Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Candice Shum. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Candice thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

I am the third generation owner of a family owned business. My mother inherited several of her father’s team members when she became second generation owner. Many decades later, I inherited several of her team members, and even some that had worked for my grandfather. Its unbelievably humbling to have people stick with your family owned business for that long. Nothing ties the generations together more than someone who has first hand stories of working with all three generations.

For example, when we were getting a gourmet espresso machine installed in the breakroom, a gentleman who had worked with us for over 40 years, told me that my grandfather used to charge him 25 cents for each cup of Folgers coffee he drank at the office. We had a good chuckle about how far things had come on that front.

With multi-generational team members comes a lot of experience and value. I’ve had some truly natural leaders take interest in passing their knowledge down to the younger hires. These individuals took delight in their role as teacher, and it was cool to watch the respect grow between mentor and mentee.

I also had to work with a few people who were resistant to change and my leadership style. I take a team approach, where my mother had more of a key player strategy. There were tough periods through that, but my leadership team blossomed and everyone found their happy place. Even if it wasn’t with my business.

When I’m recruiting I’m looking for individuals with the right mindset. Experience is a bonus, but a hearty work ethic and culture fit are critical. The best team members I have are generous with their time and talent. They want everyone on their team to join them in the climb to success. If they’re happy working with me, and I’m like a proud parent watching them thrive in their role, everyone wins. Respect for people and love of the work has to come out on every level. I’ve heard people say it trickles down form the top, but it really flows both ways.

Candice, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a third generation “Culligan Woman”, growing a small woman-owned Culligan Water franchise business that has been in my family for over seventy years. As a young adult, I didn’t always see the value in continuing on as the next generation. I was well into my thirties before I realized how unique it is to be apart of that kind of history, and to nurture the business for generations to come. The responsibility of that can be heavy, but I have such a love for it, the work it takes feels similar to raising a child. Some days are hard, but you’d never change it or give up.

Culligan Water is all about good, clean water. We handle water needs everywhere from the office cooler to industrial applications and healthcare. Having grown up in a household with water treatment, I’m a self proclaimed water snob. Homes should have soft water running through it to extend the life of your appliances. People should be drinking clean, filtered water for their health. Manufacturers can create production efficiencies through pure water. The benefits are endless.

There are many competitors in the water treatment industry, but what makes Culligan Water stand alone is our commitment to the lifetime of our products. A member of my team will coach you on the benefits of water treatment and help you decide what is the best solution for your needs. My technician team will install your equipment. We never sub to outside plumbers. If you ever have a problem with your water treatment, we are there to provide a solution. When my team is doing their best work, we gain Culligan customers for life. They never have a reason to call on a competitor. You can order water treatment solutions online, but you don’t get the support and knowledge of the Culligan team.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I followed a realtor on Instagram that I really admired. Just by following his account I could see that he was nailing the balance of work hard, play hard. I was always entertained by his posts and one day it dawned on me that very few of his posts were about homes for sale. As I got to know him better, I saw first hand how he was building client relationships. He was building a reputation of a person, and a business, that people would want to work with. He hosted happy hours, his team gave away pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving…I even adopted a dog at an event for his favorite animal shelter! He was doing it right so I hired the marketing firm he was using.

They taught me so much about this strategy, but the best thing to come out of it has been our involvement with the community. People want to see that you’re not just a company hustling products, but an actual contributor to the neighborhoods they live in. We have cleaned parks, hosted the police and fire departments with a taco truck and we open our doors every summer to welcome our team’s children for Culligan Kids Day. The connections and relationships that have come from those community efforts have been immeasurable.

Through this outreach I was introduced to a local children’s charity that I synced with immediately. Culligan became an active sponsor and I eventually joined their board of directors. It has been truly meaningful work that I would have missed out on if I hadn’t made the initiative to get my business more involved in the community. As I started to engage my work team with their volunteer opportunities, people would come up and tell me how the charity had helped their grandchild or neighbor’s child. It felt full circle.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Videos! Everyone wants to watch (very) short videos. Pretty, static pictures are no longer enough. At the time I contracted with a videographer, the expense was a stretch for my budget and I’d wake up in the middle of the night wondering if I was making a frivolous financial decision. Did we even need vides? Couldn’t we just get better photography? The ramp up period was challenging and expensive, but I’m so glad I saw it through. A videographer comes on site weekly to capture footage for custom social posts. It has become the flavor and personality of our digital reputation. Like my realtor inspiration, the videos are meant to engage and delight the audience. Through a light narrative, that illustrates we are the water expert to partner with, we build awareness with our viewers so when they’re ready to invest in water treatment, there is no question who they’ll call. Its value cant be measured as accurately as some marketing campaigns, but its another way to distinguish your business from your competitors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://culligankansascity.com
• Instagram: @culliganks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Culliganwaterofkansascity
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candice-shum-53a54a14a/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/culliganwaterks
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@culliganwaterkc

Image Credits
Isbell Creative Muffet Petrehn Photography Elements Studio Photography