Hi, Almin here...
I started the business because the market needed something between the big franchises and small owner-operators. The big franchises charge a lot and often give poor services. Working with an owner-operator is can be frustrating if they don't have good systems in place. I thought applying my experience from working in a corporate structure could bridge this gap.
The company had been going for a while when I quit my full-time job to lead it. My wife was pregnant with my daughter. Great timing right? 😂
The biggest challenge was finding great people. It took more than five years to put the current team together. We pay our installers extremely well so we expect a lot from them. This means we don't get a lot of mistakes, but even so I'm really proud of our post-install support. Occasionally we make mistakes and when a customer calls they're expecting a fight. They're always pleasantly surprised about how willing we are to make things right.
People are surprised to learn that I don't have extensive construction experience. I did flooring when younger but most of my career has been in mortgage servicing. I think the outside perspective has been really valuable.
At the moment I am focusing on building GW Gutters as a brand name, not just a gutter company. I want people to know they called the best when they call us.
When I'm not working I mostly spend time with my family. I have a 3 and a 5 year old, so I spend as much time with them as I can because they really do grow too fast and I dont want to miss a moment