Getting Started in Hardwood Flooring & Building a Family Business

Hey folks! This is Tim from A Team Hardwoods LLC.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"Getting Started in Hardwood Flooring & Building a Family Business"

Summary:

Tim got his start in hardwood flooring right out of high school, working alongside his father-in-law for nearly seventeen years before deciding it was time to launch his own business. Prior to flooring, he worked with wood refinishing antique furniture and did some rough framing and other construction work, so the craft came naturally. He was drawn to flooring partly because it was indoor work, which suited the rainy Washington climate, and partly because he simply enjoyed it and the variety of never staying in one place too long. When he went out on his own, he brought in his son Hunter, who was figuring out his direction in life. Having previously enjoyed working with other family members, Tim always felt working with his son would be rewarding, and that father-and-son partnership is what the business is built on today.

Answer:

So I started basically right out of high school working with my father-in-law. I'd worked with wood prior to that doing some refinishing of antique furniture and stuff, and I did some roughing and other construction work, so I just kind of fell into it. It was indoors, and we're in Washington, it rains a lot, so I just liked it. We were never at one place too long, which I enjoyed. I worked with my father-in-law for almost seventeen years, until I just figured it was about time for me to do my own thing. And then I brought my son in. He was kind of floating, didn't really know what to do, and I liked working with my son. I've had other family members work with me over the years, and they went off and started their own deals too. But I always thought it'd be great to work with my son, and that's what I'm doing now.