Many instances within the pavement upkeep business, contractors typically diversify their companies to serve their clients as a one-stop store. Jim Panzenhagen, a 30+ 12 months striping business veteran, by no means needed that. He knew very early on that he needed to be a grasp in his craft and has develop into a well known striping business skilled who is very regarded for his experience.
Like most beginning out within the business although, it wasn’t all the time that approach,
Panzenhagen was working as a property supervisor for an area actual property firm within the New York Tri State Space in 1993. He bought a strain pop striping machine for $500 and began making some cash with it on the properties he managed.
“A administration firm proprietor requested me if I needed to buy one in all his striping machines and he stated he’d train me every thing he knew concerning the enterprise,” Panzenhagen stated. “I paid $2,000 for one of many unique Graco 5000 machines in 1993 and I labored with him for a number of years and he confirmed me every thing concerning the enterprise, going forwards and backwards. I then purchased my second Titan 6000 and it was simply my finest good friend from rising up and myself going out on the weekends in my van portray parking heaps for this man for a couple of years.”
As soon as Panzenhagen knew he needed to make a profession out of this work, he began to dive in head first and his firm, JMP Excelsior Companies, LLC, started.
“I did plenty of analysis again within the early 90s, it was simply Google again then,” Panzenhagen stated. “Then I got here throughout Robert Liles’ Parking Lot Planet which was a wealth of data and the place I realized most of what I wanted to know. On this outdated discussion board, I talked with specialists and contractors and I met the best bunch of men from his discussion board that I nonetheless speak to to today, virtually 30 years later.”
Schooling for Experience
Past the boards, Panzenhagen knew that he wanted to get extra info if he needed to succeed. He discovered business commerce reveals invaluable to advancing his enterprise.
“I began going to the seminars and I’d take the identical seminar 12 months after 12 months as a result of the seminars change,” Panzenhagen stated. “I used to be simply searching for the most recent, quickest, and I assume, the quickest however best approach of doing the work. I all the time thought that if I might reduce an hour off of each job, it is an hour extra I’ve with my household. In order that was my large push by studying the business and the way I might get the job achieved sooner on the similar high quality and make more cash doing it.”
Whereas Panzenhagen was rising his enterprise, he relied on his community to assist him sort out the massive jobs. Many of those individuals who helped him on these jobs, stayed with him and helped him develop his worker pool – a should for his speedy development.
“I obtained an e mail out of the blue and it requested me if I’d work for this man I had by no means heard from,” Panzenhagen stated. “I did not know who this man was, so I responded to it and requested him what he had. It seems that he had the Walmart contract for New Jersey and Delaware. That was a fortunate e mail.”
On the time, JMP had two different chain pushed lazy liners, however nonetheless thought of their enterprise new with solely about 10 years below its belt.
“We weren’t excessive manufacturing within the least and now we’re doing virtually 80 shops a 12 months, re-striping with three to 4 folks,” Panzenhagen stated. “I went from utilizing perhaps 1,000 to 1,500 gallons a 12 months to utilizing virtually 14,000 gallons of paint a 12 months.”
Whereas the enterprise in fact struggled with the 2008 recession, shrinking down to 2 full time staff, it allowed the corporate to search out methods to develop into much more environment friendly with the work they nonetheless had.
A Grasp of the Craft
Most contractors within the business are self-taught, however it’s essential that we’re educating one another tips on how to do the work the appropriate approach. That has develop into Panzenhagen’s mission.
“A contractor won’t ever present you what to do, however a craftsman will train you every thing he is aware of,” Panzenhagen stated. “I realized on the outdated discussion board web page and with occasions and it’s all the time caught in my thoughts that I need to assist different folks the way in which I used to be helped if I am ready. What we do isn’t a secret. There is not any proprietary stuff to do that. If I might help folks improve their manufacturing and their high quality and maintain our costs up, I assist on a regular basis. If somebody is doing poor work, in the end, that can mirror on me. If he does a awful job, a buyer isn’t going to have it achieved once more, or they will beat me up on my costs and nobody desires that.”
Panzenhagen began educating at business tradeshows in 2017 and has continued to talk at occasions and make himself obtainable for many who want him 12 months spherical by Fb teams and emails.
“Individuals who need to achieve success on this business must have dedication,” Panzenhagen stated. It’s important to go in 100% into the enterprise and it takes some time to get established. Your repute is every thing. I maintain telling all the brand new guys that doing a job ‘ok’ isn’t going to work. That first job goes to both launch you ahead or it will hang-out you for 10 years so begin proper and do it proper from day one. Spend money on the gear and the right supplies to do the work. You will pay again your funding inside a 12 months or two by shopping for what’s proper. You may’t go into this considering you are going to make $200,000 the primary 12 months when you’ve by no means touched a machine earlier than,that’s very optimistic at finest. The Fb teams that I handle are a good way for me to ensure new guys have the appropriate expectations, the appropriate instruments and the appropriate contacts to do what’s wanted to achieve success.”
And on the finish of the day, know your strengths and keep on with them.
“I all the time knew I needed to be a craftsman at my commerce versus doing so many alternative issues not in addition to the one factor I knew I used to be actually good at,” Panzenhagen stated. “I needed to focus on one factor and develop into the perfect I might in a single business. I’d relatively get extra striping work and have extra crews portray than I’d making an attempt to get into sealcoating or paving or patching or something like that and never do it proper. Paint is not any large deal for me and it’s one thing I take pleasure in doing. I like going out portray and I nonetheless exit on each job we do. So I all the time needed to only keep on with turning into a craftsman in a single business relatively than a number of.”
