Entry #1 of the great Hallright LLC experiment (dba: WestWing Solutions & Baby Boot Camp). Let’s begin with a short explanation of the business and a ‘wee’ bit of history.
Hallright LLC
The “Hall” part of Hallright shouldn't be too difficult to identify...it’s our last name. (Go ahead and look over to the right hand side of the screen to verify if you like.) The “right” part of Hallright is there because...well...because we are the right company for your needs. Get it?
Hall-right.
There are two separate business segments to Hallright LLC that were created to diversity our portfolio. The first business unit is a consumer electronics installation and service company officially established on January 2, 2007 as WestWing Solutions. What does the name ‘WestWing Solutions’ have to do with consumer electronics? Nothing really, I just like the name. It also has some sentimental value because I aspire to work in the West Wing of the White House one day when money isn’t an issue and I can devote all my time to helping our country. Aside from the commercialized political banter we have become accustomed to, I sincerely believe that most of the people that work in the West Wing have a genuine, heartfelt desire to make our country better. My passion for government will certainly be recognized in future posts, but for now let’s stay on topic.
WestWing Solutions specializes in flat-panel (plasma and LCD) TV repair and wall mount installation, although one of our loyal customers pointed out in a recent email that we “do a bunch of other great stuff too”. We work with a handful of distributors but only charge our cost on material because occasionally, I can find the same products online for a lower price point than we can buy it for from the distributor. We provide all our prospective clients with a detailed parts list and encourage them to purchase the parts wherever they can get the best price. Our business model is detail orientated, professional installation & service and in the interest of quality, we’ll stick to what we do best. Make it work and make it look great.
The idea for WestWing Solutions came to me in the fall of 2006 while working at the corporate office of CompUSA Inc. I was developing a national program for the delivery and installation of the new consumer electronics product line and had an immediate need for honest, dependable technicians that do great work. I experimented with different business models in different geographical markets and discovered ten simple truths about this emerging labor need.
1. Employee installers (paid hourly) cost more than sub-contractors over the long-run.
2. Sub-contractors are much more efficient than employee installers.
3. For sub-contractors, every job is an interview for the next job, so customer satisfaction is much better.
4. The higher the compensation rate for the sub-contractor, the better the quality of workmanship is.
5. Compensation for employee installers (paid hourly) only influences the quality of workmanship directly before, or after, a performance review and raise.
6. Finding the right sub-contractor with the right skills, attitude, and commitment to excellence is murder.
7. Finding the right employee installer is virtually impossible.
8. Firing a sub-contractor is very easy...and they know it.
9. Firing an employee installer for poor quality work is time consuming and expensive....and they know it.
10.Employee installers that complain the most usually have the sloppiest work.
Through an exhausting search and months of trial and error I found over 150 local installation companies across the U.S. that were extraordinary. They were efficient, experts in their craft, used furniture pads to protect furniture, wore ESD rubber gloves when handling products and put on shoe covers out of respect for our customers’ homes. They actually communicated with the client before and after the work and showed them how to use the new “toys” using simple english. I was like a proud father watching his son throw a flawless 30 yard touchdown pass to win the game. Although extremely successful, the profitability of the delivery & installation (D&I) program at CompUSA was shadowed by plummeting retail computer sales, an overwhelming corporate overhead, and critical executive blunders. CompUSA was sold and split into little pieces and the profitable D&I program was abandoned.
But the need was still there! Customers were still buying flat-panel TV’s like crazy on the internet and in other retail stores. Consumers still wanted professional installation but the only alternative was computer Geeks that “kinda” knew what they were doing or a company called Fire-Dog. (I still haven’t been able to find the correlation between a dog on fire and home theater. Fire-Dog taught me that an organizations name doesn’t have to make any sense.) These retail installation divisions of large companies cost a fortune for the average customer and they spend most of their time explaining to consumers what they won’t do during the install. If you are wealthy enough to afford their “packages” plan on waiting 2 weeks for them to show up. If only there was someone with about 150 professional nationwide contacts, understood the business, and had the ingenuity to partner a customer with a great installer. Ummmm. I decided to do the actual work 100% by myself for the first year in order to fully appreciate the installer’s point of view, and then launch our nationwide program. WestWing Solutions was born.
The second business unit of Hallright LLC is a health and fitness company established in July of 2008. My wife Amanda (my other passion in life) runs a local fitness program for mothers and their babies under the franchise Baby-Boot-Camp. They are the mothers that can be seen whisking strollers around North Texas shopping malls every morning before the mall opens for business. It’s a great program that incorporates the children’s needs in their moms’ fitness goals. The intent is to give the mom’s a chance to improve their health and weight with their babies. There’s no need for a baby-sitter with this program and Amanda is a gentle, compassionate and fierce leader. She’s registered the business name “Baby Boot Camp Texas” but operates under the franchise of Baby-Boot-Camp. Amanda worked in the fitness center part time while attending Texas A&M (Whoop!) and developed a fervor for personal training. She’s a beautiful, enthusiastic, and dedicated mother that balances her time between our family and the individual goals of the moms she works with. Sounds expensive...right? If you know Amanda, you wouldn’t be surprised to learn that her course runs about $3.00 a session. As long as she is helping moms in our community and breaking even at the bank, she’s delighted.
So there it is. Hallright LLC, WestWing Solutions, and Baby-Boot-Camp. I’m Mathew “Scott” Hall (“Scott” is in quotes because that’s what my family & friends call me) and I’ll be blogging from time to time about how the business segments are developing. Amanda and I are convinced that it’s important for potential client’s to understand the character of a company they choose to have a relationship with. For those that are interested, the information is available and we look forward to your input.
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