This week, we sat down with Evan Walde, Co-Founder of Bluebird Exteriors, LLC. to learn about his new business venture.
Evan and his Co-Founder/mom, Valeria Walde, spent the past six years working as office cleaners. They spent their days cleaning, washing windows, taking out trash, etc. Both had always wanted to own their own businesses, but had never taken the leap.
As Evan got older and started a family of his own, he realized more and more that in order to reach his goals, he needed to start own business. He never wanted a typical 9-5 job.
He sat down with his mom one day for a conversation that would change both their career paths and their lives. By combining their knowledge, experiences, and resources they determined they could run a successful business together in the window- and power-washing industry, allowing them to reach their individual goals as well make being home with their families a priority.
In January 2017, Evan and his mom set out to learn everything they could about starting and running a business. They set up their business structure, learned about marketing, and officially took the leap and started serving customers in July 2017.
Keep reading below for our exclusive interview with Evan.
Tell us a little about your business.
Bluebird Exteriors LLC offers window cleaning, power washing, soft washing, gutter cleaning and a few other add-on services. We’re dedicated to providing a high level of service. It’s more than just making a dollar cleaning some windows. We’re about giving people a feeling of trust, being able to know that the job they hired us to do will be done correctly and quickly.
We don’t want our customers to have to worry about anything – we make it effortless for them. All they have to do is schedule job and we’ll take care of the rest. Our customers don’t have the time, energy or desire to do the work they hire us to do. We want the whole process to be a stress relief for them.
Who is your ideal client?
Someone who realizes the value of their time. We believe that our customers have more valuable things to do with their time, such as working on their own business, spending quality time with their family, or taking a much needed vacation.
But we’re also not the cheapest service provider in town. If someone is price shopping and looking to spend the least amount of money, we’re probably not going to be a good fit for them. We charge more because we give more to each and every customer.
Why did you start this business?
Family is really important to my mom and me. We wanted to start a business where we could make our family our priority – and not the other way around. Everything we do in our business revolves around our dedication to our family.
As we think about the future of Bluebird Exteriors and bringing on employees as our business grows, we want to make sure that extends to them, as well. We want to be very involved with our employees and their families – we want them to feel like part of our family. Our vision is for Bluebird Exteriors to be a place where people can enjoy coming to work, are able to make a living wage, and that they will be able to put their families first, just as we put ours first.
What is one big challenge you’ve dealt with as a new entrepreneur?
You hear all these entrepreneurs and startups on the news and on the radio saying, “Oh, I just started a business, and things just started happening, and it all worked out!” And that’s what we thought when we got started. Get a truck, get the supplies and the customers will just roll in. But that’s not exactly how it works! Every single day, you have to put 100% in – you can’t stop, can’t give up. Hard days are going to come, but you just have to keep going.
Tell us about a big win you’ve had this year.
I’ve always been really shy. I was never the person to introduce myself first or to go to events. This business has forced me to learn and do these things. I have to be comfortable to starting the conversations and not just sitting quietly in the back. Being able to learn how to do this effectively as part of my business has been a huge win for me personally.
What’s one piece of advice you would to someone starting a brand new business?
Really question what your motives are. I think it’s important to know that your business can become a vehicle for you to pursue your dream, whatever that dream may be. I think a lot of people get into business and think, “Oh, I’ll just do that because it’ll be easy and I’ll make some money.” But they don’t ever get to the core of why they’re doing something and making sure it aligns with their goals in life.
Anything else you’d like to share?
We really want to up-level the service business experience in our area. It’s our goal to change the climate and raise the standard for how people operate. It’s important for us to always provide a professional experience for our customers. A few things we do differently that sets us apart from the competition are:
- Service vehicles that have been professionally “wrapped” with our company logo and information, so our customers know it’s us when we arrive.
- Clean uniforms with our logo that help our customers identify us immediately.
- Providing custom one-on-one quotes for each homeowner and business, so they can ensure we’re meeting their specific needs.
- Quote pamphlets that we provide to our potential customers with our rates and services, so there’s no confusion after we leave.
By raising the professional standards of service-based businesses, it’s not only good for us, but it’s good for our customers and it’s good for other entrepreneurs starting businesses in our areas.
To learn more about Bluebird Exteriors, its Co-Founders, Evan Walde and Valerie Walde, and the many services they offer, visit them online at www.bluebirdexteriorsllc.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
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