About 15 years ago, I started my own small business.
I opened an HVAC repair company with $3,000 and an old Ford F-350 van.
I saved for two years before I had enough money to start my own company. It took a long time to save a small amount of money, because I was an hourly employee and I had bills to pay. When I finally took the leap, I never looked back. Business was slow in the beginning, but I had a couple of commercial HVAC clients that kept the business going. Things picked up after a couple of ears and then I met my wife. We dated for six months and then we decided to get married. Both of our parents thought we were rushing into the marriage, but we were ready to be family. We had a son shortly after our wedding and we named the boy Jake. Jake is going to be old enough to take over the business in a couple of years. I’ve been teaching Jake everything I know about HVAC repairs and installation. Sometimes I wonder if Jake is as interested in HVAC repair as I was at his age, but he is definitely excited about running the company. Every Saturday, Jake and I work together on commercial and residential HVAC repairs. Jake has been going with me to help for the past year or two. Since the boy was old enough to hold a hammer and a screwdriver, he has been my right-hand man. I have taught him everything that I know.