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

Kelley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.

As owners of our own family business, we have a lot of thoughts on this! Family-owned and small businesses have long been an integral part of the American economy and of the so-called “American Dream”. My grandfather started a small air-conditioning business in Shreveport, Louisiana in the 1960s. He grew up in an incredibly poor family and saw a lot of hard times as a child. At one point his entire family lived in an abandoned candy factory! He was determined to provide a better life for his family and took a leap of faith to start his own company when my mom and uncle were young. His company was successful, and as a result he was able to provide opportunities and education for his children that weren’t available to him. His investment in the future of his family in turn allowed me opportunities that I might not have had otherwise. That is the value in supporting a small or family-owned business. When you purchase from a large corporation, you are indeed providing jobs. However, when you purchase from a family-owned business, you are in a very direct way putting food on the table for growing children, paying for football cleats and piano lessons, and buying the ninth pair of jeans this year because little legs won’t stop growing. You are often directly investing in your own local economy. You are providing members of your community with the resources they need to develop innovative solutions that serve and enrich your community. That’s an impact that can’t be quite so readily felt through large business support.

Regarding family business, we’ve found that the entire family being invested together is a great way to foster work ethic and pride in craftsmanship in our children. We’re building a legacy for our children, and they get to actively participate in that in their formative years. Whether or not they choose to step into the family business as they get older, they get to see first-hand now what you can build with hard work, determination, and good character. That’s a life lesson we hope will serve them well.

Kelley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are Jeremy and Kelley Irwin, and we formed Irwin Construction together in August of 2014. We are a family-owned and operated construction company specializing in residential renovations. We pride ourselves in attention to detail in both the design of a space and the technical execution of the remodel.

Jeremy has an eye for rearranging small or awkward spaces to dramatically increase their functionality. On more occasions than we can count, clients have cited his innovative ideas as the reason they chose our company over other contractors they interviewed.

I am our in-house designer and enjoy walking a client through the entire planning and design process, from initial ideas and material selection all the way to decorating and styling. We’re a ready-made team of designer and contractor and we work well together!

Brand-wise, we are proud that our company bears our name and that our boys are already taking ownership in the family business. Among friends, the Irwin name has long symbolized Jeremy’s work ethic, good character, and skill. I was honored to marry into that name, and our boys are starting to understand the pride of being an Irwin. We work hard to infuse those same characteristics into our business as well.

How’d you meet your business partner?

In our case, this is also a story of how I met my husband. Jeremy and I met while in undergraduate studies at the University of North Texas. We had some mutual friends, and our paths crossed. I was instantly impressed with his creativity, work ethic, and ability to befriend anyone and everyone. I remember telling him not long after I met him that he reminded me of my grandfather. I don’t think he knew what to make of that at the time, but after he met my grandfather (the very same grandfather who started his own business in the ‘60s), he thanked me for the compliment. Turns out I had pretty good judgement, because our partnership in both life and business has been the greatest blessing of my life.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Hands down, word of mouth is the best source of new clients for us. When clients are looking for someone to hire to work in their home, they usually start by asking around. Are there contractors their friends or neighbors have had good experiences with? They see a friend’s beautiful new kitchen and just must know who renovated it. Residential renovations require a high level of trust since we are working in a client’s home. Past clients who share good experiences with their community earn us most of our new business, and we are so grateful for good referrals!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.irwinbuilds.com
• Instagram: @irwin.construction
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/irwin.construction.denton

Image Credits
Darby Kate Photography