This industry is filled with hardworking, talented individuals who are proud of our industry, and we enjoy sharing their work with you.
Every month installers share their best advice, industry insights, the craziest questions homeowners ask them and the challenges they face on the job. We hope you enjoy reading these stories, to learn from others in the industry and glean tips and tricks to implement in your own business.
We rounded up some of the more memorable stories and quotes to share with you again.
Don’t cut corners. Don’t try to be a nice guy and overlook something because you’re trying to save the homeowner a big headache. Do it the right way every time because as soon as you give an inch that’s the one you’re going to get a phone call about.
– Casey Fiedler, Michigan Septic LLC, Mason, Michigan
Why do you need a permit and a soil test? Just give me a tank and a field. This is why I think we need more education and awareness of our industry. I beat the drum all the time trying to explain everything. But sometimes people go and find a company that’s fine with skirting regulations.
– Brett Gaudry, BNS Excavating, Teulon, Manitoba
We need to expose people early to the industry. We need to get them known to the industry. We need to get them to know this is a high-wage-earning industry if you’re able to do it.
– Ryan Fox, Fox Onsite Solutions, San Jose, California
The craziest question I’ve been asked by a customer: “The drainfield is not draining, can’t you just dig it out and rebuild it?”
– Jason Kramer, A1 Septic on Lopez, Lopez Island, Washington
After school, I worked for a man who operated a preventative maintenance shop, everything from welding to painting. We often discussed business. His nuggets of wisdom included the “do” theory — Find something no one else wants to do and do it better than anyone else. He taught me it’s important to answer the phone and return calls, even if you can’t do the job or don’t have time for it. Courtesy is never outdated.
– Pat McVay, Sporthaven, Inc., Brookings, Oregon
Don’t grow too fast. Learn the job and make smart decisions. People want to buy a bunch of equipment and jump into the business and all of a sudden we get a tight spot in the economy and they go out of business because they get into debt. When you’re ready to buy something, step back and think about it for a couple days or a week. Do you really need it or do you just want it?
– David Austin, consultant to Septic Masters, Wyoming, Delaware
I spend way more time than everybody likes educating the customers. The best way to do it is face to face. I sit down and explain their situation, what they’re going to end up with, and the backing they will have with us and the products we install. Some customers just look at the bottom right corner, and we never had those jobs anyway. We can’t have all the customers. We just want the good ones.
– Clayton Foster, Acreage Development Solutions, Millarsville, Alberta
One mission I still laugh about happened at a college in New Hampshire. They were experiencing a sewer backup in one of the dormitories. After running hundreds of feet of hose into the building and hiring a rigging company to lift a large pump station from its structure, we pumped and determined that a student somehow managed to flush a full-sized football into the system, obstructing the pump and backing up into the building. To this day we still have a hard time understanding how a football could have gotten in there.
– Raymond Bellemore II, Souhegan Septic Tank Service, Amherst, New Hampshire
A gentleman called and said, “Do septic tanks have gas in them?” I said, “Yes, why?” He had a yellowjacket nest beside his tank so he decided he would pour gas in it and set them on fire. The methane ignited and blew his toilet out of the floor.
– Trent Rhea, Rhea’s Backhoe & Septic Tank Service, Inc., King’s Mountain, North Carolina
The area is saturated with small septic contracting companies. My mindset going in was that if I wanted to be successful, I had to be different and do the things that nobody else is doing. I wrote down marketing ideas, and I crossed off anything the others were already doing. When you see the Nike swoosh, you automatically think about athletic shoes. When I rent a billboard, I don’t expect that somebody driving down the road will pull over and call me. But when their toilets start to bubble, the first image in their head should be our swan with the purple logo.
– Josh Williams, Lakeland Septic Company, Lakeland, Florida
It’s OK to fire a customer. Some just aren’t worth it.
– Joe Henry, Kingfish Pumping Inc., Carleton Place, Ontario
We were installing several aerobic systems in a neighborhood one hot summer day. The rail truck delivering the systems was backed up to the hole. As soon as the tank was over the hole, the cable snapped, causing the tank to fall about 12 feet. Luckily, no one was near the tank when it fell so everyone was safe, but you could feel the ground shake under your feet as the 17,000-pound tank shattered. My employees still talk about this one. This was such a great reminder of how important safety is on the job.
– Tanner Devine, A-1 Septic Systems, Stillwater, Oklahoma
A local resident called about his septic system backing up into the house. He was entertaining a large number of family members during the week. Upon arrival we noticed the septic tank was solid top to bottom. The tank was much too small for the size of the home and the level of entertaining the homeowner enjoyed providing. We headed back to the shop and returned with our little Hydro-Spade truck, as a vacuum truck would have had a difficult time pulling on the thick waste. The FOG layer was solid enough that I took a chance and stepped onto the crust — and the contents held the weight of my body.
– Craig Sapriken, All Around Septic Services, Slocan Park, British Columbia
