window decals and clear vehicle decals from Signs.com for vehicle and truckside graphics as well as the facility’s front window.

No Slowing Down

Tell us about yourself
My name is Francisco Rangel and I am one of the owners of Creative Iron Arts, a family-owned and operated business. My father immigrated to the U.S. back in 1989 when I was only a toddler – being his first son and without proper documentation has been an uphill challenge throughout my life. I went through school and started community college, desiring to become an architect, but could not accomplish this because of my legal status as well as my lack of financial resources.

So, instead, I followed my father into the ornamental/structural steel industry, climbing up the ladder to become successful in this field. Once I received my legal paperwork to work in this country, I applied for a contractor’s license, and went through all the necessary schooling and testing. I received my license in September 2015 and I have been in business ever since. Today, our company operates out of two locations here in the Bay Area with 10 employees – and we have no intention of slowing down!

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
My father and brother are in business with me. We all invested equal shares and play a role in the company – my father, Chris, is shop foreman and oversees all shop operations; my brother, Miguel, is our field project manager; and I am the office manager.

What does your company do?
We fabricate ornamental and structural steel such as I-beams, moment frames, spiral stairs, and railings. Plus, we have recently expanded into glass guardrails and stainless-steel cable guardrails. The majority of our customers are homeowners seeking our services for new home construction or renovation.

Where did the idea of your company come from?
My father used to forge when he was a young man in Mexico – he worked in this industry since he was 19 years old. When he emigrated to the U.S., he sought out this particular profession.

Unique in the Market

What sets your company apart from its competition?
We are family operated and we pay attention to the fine details. All of our forging is done at our shop and it is all done by hand – we are the only shop in the San Francisco Bay area to still hand-forge.

How do you market your business?
Most of our marketing is word of mouth. We also have a long list of general contractors that have been doing business with my father for more than 10 years. And we now have a Facebook page of current work we have done – we’re able to share photo samples of similar projects with customers so they can see our process and know what to expect. Next on our to-do list: updating our website with new photos and additional company details to provide an even better online customer experience.

How do you “wow” your customers?
We always do a bit extra, going beyond what the quote/proposal says. If we can make it better and it doesn’t hurt our pockets much, we will do it at no additional cost to keep our customers happy.

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
We supply customers with samples – small “mockups” of the items that we’ll be fabricating for them. For example, if we’re going to be making a guardrail, we first fabricate a small, handheld version that shows the material that we’ll use and the proposed finishing.

How do you compete with competitors that are bigger than you?
We don’t think of anyone else as “competition” because we believe we are unique in our industry – the projects we get are specific to us. There’s no competition at all since everything we do is custom fabricated.

Being Smart About Money

What is one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business –and how did you overcome it?
When we started the business, putting together the necessary working capital was certainly one of the biggest challenges. It took us about 1-1/2 years to save enough to cover all the licensing, permitting, and location costs.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I believe all is going better than planned – to be honest, the only thing I would do different is start earlier in this field.

What is the one thing you would do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Save for rainy days! That’s the key to financial stability.

Is there a book that you recommend our community should read?
Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki – it’s provided a lot of insights, including being smart about how money is spent and utilized.

Expanding the Range

Can you speak to your growth to this point? Why do you think it will continue?
We’re focused on growing every year, and we have managed to accomplish that goal every year since we opened. We’ll continue to grow because we keep integrating new ideas and offering different options all the time. We are in the process of opening an office and shop closer to home, so that we can offer our services to a larger range of customers – in 2021, we’re looking to expand our service radius from its current 100 miles to 150 miles.

Where can you be found on the internet?
On the internet, you can find our website at www.creativeironarts.com.We’re also on Facebook: CreativeIronCA.

Small Business Success Story: Creative Iron Arts

On the signage side of things, Steven has installed a window decal from Signs.com to ensure customers and passersby are quickly aware of the brewery’s standard operating hours.

Tell us about yourself
I’m Steven Pribek, and I am the owner and brewer for Urban Harvest Brewing Company (UHBC). I started as a homebrewer for a number of years, developing a collection of recipes that were brewed over and over. With a passion for the brewing process, I began to explore the dream of one day opening a brewery. After a few years of research, writing a business plan, and a longer-than-expected search for our current home, I opened UHBC in the great city of Milwaukee in April 2016.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
I raced mountain bikes for about 10 years.

What does your company do?
Urban Harvest Brewing Company is a nanobrewery with a taproom located in the city’s most historic and diverse neighborhood. All of our beers are brewed onsite with our two-barrel system. We offer 11 year-round beers and we mix in seasonals and limited-release taps throughout the year. You can only purchase our products in-house because the demand and small capacity of our system limits us from distribution at this point.

Where did the idea of your company come from?
On a visit to Golden City Brewery in Colorado during a mountain biking trip. I absolutely loved the idea of a small, local, neighborhood brewery. As I mentioned earlier, I had been home-brewing for several years prior, and that’s where I first said, “I want to open a brewery!”

