Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody Hendrick.
Hi Cody, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstories.
After moving to Charleston in 2017, finding work I was well qualified for was difficult, so I started doing handyman-type jobs here and there. I marketed myself as “Handyman Hendrick” for a while but constantly found myself in different roles. Even though I was prepared and capable for many of these situations, it seemed I needed to gain more traction, feeling as if my spectrum was too broad. During this period, I often was hired by construction companies to act as a carpenter, laborer, or even foreman. My diverse background allowed me to wear many hats, too many hats. The need to specialize would be the ticket. It would allow me to narrow down my toolset and tailor my knowledge set. In the spring of 2020, after being employed as a foreman for a construction company, many of the things I was concerned about weren’t the shared concern of others. Leaving that job lit a fire under me to pursue work for myself. So I created Charleston Finish Carpentry and focused on the side of construction and remodeling that everyone sees, the interiors of homes and businesses.
Would it have been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I certainly could have picked a better time to start a business, the height of a worldwide event that seemingly had everything shut down with no sense of security. I struggled with winning clients and convincing them to let me into their homes and lives. The next struggle was the rise in lumber prices; while lumber mills were being shutdown, the lumber supply was being heavily burdened by homeowners who needed to get their home office straight, families bored at home in need of doing all those repairs around the house finally, and people looking for the next project or hobby. It meant my prices also had to go up, making it difficult to sell my services to prospective clients in an industry where pricing remained relatively unchanged for a decade or more.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We specialize in architectural carpentry in the interior of homes and businesses, including decorative walls, trim, ceilings, and stairs. We build custom built-in furniture, cabinets, and accent pieces for homes and businesses. What sets us apart is that we are passionate about getting the little details right, which other people overlook. Treating each project as if it were for our own families. The constant study of carpentry, why homes are designed the way they are, and that pursuit of perfection; the perfect cut, the perfect fit, and in perfect time. We get excited about seeing smiles on our customers’ faces. When we get those calls for their next project, we know they felt taken care of and met their needs.
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
My advice for anyone starting would be: Don’t blow your budget on marketing right out their gate on shirts and vehicle decals; instead, invest in your relationships. Avoid going broke in the tool section, don’t buy every tool you see; instead, buy only the tools you need that day to get the job done; you will have a chance to fill up the truck with tools soon enough and be patient. And be someone your clients can trust to get the job done, done right the first time around even if it takes you a bit longer than you had hoped, especially if it costs your bottom line to suffer; show your clients you are willing to take care of them, and they will take care of you. When I was starting, I wished I knew how much time it takes to be the owner of a company; to be the salesman, the estimator, the purchaser, the installer, and the quality assurance department all under one hat or wearing many hats depending how you look at it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.charlestonfinishcarpentry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chasfinishcarpentry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharlestonFinishCarpentry
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/charleston-finish-carpentry-charleston
