Jezierski plumbing & heating presentation

1. Dan Jezierski Business and Society Nichols College Interviewed Dan & Maria Jezierski Jezierski Plumbing & Heating

2. Business Structure - What Type of business structure did you choose and Why? Maria: We chose to set our business up as an S-Corporation for Tax Purposes.

3. -How did you get started? Dan: Word of mouth helped me start up. I used to do side jobs after work, then when I started up the business, those people became my regular customers. -How did you finance your business? Maria: We took out a passbook loan and bought a truck and we worked, and still do, out of our home to save money. -Why did you start a business? Dan: My boss had me working a lot of hours so I decided I would rather work for myself. -What is your background in Plumbing and Heating? Dan: I did 2 years of post-graduate work at Bay Path. I did a two year apprenticeship at Patten’s Plumbing. Then I went I went for my Plumbing license and worked at Patten’s for the next 8 years acquiring a heating and sprinkler license while I was there. -How does the company compare to the company when it started? Dan: I started out doing small jobs by myself and today we have expanded to a 4 man crew and now we do commercial and residential plumbing, heating and air condition. Getting Started

4. Successes -What have been the successes? Dan & Maria: Seeing how much we have grown since we started -What is the most rewarding aspect of running a business? Dan : The actual hands on work because it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Maria: Being able to be your own boss. -What are the critical success factors for this type of business? Dan & Maria: Honesty, fair pricing, and a good work ethic.

5. Challenges -What have been the challenges? Dan & Maria: Dealing with annoying customers and dealing with the employees. -What is the most challenging aspect of running a company? Dan: The very long hours does not give me a lot of free time to spend with my family. -How do you overcome the challenges? Dan: The challenges are still there, you just have to deal with them. Maria: Taking a little time off to go on vacations and just relax. -What are the fatal flaws in this type of business? Dan and Maria: When you stop caring about the customers and your work effort drops off.

6. -Who are your closest competitors? Dan: R.L. Spahl Plumbing and Heating and J&V Mechanical Contracting. -How does the business try to achieve a competitive edge? Dan: Try to get the fairest pricing and make the customer feel comfortable with you. -How do you keep customers satisfied? Dan: By being dependable, fair, and honest Competition

7. -What do you do to market your business? Maria: We advertise in three church bulletins, we are members of the Better Business Bureau, and we have a listing on Angie’s List. -What qualities do you look for when hiring new employees? Dan: Honest, and knowledgeable in the field. Marketing & Employees

8. Future Plans -What are your future plans for the business? Dan & Maria: To keep the company around the same size until we retire.

9. For Your Information -My mom is a graduate of Nichols. How has Nichols prepared you to run a business? Maria: It gave me a good background in accounting and bookkeeping to manage the finances of our business. -Does anything help you relieve the stress of running a business? Maria: Prayer. Even though how successful the business is how much work we put into it, it helps to know that God is watching over us. -What is it like to work together as husband and wife ? Dan & Maria: (Laughed) It is not bad because we don’t work alongside each other all day.

10. Advice For You! -What advice would you give to the class on owning a business? Maria: If you are going to start a business, be prepared to work hard and make sacrifices because a successful business does not run itself. Dan: A business takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and honesty. Try to treat your customers as you would like to be treated.

11. Lessons Learned I have learned a lot about running a small business. It takes a lot of hard work and can be very stressful. I know the long hours my Dad has to work and it can take a toll on your body. I’ve seen the stress his employees can cause him. I already knew most of the answers to the questions but if there is one point I would want the class to know is that running a business takes a lot of hard work and effort and nothing is handed to you. If you can do that, your golden!