Building a Company We Want to Be Proud of
From Steady Paycheck to Starting Over
May 1st, 2025. That's the day I walked away from a steady paycheck with a national foundation repair company to go all-in on My Guys.
Just me and Chris, a truck full of tools, and a commitment to do things differently than the big companies do them.
This isn't one of those "how I quit my job and got rich" stories. We're not rich. We're just building something we actually want to be proud of in 20 years. Something our kids can be proud of. Something Mahomet can count on.
Starting a business while working full-time isn't easy. Going full-time in that business is terrifying. But you know what's scarier? Spending your whole life working for someone else and wondering "what if."
We took the leap. And we're not looking back.
What Working for the Big Companies Taught Me
I spent years working for national companies in the home services industry. Learned a lot. Made good money. Got really good at the technical side of foundation repair and crawl space work.
But here's what I also learned: when you work for a big corporation, the pressure isn't about quality. It's about numbers.
Average ticket size. Closure rates. Revenue per appointment. How many jobs can you close this week? What's your conversion rate? Did you hit your quota?
That pressure trickles down to every customer interaction. You're not just solving their problem—you're trying to hit a number. And sometimes, a lot of times, that means selling things people don't really need. Pushing bigger solutions than necessary. Pricing jobs at corporate rates that make homeowners' jaws drop.
I watched crews rush through installations because they had three more jobs that day. Saw corners get cut because the schedule didn't allow time to do it right. Watched quality take a backseat to speed and volume.
And I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't keep selling inflated solutions to good people just because corporate needed to hit quarterly targets.
So we started My Guys with a different idea: do excellent work, charge fair prices, and actually care about the outcome.
Starting Small While Honoring Our Word
We officially started My Guys in October 2024, but I was still working full-time at the foundation company. That meant evenings, weekends, whatever time I could carve out to start building something of our own.
And here's the thing: I was in a non-compete. Couldn't do crawl space or foundation work yet. So we started with handyman jobs. Fixing the things people needed fixed around their houses. Replacing ceiling fans, fixing outlets, repairing leaky faucets. Nothing glamorous.
But you know what? We loved it. Every small job was a chance to build trust with someone in our community. To show up when we said we would. To do quality work and clean up completely. To treat people's homes with respect.
By May 2025, we'd built enough momentum that I could take the leap and go full-time. Just handyman work at that point, but it was enough. We were helping people, doing good work, and building a reputation.
Then later in 2025, the non-compete ended. And we could finally do what we'd been preparing for all along: crawl space encapsulation and foundation repair.
What We're Building and Why
Here's what we're not trying to do: become the biggest crawl space company in Central Illinois. Run ten crews across three states. Franchise the business. Get bought out by some private equity firm.
We're trying to build something we want to be proud of. Something we can sustain for decades without burning out or compromising our standards.
That means Chris or I will be on your job. Not some crew we hired last month. Not subcontractors we've never met. Us. The owners. The guys whose names are on the truck.
We're not the cheapest option out there. But we're nowhere near what the big national brands charge—and our quality stands up to anyone's. When you compare our work piece by piece, detail by detail, it's just better. Because we actually care about the outcome, not just the paycheck.
We take the time to do things right. We don't rush to the next appointment. We clean up completely. We answer our phones. We show up when we say we will. We explain what we're doing and why it matters.
This shouldn't be revolutionary. But apparently it is, because homeowners tell us all the time they can't believe we actually did what we promised.
That's not us being exceptional. That's just us giving a damn. And it turns out that's rare enough to build a business on.
Living Where You Work Changes Everything
Chris and I have lived in Mahomet our entire lives. We've known each other since fourth grade. This isn't just where we work—it's home.
And that changes everything about how we do business.
When you work for a national company, you can move on to the next territory, the next town, the next customer. But when you're working in your own community—where you grew up, where your kids go to school, where you see your customers at the grocery store—every job matters differently.
Your reputation isn't something you manage on Google reviews. It's what people say about you at the coffee shop. It's whether your neighbor recommends you to their friend. It's whether you can look people in the eye around town.
We're not building a business to sell someday. We're building something we want to run for the next 20 years. Something our kids can be proud of when they're older. Something Mahomet can count on.
That pressure—that accountability of being neighbors, not just a contractor—makes us better. It keeps us honest. It forces us to do quality work even when no one's watching, because someone's always watching when you live where you work.
We see our customers around town. Their kids play with our kids. We shop at the same stores, go to the same football games, support the same community.
That's not a marketing angle. That's just reality. And it matters.
The Difference You'll Actually See
So what does all this actually mean when we show up at your house?
It means we're not in a hurry. We take the time to understand what's actually going on, not just sell you the biggest solution possible.
It means we're not reading from a corporate script or pulling out a laptop with pre-set pricing. We're having a real conversation about your home and what it needs.
It means when we do the work, we do it completely. Clean crawl space with lighting installed. Debris removed, not just covered up. Job site cleaned like we were never there. Photos documenting everything we did.
It means we answer our phones. We show up when we say we will. We explain what we're doing and why. We treat your home the way we'd want someone to treat ours.
And it means if something's not right, you're talking directly to the owners. Not some customer service department in another state. Us. The guys who did the work.
That's what happens when the people doing the work are the same people who have to live with their reputation in this community.
What Success Actually Looks Like to Us
Success for us isn't measured in how many crews we're running or how much revenue we're generating.
It's measured in work we're proud to show people. Customers who become friends. Jobs we'd do the same way even if no one was watching.
It's being able to look our kids in the eye and show them what it means to build something honest. To do quality work. To keep your word. To treat people right.
It's Chris and I still doing this work together in 20 years, still serving Mahomet, still giving a damn about every job like it's the first one.
That's what we're building. Not the biggest company in Central Illinois. Just one we're proud of.
And that's enough.
Book A Free Inspection Now
Your crawl space problems aren't going to fix themselves. But they are fixable. Let's get it done — the right way, permanently.
Or call us directly (217) 863-9559
Talk Directly to the Guys Who Do the Work
If you need crawl space work, foundation repair, or help with projects around your house, give us a call.
You're not hiring a corporation. You're hiring your neighbors. Chris or I will come out, do a thorough inspection, and give you an honest assessment of what's going on.
No pressure. No corporate sales tactics. Just two guys who care about doing quality work in our own community.
We're here in Mahomet, and we're not going anywhere.