A Little Bit of Something for Everybody

What sets you apart from your competition?
Not being as large as some of the other local breweries, I feel we are able to provide a more personal experience for people who visit our taproom. We try to take the time and get to know our customers – from members of our “mug club” to first-timers and out-of-town visitors. On the beer side, we focus on drinkability and crisp, clean “go-to” brews. Of our 11 year-round beers we offer a wide selection: four IPAs, some malt-forward selections, a few on the lighter, easy drinking side, and some more traditional styles. There’s a little bit of something for everybody. In addition, our rotational/seasonal beers are very popular, and we’d definitely add them to our year-round selections if we had more tap space.

How do you market your business?
A lot of what we do is by word of mouth, and I’d like to think that the beers sell themselves. Facebook is pretty much a go-to for us when it comes to sharing information about events, beer releases, merch sales, etc. We have a great website, but we’re limited in the things that we can change on it. Facebook allows us to share things on the fly and it’s obviously used by a lot of people. When time allows, and it makes sense, I will post on Facebook and Twitter. I wish I had a person to just take care of our social media, but small business equals small staff, so my hours to focus on social media are limited.

How do you “wow” your customers?
It starts with our beautiful taproom that features Cream City brick – a light, yellow-colored brick synonymous with Milwaukee and found in many of its historical buildings. Once you step through the door, you find an inviting space that you can relax in with family and friends. But the biggest part of our “wow” factor comes from the amazing staff I’m so lucky to have. The genuine effort that they provide to our customers is priceless for UHBC. Not only are they developing relationships with returning customers, but they also serve as short-term ambassadors to the city while sharing info about other breweries and must-see locales for out-of-towners.

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
Be who you are. Be genuine and passionate about what you do. Keep a clean facility and try to make your customers as comfortable as possible.

How do you compete with competitors that are bigger than you?
We don’t look at it as competition. Much of our industry is based around the fact that people like variety. We see a good percentage of customers who are visiting multiple breweries either through the course of a day or across several days. Each brewery has their own unique way of how they operate and the feel of their taprooms or facilities. As I noted earlier, we try to offer a diverse menu of beers for people to choose from, but also keep some new, exciting options rotating in throughout the year.

Battling COVID-19, Focusing on the Future

What is one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business – how did you overcome it?
The size of our brewing system limits our production capabilities. We’re in the process of searching for an off-site production facility that we can put a larger system in to allow for distribution. 

And, of course, COVID-19 has presented challenges. The first thing we did in that regard was order two can seamers, allowing us to offer our brews in 32-oz. and 16-oz. “crowlers” – aluminum-can versions of our usual growlers. With our taproom shut down and being limited to curbside pickup, we recognized that there would be a limit to the number of glass growlers people would be willing to collect. And even though it limited our sales options, we chose to not take growlers back for refill as the safest way to operate.

When weather allowed, we opened up our sidewalk patio – with social distancing and table-occupancy maximums in place. As we look to colder temps and re-opening our taproom, we’re purchasing air-purification units and two ionization units to be used in conjunction with our existing furnaces. As we did with our outdoor space, we’ll space tables to reduce our capacity, there will be no service at the bar, and ordering will be done from each table using bar codes. There’s more, of course, but those are just a few of the steps we’ve taken to keep our business going while battling COVID.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Absolutely nothing. There are some aspects of operations that are difficult and less than efficient, but I like to focus on the future. Improve when and where you can, and things will work out.

What is the one thing you would do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Take the time to step back, take a breath, enjoy and appreciate the good things in life, and realize how lucky you are.

Is there a book that you recommend our community should read?
Wisconsin’s Best Beer Guide: It features writeups for 200 Wisconsin breweries, providing information and fun facts for each location, including “stumbling distance” and additional suggestions for things to do and places to visit near each brewery. Also, most breweries have an offer or discount to redeem when you have the book signed. 

Smart Growth

Can you speak to your growth to this point and why you think it will continue?
We’ve been pretty conservative financially up to this point, which puts in a good position for smart growth. UHBC will grow in steps that will be made as we assess where we are – and where we look to expand.

Where can you be found on the internet?
On our UHBC website: www.urbanharvestbrewing.com/ and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/urbanharvestbrewingco. Also, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UrbanHarvestBC

Small Business Success Story: Urban Harvest Brewing Company

That’s why we were so impressed with just one of the comments by Karen Tipsword, the focus of this installment of our Small Business Success Story series. “Sometimes when you’re doing 10 things at once and thinking of 10 more, it can be hard to stop and be in the moment with the customer,” says the co-owner of Persimmon Creek Campground. “Try and make everyone feel special. Even on days when you think you just can’t do it – smile and be welcoming.”

Of course, we are also impressed by the variety of vinyl banners that Karen has sourced from Signs.com, helping ensure that visitors to Persimmon Creek Campground easily find their way to its many attractions!

