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- By James Wisler
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- [otfliker]
As you might already know, my father Daniel started Wisler Plumbing back in 1986. Prior to that year, he honed his plumbing skills as a maintenance technician at a high school here in Rocky Mount. He was also employed with another maintenance contractor during that same time. From there, he went on to work for a modular home builder in the Boones Mill area. The company would build homes on preexisting foundations. They were looking for someone to do onsite plumbing. (He’s done practically everything when it comes to construction—drywall, framing, and everything else you could think of.) That’s how my father got his start in the plumbing industry.
He decided to start his own business in 1986. He would do odd jobs such as building porches, installing roofs, and building decks. It didn’t take long for him to get back into doing plumbing for whole houses. It was at that time when he started to work for several contractors. As they would build a house, he would do the plumbing from start to finish. In the afternoons and evenings when he had time, he’d slip away to do service calls at people’s homes.
His business really took off at that point. Even though he never did much marketing, the business grew from word of mouth. He was always available and he cared deeply about his clients. My father knew how important it was to always do what was fair and right. As demand grew, he started to hire more employees. He did that along with all the hard work that it took to get the company off the ground.
You might have heard the statistic saying that about 80% of entrepreneurs fail with their startup. What made Wisler Plumbing different? I think the old adage says that nothing good comes easy. It takes a lot of hard work to become successful. I can confidently say that my father made sacrifices to family, himself, and time that he invested into the business. Sometimes it’s just a matter of how much you’re willing to give. I witnessed firsthand the hard and trying times he went through. No matter what, he would find a way. Sometimes it all comes down to having the strength to overcome adversity.
Things are very different today, now that we’ve been in business for so long. My father dedicated himself to making a strong reputation for so many years. He made himself available whenever a client called. Mistakes do happen, since we’re not perfect. He did the right thing by answering to his mistakes in a responsible manner. I think those two things made all the difference: hard work through overcoming adversity, and stepping up to take responsibility whenever necessary. If you do those things early on and never compromise, your business will be off to a great start. You’ll have a solid foundation for years to come.
If you want to learn more about my dad’s hard work and how much I care about continuing his legacy, contact us online, check us out on Facebook, or give us a call at (540) 483-9382.
