My husband and I started a small HVAC company nearly twenty years ago.
- My husband is a licensed and NATE-certified contractor.
When we first began, he was our only technician. He handled every call for installation, maintenance and repair. He also remained available 24/7, and we didn’t charge extra for emergency service. Our goal was simply to earn enough money to break even. We invested every possible dime back into the business, hoping to not only stay afloat but expand. The investment into the building, truck and tools was significant, and we had a huge loan to pay off. While my husband was busy trying to satisfy our few customers, I handled all of the office work. I kept track of inventory, sent out invoices, answered the phone, and took care of advertising. Back then, advertising was fairly straightforward. The cheapest method was a written ad in the local newspaper. If we wanted to spend a bit more, we tried ads on the radio or television. Word of mouth was extremely valuable for us. My husband’s work ethic and our competitive prices were talked about. Neighbors, friends and family members recommended us and generated more and more business. We gradually expanded to three trucks and hired on two more licensed HVAC contractors. Over the last few years, however, there’s been a huge change in marketing strategies. We suddenly needed a website and online presence. I can barely manage to send an email, so this technology was way above my abilities. I ended up hiring an SEO company to create a website and make sure our company ranks on google for keywords such as HVAC repair, installation and air quality. I have no idea how they do any of it, but they have significantly increased our number of new customers.