Today we’d like to introduce you to Elan Pasmanick.
Hi Elan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
About four years ago, me and my wife had to close our retail business of 14 years. I was at the end of my 30’s, a husband, a father of three and with no income. I eventually decided to work in a profession I enjoy, so I started to intern as an appliance technician and started working on opening an appliance repair company with a partner. This process took a little too long so meanwhile I started working in a home restoration company’s warehouse, organizing and repairing their broken equipment. My partner decided to go a different way, so once again I had to figure out a way to make a living for me and my family because the pay in the restoration company was lower than I needed. I gave my two weeks notice, started going door to door between all of the restoration companies in the area and offered to repair their equipment. Now I repair for about 40 companies in and around the San Diego area. I also started teaching how to repair restoration equipment and I have my own restoration equipment cleaning product.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It took me about a year and a half from when I started repairing restoration equipment until I had enough work to make an honest living. Finding new clients in a slow process, especially because my business model is new to the industry. Usually the companies send their equipment to be repaired and I decided to repair in their own warehouse instead. This business model allows me to lower the cost of operation for both me and my clients. I knew that my way of doing things is better, but it took some time to get enough companies on board. Luckily I had savings from when I had the retail business that I could live off of and most importantly, I have a wife that supported me and believed in me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I’m the only one who repairs restoration equipment in the clients’ warehouse. Sending restoration equipment to be repaired at a repair shop takes a long time and is very expensive. By not having a shop and by coming to my clients myself, I save a lot of equipment downtime, I get to customize the repairs to each client’s needs and most immediately, I save them a lot of money. I also teach companies all over the US how to repair own restoration equipment.
And I now have my own restoration equipment cleaning product.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
When opening a business, giving good service is not enough to stand out in this competitive market. Finding ways to improve the service while reducing expenses is not always easy, but when a way presents itself, you have a business model with potential.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @borntorepair
- Facebook: Born To Repair
