We were lucky to catch up with Desmond Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Desmond, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea?

When I started maintenance and found out that I actually loved it. I instantly knew that I wanted to soak up as much knowledge from my coworkers as much as possible so that it could allow me the skillset to be able to work for myself in the future. Some of the main steps that allowed me to launch my business was actually being a student of the game in my field. During that journey I acquired my CPO certification (Certified Pool Operator) and my Universal EPA certification which allowed me to work on any AC unit. During this journey I learned how to become a professional worker, develop customer service skills, learn how to deal with difficult residents, problem solve, and become well rounded as a maintenance tech. I knew in order to have a successful business I need to master the basic everyday problems that occur for a home owner.

When I ruptured my achilles playing a pick up game of football which caused me to lose my job. That actually pushed me to start my business sooner than expected so that I would never have to rely on someone paying me.

Before I actually started my business I started doing work on the side after I would get off from working my 8-5 job. There were a lot of long days where I wouldn’t get back home until 10-11pm at night. I had to figure out how to start an LLC, get a business account, how to track business expenses, make a business page, list my business on yelp/google etc., get a business number, insurance, logo, name, business cards, business shirts and finally prices just to get started

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am a small town guy from Tallahassee, FL that grew up on the Southside from humble beginnings. I got into the industry from a friend suggesting that I should try out maintenance because I couldn’t see myself working my current job (Animal Shelter) at the time for the rest of my life. I think my entire life I was being molded to do what I do now. I was always good with my hands, put things together, great reader, and had to somewhat figure things out with little to no guidance at times. My discipline comes from my dad even though I didn’t really like to listen to him or other people like most kids. Sports had a very powerful impact on me as a kid. It taught me that If you want to be #1 You have to put the work in, stay consistent, and that there are NO shortcuts to success.

I provide Home improvement Services in Orlando and surrounding services (Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC, Painting, Tile, Drywall, Flooring, Appliance Repair/Installation, TV mounting, Furniture Assembly, and Carpentry) The problems that I solve for many of my clients, brokers, realtors, property managers is that they don’t have to make a lot of phone calls to schedule different vendors. Im literally a one stop shop. That’s what sets me apart from your average handyman.

I am most proud of my personal/business growth since I started it officially back in April of 2017. I am glad that I took a leap of faith because it has allowed me to meet so many people. I am able to travel, make my own schedule and it allows me true freedom to do what I want to do when I want to do it.

The main thing I want potential clients to know is that I take pride in my work, I feel like I am the best at what I do in my field and I strive to provide high quality service and work.

I want my family, friends, and just people in general to always push yourself out of your comfort zone, shoot for your dreams, and never ever give up!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Funding for my business came from my 9-5 and from doing side jobs. I fully funded my business by constantly reinvesting in myself by learning new skills, buying quality tools, saving, and not paying myself. Thankfully my field doesn’t have a high over head or require a lot to start. The main thing I had to pay for was my LLC, Insurance, logo, business card design/cards, and depositing money in my business account.

For people that feel like you need a lot of money to start a business. That’s not necessarily true all the time. You can start it off as a side hustle, reinvest, and build it from the ground up.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

One of my favorite marketing moments was when I had a job to mount a tv over a fireplace that was for an old school heavy 60 inch tv. One way I test how secure a mount is on the wall is by pulling on it with majority of my body weight. That day I actually did a full pull up on it and my client was amazed. I had her take a picture of me doing it and that very next day my phone lit up with people wanting me to mount their tvs.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Jpr_services
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jonespremierresidentialservices/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-jones-573178a9/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jones-premier-residential-services-orlando

Image Credits
Design35llc