Tell us about yourself
I’m Karen Tipsword – my husband, Tony, and I own Persimmon Creek Campground, Trout Pond & Gem Mine, which is located just west of Murphy, North Carolina, in the Cherokee National Forest. We both love the outdoors and traveling. I was a schoolteacher for many years, and Tony was in the excavating business. We met 16 years ago and became friends; one year later and lightning struck! We have had so many adventures together, building our businesses and traveling the U.S. in our RV. We live onsite at the campground.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
Most people do not know that I have a master’s degree in language. It’s so nice to be able to offer translation services when needed.

What does your company do?
Persimmon Creek Campground, Trout Pond & Gem Mine provides healthy outdoor entertainment for all ages. The campground is open for tents and RVs, with extra-large sites on the creek. We stock rainbow trout in our trout pond, and we lend customers fishing poles, bait, and bucket; we even clean, package, and ice the trout down for them (no license is needed). And our gem mine provides an abundance of sparkling gems and minerals, just waiting for guests to sluice the dirt from them. Both the trout pond and gem mine are open to the public. We also have a catch-and-release pond stocked with bream and bass in the center of the campground for our registered campers.

Where did the idea of your company come from?
As children, we grew up camping with our families, and then we began camping together in the Nantahala Forest of North Carolina. We wanted to work together, and the idea of building a campground grew from that – we opened Persimmon Creek Campground in 2009. From there, it was a matter of asking our guests what they liked to do when visiting the mountains. The answer was always trout fishing and gem mining, so the growth was a natural progression based on pleasing visitors that came to the area.

Beauty & Flavor

What sets you apart from your competition?
We don’t believe we are truly in competition with other campgrounds, trout ponds, or gem mines – maybe that’s what sets us apart. Each business in the area provides different experiences. It really is a matter of what the guest is looking for. We attract guests that are looking for a peaceful, safe, natural, outdoor experience. And we’re very happy to recommend the other businesses to people who aren’t looking for what we provide. The goal is making sure that all who come to Cherokee County leave happy and want to return.

How do you market your business?
Our main method of advertising is by word of mouth, Facebook, our website, and rack cards. We place our rack cards in various locations, including the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce and Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, and in about 300 rental cabins throughout Cherokee and Fannin Counties, and with whitewater companies on the Ocoee and Nantahala Rivers. And we market by using signs from Signs.com on the physical property.

How do you “wow” your customers?
Our customers always tell us how beautiful our grounds are and how well tended; plus, they’re impressed with the cleanliness of our facilities. We also “wow” our customers with our gem mining – the large amount and the size of the gems and minerals in our buckets are always commented on. I try to make sure that we put 3 or 4 times the amount of gems and minerals in our buckets versus other companies in our area. And there’s the beauty – and. ultimately, the flavor of – our rainbow trout. People return to where they’re staying, cook their trout (usually according to our recommendations), and then often share on Facebook how delicious their dinner was!

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
Word of mouth, always! Our service and product guarantee us loyal customers, and they spread the word for us.

How do you compete with competitors that are bigger than you?
I suppose that people would consider KOA Campgrounds to be our biggest competitor, but, again, we don’t consider any business as competition. Although there are similar businesses in the area, no single business offers the variety that we do!

Making Customers Feel Special

What’s one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business – and how did you overcome this?
The weather! Trout are cold-water fish, and don’t survive well in warm waters – we’ve lost a lot of trout in August and September due to heat. People on vacation expect to be able to fish all the time, but trout simply will not bite in the heat. Unfortunately, though, when it comes to weather, we just have to work with what we’re given. An additional challenge was the very negative neighbors we had across the creek when we first built the campground – but we simply waited and bought their property to expand. Much has been a steep learning curve, such as dealing with all the paperwork and taxes, but, whenever an issue has arisen, we have just dealt with it.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Looking back, you can’t second-guess yourself. Given each situation, I think we did what needed to be done at each step of the way. We began as we needed to, and we evolved as needed.

What’s something you would do over and over, and recommend everyone else do?
Service: Even on days when you think you just can’t do it – smile and be welcoming. Sometimes when you’re doing 10 things at once and thinking of 10 more, it can be hard to stop and be in the moment with the customer. Try and make everyone feel special.

Is there a book that you would recommend to our community?
I don’t really have a single book to recommend. I have read quite a few, and glean from each what seems to pertain to our situation. But I don’t think that any one business is a cookie-cutter thing, where you can say, “This book tells me to do such and such at each stage.” You have to read a lot, and sift through them all – and trust your instincts to tell you what will work for you.

Old-fashioned Service and Value

Can you speak to your growth to this point – why do you think it will continue?
Our growth has been steady every year, but this year it has been astronomical. We expected the growth to take off at the trout pond for its fifth year – we could tell from the response in the fourth year that it was going to explode, and it did. We provide genuine old-fashioned service with value. People leave feeling that they have had an experience that was not only fun, but worth what they spent. As a result, not only is our repeat business steady, but we always see new people coming in, who, in turn, become repeat customers.

