Quality human resources and technology spells success for L.A. Hydro-Jet & Rooter Service

By Lynn Tilton

One of the marks of a successful person is his ability to learn from the mistakes of others rather than having to make those same mistakes on his own. A good example of this is Dan Baldwin of Los Angeles. His company, L.A. Hydro-Jetting Services, had nearly $1 million in billings during its fourth year.

"We specialize in hydrojetting, but also have a whole line of rooting equipment as well as cameras and electronic line locating," Baldwin says.

Dan then explained that before he began L.A. Hydro-Jetting Services he worked as operations manager four years for a large line cleaning company in the L.A. metro area. "But when we went from 82 service techs down to 33 within a six-month period, I knew it was time to make a change." This was after he'd gone from being a member of management to taking on a franchise with the same firm. " The quality of service deteriorated, so I decided to go fully on my own."

As he looks back on his corporate and franchise experience, Baldwin notes that he learned some valuable lessons at that time. "First, you and your service staff must take care of your customers. After all, without customers there is no business." Dan pauses, then adds, "At the same time, you must take care of your service staff. That company had a constant turnover, with the better techs finding other opportunities."

This employee flight sent up a big red flag for Dan. He notes that management and staff grew more and more into adversarial positions, making it more and more of a chore to report to work each day. But, thanks to his experience with that firm, he also believed that the best possible opportunity in jetting lay in focusing on commercial and industrial clients, rather than going after the residential market, or trying to stretch enough to get into municipality work.

"I realized that if I were to start my own business, that the commercial/industrial segments held the most promise. I specifically targeted hydrojetting services for hotels, hospitals, and shopping centers. I did my first year as a one-man shop." This helped him keep debt at a level he could handle.

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