We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joseph Tweedy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joseph, appreciate you joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

Well this story isnt about what an particular person or anything like that, more so, the consequences of my actions that led me down the path to start my first business…Carpentry.

To start things off, i didnt have your traditional up bringing, to keep it short and simple, i was raised around people that i didnt wanna end up like. Being born into this world from 2 drugs addicts, your already expected to fail or end up just like them. My childhood consisted of me being shuffled around foster homes, in and out of child services, physical abuse, mental abuse and poverty. At a young age i knew i wanted more for myself and i knew that id never end up like that. I began working at the age of 14 to pay for designer brand clothing to avoid being bullied, i bought vans, dc shoes, fox racing, things like that, because my family couldnt afford stuff like that. That early work ethic in life, later became one of the fundamental building blocks of who i am. Throught the next years id bounce around from job to job, moved from Southern California to Okc, Oklahoma in my early 20s. I ended up having no idea what i wanted to do for money for the rest of my life. i was having trouble holding down a job that i was happy at. I then got laid off and resorted to other means of making money, one thing led to another and next thing i know, ive got the local drug task force kicking in my door. Threw me on the ground, guns drawn, flash bang through the front window, screaming, my dogs going nuts, it was all hell.. My house was destroyed, clothes everywhere, trash and food everywhere, absolutely destroyed my garage and toolboxes. It was the biggest eye opener ive ever had…it was the eye opener that i didnt know that i needed. During that same year, i lost the man that raised me, my pops, my step dad. It was a hell of a year. Something inside me one day said “man you should really check out trim carpentry”. Im a mechanical dude, not a carpenter, i hop on craigslist and what do ya know, theres a gentlemen looking for a helper. I nailed the interview and started with him the next monday.

After about 2-3yrs of bouncing from carpenter to carpenter, i was offered a chance to become a subcontractor for a particular builder, the gentelmen liked me and we got along. So instead of firing me, i got me an LLC setup, etc etc and next thing ya know, Precision Trim Worx was born in 2018. We are going into our 6th year of business, i went from just working by myself to now have 2 trucks, trailers and 7 teammates that work along side me. I am always so thankful for being arrested, it was the biggest blessing in disguise. It cost me alot financially but i gained so much more in the grand scheme of things. Without that chapter in my life, i never wouldve found carpentry, which wouldve never led to me starting and owning a succesful business.

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.

I grew up in an enviroment where it was constant survival mode. I knew early on in life that what i wanted, wasnt normal for my family tree. At the age of 14 i started working, my family couldnt afford much so i knew that if i wanted those things that i was going to have to get them on my own. Rather than being addicted to substances, i was addicted to other things like adrenalin, offroad, camping, anything to keep me away from my home life. So i always made it a goal to work, my ethic is something that came naturally, ive never been afraid of jumping right into something and getting it done by any means neccesary. After starting a business that work ethic came in handy as i knew i was going to put even more work. I always told myelf “Im sure glad im working this hard for something i love”.

In carpentry, theres 2 types of people, 1 who is there just to get paid, 1 who is there to showcase a skill that has taken time to perfect. Most often, the end product shows that. What i bring to this industry is a carpenter who believes in doing things the right way the first time and doing them with great quality. What sets me apart from most business owners in this industry is my willingness to take the time to do things right and leave a project proud to put my sticker on it. I have come to realize that in this industry, trade workers are problem solvers, people call us to fix something they dont know how to do. The problems i get calls about can range from something as simple as putting on a new door knob or hinge all the way up to completey rebuilding a staircase in a remodel. Its the constant change everyday that lets me learn or refine a skill, overcoming challenges or fixing that ugly accent wall a homeowner doesnt like and hearing their reaction is a great feeling knowing that we have helped make someones home that much more attractive to them.

The things im most proud of with this business, ive trained every single one of my 7 teammates, it takes alot to teach people, especially when your trying to run a business. I learned ALOT about myself in the process of training my first 2 guys, those guys are now my crew leads and are running jobs while im out doing other things. Im most proud of the growth that has been attained over the past 5yrs of business. Quality, precision, and customer service are just a few of the amazing qualities being brought to the table from the guys at Precision Trim Worx. We are dedicated, hard working, passionate carpenters that love what we do, day in and day out.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

My side hustle away from carpentry…..Automotive Photography.

My side hustle all started when my best friend Andrew Salazar (@ovrsize.media). He saw that i had a need for a solid camera to capture photos of my carpentry work and the homes that we build. Little did we know that it would spiral down into such an amazing artistic outlet.

At a young age my pops introduced me to cars and horsepower, later in my teen years i was introduced to the world of offroading and offroad racing. So i always loved cars, offroading, anything with lots of horsepower and going fast, i was all about. Through my years of carpentry, the aspect of producing a quality build carried over into my love for cars which then when i was handed my first nikon d3500 helped me realize that my attention to detail went much further than just carpentry.

Its been about 4yrs now that ive been doing photography and its blown up even more so than i ever imagined. I started with free shots from car shows, then went into free private shoots to help build a portfolio, once i felt that i had enough free shoots under my belt, i then started to charge for them.

A few key milestones would probably be securing my first multi car private shoot, my first out of state private shoot, and my first invite to be a primary photographer for a large truck show. The most monumental moment so far…. the oppurtunity to be a traveling photographer for RockStar Performance Garage. I get to travel to tons of major offroad events, product releases, races, crawl event, all things offroad and high performance, i now get paid to produce amazing photos of the things that im most passionate about. Its something that i never even thought would happen when i was first handed that camera. I wouldnt be where i am today in my photography without my best friend Andrew over at Ovrsize Media.

I got to where i am today with photography by not being afraid to put myself out there. Noone starts out as a pro at something, but if you love it enough, youll work nonstop to perfect your craft. I messaged tons of people, i handed out business cards at any and every event i could attend. All it took for me to go to the next level was to message some random dude on instagram with a few photos, got invited out to basically an in person, on the job, type of interview. He saw my hustle, saw my product, believed that with the right direction and equipment that i could be an asset to his team and believed in me more than i did in myself. Im a humble dude and sometimes downplay my own abilities in order to remain humble and not allow it to get to my head, If i never wouldve take the time or the risk to message that gentlemen, i wouldnt have started off 2024 with such epic news. Stop selling yourself short, were all meant for more than we even know…..

Any advice for managing a team?

I always tell people, i try to be someone that i would want to work for. Ive worked for some terrible people, screaming at you, cussing, talking down to you, or just downright toxic companies. I learned alot from those guys and those companies. I always tell my guys positive affirmations, “damn guys you got alot done today, hell yeah” “hey guys production has been so awesome lately that lunch is on me today” “man that house looks really awesome guys, thank you for all your hard work” “Its gonna be a damn good day guys, lets get after it!!” Just some of the things that i say to my guys to let them know that i always appreciate them and their hardwork.

Having a good attitude as a leader can go a long ways in improving the morale of 1 person or the crew as a whole.

Giving back to your teammates and showing them that you appreciate them with more than just cash can always help as well. Ill pay for boots, tools, gas, car parts, stuff like that to give back to my guys. At the end of the day i wouldnt be where i am without my teammates and ive gotta be grateful for every hour they put in. Theres a million other jobs they could have, tons of other people they could work for, but they believe in me and choose to wake up and come to work for me everyday.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.precisiontrimworx.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birdman_automotive_photography https://www.instagram.com/precisiontrimworx/

Image Credits
Ovrsize Media Birdman Automotive Photography