We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tyreik Jackson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tyreik below.

Tyreik, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

You have to first understand what your definition of the word successful is.

For me it’s pretty simple. Do what you love. For me it begins and ends with that statement. I’ve been very fortunate to do what I love for a very long time.

To be specific, I find that getting up a few hours earlier than you normally would to get important things done has been very beneficial for me.
Creating systems that work well for whatever business you’re in that can be duplicated over and over again is also very helpful.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was fortunate enough to get into woodworking in high school back in the mid-90s before it was all but phased out of New York City schools. You could still take up the trades in public school. By the late 90s I had done 4 years of woodworking in high school and two more years of college I attended SUNY Delhi. It was a two-year program and I finished with my associate’s degree in light frame construction residential remodeling as my major and minored in cabinet making and millwork. By the year 2000 I was working in high-end construction inNew York City. I would spend the next 20 years working for the 1%ers on the upper east side of Manhattan. This exposed me to a lot and help me hold my craft. There’s a level of excellence that is required to work in these environments that you can’t find anywhere else. I learned so much from the most talented trades people in the business. I’ve built relationships that have been extremely beneficial now that I run my own business. Since starting my own business in 2019 I’ve transitioned into a custom cabinetry and Millwork shop.
The passion that I have for building has sustained me all these years. I’ve changed the way I build but my approach to building remains the same. I very much. Enjoy one-on-ones with potential clients helping them figure out design.
One of my favorite parts of what I do is taking a client’s vision that may sometimes consist of a rough sketch on a piece of paper. Helping them figure out scale, symmetry and proportion is a talent that I find most of my clients are extremely grateful for. It’s what gets me most of my word of mouth jobs.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m sure there are millions of people that can testify to this. Covid changed everything. When I started my business I assumed that I would be doing general contracting type of work. I worked for a general contractor for 14 years and it seems like a sensible transition. My business was still pretty new and I was trying to find customers in my marketplace. The school systems gave parents and option to go remote or hybrid. I decided to switch gears from General contracting work to only custom cabinetry. I was fortunate enough to have a wood shop on my property. Custom cabinetry allows you to do 95% of the work in shop and 5% out in the field. As a single dad of three young children, this made the most sense for business and family life. Now that the kids are back in school and thriving, I’ve really become accustomed to the flexibility that the business gives me. I’m home more and able to be available for my children more.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

In 2002 I moved into my first apartment in Harlem, New York. I rented in that apartment for 8 years before my landlord asked me if I would like to purchase it. I closed on the apartment in 2010. In 2011 I started a complete gut renovation and anticipation of my first child being born. I took inspiration from dozens of multi-million dollar renovations that I had worked on over the years and put all of those finishes into my new first piece of real estate. After closing on my second piece of property which is my current home in 2015, the bank informed me through an appraisal that my New York City apartment had nearly quadrupled in value. I opened up a home equity line of credit on that first piece of real estate and use the money to not only renovate my new home but also fund my new business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.areyouafixer.com/contact
• Instagram: @areyouafixer
• Facebook: @areyouafixer
• Twitter: @areyouafixer
• Youtube: @areyouafixer

Image Credits
First two photos taken by Dkol photography