Allied Remodeling Corporation of Central Maryland

Before I started my own company, I worked in the home improvement industry. I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some of the things I saw made me cringe. The problems I noticed then (and still see in many companies today) come down to one basic problem: Short-term thinking. Let me give you some examples of what I saw in many companies: A failure to re-invest profits back in the business to make it stronger and provide better service An attitude to "squeeze as much profit" out of every single job Lack of follow-up on issues because call backs and warranty claims are not money-makers Using inferior products or inexperienced labor to save on costs and boost profit margin What contractors who engage in these "profit now" tactics fail to realize is that it costs them money in the long run. Short-term success is relatively easy. Building a business with a reputation for the long haul is a lot harder and requires a strong sense of ethics and accountability. Why I Do Things People Told Me I Shouldn't Do Some told me I was crazy to not take deposits. But to me this is about integrity - we don't take a dime until the job is complete. My entire company knows that our business and reputation ride on getting jobs done right the first time. When you are fronting all the labor and materials you can't afford to not get it right. Others said people wouldn't pay a little bit more for the best quality. I responded that people won't stand for outrageous prices (and rightfully so), but they will pay a little more if they know it will last longer, look better, and the whole installation process will be stress free. If most people don't want the absolute cheapest car, or the lowest priced doctor, why assume homeowners want "bottom-of-the-barrel" products and installation on their home? Allied Remodeling's tens of thousands of happy customers tells me one thing: people are willing to pay a bit more for the best. I also heard that I shouldn't give customers my cell phone number and tell them to call me anytime, day or night, with a question, comment, or complaint about their project. "You'll be hounded and people will ruin your Saturday night." Customers do call me at odd times sometimes, but that is just fine. If it is good comments, I'm always glad to hear it. If it is an issue or questions, why wouldn't I want to get it taken care of immediately? Finally, almost everyone in this industry offers a 1 or 5 year labor warranty on their work. I said I was going to match the manufacturer warranty - if it is lifetime, so is my labor warranty. Why should my work not be free from defect and last as long as the product? The Payoff- A Healthy Business And Tens Of Thousands Of Grateful Customers Going in the opposite direction in this industry turned out to be a pretty good business plan. My customers are happy, because they have a home improvement company that is completely accountable and delivers best quality results with real promises to back it up. My employees are happy because I can pay them better, based on their higher level of skill and experience (and they also know I expect more). And I'm happy to, because as an owner, I can make sure we keep to the values of long-term thinking that has made Allied Remodeling one of the most successful home improvement companies in the state of Maryland. For more about this, please visit our Reputation page. Being A Co-Owner- Learning The Allied Remodeling Way From The Ground Up If you can't tell already, I'm pretty particular about this company and its reputation. You will always have one of us as your project manager for maximum accountability.