Small business is an arduous journey, especially when you're struggling in your personal life. Here's how one tradie found success despite the challenges.
Running your own business can be hugely rewarding, but for many tradies, having sole responsibility for your company’s success or failure can take its toll.
Take Dillon Arteen of Apex Painters. He started as a house painter over 14 years ago. In 2011, he took the plunge and incorporated a company as he set his mind on expansion. Putting in long hours and working intensely to meet the demands of business, he was handling multiple jobs at once and operating concurrently in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as looking after the care and well-being of 5 employees to manage the intense workload.
In 2015, he suffered a significant back and shoulder injury, which took him off the tools and caused him to suffer a bout of depression.
He rebounded strongly, though, with the help of his family, a rigorous cross-fit training program, and a steady flow of painting leads from ServiceSeeking.com.au, which helped him generate in excess of $200,000 of revenue and more than $80,000 of additional revenue through ServiceSeeking over the last year alone.
He is taking on bigger and better jobs. He has made regular exercise, sleep and healthy eating a top priority, and he is targeting $500k in turnover through ServiceSeeking.com.au over the next two years. He is one of ServiceSeeking’s top house painters.
His secret to business success: “I play a straight bat. I am open and genuine, tell the truth and have transparent pricing. This has helped me generate almost a hundred 5-star reviews.”
Tradies, like all other small business owners, are susceptible to mental health challenges. Not only do they have to do the work, but after-hours work is almost compulsory as they undertake business-related activities such as responding to emails and calls after hours. This blurs the boundaries between work and home.
Jeremy Levitt, CEO of ServiceSeeking, says: “Many tradies can feel isolated with the crushing demands of running concurrent jobs. Managing ongoing cash flow and financial issues, chasing invoices or feeling concerned about where the next job is coming from is also stressful. Lead generation sites like ServiceSeeking can help relieve the pressure, as we send a steady flow of work to ensure that tradies remain busy all year round.”
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