You don’t need an innovative new product or service to start a successful business. Some entrepreneurs instead find simple ways to improve on an established industry.
That’s exactly what the owner of All City Plumbing did. The company provides a plumbing school for employees, which ensures higher quality service for customers. Learn how the company stands out in the established plumbing field in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does
Provides residential plumbing services.
Owner Anthony Cafagna told Small Business Trends, “We provide residential plumbing services from small jobs such as clogged pipes, drains, and toilets to larger projects such as repiping and repairing or replacing burst pipes. We also do drain and sewer repairs and replacements, water heater maintenance and installation, and gas repairs and replacements.”
Business Niche
Providing the best possible service and top rated employees.
Cafagna says, “We are one of the few companies in California that has a plumbing school on site where our technicians can learn in a lab, not on your job.”
How the Business Got Started
With next to no resources.
Cafagna adds, “??I started my business in 2009 with a dream, a strong hope for success, and $2,000. Starting the business during the great recession was tough, but I traded in my truck for a van and slowly worked my way up with nothing but an empty van and $2,000. I didn’t even have shelving or drain cleaning equipment!”
Biggest Win
Outgrowing their initial service area.
Cafagna explains, “We started by servicing only our immediate area, but we quickly earned a reputation for being the fastest plumber in the area and were able to open a second location to expand our business.”
Biggest Risk
Starting without understanding the business side.
Cafagna says, “When I started the business, the only thing I knew was plumbing. I knew absolutely nothing about running a business. This was my biggest risk – I had many opportunities to fail. I only had $2,000 and a strong will to make something of my own. If it had all gone wrong, we wouldn’t be the successful business that we are today. Taking that risk in the very beginning has created what we have today.”
How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000
Expanding the service area again.
Cafagna adds, “I would continue to expand the company by opening a third location, giving us the ability to serve a larger area.”
Team Tradition
Rewarding top performers.
Cafagna says, “We pride ourselves on a job well done, so we love to reward our top-performing technicians. We have season tickets to Anaheim’s Angels, Ducks, and Rams games. Our team loves it!”
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Image: All City Plumbing, Anthony Cafagna