Where can you be found on the internet?
On our website persimmoncreekcampground.com. Also, on our two Facebook pages:

facebook.com/persimmoncreektroutandgem and

facebook.com/persimmoncreekcampground.

And, you can also find us on Instagram: here and here.

Small Business Success Story: Persimmon Creek Campground

To add to its customer experience, Darden’s Delights has invested in an array of signage products, including: a vinyl banner; window clings; window decals; an aluminum sign; and 1,000 stickers.

Tell us about yourself:
I’m David Glass, the COO of Darden’s Delights, an Atlanta-based pie company. Born north of the Mason-Dixon line, I grew up in Atlanta, and attended the University of Georgia where I studied finance. I handle a majority of the “behind the scenes” duties here: logistics, operations, PR, etc. I’ve been married for almost 20 years to my wife Betsy, who is CEO of our company – as well as CPO, chief pie officer. And we have two daughters, Darden (15 years old) and Anna (13).

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
After college, I spent seven years in professional baseball as an umpire in the minor leagues, traveling all over the country.

What does your company do?
Darden’s Delights manufactures and distributes various sized pies in the Southeast, and we ship all over the country. We have sweet as well as savory pies, with most of them made from family recipes. Our company tagline is “Pies with Purpose” because we believe that entrepreneurship is the best way to create opportunity, prosperity, and community membership for the disability community.

Where did the idea of your company come from?
It all started during the 2009 Spring Fling at the Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool. We volunteered to bake some pies for the event. Although we were prepared with plenty of delicious fudge pies to go around, we weren’t prepared for the fantastic feedback we got on the pies themselves! We sold out of pies that day, and still had people asking for more. So, we decided to give them exactly what they wanted. Two years later – after getting the recipe just right – we launched Darden’s Delights!

Darden’s Delights is named for our daughter, Darden, who was born with Down syndrome, and the Darden family (Betsy’s mother’s family name). In everything we do, we believe in challenging conventional thought by building a thriving business to enhance opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. We give back a “slice” of our revenue to other organizations and ideas that support our purpose. 

Providing a Unique Pie Experience

What sets you apart from your competition?
Belief in the community and their desire to support a for-profit business model for those with developmental disabilities. Another thing that sets us apart is that a majority of our pies are made from family recipes. We try to be unique with pricing, flavors, variety, and our pie names – Dangerously Delicious Fudge Pie, Get in my Belly Gooey Pie, Perfectly Pumpkinlicious Pie, and others. We started with one flavor and now have approximately 25 pies in different sizes. We focus on making quality products, all handmade.

How do you market your business?
Word of mouth, social media, pop-up markets, and more.

How do you “wow” your customers?
Our product is high quality, and our cost is reasonable, relative to other direct and indirect competitors. Packaging is key – each of our pies is wrapped as an attractive gift with ribbon and an enclosure of what Darden’s Delights is all about in every box. So customers have a very unique experience when buying, gifting, and eating their pies. We do a lot of gift and seasonal shipping and for corporate orders – for clients, sales reps, and others.

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
Email marketing has been successful for us, but we’ve also garnered customers by speaking to groups. A few years ago, I was asked to speak to a Sunday school class on Darden’s Delights. I shared some helpful perspectives from challenging events and the lessons learned, spanning many years – from umpiring to disabilities and how these experiences eventually led to Darden’s Delights. My main focus was on community, opportunity, and approaching adversity as an advantage. This part of the business has grown, and there have been more requests to speak to other groups and audiences. Sharing our message typically leads to entertaining and hopefully helping people, plus more business.

How do you compete with competitors that are bigger than you?
We try to be as unique as possible, and provide a value-added experience. The experience focuses on a shared belief in the community and a desire to support a for-profit business model for those with developmental disabilities. The Darden’s Delights brand is distinctive – from our logo and purpose, to our packaging and our pies. I think the customer experience provides more of a connection to people. We’re a family-run local business and we enjoy interacting with our customers.

Being Patient with Solutions

What is one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business? How did you overcome it?
Crawling up the learning curve in an industry we knew nothing about was challenging – but we figured it all out by being consistent day after day. Another factor in our success was by being fiscally conservative without taking on debt.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Be more defined with the end in mind. We started with an idea and $50, and didn’t really think about what Darden’s Delights would look like in 10 or 20 years. We currently have a growing business that we would like to scale – but it’s difficult to balance increased manufacturing with more sales/branding. Early on, we should have made an effort to focus on one more than the other. This feels like a decision that’s on the horizon for us.

What is the one thing you would do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Stick with it – don’t try to get around a problem or obstacle. Be patient with solutions.

Is there one book that you might recommend our community should read?
Start with Why, by Simon Sinek. When you find the real reason or belief in your efforts behind a business, it feels a lot less like work. You tend to attract people and customers that believe in what you are doing.

Year-Round Growth

Can you speak to your growth to this point – and why you think it will continue?
It has been almost 10 years since we started. We used to really focus on the last quarter of the year. Now, though, growth is year-round and has good momentum. Every year we grow, and we’ve gained many loyal and repeat customers.

