Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Micah Morgan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Micah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
Back in 2011, when my wife and I were getting to know each other, we went on a mission trip with Aurora Christian School to Lake City Colorado. These mission trips are typically focused on bringing in a group of construction tradesmen and enrolling students, parents as well as school faculty & staff to help building or repair services for various youth camps, churches, etc. That year, we volunteered our time at a camp called Camp Redcloud. It was named aptly named Camp Redcloud because it was near Redcloud Peak – a 14,000ft. mountain peak that was close by.
During the course of the 10 days we were on site, my wife and I got to know each other even more as we served alongside each other and solidified a unique friendship. Camp Redcloud is where my wife and I decided to make our relationship official and ultimately where we found the love we have for each other.
Fast forward to 2018, as we were thinking of a business name to represent our business and wanting to establish a brand, we came up with Red Cloud Contracting. Ultimately, we want Red Cloud to represent true friendship because that’s what my wife and I found in each other when we served together back in 2011. As people see our logo or hear the name Red Cloud Contracting, we want them to see us as a friend. As I’ve heard in many of my business circles, “people do business with those they know, like and trust.” Well, what do you call someone you know, like and trust? A Friend!
As our company missions states: “Through building relationships, we create better places to live, work and play so that lives are improved, communities transformed and the world is made better than the way we found it.” We believe that building friendships with our clients, vendors and employees is the best way to fulfill this mission. And it all started in 2011 at Camp Redcloud in Colorado.
Micah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was born in Moline, IL. We lived outside of Detroit, MI for a couple years during early childhood then a few years in Ottawa, IL. At age 10, my family moved closer to Chicago and I grew up in a town called Lombard which is about 20 miles West of the city of Chicago. I consider Lombard to be my “hometown” since that’s where I spent the majority of my formative years.
Despite always having an affinity for building things and working with my hands, after High School I felt I needed to pursue a 4 year college degree in Psychology as opposed to go into construction. I have to be honest and say that my parents had a lot to say about going to college and avoiding the laborious work of construction. However, at 18 years old, I still found myself drawn to the trades and I took on various summer jobs working for a family friend as a painter and carpenter. I kept up with continuing to learn the trade even in college as well working for various builders and contractors. It certainly beat flipping burgers at the local fast food joint and it paid pretty good too!
After I graduated college back in 2007, I decided to take a year off from any further schooling and picked up various jobs for painting and carpentry and I also worked for a construction material supplier out of Aurora delivering roofing & siding supplies. Still feeling the pressure to continue my formal education, I decided to get into a Master’s program in 2009. After a year of studying Clinical Psychology (which was fascinating to study), I decided that it wasn’t for me and I chose to look elsewhere, hoping to find some inspiration regarding a career path.
The year 2010 was an on and off year for me as I searched for the right job. I lived in the city of Chicago for a bit. Then in Kansas City with some old college friends. I tried lots of different jobs such as inside sales for a tire repair manufacturer, and I drove a delivery truck for a bit as well. But I was always drawn back to the trades.
2011 was a pivot year for me. That year I met my wife, and got married. With such a big life change, I realized I needed to settle down a bit and find a good job for me to be able to provide for my new family. That same year, a family friend had connected me with a local painting contractor and I found myself running a crew for a mid-size company. From 2011 – 2019, I worked for them, learning more and more about how to run a construction business and worked my way up the ranks to a supervisory position. Also, during that time, I picked up various side jobs for remodeling such as kitchens, bathrooms, building decks, painting & carpentry work, etc. Additionally, back in 2013, my wife and I bought our first house, which was in need of a full overhaul. I spent the next 14 months rebuilding my home and really learning every part of residential construction as that was my first major experience as a general contractor. After a few years of doing side jobs and such, I realized that continuing this path working nights and weekends wasn’t going to be sustainable.
At the beginning of 2018, I told my employer that I was going to start my own construction business and by God’s grace, they let me stay on till the end of the year. We formally established the business entity in February of 2018, and I stayed on full time until the Summer, then went part time until the end of 2018. 2019 was the first full year on my own and it had started out great. I had several projects lined up and it was looking like it was going to be a killer first year. However, as the year progressed, I realized there was a lot more to running a business than I first thought. There are many hats to wear to keep everything going and I found myself struggling pretty quickly in my first year.
