A Different Business Path

Don’t be afraid to look for a new way to make your business stand out.

I like it when people go against the grain. If you follow everyone else, you’re likely to get the same results as everyone else. That might be acceptable, but it’s never going to be exceptional. Some people have a bigger vision.

Both of the companies profiled in this issue of Cleaner have chosen their own routes to success. Plumber’s Service has spent six decades serving as the drain cleaning extension of countless plumbing businesses in the Greater Detroit area. It was the vision of company founders Richard and Millie Goan right from the start. Subcontracting was nothing new, but the Goans looked at it differently. They wanted to carve out a strong reputation with a sort of nonidentity.

They recognized that the majority of plumbers in their operating area were ill-equipped to effectively handle drain cleaning jobs and sought a partnership where they could become a high-quality and noncompetitive extension of the plumber’s business. Plumber’s Service does not advertise. There are no wraps on their trucks. When they’re working as subcontractors, customers for the most part think they are the plumbing company that hired them.

The fact that the model is still working today speaks to its inventiveness, and to the quality with which the company, now under the leadership of the Goans’ son, Jeff, carries out its mission. They focus on drain cleaning and rehabilitation and let plumbers focus on what they do best.

Liner Guys hasn’t been around anywhere near as long, but the company established a niche that’s every bit as effective and valuable. Partners Steve Stefanidis and Mike Rodger established the company with a narrow focus on sewer lateral cleaning, inspection and rehabilitation. They both had experience and they knew there was opportunity in their market.

The London, Ontario, market the company serves is composed of mostly older homes with aging lateral connections, providing a good potential customer base. On top of that, there aren’t many competitors providing the same services, and none who specialize like Liner Guys.

Stefanidis and Rodger used their knowledge and experience to identify a space in which they could prosper, and then set out to educate their potential customer base about the ways in which Liner Guys’ services could help them.

In a few short years, the company has been able to establish its position and create demand for its services, with gross revenue increasing about 30 percent in each of the last two years.

Providing an alternative to traditional lateral replacement created a foundation for Liner Guys’ success. An alternative customer base made the difference for Plumber’s Service. Neither company followed the common path.

Fitting in might be comfortable, but sometimes standing out is the only way to be truly successful. Don’t be afraid to look for a new way. Don’t be afraid to take a chance if it’s something you believe in.

Enjoy this month’s issue.



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