1st Media Consulting Group, Inc. Podcast

From Lawns to Gutters: Ruben Ramirez's Entrepreneurial Journey with Gutter Works Services Inc

September 04, 2024 • Didier

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Can the resilience of a 15-year-old juggling fatherhood and entrepreneurship spark a thriving business empire? Meet Ruben Ramirez, owner of Gutter Works Services Inc., whose journey from mowing lawns to mastering gutter systems is nothing short of extraordinary. Listen as Ruben unfolds his inspiring story, where determination met opportunity, leading him to sell his lawn care business for a profit and dive into a niche market often overlooked—gutters. His vision for Gutter Works is rooted in quality craftsmanship and exceptional customer service, influenced by his father's work as an aerospace mechanic.

Learn why gutters are indispensable for property protection, especially in water-prone areas like Florida. Ruben breaks down the top five reasons why gutters should never be neglected, from preventing foundation issues to maintaining the aesthetic appeal of homes and commercial buildings. With a mission to provide reliable and seamless services, Ruben and his team at Gutter Works ensure that every installation, repair, and maintenance task not only safeguards properties but also enhances their appearance. Tune in for valuable insights into the essential role of gutters and the compelling journey of an entrepreneur who turned life's early challenges into a thriving business.

Speaker 1:

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:

Hello everyone, I am just so excited to introduce to you Ruben Ramirez. He's the owner of Gutter Works Services Inc. Good morning, ruben. How you doing, buddy?

Speaker 3:

Good, good, everything's good, can't complain. We're blessed to be here.

Speaker 2:

I love that attitude. You gotta love it. I think it's awesome to be able to share stories of business owners. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and then we're going to go into learning about your business.

Speaker 3:

Definitely, definitely. So I started in business very young, at the age of about 15. Life came very quick. I was a father at 15 years old and I needed to figure out something. I needed to figure out what am I doing? Am I doing school, am I starting my business, am I going to go to work? And I started looking around and I had a push mower. So I got a push mower. I started cutting lawns. I was able to go to school, graduate high school and be a father at the same time. That came and I was able to grow that business and I sold it back in 2017, got some guys nice profits from it, and then I got into Gutterworks.

Speaker 2:

Congratulations, man. You're the true entrepreneur in terms of words. That is awesome. So let's go in, let's dive into you about your business.

Speaker 3:

Tell us a little bit about it. Okay, gutterworks is a leader gutter company based here in Orlando, florida. We specialize in high-quality gutter installations repair maintenance. In Orlando, florida. We specialize in high-quality gun installations repair maintenance. We focus on providing reliable solutions to protect homes, multifamily commercial buildings from water damage, while also enhancing their appearance At GoToWorks. Our mission is to deliver exceptional service, leveraging cutting-edge technology and a skilled team that can perform these types of jobs.

Speaker 3:

We're not just a seamless gutter company. We're about creating seamless experiences that keep your home safe and your property safe.

Speaker 2:

Wow, I love that. Creating seamless experiences. Did you just come up with that?

Speaker 3:

We make sure to have this in our vision right Making sure that everything is seamless all around.

Speaker 2:

That's nice. That's very nice. What inspired you to start this business that you're in?

Speaker 3:

So the company started originally from my father. He was an aerospace mechanic. He always worked with aluminum and once we started seeing that we needed to have a quality service company, we saw many homeowners were struggling with poor drainage, water damage, so we wanted to provide a solution that combined both skill, skilled craftsmanship and excellent customer service and lasting protection for properties.

Speaker 2:

So I know you mentioned a number of services that you provided in the earlier part of our conversation what the gutters themselves people don't realize this, or hopefully they do. Gutters themselves people don't realize this, or hopefully they do. There's a real need for gutters on your home, and can you kind of give us maybe five reasons why it's important?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So gutters are pretty much the first line of defense to protecting a home we have. If you look at European countries, you look at states like New York, they all have gutter systems. It's crazy that here in the state of Florida we don't have them. And if you look at a home that doesn't have a property any property that doesn't have gutters you start seeing erosion. You have foundation issues. The paint tends to chip off away from the building. It fades the paint. It also sucks up all the nutrients from the stucco. So if you look at some properties that are 10, 15 years old, the walls are completely damaged. So making sure that you have a gutter and all the water is being properly drained away from the property, that's the best thing you can do.

