When Armando Ramos decided at age 19 to open a drain cleaning business in Phoenix in 2010, he was the definition of a business rookie — a one-man operator who unclogged drains for $50 a pop and relied on Craigslist ads to attract customers.
Now the owner of Plomero en Phoenix (Plumber in Phoenix), Ramos, 31, is an experienced businessman, not a novice. He employs six people; runs three professional-looking service trucks, replete with eye-catching vinyl wraps; manages an effective marketing campaign centered on social media; and generates more than $1 million in gross revenue annually.Not bad for a self-made entrepreneur
