We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jan Sullivan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers
We had ordered a whole house of cabinetry from a vendor in San Antonio. We found out it was not going to ship as expected and our customer would have to wait another two weeks, which he was not happy about. Roger and I decided to pick up the cabinets and deliver them ourselves, so we drove the 14 hours to San Antonio, rented a U-Haul trailer, loaded up the cabinets, covered them with tarps and strapped them down.
Roger came across a dead armadillo on the side of the road, mostly intact, and thought it would be a good idea to take it back to his grandson since we don’t ever see armadillos. He bought a styrophoam ice chest and kept it in the back of the truck. At that time of year San Antonio was hot! We stayed one night, and the next day when we were going to head out to drive the 14 hours back home he decided the stench was not worth it, and tossed the whole thing in the hotel dumpster.
I was checking the rear view mirrow constantly for the first 3 hours of our drive, I was so worried the cabinets were going to fall off and spill all over the highway, but they stayed put! Our customer was very happy to get the cabinets when he needed them so his job was not held up. I was happy the trip went without incident, and Roger was disappointed he didn’t have a really cool animal to show his grandson.
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.
After raising my five kids and finding myself in my forties, I enrolled in college classes. Although I was completely terrified in the beginning, I ended up loving college. I wanted a skill I could rely on for income and, honestly, as a matter of pride I wanted to do something that made a difference in people’s every day lives. I settled on Interior Design and received my Associates of Applied Science, and also a Kitchen and Bath Certificate, at the National Kitchen and Bath Association accredited Front Range Community College. I wanted to start working immediately so I did not go on for my bachelor’s degree, but landed a job designing kitchen and bath cabinetry layouts right out of school. I quickly realized this satisfied all my criteria; Creative, challenging, always something new and different, and especially getting out of the office frequently to measure for the cabinets at the jobsite. But, especially, I knew I could make a huge difference for home cooks in the way they fed their families.
Cabinetry in the past was very basic; whatever fit in the space was whatever was used. These days, however, it can be very complex and take into account many details previously not considered. I am a specialist who is concerned about the end user – the homeowner, and I want their kitchen and home to fit their lifestyle. I ask questions to get to the heart of what is needed in their new space. Kitchen remodel requires a large investment of money, time and patience, and I want to make sure everyone is delighted with the end result – particularly the main cooks, I spend time asking a lot of questions up front; what family members live in the house, how they entertain, if they have pets, etc. I want to know what their family does and how they live in their space. In gathering that information I can determine what has been a problem and what solutions to suggest and include in their new layout.
A growing trend is tearing out walls to make one large kitchen/dining/family room, Having spent large amounts of time as the only person in the kitchen with the rest of my family watching tv in the other room, I am in love with this concept and feel it only improves every home, contributing to a better family life. I tore out a wall in my home to open up the space, and was amazed at the difference. Suddenly my visiting family were all together, talking and laughing and involved with each other during meal prep.
Every kitchen we do at R&J Cabinetry engenders feelings of deep satisfaction in homeowners, due to hugely improved spacial elements; updated, gorgeous colors and styling; convenient prep spaces; and ample storage. We get great personal satisfaction from knowing we helped make their lives flow a little bit easier and nicer.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
My husband and I began our own business later in life, and I have done tons of reading. I highly recommend The Oz Principle, by Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman. My nephew put me on to it and it has been an effective tool towards the often overlooked, under-utilized, nitty-gritty-ness of personal accountability. Reflecting on the small and large ways we avoid accountability and applying the steps of See It, Own It, Solve It, and Do It has changed the way I look at business ownership and leading my team. Taking out blame and shame enables us to See It. Then we move on more effectively than when we hunt for someone to blame.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
When we started our own business we had years of experience with customers who called us. As the economy has slowed down, we are doing more advertising. I don’t know marketing but I have delved into the topic to learn effective methods, prices of marketing companies, and the questions to ask them. Trial and error has been big for me, ending marketing relationships twice in the last few years. Now I would recommend taking time to educate yourself at least somewhat on marketing before hiring a company. Read up on it; online articles, blogs, books, whatever. Marketing changes quickly with technology. and you want someone who is up on current best practices. I have settled on two methods to reach my customers: SEO (slow and steadily improving) and Pay Per Click ads (quick leads coming in). I want a website that pops, that draws people in and holds their attention long enough to the point they call. We have much improvement to do but I believe we will have a record year in 2024 with what we are setting up now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://randjcabinetry.com/
- Instagram: randjcabinetry