He Refused to Take Loans — How'd it Turn Out? | Business Owner Conversations

Let's learn Brian's story of how he started his business and why he doesn't want to borrow money for his business - Brian wants to build a business, not a going-out-of-business.

In this episode of Business Owner Conversations, Brian shares how he built a thriving tree trimming and removal company by keeping overhead low, avoiding loans, and staying mostly cash-based.
We dive into employee growth paths, business systems, and money management strategies that every entrepreneur should know.

Key Points:
Brian opened his tree trimming company, Canopy Crafters in Tampa, FL in 2020.
Keeping overhead low is crucial for new businesses.
Hiring inexperienced but reliable employees can be beneficial and setting them up on a growth path is important.
Accurate job pricing is essential for profitability.
Work-life balance is a challenge for entrepreneurs.
Building a business takes time and patience.
Maintaining a cash reserve is important for stability.
Networking with other business owners can provide valuable insights.
Learning from mistakes is part of the entrepreneurial journey.
Adapting to market demands is key to business growth.

Whether you are a seasoned business owner, or are just sketching your first business idea on paper - you want to watch this. While your business industry might be completely different, the principles of business growth, strategies and success remain constant throughout most business types. Let's see what business lessons we can learn from Brian!

Want to join in on the conversations? Are you a business owner who is willing to share your stories, tips and strategies? Comment below and I'll connect with you!

What is Business Owner Conversations?
Join me (Rebecca) on my quest to talk to as many business owners as I can, and learn as much from each business owner as possible.

Why? My husband and I have owned our business for 10 years now. Neither of us had formal business training, and we have learned a lot... But there is still so much that we don't know.
When we are out to dinner or hanging out with our friends that also own a business, something clicks. We could sit and talk for hours. Sometime's they've implemented and learned something that we don't know yet. Sometimes they are struggling with something that we figured out a few years ago. We all learn from each other and are able to find something new to implement into our business to make it one step better and run a little bit smoother.

Even when our industries are completely different, the principles of business success and struggles are all the same. Employee management, money management, work automation, website, work/life balance, paths of success...etc. We all deal with it to some degree and can relate in a special way.

The more conversations I had, the more I realized - we ALL love listening to other business owners talk. Learning their strategies, their struggles, how they got to where they are today, and where they want to go next. What to do, what not to do...You can spend 30 years learning and making mistakes, or you can save a lot of time and mistakes by talking with someone who is 30 years ahead of you. Or even 1 year ahead of you.

That’s why I started this channel.
I’m on a quest to talk with as many business owners as possible. To share their stories, their strategies, and the lessons that helped them grow. I want to listen and learn. I know that these conversations are beneficial to both starting entrepreneurs as well as seasoned business owners.

So join in and listen! I know you will benefit from hearing others stories as well.

Subscribe, Follow along, and join in on the conversations!

In this video:
0:00 - Intro / Coming Up
1:04 - Brian's Background
7:20 - Starting Small
8:57 - Managing Employees
18:30 - Learning to Accurately Bid Jobs
23:50 - How much to pay yourself out of the business
31:05 - Work/Life Balance
39:46 - What I wish I knew and advice for others

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