1st Media Consulting Group, Inc. Podcast
Welcome to the Business Chronicles, where we dive deep into the stories behind the businesses that shape our communities. We bring you conversations with inspiring entrepreneurs who share their journeys, challenges, and the unique value they bring to their customers.
In this podcast, we explore the passion and vision behind successful businesses, uncovering the secrets to their success and learning about the innovative products and services they offer. Whether you're a fellow entrepreneur looking for insights or simply curious about the businesses in your area, this podcast is your go-to source for inspiration and practical advice.
So, sit back, relax, and join us as we explore the dynamic world of business, one story at a time."
1st Media Consulting Group, Inc. Podcast
Protecting Your Home: Essential Dryer Vent Safety Tips with Carlene from Dryer Vent Wizard
Did you know that neglecting your dryer vent could result in a devastating house fire? In this episode of the Business Chronicles, we bring you an eye-opening conversation with Carlene from Dryer Vent Wizard. Carlene shares her expertise on the critical importance of comprehensive dryer vent services, including installations, repairs, alterations, cleanings, and inspections. She passionately discusses the often-overlooked dangers of improper vent maintenance and how her company goes the extra mile to ensure safety by inspecting roof vents and fully cleaning out potential fire hazards.
Carlene’s personal motivation for the business is rooted in a family tragedy caused by a dryer fire, and she opens up about how this event fuels her commitment to preventing such disasters for others. We also explore the challenges she faces in an industry crowded with low-cost, incomplete services that skip essential safety checks. Carlene's dedication to educating customers about the real risks and misconceptions surrounding dryer maintenance is both inspiring and informative. Tune in for a heartfelt and practical conversation that could change the way you think about your dryer vent care.
Welcome to the First Media Consulting Podcast, the Business Chronicles, where we dive deep into the stories of successful business owners. Here's your host, Didi and Nicholas. Thanks for joining today. Let's talk.
Speaker 2:Welcome everyone to our podcast. I am so excited to really dive in and kind of share with you the stories of successful business owners and entrepreneurs from various industries. So, with that being said, good morning Carlene.
Speaker 3:Good morning. How are you today, Vivian?
Speaker 2:I am doing awesome. Thank you for joining us today. So let's go right into it. Tell us a little about what you do with Dryer Vent Wizard about what you do with Dryer Vent Wizard.
Speaker 3:Well, dryer Vent Wizard is all about installations, repairs, alterations, cleanings, inspections, and I said that completely backwards from the way I usually do it because, honestly, the repairs and the installations are probably the most important part of our business. People don't realize necessarily that they need a repair and some of our clients have had numerous different dryer vent companies come out and they still have problems with their dryer. And the reason is there's a difference between a professional that does everything and someone who just comes to clean your dryer vent. Those companies don't necessarily go on the roof so therefore they're going to miss whether you have a disconnect in your attic, they're going to miss whether you have a blockage in your roof vent and these are actually fire hazards.
Speaker 2:Well, and it's interesting, like you said, you know most companies won't go on the roof, and I think that's probably a big factor for how you differentiate yourself from your competitors, correct?
Speaker 3:That's correct. Many of them don't pay the higher workers comp insurance in order to protect the homeowner. If we have an accident on your property, our workers comp will cover the accident. My my general liability and casualty insurance. It's going to take care of the issues, as opposed to suing your insurance company for uh an accident interesting.
Speaker 2:So what really inspired you to to get into this kind of business?
Speaker 3:well, believe it or not, a long time ago that we didn't realize that that was going to make a difference. But my sister-in-law's home burned from a dryer fire. She threw the towels in and went shopping and when the flames were coming through the bathroom window, the neighbor called the fire department and she lost four rooms her kitchen, her family room, her bathroom and her laundry.
Speaker 3:because it burned through the laundry into the bathroom before the flames made it outside, and so it was when we saw this company. We had someone cleaning our vent and we noticed. You know what he did. He was one of the what we call blow-and-go jobs. He just went in the laundry room, didn't go on the roof and just cleaned our line. Our home was not that old, but we had never cleaned our dryer vent and, honestly, I didn't realize how important it was either, as many of our customers don't.
Speaker 2:And I think many of your customers don't. So a lot of people are unaware of the hazards that they cause, correct?