Where can you be found on the internet?

Via our website, at www.dardensdelights.com.

Also, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

Small Business Success Story: Darden’s Delights

In this new installment of our Small Business Success Stories series, we sat down virtually with Matt Barklage of Chatty Treasures, a company that is printing custom messages onto the petals of roses. He has found success not only through his unique product, but also by not being hesitant to try some rather novel marketing approaches. Matt’s delivery vehicle sports a perforated vehicle decal and custom car lettering from Signs.com. 

Tell us about yourself
My name is Matt Barklage, and I live in Allentown, Pennsylvania. My wife (Maria) and I have owned and operated Chatty Treasures for two years.

What does your company do?
Chatty Treasures combines a beautiful live rose and a greeting card into a new, unique way of expression: We are able to print logos, pictures, and custom messages onto the petals of live roses and sell these online. Plus, we also print logos and custom messages onto fruit and sugar cookies. We deliver to the six-county Lehigh Valley here in Pennsylvania, and we ship all over the USA.

Where did the idea of your company come from?
We bought the rights to the floral-printing technology for the northeastern U.S. from Speaking Roses in Utah. We later added cookie printing into our business, as well as printing onto buns – I felt that it would be cool to offer cookies and buns as an added income opportunity.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I am very much into restoring classic cars.

‘Just to See You Smile’

What sets you apart from your competition?
We purchase our roses at an amazing price, and we then pass the savings along to our customers. I can work with other florists and we also are able to work on-site – if it’s a wedding venue, for instance, I will be on site at the wedding to print the roses from the florists.

How do you market your business?
We utilize social media (Facebook and LinkedIn). Plus, we’re involved with Business Owners Trade Alliance (BOTA), a large barter exchange that serves our region – I’ve been able to share my business with 350 other business owners I was not previously familiar with, and I’ve received multiple orders from them. I also advertise and do wedding shows and trade shows to get the word out about our business. And, our delivery vehicle carries our marketing message (with lettering from Signs.com).

How do you ‘wow’ your customers?
I think that treating every customer like family is tremendously important, as is our attention to detail. We also make sure each step in the process is conveyed to the buyer – so that they feel like a part of it.

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
We have been very successful using Facebook as a means to offer special promotions. I will order a few dozen roses, print “Just to see you Smile” on them, then go on Facebook and give them away. But, to receive a free rose, they must share a picture of the rose on their Facebook page prior to receiving it, therefore doubling or tripling our presence on Facebook.

How do you compete with competitors that are bigger than you?
I try to show local florists what we can do on a rose petal and offer them discounted pricing so that they can offer our printed roses to their customers. So I’m not necessarily competing with them – instead, I’m using their know-how and customer base to grow the Chatty Treasures brand.

The Importance of Listening

What’s one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business? How were you able to overcome this?
When we started out, getting our product to the marketplace was very difficult. So I bought a large quantity of roses, printed “Just To See You Smile” on them, and then drove around town and gave them away to a ton of women and men. In the beginning it was very random, but I then switched to the Facebook strategy I outlined earlier. I’m going to try something a bit different in the near future: I am going to go to the state police, as well as our local police, and hand out some printed roses with “Thank You for All You Do” messages on them.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I would have opened a retail space. When we bought the license, we also bought a package that allowed us to open a brick-and-mortar store. But we must grow much larger before that will happen.

What is one thing you would do over and over – and recommend that everyone else do as well?
I think that businesses need to listen more to their customers (as well as suppliers like myself). If businesses listened more to what their customers want, they would be much better off – see my next note.

Is there a book that you would recommend our community should read?
The Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness, by Jeffrey Gitomer. Many sales people don’t know when to stop talking and start listening. You can sell anything to a customer if you just listen – they will tell you what they want to buy.

A New Way to Express

Can you speak to your growth to this point – and why you think it will continue?
Chatty Treasures is so unique, offering customers a new way to express their feelings. Our growth has occurred because we make the person receiving the roses feel special. And I think this growth will continue because we’re totally different – and affordable.

Where can you be found on the internet?

Our website: www.chattytreasures.com, and on Facebook and Linkedin.

Small Business Success Story: Chatty Treasures

The Signs.com tie-in? One of the first actions they took was to install an 18-oz. vinyl banner (244 x 28 inches) above the market’s main entrance doors to draw in and greet their customers.

Tell us about yourself…
We’re Steve and Connie Pejka, and we own the Bremerton Vintage Flea and our accompanying antique shop, “The Dusty Pug” in downtown Bremerton, Washington, just west of Seattle, across the Puget Sound.  

What does your company do?
The Bremerton Vintage Flea is a year-round Saturday indoor vintage flea market. Our “flea family” comprises 25 amazing individual vendors offering anything from antiques, vintage goods, and mid-century modern furnishings to hand-crafted jewelry, local artwork, and blacksmithing. Most weekends, we have an amazing food truck on site and sometimes live music! During the week, we also have a full-time antique/vintage shop – The Dusty Pug – in the front part of the same building.

