Today we’d like to introduce you to Yesenia Castillo.
Hi Yesenia, 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.
The idea of starting a business came about from my spouse; one day, he came home and said he was tired of working for others and wanted to do something for us for the benefit of our family. I, at the time, was working for a finance company and decided to take the leap of faith with him and start a business. I am the owner/CEO of Kong Karpentry & Remodeling and Kongs Signatures, a construction company and a multiservice business. KKR was established in 2022, and Kongs Signatures was established in 2023. KKR specializes in carpentry and custom woodwork; Kongs Signatures offers general notary services, tax services, etc. Right now, I am in the middle of opening the office where these two businesses will be operating from, which will also ease access for my clients to have somewhere physical that they can meet with me for their needs. I started these businesses from scratch, but with the love, help, and support not only from my spouse, family, and friends but also strangers who have now become friends. I am continuously growing, not only on a personal level but also professionally. I am not where I want to be yet, but looking back to where I first started in business, I have definitely come a long way, and I still have more room to continue growing, which I am very excited for and looking forward to!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As I mentioned previously, I started from the bottom literally and I have had to work my way up in everything. I am not only an entrepreneur; I am a mom, wife, and college student, and I work full-time as well. I have my hands pretty full, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love what I do, and I am grateful for everything. The hardest part for me and what I struggle the most with is that I have to set myself up on a very demanding schedule, because I work full-time as legal assistant, I have a set schedule I need to abide by. I work my business needs around that schedule and my family as best as I can. Balancing work, family, and business is not an easy thing to do, but it can be done. I still have so much more to learn and that is one of the other struggles I face, my businesses are not growing as fast as many expect, but for me that is ok because I am learning as I go and that is preparing me for the near future to ensure my success in business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Kong Karpentry & Remodeling?
Kong Karpentry & remodeling specializes in carpentry work as well as manufactures custom woodwork and pieces that customers have an idea they like or an inspiration they see somewhere and want us to recreate to their liking. Although carpentry is the specialization of our business, we also offer other types of interior and exterior work, such as painting, drywall, framing, door/window installation, flooring, etc. We do our best to provide our clients the best experience when working with us, the custom pieces that are manufactured by us are made specifically to what our clients ask for. That is what we strive for to recreate an idea or inspiration our client has; make their idea or inspiration a reality.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Starting a business from the nothing, for me was a huge risk, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into or what to expect or how to market, nothing. At this point now, it has been the best decision I have ever made because I am learning so much from this experience, and I absolutely love it! I hear many say take the risk. You never know where it may lead you, and yes, as the word says, it is a risk, but if the risk is not taken, you will never know if it was worth it or not. Failure is a part of the risk that we take not only in business but in everything, but with failure comes growth and lessons that we can use in the future and to learn from.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kongkarpentryremodelingllc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KongKarpentryRemodelingLLC
