by Jordan DeWald
Letting someone into your home requires trust in the character of the person entering. Allowing someone to perform a service to a part of your home requires trust that the work will be done the right way, so your family is safe. Hiring someone to change to the appearance in your home requires trust in the quality so as not to affect the value of your home.
At Local Life, we advocate for and recommend using local services as often as possible. This is particularly true when it comes to work down at your home. In the Local Love listing, you will see many great options for local businesses in this field recommended by the people in your community and us. Take a look at some reasons for choosing to use a local, small business.
Personalized Service
When utilizing the service of a local, small business one of the greatest benefits you receive is the relationship built with the employees. You are not calling a call center, you talk to someone who lives in your town. The person coming to do the work will likely be the same person, or at least on the same team, to return each time. You have the opportunity to interact with the owner because he or she is heavily involved in the day to day operations of the business, often performing the service themselves.
Not only do you get the opportunity to know the business owner, they get the opportunity to know you. They know your house, what works best for your lawn and have been involved with past projects. Your local pest control employee knows the nooks and crannies to pay close attention to. Your painter knows how many coats to plan for your particular walls.
Tim Davis, owner of Alpha Omega Pest Control, told me a story in passing one time. He was laughing about the situation that happened after, but what stood out was the first part of the story. He’d set a trap the night before and at 4:00 AM noticed the rain had picked up so he went to go check the trap at that time so it didn’t cause an issue for the client later on. That was just the background information for the story but it was what I remembered. I am not sure there are many national pest control chains whose owners go out in the pouring rain at 4:00 AM to check traps. That level of service only comes from your local business.
Reputation is a Priority
Small and local business owners know the success of their business begins and ends with their reputation. A local business cannot ignore or escape from word being spread about questionable business practices or poor quality of work. Corporate companies that are based out of other cities and send workers in have other regions they can still do business in. A local business only has their community and must maintain a status of honesty, integrity and excellent work.
The local business owner prioritizes staying in good standing with the city to protect themselves, which in turn protects you. They will be familiar with the permits required by the area they work in, how to schedule according to the area’s permits and inspections and what is required to stay up to code. There is a much larger room for error with a company that interacts with several cities or counties. Working with a local business can save you time, money and stress simply in this area alone.
Trusted References
Neighbors can be the very best references when you need work done for your house. Houses in neighborhoods are often built around the same time period, sometimes by the same builder, thus increasing the chance that updates or repairs will begin occurring in close time frames. They experience the same weather conditions you do- the windstorm that knocked down your fence took out part of their fence as well. They have the same soil conditions- the lawn specialist they found to treat their yard year-round would also know how to treat yours. When you see a job done well at your neighbor’s home, ask them who did it.
There is rarely a day when you don’t see a post on Facebook where someone is asking for a recommendation. If someone has had excellent service from a company, they are quick to let you know. With even faster speed if someone has had poor service, they will let you know.
Other local businesses are an excellent resource as well. Even if they aren’t in the same field, many businesses in home services cross paths in their line of work. You will get an opinion from a different perspective than a client that can give valuable insight.
On the flip side, be a referrer. There is no better thank you to a company for a satisfactory job than to let other people know about it. It costs you nothing but can potentially gain them new customers and grow their business.
When Buying Local, Everyone Benefits
The entire community benefits when your money stays in the local economy. Economists have theories to explain it, but it is rather simple. When you support a local business, you are paying the salaries of your community members. They will then in turn spend that money within the community as well. There are tax benefits to spending money in your town which improve infrastructure, schools, public safety, the list goes on and on. There is impact well beyond that though. Local business owners are far more likely than outside corporations to hire or buy products from local sources. Lone Star Contracting, for example, prioritizes purchasing their products from local suppliers. When you have Lone Star Contracting replace your roof, or one of their other services, you are also supporting additional local businesses.
The community also benefits from the support offered by the local businesses. The area’s programs, nonprofits, activities, and more are most often directly supported by the local businesses. Mr. Handyman of Burleson is purposeful about using his business to do needed home repair jobs for military veterans in the community. Mosely Fence offers discounts to local law enforcement, firemen, veterans and seniors. All American Services has donated their lawn service to Harvest House and Burleson Floor Store has sponsored events that help local people in their employment. You will see kids’ baseball teams with local companies written on their back, hear area businesses listed as sponsors for charity events and when there is a need in the community, it is the local businesses that are the very first to respond.
Now that you have heard why hiring a local company has its benefits over an outside business, take a look at the Local Love list for some of the best in the area. Hang on to the guide so you will have it as a resource when the need arises.