Speaker 2:

And it's interesting. Yeah, it's interesting. You say that because if the rain keeps pounding up against or coming down the roof and it doesn't have gutters that can actually fade away your paint, like you said on the house, correct?

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And with that in the sun, oh my gosh, you have a recipe for a new paint job every couple of years.

Speaker 3:

And also you have water filtration going through. You'll have a lot of people bring up the situation where they are having water come up to the foundation and it's because of the lack of gutters.

Speaker 2:

That's interesting, you know, it seems like I know, I can tell you're very successful. What's the secret to your success and your great attitude?

Speaker 3:

Well, it's the commitment to quality that is our biggest thing. Customer comes first, making sure that everybody is on the same page. We focus on delivering a reliable solution, building trust and constantly improving our processes to better.

Speaker 2:

Very well said. Are there any trends? Because I always mention this to every business owner we talk to or I talk to what is a trend that you see happening in your industry? Is there a trend?

Speaker 3:

We are. Yeah, there's both good and bad. Right now, we're seeing a growing demand for seamless gutters, gutter guard systems. Especially Homeowners are looking for low-maintenance solutions to prevent water damage. There is also an increased interest in complete exterior solutions, right. So, for example, softening fascia that's also allowing. The softening fascia is the overhang of the roof that allows for the air to filter through the roof. That's going to save you money, right? You're not having the roof just cooking up, so that's also a trend that we're seeing. And then screen enclosures, right. Protecting being able to have that additional space in the backyard, being able to sit outside with the family and friends and party and not be eaten by mosquitoes that's another one. So both protection and curve appeal is what we're seeing, the trend.

Speaker 2:

Well stated and you know. Getting back into running your own business, are there any challenges that you face when running your own business? And I'm sure we all have those challenges.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, it's gotten better, but we were definitely experiencing supply chain issues for materials, navigating labor costs, keeping up with evolving customer expectations for quick, high-quality service. Adapting to the challenges while maintaining our standard has been key for our ongoing success.

Speaker 2:

To be quite honest, Okay, wow, let me ask you this. There are people who are listening to this that are wanting to be aspiring entrepreneurs and they want to own their own business, but there's also many challenges, right? Can you give any advice to aspiring entrepreneurs or business owners, any advice on how to start their own business or what to look for?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah. Focusing on exceptional customer service, building strong relationships, prioritizing quality and service instead of the amount of leads that you're getting, making sure that that one job is getting done correctly, adapting to changes in the market. Investing your team, constantly Making sure that your team is well-rounded, your training. A lot of the times where I see entrepreneurs fail is that they invest in themselves only, but not in their team. The team is the one that's providing your quality of life as an entrepreneur. It gets to a point where you're able to step away from the business and the team is able to take care of the business. That is freedom. That is true freedom. The United States.

Speaker 2:

This is what allows us to do is be free, and that's what we look for in being a business owner that is so well stated, man, and you know there's always a saying too and I don't know if you've heard this there's no I in team, the word team right, and I think you hit on that specifically when you bought up. You know, making sure and I think this is something that's being said more and more as I talk to different business owners having that foundation and having that great team and you guys all collaborating and getting together. It's going to be one piece of that puzzle, but I think it's the strong piece of that puzzle that holds that business together. Is that true? Correct, correct.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and obviously there's perseverance, commitment to succeeding right. There's a lot to it, but a big part of it when you're a one man show, you only have that you can count on yourself. But then after that, that's where the business really starts to happen is you being able to count on your team really starts to happen is you being able to count on your team?

Speaker 2:

Well, ruben, it's definitely a pleasure to have you on this podcast, to be able to share your stories and kind of enlighten our listeners about your experiences and kind of giving some advice to, to aspiring entrepreneurs or even business owners, and I want to thank you so much for being part of this and hopefully we can have you get. Oh, by the way, before I forget, can you give us, our listeners, a way to get a hold of you?

Speaker 3:

yeah, definitely. You can reach us out 407 960-9489 or info at gutterworks servicescom. There is two S's between works and services and your website, wwwgotoworksservicescom.

Speaker 2:

Well, Ruben, thanks again so much and hopefully we can have you back on the podcast in the future.

Speaker 3:

Definitely looking forward to it.

Speaker 1:

Thank you. 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.