Today we’d like to introduce you to Chuck Kurth and Andrew Johnson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Andrew’s brother Ryan and I went to college together approximately ’99-03. At some point during that period, he and his brother Ryan started the business as a means to pay for college. Hence the name, Two Brothers.
Fast forward several years, and after college we all kind of went our separate ways. Ryan pursued an opportunity to go overseas to work in the oil and gas industry. I pursued a job opportunity in Wisconsin. Andrew continued to run the small business known as Two Brothers.
Fast forward to 2011, and Andrew was presented with an opportunity to go overseas for work as well. It was early in 2011 that he contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in taking over the business. Intrigued, we got together on several occasions to discuss how the business worked, what opportunities lied ahead, pros/cons etc. At that time, the business was a modest one, to say the least. Andrew was basically running it out of his garage. The workers, (at that time there were 4) would meet there every morning to go over the days tasks and perform the work that was on the docket for the day. Relatively simple, very modest,
At the time that the opportunity was presented to me, I was living in Milwaukee and working a commission based sales job. It was going well, but I didn’t love my job. Wasn’t fulfilling. And there were good months, and there were not so good months. My first child Ryder was born in February of ’11, and I was looking to provide small my family with a little bit more of a stable situation and better overall opportunity. After much deliberation, I decided to take the job of managing Two Brothers and we made the move to Chicago (Aurora) in September of ’11.
My first full season here (2012) was a learning curve, to be sure. We maintained the status quo, working out of the garage and I learned the ins and outs of what we did, how we did it, etc. We generated slightly less revenue than Andrew had done the previous year. All things considered, it went well.
The company always had a good reputation of providing quality service with a smile on our face. We were cute as a company, for lack of a better term. Reliable, dependable, good quality work, but small. We may have serviced 100 customers/projects, give or take. Word of mouth was (and still is) huge for us. We did a little advertising in local papers, the phone book, etc. Before I arrived, often times Andrew would be the one answering the phones and doing the work on site, with the help of a couple guys.
Things changed quickly.
I can’t say exactly how, or when, but things really took off in ’13. We almost doubled our revenue that year, still working out of the garage. I added employees, started making connections with local builders and vendors, and the phone wouldn’t stop ringing. My wife and I welcomed a 2nd child to our family, and work was cruising. Things were hectic, but they were good.
In early 2014, we acquired a dedicated shop space, and that really allowed the business to grow. We continued to add staff, and the work kept rolling in. Our revenue continues to grow, and now we’ve almost outgrown our current shop space. We recently bought a house here in Aurora, and now we’re looking to expand Two Brothers to provide customers across the country with the same quality service that they receive here in the Chicago area.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, certainly hasn’t always been a smooth road.
Just learning how the business worked was a challenge, initially. How we do what we do, how to schedule, manage employees, etc. Working for yourself (my partner Andrew was living in Korea when I made the move down here) was a challenge. It’s a lot of responsibility.
Finding quality laborers was and remains a challenge. Many people are just looking for a paycheck, but others are depending on their job to feed their families.
Scaling a business, and doing it the right way, is incredibly challenging. It’s easy to be a “Mom n Pop” shop, but when you start adding expenses, and employees, and responsibilities, it can be very stressful.
Balancing work and family was, and is, incredibly difficult. There is no shortage of struggles, to be sure.
Two Brothers Residential Maintenance – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We’re a residential maintenance company that provides a variety of home services that includes deck/fence maintenance, interior/exterior painting, pressure washing, carpentry, etc.
Our specialty is cleaning and staining decks and fences. That’s our niche, that’s what got us to where we are today. It’s a service that not a lot of other companies provide, and even fewer do it really well. I firmly believe that we’re the best in the business at what we do.
I’m most proud of the reputation that we’ve garnered over the year. If you search Angie’s List for deck maintenance providers, we are far and away the highest rated company in our area, and it’s not even close. We zeroed in on decks and fences, and our reputation both online and in the community is highly regarded.
I believe what sets us apart from others are two things: Quality of work, and customer experience. Anyone can sell a product or service, but in this type of industry it’s difficult to get a quality service at a fair price, and actually enjoy the service from start to finish. I routinely get unsolicited feedback about the friendliness of our crews, and that’s huge for us. From start to finish, people really love working with us.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
That’s a great question. The first criteria that comes to mind is making the customer happy. If we don’t do that, nothing else matters and we’d probably be out of business by now.
The second that comes to mind is our bottom line. As we grow, we need to be careful not to overextend ourselves. If the company isn’t making money, then it’s not going to work out well for anyone involved.
Keeping employees happy, and trained well, is critical to success. No doubt we wouldn’t be where we’re at today if I didn’t have some of the employees that we do. Giving them the tools and opportunity for success is huge. Most of my crew leaders have been with us for over three years. Two of my first hires are still with us today. Happy employees are definitely a marker of success.
Hearing how others in the community talk about is tells me that we’re successful as well. So much of our business comes from referrals from friends/family etc. There really is no better recommendation for a service provider than from a friend or family member, and it never ceases to amaze me how small our community is once I start hearing about who referred us to whom, and how those referrals continue to intertwine over time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.twobrothers.biz
- Phone: 630.452.9926
- Email: info@twobrothers.biz
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_brothers_residential/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/TwoBrothersBiz
- Twitter: twitter.com/TwoBrothersBiz
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/two-brothers-residential-maintenance-aurora-2
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