Speaker 3:Very much so, and it's surprising how many people buy new dryers and have spent a lot of money on these fancy new dryers and they didn't need one at all, because they still have the same problem, and the problem is the blockage in the dryer vent. So it wasn't anything wrong with their dryer, but they just said, oh, the dryer is old, it doesn't work anymore. Not true?
Speaker 2:That's a very good point. So what are some of the challenges you faced in running your business? Have there been any challenges? I think every business owner has challenges.
Speaker 3:I'd say one of our biggest challenges are the dryer vent cleaners out there offering the $69 dryer vent cleaning, $125 dryer vent cleaning these low prices they're not doing everything. If they don't inspect the dryer for inside of the dryer lint, then they've just left the biggest fire hazard of all, because inside the dryer is where most dryer fires start. And then it transitions into the flexible hose behind the dryer and if that's foil, you have a laundry room fire within seconds. And then that, you know, can be prevented by adding a flexible transition that we use which has a one hour burn time that transitions the fire into the ductwork containing it for up to an hour to give you time to get to the fire department, as opposed to a laundry room fire with chemicals.
Speaker 2:Interesting, and I think it revolves around one word, if I want to be honest here, and that word is education, correct?
Speaker 3:Yes, that's our biggest, most important thing. And when we're on the property we do the full inspection from the dryer all the way back up to the vent, whether it's a sidewall or a roof vent, and we go over all those results with the client and talk about extra tips that they can do from one cleaning to the next to keep their dryer safe, to make it maintain efficiency, to less wear and tear on your clothing when you're drying and you know we give all that information during our visit, it's not just come clean your dryer.
Speaker 2:Carlene as a business owner. What are some of the lessons that you've learned during this process?
Speaker 3:I'd say if I was starting all over again, I would research my competition a whole lot more, figure out, and with the pandemic too, it created a lot of new companies opening up. So our competition from when we started to what we have now was less, but there are just a lot of companies out there now. That would be one thing. Another thing is to research Is a franchise good for you? This is the first time I've owned a franchise. I've owned businesses. All my life I've been an entrepreneur and there's a lot of differences between a franchise and owning a company that you have full control over. I would definitely research that heavily.
Speaker 2:That's another good point. And as we wrap up here, what is one thing that you would like to leave our listeners with that you come across every day in your industry?
Speaker 3:I think it's the education. Just go with that inexpensive dryer vent cleaning to realize how important it is to have a clean dryer vent and how dangerous it is not to. And if you live in a condominium or an apartment, if they're not cleaning their dryer vents every year, it's almost worth it for you to pay to have it done. It'll save you efficiency on the dryer, but it's really important that these condominiums and apartments clean once a year.
Speaker 2:And so, as we wrap up here, you know, as business owners, what would you advise or provide information on for aspiring entrepreneurs or business owners that want to become, you know, own their own businesses. I know you said we were talking about the difference between a franchise and owning your own business, but what advice would you give our listeners about starting a business?
Speaker 3:uh, I also would, especially almost any business. I would say whatever you think you're going to need for working capital, double it.
Speaker 2:No, that's interesting.
Speaker 3:You can take off and be an instant success or you can fight, and we're four years old and some days we still fight. But you, you know we're. We're delving way more into the multi units. We fight for our residential clients because pricing is an issue and people think cheap is better. But pay cheap pay twice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you buy quality because it lasts longer. Well, thank you so much for being part of this. We're so excited to have you share your story with our listeners. And can you provide our listeners a way to get a hold of you? Your website, your phone?
Speaker 3:number? Absolutely, you can reach me at 407-214-8351. That's call or text. You can also go to our website, wwwdryerventwizardcom. We are a franchise and they will still book you with me if your zip code is in my area. So, and that is the National Call Center. However, I try to answer the phone. If it rings two times, you'll get me, if I get it before the second ring. If it goes three, you're going to get the call center. And if you really want to talk to me, just tell me. You need to talk to me and I'm happy to call you back.
Speaker 2:We definitely, we definitely want them to talk to you.
Speaker 3:I love talking to my clients, awesome.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much and we look forward to having you again as a guest in the near future.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much, DBA. It was a pleasure. I always enjoy talking to you.
Speaker 2:You're welcome.
Speaker 1:Thank you for tuning in to First Media Consulting Podcast. If you enjoyed the podcast, subscribe today To nominate a business you would like to recommend to be on our show. Go to firstmediaconsultingcom or call. Thank you for listening.