We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brock Chapman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brock, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
Our name may seem pretty straightforward to most, but we haven’t always had that name. Your business name MEANS something to the public. It speaks of your vision, your customer or audience, your trade, the very way you make a living. In the beginning, my wife and I sat down to talk about the dream I had of starting my own business doing carpentry after a year of apprenticeship with another local company. I felt at that point that I’d learned all that I needed to get started on my own, so we set out on a journey to launch our own business from the ground up, while my wife was on unpaid maternity leave, nonetheless! Perfect time to start a business, right?! From that point we knew we needed a name and nothing seemed right at first. Until, that is, we settled on the usage of alliteration! And thus, “CCC” [Chapman Custom Carpentry] was born! After a few years, my skills grew and I challenged myself by taking on many more projects that surpassed just the carpentry skills I had and I grew in my knowledge of other skills- such as simple plumbing, drywall, painting, decks, electrical, and other types of trade work. Within a few years, it was evident that ‘Carpentry’ wasn’t gonna cut it in our name any more. (Anybody remember that Burlington Coat Factory commercial jingle from a couple decades ago?) We did custom work of all types now, after all, and it wasn’t just carpentry that I did. In keeping with the alliteration (and to be able to keep the same logo style) we changed the business name to Chapman Custom Craftsman and it has opened up a whole new client base because we broadened our scope of work! Who knows, maybe in a few years, I’ll be able to hire my son and we’ll get to go through another name change: Chapman Custom CraftsMEN.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As I previously mentioned, I had the opportunity to apprentice with a local company for a year before launching off on my own. During that year, I learned everything I could from two men in particular. These men taught me everything I knew at that point. Combined, they had over 60 years of experience that I didn’t have! I wanted to learn all that they were willing to teach me-how to bill a client, how to come up with pricing for a project, how to make detailed angled cuts, bevels and weird niches. I was hungry to learn from them and I knew the training I got from them was invaluable. I slowly built up my tool sets, buying only what I absolutely needed one tool at a time. Before I knew it, I had an entire power tool set and I paid for it all with cash as I could so that I never once had to take out a business loan. I did the work I could with what tools I had and rented or borrowed the rest if I needed to. I am so grateful for all the knowledge these men poured into me that first year. They really gave me the confidence to branch out on my own when the time came.
I absolutely love what I do: making something beautiful from just a pile of materials. I GET TO do this for a living, and it has provided for my family for over 10 years now. Our business tag line is “making your house a home.” We truly pride ourselves in being able to take a plain, ordinary space and transform it into the home of our client’s dreams. Whether it’s giving custom design advice or going off of a Pinterest photo, we love making visions come to life right in front of our eyes. From custom accent walls, to retiling an entire bathroom, or from giant decks and pergolas to finishing basements- There isn’t anything too big for us! Our attention to detail and care of the customer truly set us apart, we believe. Where many trades often cut corners to cut cost, our focus truly is CRAFTSMANSHIP. I mean, it’s literally in our name! We love the fine detail work, the custom pieces, the whole room transformations, taking the ordinary to the extraordinary!
When you hire me as your contractor, you’re not just throwing away money paying for a giant crew to come take twice as along as they should because half of the workers are sitting around. As the Sole Proprietor of this business, you’re actually helping my daughter take dance lessons or my son play baseball. You’re allowing my wife to stay home to be with our kids and homeschool them with a quality education, to explore the world in our free time and build meaningful, close connections together. You’re giving me the freedom to take off work so we can spend a family day at the zoo or celebrate a birthday. This job means so much to me because of what it provides for my most treasured possession: My family. I work hard because I have to in order to keep business running. But when you’re a business owner, you get to work hard AND play hard. You don’t have to choose between two worlds. I thank God for blessing my business and using it to provide for my family this way for over 10 years now. I feel like I’m just getting started and I know that this is just the beginning!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Being a business owner isn’t easy, especially in the beginning when you’re tying it get it off the ground. The words “You don’t Work, You Don’t Eat” come to mind. You have to work it, grind it, and keep pressing forward even when you don’t want to. Early mornings, late nights, and continued pressure to “be seen” by potential clients can make it feel like you don’t have much free time. There’s so much to running a small business that many people will never have to courage to face or press through when the money isn’t coming in quite yet. So many people see a vision or picture of a business at its fullest potential, but many don’t realize that you can’t get there over night.
Having to answer the phone calls and respond to the emails in a timely fashion, while also setting boundaries for your personal life can be seemingly difficult in the beginning (and in the middle too). Thankfully, our family has so much flexibility with homeschooling and my wife making our home what it is, that it makes creating intimate family moments that much easier because we aren’t subject to so many family members’ rigid schedules.
Pushing through the hard stuff as a business owner really is a perfect illustration of one’s resilience. Sacrifices are made, stuff gets missed, schedules get rearranged and then rearranged again because of work schedules and deadlines and meetings. But having a family that supports you and stands behind you 100% is the best way to keep pressing on towards the goal.
The best projection of resilience is your ‘Why.’ WHY are you doing this? What are you fighting for? That’ll keep you going! Keep your eyes on the goal. Set realistic goals for yourself and self-examine every few months. Just don’t give up on yourself!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Honestly and humbly: my work ethic, integrity, and client interactions have helped me build my reputation. When you see me on the job site, I’m not going to be sitting around waiting for paint to dry. I’m not going to be running off with your money. I’m not going to be leaving everything trashed at the end of the work day. I’m not going to be bad mouthing people or manipulating the homeowners. (Trust me, I’ve heard it all from my client’s past experiences!)
I’ve had so many returning clients that I can’t even count them all! And we are grateful for each and every single one. It truly is a blessing to serve so many families repeatedly. Nothing will get you business faster than an honest, hardworking, communicative attitude! In Colossians 3:23 the Bible says “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Everything I do is for Him, to use it as however He pleases. God has greatly blessed my family through this business and has always provided for us all along the way, bringing the right people at the right time. Year after year after year! When people notice that I talk differently on job site (refraining from certain language, always encouraging others, and walking in patience and grace), it’s all because of my transformed life through Jesus. My life is a reflection of Him. I build my reputation in this market for the sole purpose of giving Jesus all the glory for what I have And what I do in this life.
There have been instances in the past where people have tried to make me look bad by speaking things about me that weren’t true. My character as a man of God and my integrity speak for itself though, and thankfully many of the people that heard the lies didn’t even believe it. When you’re a man (or woman) of character, and you work hard and live an honest life, you become an unstoppable force. As I said in the last question, keep pressing forward! Keep looking ahead at your prize and don’t give up on yourself. You have something worth fighting for within you. When your character shines through, your reputation will precede you and nothing the haters say will change someone’s mind about you.
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Image Credits
Gallagher Homestead Photography