This is the Startup Junkie’s Podcast; welcome to it!
In episode 261, we have Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Davis McEntire from Startup Junkies sit with Ryann Hartley of Hartley Flooring. From the dynamic of being a woman in the industry to the entrepreneurial spirit being in her DNA to creating an immaculate company culture, we got to hash it all out with Ryann!
Thanks for tuning in!
Shownotes:
(1:24) Introducing Ryann Hartley of Hartley Flooring
(3:48)) From Sherwin Williams To Flooring
(5:23) Company Culture
(7:31) Winning & Customer Targeting
(10:39) Glass Ceiling In Construction & Contract Work
(15:22) What’s Next For Flooring?
(19:04) Owning The Business 100%
(22:02) Advice to Women in Trade Space
(25:33) What’s Next For Ryann Hartley?
(34:33) Advice To Younger Self
(37:27) Wrap Up
Links:
Quotes:
“Working with Sherman Williams, a 150 year old multi-billion dollar business, the career ladder was forever long, as long as I wanted it to be, but there was just something attractive about small business in Northwest Arkansas.” (2:28) – Ryann Hartley
“Nothing is perfect. It just isn’t. So being willing to just ride those waves and meet those challenges when they come up, there’s all kinds of unforeseen things and unknown things… so when you just meet those challenges as best you can over time, you gain respect.” (11:38) Ryann Hartley
“…So [I was] running a gas pump at a liquor store. That’s what small business is, it’ ‘s not always sexy, it’s hard work.” (20:25) Ryann Hartley
Breaking Through Glass Ceilings with Ryann Hartley of Hartley Flooring
Did we mention how happy we are to sit with our guests again? For episode 261, we had the opportunity to sit with Ryann Hartley of Hartley Flooring! Hartley Flooring is a commercial and residential flooring specialist company out of Lowell, Arkansas. Creating this ultimate flooring service came with an incredible story, and we were stoked to hear it!
Tricks of The Trades
Ryann Hartley came to the University of Arkansas from Joplin, Missouri and found herself working with Sherwin Williams. Moving up the corporate ladder was initially the trend until she caught the startup bug. Due to signing a non-compete act in painting, she was put in a position to look into a different specialty field. It turns out, the flooring industry requires the same specialty contractors licenses as painting, thus began the entrepreneurial journey.
“Working with Sherman Williams, a 150 year old multi-billion dollar business, the career ladder was forever long, as long as I wanted it to be, but there was just something attractive about small business in Northwest Arkansas.” (2:28) – Ryann Hartley
Flooring provided a larger average transaction size with comparable labor to painting. With the material driving the average project size up, the new gig became very attractive.
Small Business, The Dream
At this time, she does not see a cycle of building up and franchising out to be in her future. She genuinely enjoys the culture and community surrounding small businesses. With it being a smaller scale, Hartley Flooring has experimented with all of its internal strategies.
“It’s different. I think it makes some people very uncomfortable, but we just have a very loose culture.” (5:30) – Ryann Hartley
Between not having formal meetings, unlimited vacations, and a casual work environment, Ryann is able to implement a work culture that is able to be tried out on a small business scale. She admits that this culture may be anxiety-inducing to others but has proven to lead to a successful team for Hartley Flooring. She also would argue that businesses are heading that way, and we agree.
When it comes to hiring people, the goal is to find those who are excited to be a part of the team and culture; then, they don’t worry about the rest. This outcome-oriented structure has allowed the company to even analyze the positions that were seemingly set in stone in the flooring world and innovate them accordingly.
Winning For Hartley Flooring
With 97% commercial work alongside expert installers, they can do all kinds of work. Whether it’s floor coverings, ceramic tiles, sheet vinyl, luxury vinyl, or carpet tile, they are leaving their mark as specialty floor installation in Northwest Arkansas.
By using good subcontractors, having a healthy team honing in on competitive pricing, they are seeing wins left and right. Creating a good relationship with manufacturer reps now will allow them to raise prices in the future that can still be competitive in this crazy market.
Shattering Glass
It is no news to Ryann that as a woman, she is the minority in her field. This does not discourage her. She believes that as long as she shows up, does the hard work, and provides the services desired; she will gain respect. She chooses to believe the best in others, even if she finds out later that she was not taken seriously based on her gender. Having a team behind her from all different walks of life does not hurt either. So far, it sounds like working hard and surrounding yourself with good people may be the foundational pieces of shattering the glass ceiling.
“Just to keep doing what you know is right and keep working hard and the details and the little things will work themselves out.” (22:30) Ryann Hartley
Future of Flooring
Due to the declining reputation in the trades within the past few years, the ability to professionalize the industry gives a real competitive advantage. Hartley Flooring is using the low expectations and high-value delivery to their advantage!
“I think that we do that on accident a lot, you know, people just don’t don’t think they’re going to get, um, quite the service that they might, if, if a 45 year old man walked into the building, you know?” (12:26) Ryann Hartley
Do you have an itch to push limits? Do you want to flip the status quo upside down? Bring us your story of the challenges, victories, and everything in-between! Hearing the accounts of people who don’t accept the status quo and want to make things better is our passion here at Startup Junkie.
For all our fellow Startup Junkies, stay tuned each week for yet another story of those breaking the norms and soaring to new heights. Want to learn more about our services?
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