Thirty-two-year-old Mike Williams has big dreams. Not satisfied with being a successful entrepreneur, he’s aiming to build an empire of Just Drains LLC franchises. These aren’t just dreams: Williams is leveraging a quarter-century of experience at the knee of family members to bring his plans to fruition.
A solid business structure, strong service philosophy, and a promotional program in overdrive all provide a sturdy foundation for Williams’ vision. Though he credits advancing technology for much of his success so far, it’s the dogged application of traditional business-building techniques that has proven most effective.
A demanding, self-imposed standard of service call responsiveness and relentless pursuit of “face time” with potential customers are the springboards from which he intends to launch his empire.
Family foundation
At six years of age, Williams started working with his grandfather, Arthur Williams, one of Philadelphia’s first African-American master plumbers. “I would ride along and help him clean fittings or fetch parts,” he says. “He taught me what everything was – fittings, the names of things – so later on I would be able to get things from the truck because I knew what they were. It was all about showing me the process.”
Williams watched his mentor carefully, and his grandfather finally let him take a try with a pipe wrench. “I was hooked,” says Williams. “I also ended up learning important things, like putting something under my knees so I wouldn’t get arthritis. My last memory of working with my grandfather was him sitting next to me on a stool because he couldn’t kneel down anymore. I had become my grandfather’s hands, because he’d given me all that knowledge.”
Williams feels lucky to have received so much one-on-one training. His education continued at technical school. “My grandfather used to pick me up in his van, wearing his railroad hat and bib overalls,” Williams says. “He was plumbing. He would do a job, and if he knew you couldn’t pay for it, he’d just say to pay him when you could. He would not leave your house with you still having a problem. It wasn’t about the money, it was about loving what he did. And that rubbed off on me.”
His uncle, Les Woods, is a master electrician who was head electrical inspector for the City of Philadelphia for 30 years. Woods taught Williams how to work on his equipment wiring, wire heaters, and install switches. His other uncle, Alexander Hickman, is a master drain cleaner.
After Williams’ grandfather passed in 1986, he started working with Woods. “I’ve had a lot of mentors, all my family,” Williams says. “I’m blessed to have them in my life, because I know they’ve always had my best interests at heart.”
Making the leap
Having his own company was always a dream. “My uncle would tell me it was just a matter of time until I went out on my own,” he says. He decided to specialize in drain cleaning.
“What I learned over the years was the urgency of drain cleaning,” he says. “You can’t live without it. Once you get the drain open, a lot of times, that’s it. If your faucet is dripping, you can live with that, but you can’t live without your toilet flushing. You can’t live with water from your washing machine not going where it’s supposed to go.”
Williams knew that strong technical skills alone weren’t enough. A gregarious personality, he quickly threw himself into the task of building a name. With the help of a sign maker, he came up with his own logo and business cards.
In January 2007, he launched Just Drains and hired his uncles and his brother, Wesley Williams. One of his first trips was to the 2008 Pumper & Cleaner Expo in Louisville, Ky., to attend seminars and shop for equipment.
His fleet now consists of two Ford Econoline E250 vans, a Dodge Sprinter cube truck, and a 2007 Ford F150 4x4 pickup. They haul two trailer jetters from US Jetting Inc. (4,000 psi). Drain-cleaning equipment includes a Sewermatic 100, Sewer Rooter T-3, Mini-Rooter XP, Mini-Rooter, and Power-VEE from General Pipe Cleaners.
These are joined by drain cleaners from Spartan Tool LLC: two model 1065s, two model 300s, and two model 100s. He also owns two Spartan Locator inspection cameras, three SeeSnake micro inspection cameras from RIDGID, and two Line Finder 2100 pipe locators from Prototek Corp.
Technology matters
The business splits out at 85 percent drain cleaning and 15 percent plumbing. Just Drains also offers line replacement. Williams is considering trenchless techniques, but is waiting for enough volume of requests before investing in equipment and training.
Williams has learned to stay current with technology. “I had an old phone and a pager forever, I finally changed over to push-to-talk,” he says. “It just saved so much time, not to mention my voice. You have to constantly stay in contact. The right hand has to know what the left hand is doing.
“If I get a call from a plumber who needs a drain opened, they need to know an ETA, and how I want to get paid,” he says. “I don’t want to be where you can’t reach me. Having updated equipment makes the job a lot easier.”
He also uses technology to keep his small fleet mobile and responsive. Typically, a service call comes in to a contracted call center, which dispatches a text message to his cell phone. As soon as possible, he calls the dispatcher back to get details, then calls the customer. He asks clarifying questions, then renders a quote based on what he learns.
If the customer requests immediate service, he tells them he’ll call right back. He then checks his truck’s GPS to locate the nearest available unit, which may be his own. He calls the customer to give an estimated time of arrival.
Logistics and multitasking are Williams’ strengths. He urges his crew to cover as much information as possible on the phone before making a move. Everyone carries two-part service forms and turns them in at week’s end. Williams reviews these to stay on top of the workflow.
Willing to delegate
Williams tries to delegate critical but non-core tasks. “I do what I do and let people do what they do,” he says. “My motto is that the way you start off is the way you end up, so start off right. Get an accountant. If you’re in business, you’ve got to pay taxes, file your paperwork each quarter, and keep your books straight. So many people just scramble at tax time to find someone to do their taxes, but an accountant will take the long view for you.
“I intend to be global, and I can’t think small. I need to see the long term, and when I decide to franchise, my numbers need to be right. My accountant is my investment in making that happen. And I chose someone who operates the way I do: When I call, she’s on her way.”
To Williams, attitude is everything, and it shows in his marketing approach. He believes unequivocally in his chances for success as a franchiser. “If you stand in line long enough, you’ll eventually get your chance at the front,” he says. “I’m not through the gate yet, but I’m right there.
“When we franchise, it’s going to be about a return to the hands-on approach to drain cleaning. The person you call will be someone you can count on to show up, to be clean, to be thorough, to listen to your questions with respect and answer them with integrity. We want you to feel comfortable calling us back.”
He even welcomes hovering customers. “You want to watch? Fine!” he says. “Maybe you can hold my flashlight! I love people to watch me and ask questions, so I can show them what I’m trying to pull out of their lines. Sometimes, it’s one thing to know, and another to actually see the evidence, when it comes to being convinced certain things just don’t belong going down a drain line.”
Eye on the horizon
Even in the current economy, Williams is optimistic. “It’s tough, but our business is kind of recession-proof,” he says. “This Thanksgiving, there will be a lot of wishbones that clog up sinks. This Christmas, there will be little toys clogging up the toilet. But you’ve got to make yourself into someone people want to call, not just a drain cleaner.
“In any profession, you can’t afford not to be a people person. If you’re not a people person, you’ll soon be selling me your equipment, because average doesn’t cut it anymore. In a regular economy, you have to be great. In this economy, you have to be phenomenal.”
Williams believes drain cleaning has a bright future, with enough work for everyone. “In New Orleans alone, I could go down right now and never leave, there’s that much that needs done,” he says. “Someone will need to do all that.”
How much success everyone will enjoy depends on the contractors themselves. “We have to stay on top of equipment and technology,” he says. “As an industry, we need to work together to keep prices at a reasonable level, with a balance that allows customers to afford us, but allows us to make a decent living.”
It’s a big challenge, but it doesn’t shake a certain energetic young drain cleaner with his heart in the game and his eye on the horizon.
