What’s your 60 second elevator speech?
We take the showroom to our customers. We do floor coverings of all kinds and while we have a studio showroom, our focus is to take our service directly to our customers.
We do that by talking to our customers to see what they are looking for; we put together a presentation that fits with their vision, and add a few things we might want to suggest.
We think this is a better way to do show our floor coverings because it gives us a, “home field advantage”. It saves our customers in time, money and frustration! We can see what lighting they have, what the walls look like, the size of the rooms and more. It saves our customers time because, by being in their home we take all the guesswork out of the process, like room size and orientation. They can see what it will look like in their home or business, they can see if it fits with their decor, and whether it matches their furniture.
Lifestyles Flooring and Design was founded in 2009 by partners Neicy Kowalczyk and Tim Look.
Our website is www.lifestylesfloor.com.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Lifestyles” is a word we use very often, and really it’s how we came up with the name of our business. What we do is look at the lifestyles of our customers to understand what they need.
What drew you to this line of business?
Tim – I’ve been in the carpet/flooring business for over 30 years. I’ve worked in all parts of the flooring business. It was my first job out of school. I like the job, and I like helping people.
Neicy – My background is in marketing and I am a “face to face” person. I like to talk to people. This business is all about customer service and that’s what I love to do.
What is you most marked characteristic?
Neicy – I like to talk to people. I can have a conversation with a tree.
Tim – Sincerity to customers, I will do what it takes to make us successful. About 90 percent of our customers are referrals and we believe there is no small sale or job. I don’t care how big or small the job, I want to do it right, so that when the customer has a big job they will come to us because they trust us.
What lessons would you share with other entrepreneurs?
Tim – Do your research, know that your business is growing and has a future.
Neicy – Always be honest. I may not be able to answer every question a customer has, but I always find the answers and explain them to my customers.
What are we likely to find you doing on a day off?
Neicy – Networking, I love “shaking trees” and talking to people. My kids always say, “Mom knows everybody.” I also like to golf and even play hockey.
Tim – I love estate sales and go as often as I can. It’s the thrill of finding a hidden treasure and meeting new people.