Where did the idea of your company come from?
We are lovers of everything old and unique. For years, our antique hunting and vintage picking was limited to adding to our own personal collections and furnishing our home, but eventually grew to include buying and selling for extra income. In 2017, we inquired at a local indoor vintage flea market where we’d been customers for several years and asked about getting a booth as a vendor/seller. We quickly fell in love with the market, our fellow vendors, and our customers. Unfortunately, advertising was lacking and there just wasn’t enough customer traffic (and sales) to justify our weekly booth rental fee. So after three months, we made the hard decision to give up our booth at the market and go back to selling online and doing a few antique shows a year.

About four months later, however, we received a call from the owner of that vintage flea market. She told us that she wanted to just focus on her vintage store (which is connected to the flea market), and she couldn’t continue doing both her store and the market. For whatever reason, we were the only people she felt would be up to the task. Bottom line: If we weren’t willing to take this on, the vintage flea market would be no more.

We initially hesitated because we both work full-time jobs and this is not a small market – it’s nearly 8,000 square feet in all! Also, by then, many of the vendors that had been there with us, had left the market for the same reason we did. So we were faced with taking on a struggling vintage flea market with half the vendors missing, and diminished customer traffic – all while working our regular full-time jobs.

Finally, we made the decision: We took the plunge and it was the best decision we ever made. We put a plan in motion to turn the market around with marketing, advertising, a re-brand, and bringing back the amazing vendors who had left. Six months later, we also opened up our own storefront – The Dusty Pug – in the space the original owner had since left after closing her store.

Stirring Up Fond Memories

What sets you apart from your competition?
Our amazing flea family – our vendors! The atmosphere and feeling of community inside our market is like no other. With 25 individual vendors, our selection is always diverse and ever-changing. Customers never walk into the Bremerton Vintage Flea and see the same type of items, booth after booth.

How do you go about marketing your business?
The very first thing was our huge 20-foot-wide sign from Signs.com that we placed above our main entrance doors. We also advertise on and maintain a very active social-media presence on Facebook, as well as Instagram.

How do you “wow” your customers?
We keep things fun, and we offer our customers an awesome vintage treasure-hunting experience every Saturday. The prices inside our market are probably our biggest “wow” factor. We are the “secret place” many other shops and stores come to do their picking. Our vendors are amazing pickers and re-purposing masters – they pass their low costs on to the customers.

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
Creating a marketing “theme” and staying with it. Our signage and advertising theme is based off of 1950s advertising designs, which helps it remain easily identifiable and interesting. Another important practice is maintaining an active social-media presence – posting throughout the week showcasing the huge selection of items that will be available on Flea Day (Saturday).

How do you compete with competitors that are bigger than you?
We keep things different and unique. Most shops/stores in the area model their inventory after the latest trends and fill their shelves/booths with the latest popular things found all over Pinterest. Our items, though, are truly vintage, antique, and/or handmade. Most customers don’t want yet another whitewashed painted doodad that will be “out of style” in a year or two – they want to find that original vintage item that stirs up fond memories from years gone by. We offer that.

Community, Social-Media, and More

What’s one of the biggest challenges you’ve had with your business – and how did you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge has been time. As we said earlier, this business wasn’t a planned one. We both still work our regular full-time jobs. Owning and operating an 8,000-square-foot retail space is very time consuming in your “spare time.”

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
The fact that we took this surprise venture on with essentially no plan on even doing so (while also both working our regular full time jobs) and making it successful in such a short amount of time. We would not have done anything different from what we did: Our main focus from day one was advertising and marketing the business.

What is the one thing you would do over and over, and recommend that every business do?
Become an active part of your local community and maintain a very active social-media presence. So many customers have found us and traveled several counties away to visit because they’ve seen our Facebook postings.

Becoming a Weekend Destination

Can you speak to your growth to this point – why do you think it will continue?
When we took ownership of the vintage flea market, it was failing. More than half of the vendors had left, customers had stopped shopping (due to the lack of vendors), and – despite the market being in that same location for several years – advertising and marketing were non-existent and locals weren’t even aware the market was there.

Our first step was to re-brand the market by changing the name and begin a heavy advertising/marketing campaign. The results were exponential and we quickly saw an immediate increase in customer traffic, which brought in more vendors wanting to sell – which brought in more customers to shop, and so on and so on. Now, we’re a weekend destination for a large number of customers who regularly travel in from several counties away. We just keep growing and getting busier!

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
I would say the one thing most people don’t know is that we do all of this – own and operate our antique store and vintage flea market – in our “spare time” while both holding down our regular full-time jobs. Oh, and we had absolutely no idea what we were doing when we started all this, since we’ve never owned any store. Anywhere. Ever.

Where can you be found on the internet?
On the Bremerton Vintage Flea website at www.bremertonvintageflea.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bremertonvintageflea/, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bremertonvintageflea/.

