Meet Matt Schmidt of 3rd Gen Painting & Remodeling

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Schmidt.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Matt. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up, I always had an interest in building things and using tools. At the age of 10, my friends and I collected scrap materials to construct our own tree fort in the woods! From there, I took a building trades course in high school where I learned a lot about the world of construction. I helped build two homes from the ground up over the course of two years in the class.

Once I graduated, I took on full-time work as a carpenter and laborer. I quickly decided that I still had ambitions of being my own boss, so I went back to school to study business. For the first two years of college, I continued to work 60+ hours a week and took night classes. I then transferred to Loyola in Chicago where I obtained my BBA. While at Loyola, I was set on finding an internship to gain experience in the business world.

I was hired by a national painting company and given the opportunity to take on a management role. Within four years, I helped grow my division of the company to produce $2.5 million in business across two states. My love for the industry inspired me to franchise my own division of the company in Georgia (to expand to a region where they didn’t operate yet)!

I grew the business there for three years and while I loved the work, I felt called to move back to my roots and closer to my family. After moving back, I reconnected with an old colleague, Andre, to discuss starting a home renovation company in WI and IL. With careful planning, Andre, Cassie (my fiancé), and I launched 3rd Gen!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As with any business, the road is never smooth. One of my greatest challenges has been a mental one. I struggled for a while because I put pressure on myself to do everything the business needed rather than hiring and relying on others. I must say there were days when my fiancé and I had financial anxiety surrounding the uncertainty of our situation as a fully entrepreneurial household.

It’s taught us a lot about faith and believing in the outcome of our efforts. Rather than being discouraged, I’ve always valued struggles, mistakes, and hardships as my greatest learning opportunities.

3rd Gen Painting & Remodeling – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
3rd Gen is a painting and custom remodeling company. The painting part is simple. If it can be painted, we do it! As for remodeling, we try to stick to a few core competencies: decks, kitchens, bathrooms, and basements! That being said, we love a good challenge, so we’re always open to remodeling spaces off that list. We are most proud of the relationships we get to build with our clients.

They may come to us as strangers, but we like to think they leave as family. Our mentality and focus are on making our current customers so happy they’re a customer for life. What sets us apart is our intense focus on not just quality work, but clear communication as well. Being a homeowner during a major project can be overwhelming and we do everything we can to ease worries by keeping our clients in the loop every step of the way!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is happiness. Not only making our clients happy but truly loving what we do every single day. It’s easy to get caught up in the growth and numbers behind the business, but if we focus on two major groups, success will come! Those groups are employees and clients. Having a company built on the values of integrity, honesty, and quality is more valuable than any revenue figure we could achieve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://3rdgenpainting.com
• Phone: 833-237-2468
• Email: contact@3rdgenpainting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3rdgenwi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3rdgenpaint/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/3rdGenMadison
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/3rd-gen-painting-and-remodeling-western-springs-3

Image Credit:
CJB Portrait Photography

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