Today we’d like to introduce you to Timothy Bouchard.
Hi Timothy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
In high school, I was approached by my neighborhood community and asked to paint an 18-boat community dock. It took me over a month to paint it with two coats of the thickest paint you’ve ever seen. I had to hire friends to help me finish the job on time. I then discovered the power of sub-contracting.
Now having been in college at UMD and spending my summers in Annapolis, surrounded by water and docks, I saw a market that was wide open. I started my first company, Waterfront Services. I noticed that the majority of the docks in the area were built around the same time and had never been painted or stained. Even better, there was no company directly servicing the painting of docks.
I utilized the available labor around me, college students. Having worked as a door-to-door painting salesman and project manager during the school year, I applied my knowledge from the previous docks I had worked on and my new skills in contracting to my company. I found the perfect name, Waterfront Services, and spent $50 on the creation of a logo of a dog, on a dock, with a paintbrush and we were underway. I made a post on the app NextDoor and my company took off. I went from one employee to twelve W-2 employees in less than a month. We were running up to 4 dock projects at a time and started to paint decks on the land as well.
At the time, my clients liked the idea of a painting company run by college students. Painting docks and decks were low-risk projects that they loved getting at a discount. I then received a call from a sub-contracting crew that I had worked with at the painting company during the school year. He wanted me to do sales for him but I had a better idea. As the summer was on its last leg and the painting jobs were becoming scarce, I reformatted my company. I had a few crews of college students still painting while the others became strictly salesman.
They weren’t just selling painting jobs, with my new sub-contractors, I was now able to take on bigger projects. We started building decks and other outdoor structures. One of my former painters sold a $30k deck-building project. I kept the company going for another whole year through the next summer. I had a salesman and myself who would sell the jobs and sub-contactors that would knock them out in under a week.
Looking back, I recognize how a 20-something-year-old was able to convince homeowners to trust Waterfront Services with their home projects and record $250k of revenue. It was my company’s marketing and appearance. I checked every box needed and some. Having grown up in the tech age, I knew how to present my company online in a way that exuded experience and professionalism. I represented my company as the one you wanted to work with and backed it up after the signature.
Like any college student entrepreneur, I was faced with a dilemma. I could grow Waterfront Services or focus on finishing college with a degree in Marketing and Management. I spent two more years at UMD and received my degree from the Smith School of Business. During my last semester, my class, Real Entrepuership, was based solely on a competition of which group of 3-4 students could make the most revenue from a “start-up”. I presented my start-up idea which involved the carpentry tools I acquired from Waterfront Services. My new company, WoodShot, manufactured and sold a drinking product called The Shot Ski. It was a nice piece of painted wood that looked like a ski with 2-4 shot glasses in it so people could take a shot with their friends.
I was determined to create the best product marketing so that we would win the revenue contest at the end of the semester. I utilized the knowledge from my previous experience and represented WoodShot in a way that looked people wanted to associate themselves with. WoodShot gained a large following on social media. I focused specifically on making fun brand-based videos. We ended up winning the competition and made a lot of people happy with a fun product. After toying with the idea of seeing how far I could push this new product, I decided I had to part ways with the idea and look towards the job market.
My previous experiences gave me a newfound love and expertise in digital marketing. Even though I had to let go of my past companies, I looked back and found what I specifically loved doing the most, video. From creating short posts for Waterfront Services to making elaborate commercial-style videos for WoodShot, I knew that this was my passion. I cut my teeth in video production with a large local music festival where I was able to film Mark Mcgrath from Sugar Ray and made the festival an Instagram advertisement that they spent thousands on promoting before the show. I began filming more seriously for politicians, musicians, and companies in the area.
Ultimately, I ran into the owner of a large local painting company in the area and told him my story. He decided to take me on as a salesman and marketing professional. I quickly showed my value as a marketer over a salesman and started marketing full-time. I focused on lead generation through video assets. I essentially found a way to get paid to learn the ins and outs of video in the home service industry. Once I felt like I had learned enough and created valuable video assets for the company, I left and formed my newest venture, Blueworks Productions.
I haven’t forgotten how I got to the point where I am now and the industry that I know the best. My video production company creates video assets businesses specifically in the Home Service industry for companies in roofing, painting, home building, and more. I create videos that populate advertising lead funnels on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. The brand videos I create answer the question “Why should I choose to work with you?”.
When writing out my professional and personal journey, I crammed a lot of action into a small amount of time. I started three businesses producing over a quarter million dollars of revenue. The path to my career in video production may seem out of place, but once reflected on is exactly where I belong.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Creating businesses at such a young age presents a lot of problems. The biggest problem is being taken seriously by most people. Most home services contractors are 30+.
The way I overcame this was by presenting my company and work professionally and backing up my words. In video production I let my knowledge and previous work speak for themselves.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I would consider myself someone who sells creative services. I specialize in video production and often tell the story of the brands that I work with.
I am most proud of my previous work for the Home Service companies I have worked for and the final assets that I created. My ability to know my clients and their problems is what set me apart. I don’t know the issues that a gym owner faces, but I can tell you what keeps home service company owners up at night.
What are your plans for the future?
I am planning on growing my company in this niche of home services. I plan to continue to create video assets for lead generation. I hope to grow my company to generate leads through assets in the greater area.
Pricing:
- Website Video – $5K+
- Filming + Editing video (60-180 secs) – $1,200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://blueworkspro.com/
- Instagram:@blueworkspro
- Youtube: https://youtu.
be/VgZcBHBrnhA