Also on The Dusty Pug website, at www.thedustypug.com, which can also be found on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thedustypug/, and on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/thedustypug/.

Small Business Success Story: Bremerton Vintage Flea

In order to help promote her photographic services and products at community art fairs and other events, Jen purchased a 60 x 20-inch vinyl banner from Signs.com, as well as various counter cards for use at her booth.

Tell us about yourself
Hi there! I’m Jen Frase, the owner of Jen Frase Photography. I live and work in the San Francisco Bay area. I have 12-year-old twins, a dog who likes to terrorize my neighborhood, and a saint of a husband. I have an MBA from UC Davis and an MFA in Photography from the Academy of Art University. Yes, that’s way too many advanced degrees, but man do I love school. I also love dogs, Adam Levine, pizza, and watching crappy reality TV. I hate squirrels, flying, and people who chew with their mouths open.

What does your company do?
I’m a photographer who focuses on the very unique bond between dogs and their humans. I offer commissioned photography sessions and I also sell greeting cards and prints.

Where did the idea of your company come from?
In 2017, we got a puppy who changed our world. I hadn’t owned a dog since I was a kid, so I had forgotten just how much they mean to you. He became part of our family and we love him to death. I know many dog owners who feel the same way.

Around this same time, I was in a bit of a photography rut, shooting things that weren’t inspiring me. It dawned on me that photographing dogs is something I would truly love. After a lot of research, I realized there’s a bit of a hole in this market – there are lots of dog photographers out there, but very few who focus on the bond humans have with their dogs, with natural, lifestyle images. So, I decided Jen Frase Photography would focus solely on this. And it’s kind of awesome.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
I’m a total professional in my work and think great customer service is critical – but I’m also a super smart ass and pretty laid back during my photography sessions. My personality comes through on Instagram, and my branding and photography reflect who I am – but I still think people assume I’m more serious than I am because I’m over 40, write professional emails, and run my own business. Ha.

Focusing on the Bond We Share

What sets you apart from your competition?
I think my work itself – my photographs – sets me apart from the competition. There are so many dog photographers out there whose work I find a little cheesy with lots of props, dogs dressed in costumes, etc. I certainly think there’s a market for that, but my work simply tries to focus on the amazing bond that we share with our dogs. My style is light and bright and natural.

How do you market your business?
I stay active on Instagram and try to blog consistently. I’m involved in charity work, such as local auctions for schools or animal rescues. I also get out in the community when I can – setting up a booth at local art festivals or street fairs, for example. Word of mouth is huge too!

How do you “wow” your customers?
I offer amazing customer service – it’s something I pride myself on. I only take on a limited number of commissioned photography sessions per month, so I’m not too busy to give each client my total dedication. I answer emails immediately, I listen to what they want, I shoot the session with patience and as much time as we need, and I edit slowly and carefully – I never rush. To me, there’s nothing more important than being easy to work with, being kind, and offering great customer service.

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
Word of mouth is super important, although that’s not exactly a “strategy.” I always ask my clients to share my name and their images if they’d like to.

How do you compete with competitors that are bigger than you in your industry?
I don’t! I just focus on my work and my customer service. I feel that if I offer a great product with great service, I will have enough clients to keep me profitable and happy. I don’t need to be the biggest and best photographer out there. I just want to do good work I care about, offer a great product, and have clients who appreciate my style, and enough of them to keep making money. I don’t need the world!

The Passion and the Service

What is one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business? How did you overcome it?
Covid-19! I didn’t shoot for three months, which is a long time for a small business. But I kept active – I worked on charity partnerships, I kept up on posting to Instagram and blogging, I launched a small greeting-card line with my photography. And I wrote a monthly newsletter, keeping clients up to speed on me, my business, and my life! I thought it was important for people to know I didn’t disappear, that I was still working, and that I looked forward to shooting again soon.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I launched a photography business 10 years ago and photographed families, commercial work, some weddings, and even headshots. I was trying to be jack of all trades. I should have spent more time learning what really drives me and fulfills me, rather than just trying to work. This comes with age too, though. Now that I’m over 40 and have spent more than 10 years as a professional photographer, I know myself and my work better. I know not to take jobs just to make money because my passion isn’t there and it shows in my work. I now only shoot dogs with their humans, and my work feels more genuine and real than it ever has because I feel so strongly about the dog/human bond and illustrating that for my clients.

What is the one thing you would do over and over – and recommend everyone else do?
Provide amazing customer service. I don’t care how talented you are at whatever you do – I won’t hire you if I can’t get you to call me back or you don’t answer questions or your policies aren’t clear, etc. Be a professional, do good work, be kind, and provide amazing service.

Being True to Who You Are

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read? Why?
I loved Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, by Austin Kleon. As a creative, we all feel this real pressure to create the most original, groundbreaking work in the world, and the truth is that all great art work is inspired by (not copied from) work that has come before it. There are more lessons than that in the book, too – he also reminds you to be true to who you are, which is so important in creative work.

