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ENT 650 -SME Interview With David Shirey by Jacob Martin

Briefly describe your business:
Homeland Custom Carpentry specializes in finish trim carpentry, kitchen and bath cabinet installations, and custom builds.

What is your experience in entrepreneurship?
I incorporated HCC in January 2020.

What is your goal with your business venture?
To grow HCC into at least one if not multiple large business locations in the Treasure Coast/Palm Beaches region of Florida.

Have you had to finance any part of your business, and if so, did you finance through savings, loans, equity?
To this point, I have managed to keep my business model mobile and make expenses as needed. The only parts of my business that are financed are my work truck and primary compound miter saw that were both done through loans at little to no interest rate.

What was the biggest challenge so far in your entrepreneurial career?
I think COVID-19 certainly has had an impact due to the economic uncertainties that are out there. My business typically caters to the upper middle class and above due to my price points. That said, I get a lot of business inquiries that stop after the initial estimate because many people don’t realize the time it takes for custom carpentry jobs to be completed.

What is your ultimate plan with your business (grow it, sell it?)
As mentioned above, I want to grow HCC to include several employees (front office, builders & installers, and myself as the owner). My brand likely isn’t something I would sell in the foreseeable future.

What advice would you give yourself, if you could go back to when you first started your business to make the operation smoother?
The process was really pretty smooth for me. I didn’t want to overshoot coming out of the gate and fall flat like so many entrepreneurs tend to do. I suppose i would remind myself that I need to have patience, let my marketing speak for itself, and the customers will come.

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