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

Alright, Lori thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Back in 2020 I had been working for a remote digital marketing company since 2013 in the personal development field. Although there were things I loved about it, I did not enjoy working from home and the lack of human interaction and work balance. It was not good for my mental health – I was a person who became overly focused and never stopped working! I was actually starting to see signs of my health declining from so many years of not being able to feel happy with my work life balance.

I knew I needed a change, so I made a plan to quit my job and try to figure out what was next. So on Thursday, March 12, 2020 I quit my work from home job because I didn’t want to work from home anymore. And then, the next week the entire world shut down due to covid and EVERYONE started working from home. It was ironic to say the least!

My company asked me if I wanted to reconsider, but I needed a change so I stuck with my decision. But the job market was really not what I expected it to be when I was planning my exit, lol.

After a few months of confusion (that all of us were feeling!) and knowing that I needed to start looking for the next right thing in my life, I realized that my husband, Jack’s small construction business was one of the only industries that wasn’t being impacted by the covid shutdown. He needed help and he really needed to have the opportunity to grow.

What was required to do larger projects was a General Contractor’s license. He was way too busy at that point to stop working to study for the exam so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work! I never thought at 45 I would be changing jobs, industries, careers and starting to work for myself!

I took test prep classes, studied for weeks and worked with Jack to understand some of the terms and methodologies that the different subjects referred to. In August of 2020 I passed the North Carolina General Contractor Exam and was able to obtain our General Contractor’s license for the company.

From there we were able to work on larger and more profitable projects – there were so many twists and turns! Everywhere I looked was a new learning curve. In 2021 my sister, Emily joined the business as our third partner to help create and implement processes that allow for scale and growth.

Now in 2024 we are thriving and have been so lucky to be in the incredible Charlotte market where remodeling is growing every year.

It was a huge and scary risk that is definitely paying off!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

With over 25 years in the construction industry Hansen’s Renovations has experience to draw from for every budget and project. Hansen’s Renovations is a Licensed General Contractor and is a local, family owned business.

Client Communication is our main goal. It is important to us to make sure that you know what to expect throughout the project. We have created a clear process and invested in an online-based client portal to keep you updated on our progress, timetable and changes that come up. We do our best to maintain your confidence in us.

One thing that defines our team is our ability to come up with creative and timely solutions. We listen to you and your ideas to make them come to life paying attention to every little detail.

Hansen’s Renovations is a family run business – Lori and Emily are sisters and Jack and Lori are married – they strive to treat each project as if it were in their own home.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

My two business partners are basically the most important people in my life (besides our daughter, Sadie!).

Jack and I have been married for 20+ years and love being brave and bold with our life and now in our business. Emily is my sister and we have of course known each other our entire lives :)

The reason that we make a great team in remodeling is that we all three have very different skills and talents that fill in all of the gaps that are needed in a well run business.

Jack is the expert in construction and since he was an executor for so many years he knows every trade and their scopes of work inside and out. He is excellent with customer communication and managing the trades and our partners. He is constantly solving problems and supporting our trades in the field.

Emily is extremely detail oriented and process driven so she has been taking each area of the business and breaking it into smaller chunks to allow for repeatable processes to be created. She is focused on financials and estimating, job costing and more.

I am the bridge between those two because as you might imagine their different skills can lead to some differing opinions on how things should work, lol! My main focus is marketing, sales and project management and client communication. Over the years I have jumped back and forth between the field and the office but at this point we are trying to untangle all of the overlap between the three of us so that we can hire individuals to take over ownership of different roles.

Building a business is hard and you have to wear ALL of the hats but we are at the point where we can start to dedicate our time to the things we are best at.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Our reputation in the Charlotte market is the only thing that has mattered since we started growing the business in 2020. Jack has developed many relationships over the years with trade partners like architects, engineers and interior designers and those partnerships are a huge part of the reputation we have built.

We also consider client communication as the number one priority in our business. Remodeling is hard and trying to guess what is going on every day can be frustrating. We treat each project with as much care and consideration that we would our own homes.

We love our partners, clients and trades!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hansensrenovations.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hansensrenovations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hansensrenovations/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/69196787/admin/dashboard/
• Other: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/hansen-s-renovations-pfvwus-pf~788824488?

  https://www.pinterest.com/hansensrenovations/

Image Credits

https://www.ascendantimaging.com/
https://www.charlottehomephotography.com/
https://www.mybohemebridal.com/