Can you speak to your growth to this point and why you think it will continue?
I’ve grown slowly but steadily, and I strongly believe that if I create good work and provide great service – and stay busy and involved – I will be successful and continue to grow.

Where can you be found on the internet?

Online at www.jenfrase.com

On Instagram at @jenfrasephoto

Small Business Success Story: Jen Frase Photography

Chad and Legacy Crown Exteriors are not only committed to excellence in their work, but also in going the proverbial extra mile when it comes to customer service. We wanted to hear more about how they’ve been able to successfully unite the two goals in the Lone Star State. 

Passion for Creating a Positive Legacy

Tell us about yourself
My name is Chad Hays, 38, and I’m from Dallas, Texas. I’ve lived in Lindale, Texas and Dallas most of my life. I enjoy spending time with my family, and I enjoy the camaraderie of meaningful friendships as well. When I’m not working, I’m planning something adventurous – whether it be flying, writing music, camping, cooking, or jumping out of airplanes. I’m very passionate about life, and I strive to be the best leader that I can be. I also enjoy helping out the less fortunate at every opportunity I get. My brother is quadriplegic and one of my long-term goals is to have a charity devoted to modifying homes for disabled people.

What does your company do?
Legacy Crown Exteriors, LLC does residential and commercial roofing, remodeling, and pool and spa enclosures. We specialize in all types of roofing – from asphalt shingles to metal and clay tile roofing on the residential side, as well as TPO and silicone coatings on the commercial side. We do interior and exterior remodels, from designer-grade to “lipstick” remodels. Whether it’s an outdoor kitchen or an indoor bathroom renovation, we can do it.

Which came first – the roofing jobs or the remodeling and pool enclosures, etc.?
Roofing jobs definitely came first – remodeling and the other types of jobs were needs that we wanted to meet, and these were outgrowths of our roofing. The roofing initially gives us an opportunity to showcase our work and build trust. Once do a good job, our customers typically want us to do more work.

Where did the idea of your company come from?
I wanted to leave a positive legacy behind, and building quality roofing systems would be the catalyst for that. “Crown,” of course, is another name for a roof, so it just made sense to pair the two words in our company name.

Going the Extra Mile

What sets you apart from your competition?
We truly consider the desires of our customers and empathetically cater to each project. We strive for perfection with each project we take on, and we truly want to create a positive experience for each one of our customers.

How do you market your business?
We use a lot of brochures, signs, door hangers, and social media platforms right now. Our marketing strategies are ever-changing as our revenue increases and we then have the means to try new marketing vehicles.

How do you “wow” your customers?
We’ll try to throw in “extras” at no cost to the customer. For example, if the customer has a molded sidewalk or driveway, we will power-wash it clean after we install a roof. Small things like that show we want to go the extra mile for them.

What are one or two strategies for gaining customers that you have been successful with?
Brochures, signs, and door hangers have yielded the best results for us so far. Direct selling is very effective for us, too.

How do you compete with competitors that are bigger than you?
Our team’s work ethic is what sets us apart. Our industry is very competitive, so we try to set ourselves apart by building quality roofing systems and superior remodels.

What has been your most exciting (or unusual) job?
Our most exciting job to date was an urgent-care facility that we did a waterproof roof coating for. I had installed a roof for the medical director of that facility, and the job came as a referral from him because he was so pleased with our work.

One Foot in Front of the Other

What is one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business, and how did you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge was getting our name out there, and becoming a company that people actually knew existed. The only way to overcome that is to never give up – we put one foot in front of the other every day and continued to market the business.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I would have started with more seed capital.

What is the one thing you would do over and over, and recommend that others do as well?
Set personal and professional goals. Goals keep the vision alive, and effort is the only thing that can help you attain the goals or vision that you have for yourself and your company.

What is the one book that you recommend to our Signs.com community should read, and why?
The Greatest Miracle in the World, by Og Mandino. It’s very inspirational and its pages will encourage you to be both fearless and compassionate – which I believe are two virtues that everyone should strive to possess.

Something Greater

Can you speak to your growth to this point – and why you think it will continue?
Hard work and doing the next right thing always leads to something greater, whether it’s at a slow or fast pace. Resilience and treating people the right way always pays off, and that’s what I attribute to the growth we’ve had and will continue to experience.

How has the recent Covid-19 pandemic affected your business?
Covid-19 has definitely had an impact on our business! Because we want to respect the concerns of property owners, this has limited our ability to generate new business as effectively as in the past. Even though we’re an essential business, it’s still been a challenge to get momentum with the contact boundaries most people are adhering to.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
At one point in my life, I would take a grill to the homeless areas of Dallas every weekend and cook hotdogs for hundreds of homeless people.

Where can you be found on the internet (website, social media, etc.)?

On our website, at legacycrownexteriors.com, on Facebook @legacycrownexteriorsllc, and on Instagram @legacycrownexteriors.

Small Business Success Story: Legacy Crown Exteriors