For the first couple years or so in business, I tried many different types of jobs. Everything from building a couple custom homes to small drywall repair jobs. I realized I needed to start making some decisions around what exactly my business had to offer. More importantly, I realized I needed to answer the question of why I was in business in the first place. Late in 2021, I embarked on a journey of discover to begin putting more definition to my business. I established a Mission statement, Vision statement and Values. From there I began to narrow my focus to more of remodeling which includes Kitchens, Bathrooms, Basements and whole home renovations and additions. I felt it made the most sense based on what I was really getting good at and what I liked to do the most. Choosing to “specialize” in a few areas has dramatically impacted my business in a positive way.
I am at the point now where activity in the business is going well. I have an effective marketing strategy that’s brining more leads and prospects than I’ve ever had before. There’s a good chance I might exceed last year’s total revenue here in Q1 of 2023. That’s tremendous growth and now I’m looking to continue to grow and bring on the right people and systems to keep the vision moving forward. Ultimately, the goal of my business is to build relationships and have a positive impact on those around me. Whether that’s clients, trade partners, vendors – I want people to remember me as a friend who provided a positive experience through a remodeling project and helped bring a vision to reality.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Back in the Summer of 2017, my wife and I were at a point in our marriage where we were struggling quite a bit. It was an incredibly difficult time actually. Divorce was a part of the conversation. However, we decided to seek marriage counseling to help repair some of the things that had been falling apart in the last 6 years of marriage. By God’s grace, we decided to stay together and continue to work on the relationship.
At the beginning of the Fall that year, we took a family vacation back to Lake City Colorado where my wife and had I served several years prior on a mission trip with Aurora Christian School. The youth camp we served at (camp Redcloud) and the town it resides in holds a special place in our hearts and that trip helped us to continue working things out in our marriage. There’s nothing like the mountains of Colorado to find opportunity for healing in one’s life.
On our way back home from Colorado, my wife and I began to dream what it would be like to do something different with our lives. We both felt that we were on a different path, and a career change was something we were really considering. We had been talking about starting a business for a couple years but coming out of that trip, it started to become serious conversation. Being that I’ve always been drawn to construction, we began to envision what it would take to start a construction business.
Just a couple months later in November of 2017, I was invited to go on a men’s retreat weekend put on by The Crucible Project. That weekend changed my life. The 48 hours that I spent on this retreat provided the opportunity for me to look at areas of my life that I was hiding, repressing and denying as well as the gold that I have to offer the world. It was an intense weekend but one that was a major paradigm shift for me. If there’s been any pivotal moment in my life over the last decade or so, this weekend was it.
Coming out of the weekend, I realized that I was not living up to my full potential and that there was a burning desire to do something greater. A calling that I had not heeded yet. Coupling that weekend with the conversations that my wife and I were having was all I needed to begin making my transition from a full time employee of another company to establishing my own business. Then a few months later in February of 2018 we established the business entity and I was on a track to exit my employed position into my own business.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
This is still a work in progress of course but one of the common themes I constantly get from prospective clients are my reviews on Google. From a digital marketing side, reviews are huge for any business. Especially in the world of the trades. The unfortunate reality is that there are lots of not-so-good contractors out there and for lots of people, it’s hard to trust a contractor. Having a couple dozen reviews has helped give perspective to those that don’t personally know me or know my business.
One of the other important things I’ve been doing in the last few years is referral marketing. I’m a part of a small business referral group through BNI and it’s highly impactful to be in front of a group of other people. I have the opportunity every week to continue to get to know my chapter members and am able to build the trust that’s required for them to pass referrals. It takes time just like anything else, but being a part of that chapter has helped my business a ton.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.redcloudcontracting.com
- Instagram: @redcloudcontracting
- Facebook: @redcloudcontracting
- Youtube: @redcloudcontracting
Image Credits
Micah Morgan