Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Mantooth.
Mark, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I got into this industry while I was in high school. I hired on to help a local hardware store close one of their locations and the owner took a liking to me. He asked me to stay on part time as a floater. He really didn’t have any positions open but he didn’t want to lose me. After just a few months he expanded his grill department to be a free-standing store and asked me to transfer over there, in no time I was taking care of all the parts orders and overseeing the service department. I stayed with the company from 1986-1996 when I decided to try something new. I managed a toner cartridge company for a number of years and then went on to manage several garden centers. I was a single dad at the time and being in management required way too many hours so in 2011 I started Affordable Gas Grill Repair up. It was a rough go in the start because of the income difference but it was well worth it to be able to take my son to school and be there when he got out.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The first couple of years were very rough. Business did not take off as quick as I expected and for the first couple of years I had to pick up part time work to make ends meet. The biggest struggle didn’t happen until this year. My sales for July (which is normally my biggest month) were lower than my first year in business. One of my regular customers called me around the first of August and asked me if I had gone out of business? Someone had hacked into my google account and changed my phone number. They were telling my customers I had sold them the business and taking all of my customers!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Affordable Gas Grill Repair – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are full service BBQ grill company. We sell, assemble, install, service, repair and clean all makes of BBQ’s… Our name says it all…. Affordable! I try to always keep my prices lower than my competitors even though I have more experience than most of them. I pride myself in making sure the job is done right the first time and the customer is happy with all services. Service is not a courtesy, it’s a commitment.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Next year I plan on running a couple of extra trucks in order to cut down on our customers wait time for service during the peak season.
Pricing:
- Basic service $100.00 first hour
- Cleanings $125.00-250.00
- Installs start at $150.00
Contact Info:
- Address: 1519 Meridian Way, Garland, TX 75040
- Website: www.affordablegasgrillrepair.com
- Phone: 469-226-1765
- Email: markmantooth@yahoo.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/gasgrillrepair
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