EP39 Nick Slavik: The Importance of Exceptional Customer Service & Asking Yourself “Why”

Steve Burnett

6 years ago

Networking, Marketing, Sales, Business Coach

EP39 Nick Slavik: The Importance of Exceptional Customer Service & Asking Yourself “Why”

SUMMARY:

In this episode we are joined by Nick Slavik, owner/operator of Nick Slavik Painting & Restoration and new member of This Old House.

Nick started working in his family’s painting business at 10-years-old. His father would get Nick to help with the business any time that he wasn’t in school.

After serving in the Army, during two-and-a-half years at university, Nick got a bachelor’s degree and two minors.

Along with these credentials and his painting experience, he wanted to become a partner in the family business alongside his father and brother.

However, he faced resistance from his father which caused a huge argument. Eventually, this led Nick to start his own business.

Nick takes us through how he has grown his business into what it is today, including how he provides customer service, how he selects employees, and how he builds a great company culture.

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WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

The importance of providing an excellent customer experience
Why you should keep asking yourself “why”
When you should begin hiring employees
A successful approach to social media
How to build a great company culture

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LISTEN HERE:

QUOTES:

“My business plan was basically ‘crush your father,’ which was a horrible way to go through life and a very, very immature thing to do.”

“I painted a house, I made a list of ten ways to make it better and faster, and not only did I act on those: I found another five on the second house.”

“I just put cool stuff out there [on social media] in the hopes that people will understand ‘this guy also owns a painting business and he loves his job.’”

“Nobody who has ever worked for me went on to work for another painter or started their own painting business. Everybody has gone on to something that I would usually consider bigger and better.”

“Over the last eighteen months, I’ve gone through a self-imposed rehab on myself trying to say “How am I acting like my father? How am I acting like a poor businessperson? How am I acting like a poor leader? A poor human?”

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