After moving to Kentucky, Andrew Riddle of 3 Day Remodeling LLC found life falling into place. He graduated high school and moved on to attend the University of Kentucky where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Economics. His work ethic manifested itself strongly as he worked four full-time jobs, mostly around horses, to put himself through college. Initially, he aspired to continue working with and raising horses, but a bad experience with a colt left him unable to do so. This led him first to lumber where he worked as a knowledgeable salesman and found himself promoted through the ranks. Then his ambition led him to find a greener pasture. This is where he met Aaron Goff.
Together, Aaron and Andrew have more than 30 years of experience working with remodeling products, vendors, and companies. They had the foundation needed to create a successful business. This led them to step away from their comfortable paychecks and into the world of business ownership. After founding 3 Day Remodeling LLC, they have experienced exceptional success that has surpassed even their most lavish expectations.
These best friends continue to work and play together. Their families enjoy football games, fast cars, tennis, and a good barbecue. After 11 years, these two families know they are built on trust, loyalty, and now a future with 3 Day Remodeling LLC paving the way.
3 Day Remodeling LLC is a sales and marketing company that sells construction projects to people who want a good rate and an opportunity to work with a team of people who care about them.
How did you get started in this business? What inspired you to start this business?
As a child, I found myself drawing homes that I wanted to build for my mother when I grew up. In time, I applied to a college in the UK for architecture. While it was my first choice, it wasn’t the route that opened up for me. Instead, I found myself in economics. I thrive with numbers, so it was an easy fit. My drive and desire to give my mother that house pushed me to always look for more.
While I was working my way through school, I was always around successful people. Most of those people worked with horses. I really grew to love working with the animals, but it wasn’t my calling. After being trampled by a colt, I changed my career focus. I found something challenging in the lumber sales industry. There I began to realize I was a natural salesman. When I came across the opportunities with American Home Design, I had to jump on it.
With Aaron Goff to train me, I rapidly excelled and was promoted through the ranks. I really think from there it was just a matter of getting to the point of asking the big question, ‘Do we want to keep doing this for other people or are we ready to make money for ourselves?’ Once we did that, we walked away and into 3 Day Remodeling LLC.
How do you make money?
We make a profit based on the cost of a given project verse what we can sell it for. If a customer needs windows done, we can estimate what the cost of a project should be based on the needs assessment. After that, we consider what it will cost to pay our people and the cost of supplies. We take whatever is left after everyone else is paid.
How long did it take for 3 Day Remodeling to become profitable?
You know, we really surprised ourselves. When we initially began building our own client base, we found ourselves overselling what we had available. It was exciting to see that level of sales so quickly, but I think we weren’t as prepared for our own success as we could have been. We stuck with it, and the jobs got done. It taught us to always be recruiting people. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about building a relationship with a new contractor or building our sales team we are always recruiting now. It is nice to know we can profit within the first few weeks of business.
When you were starting out, was there ever a time you doubted it would work? If so, how did you handle that?
We both have about 30 years of experience between us. We built relationships with vendors, contractors, other salespeople, and customers long before we built 3 Day Remodeling LLC. It gave us a strong foundation to grow from. At no point did either one of us ever have to question if 3 Day Remodeling was going to be successful.
How did you get your first customer?
That’s a good question. We had an online marketing lead for window installation. We followed up on the lead together, talking to the customers about their needs and providing a product pitch. After Aaron finished the customer needs assessment, and I finished the pitch, the customer was ready to work with us.
Realizing they might just need a little time to think about it, I excused myself to take my things to the car and Aaron excused himself as well. By the time I returned from securing the product samples, they were sitting with Aaron again at the table. During the time we had separated ourselves they followed up with the bank and discussed the project together and came to a decision. They handed us a check for the down payment on the project that day. It was so exciting to know we were quoting work against much larger more established companies and they were choosing to work with us.
What is one marketing strategy (other than referrals) that you’re using that works really well to generate new business?
We have found that live events are the best place for us to generate warm leads. We set up a booth or table at a fair or festival and do a face to face presentation with anyone who stops by. Some days we are able to walk away with enough leads for our salespeople to book appointments months out.
Most of the places we create a presence at home improvement events where you would expect to find people shopping around for our services. Instead, we have better results when we are talking to people who aren’t overwhelmed by the sheer number of companies available.
What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make in the last few months?
The two most common but often challenging decisions we have to make are:
Is this project profitable for everyone involved? Meaning is the client getting a good price and are we getting more than enough to cover our people once the project is started.
And
Which team works best with the given project? This team is everyone from our sales team to our contractors and vendors as needed.
Once we know a project is profitable, it’s a matter of finding the right contractor both in skill and in personality for the job. If we have an elderly couple we don’t want an impatient person working on their project, but we might want that same approach applied to motivate a team working on a project that is on a tight timeline. We want everyone to have a good experience. That means we might make mistakes along the way, but as long as we are working to find the right fit for every project, everyone can look forward to going to work, getting the work finished, and the final outcome.
What do you think it is that makes 3 Day Remodeling LLC successful?
I really believe that it is our resilience. No matter what comes up in the course of a day or year, we face it head-on. If that means following up on every lead that comes in the door, then that’s what we do. If a problem surfaces with a contractor or in a home, we resolve it. We don’t shy away from what it takes to get the work done to the customer’s satisfaction. We also bounce back from anything that might slow us down or cause others to reconsider their business choices.
What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
This is a business where I experience satisfaction often. Every time one of our customers leaves us a good online review or contacts me to thank me for a job well done it feels great. I am sincerely happiest when I know everyone is happy with the final project.
What does the future hold for 3 Day Remodeling? What are you most excited about?
We are excited about our plans to expand into other states. We are currently in Kentucky, but we worked with places all over the country when we were working for others. It is our goal to do the same for our own company. We are also considering other avenues of expansion, such as house flipping. We know that with a little effort we can make things happen. We intend to do that through whatever means become available to us.
What business books have inspired you?
I read a lot of Grant Cardone and Tony Robbins. You can start with Awaken the Giant Within. It’s an excellent book.
What is a recent purchase you have made that’s helped with your business?
I make hundreds of purchases sometimes daily. That in mind, I would say one of the best, recent purchases is our entry to the State Fair. We’ll set up a booth this month, and I know the results will be exactly what we need to fuel our growth.
What do you believe creates a good foundation for long-term business success?
Aaron Goff and I have worked hard to build relationships with our vendors, contractors, and customers. We work hard to ensure that everyone involved has a good experience, is paid well, and has the final outcome they are looking forward to. This means that customers will look for us when they have a new project. Contractors will enjoy working with us and getting paid well for their hard work. Vendors will trust us with their products and services. Together that adds up to consistent results for everyone.