How my Dad and I Blew through Covid (And got really lucky)

This is just a story about my life the last 5 years working with my Dad at our family business. We sell Appliances and do service. I’ll set the scene.

Outskirts of large metro (-200k people) Appliance store. Only competition is Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Best Buy (All 30 miles away from our location). People come to us because they’ve been burned by those companies and we take care of them.

Super steady business right now, we’ve been getting ready for a looming recession which hit our store badly in 2008, but my Dad pulled through working his ass off to get us where we are today. Damn proud of that man. We’ve got 10 years operating costs saved, and are finally able to take home a salary we deserve.

Him and I worked tail during the pandemic. No employees, him and my Aunt in the office and me doing all solo deliveries (with my dad coming if it were something more than a single piece or upstairs). Always loved working with my hands and installing things perfectly. Maybe 2 call backs a year keeps customers happy and gives me more time to deliver other customers things. I was doing 6-8 deliveries a day.

Covid was crazy because we would get a truck finally and it would have 50-60 pieces on it, all sold. My dad and I would bust ass 2 hours before work, unloading the truck and stocking the warehouse. Our warehouse doesn’t have a loading dock so half the time the trucks use a lift gate, 2 pieces at a time. Or if they didn’t have a lift gate we used something to get them down that I won’t post here. Something kinda sketchy but my dad and I perfected it. I took over warehousing, ordering appliances, and inventory for our company at this time.

Over the years, I learned every model number by heart, 10 brands, washer and dryers, ranges, dishwashers, refrigerators, cooktops, microhoods, vent hoods. I could tell you the price and how many we had in stock at all times. I knew what customers were looking for before they could say 10 words to me. Became a damn good salesman, and the most important person in our office.

I had turned into a super appliance nerd. I learned to fix dryers in 2016, but that’s all I knew. So I started learning in 2019, and by 2022 I could fix washers and dryers, dishwashers, ranges, microwaves, just not refrigerators. So my career and expertise grew. People could explain anything on the phone to me and with a model number, I could tell them nearly exactly what part they needed, order it, and install it within 2 days.

In Late 2020, we got an old employee back who previously worked for us for 6 years. Great delivery guy, great personality, personable, honest, down to come in early. Great, we need the help. 2 weeks later we hire a 17 year who just graduated highschool, and turned 18 in a few days. (That kid still works with us and is a knucklehead, has cost us some money a time or two, but we love him). But that’s a different story.

With the delivery guys in place, I started working in the office everyday, and boy did we need it. Before that we would get around 90-100 phone calls a day, that’s one every 6 minutes. So we had less foot traffic but we’re sell things over the phone hourly, my dad and aunt basically worked in a call center. So me being able to devote all my time in the store was amazing. ( I still did 1-2 deliveries a day so we didn’t fall too far behind).

At this time we didn’t have a computer system, it was all pen and paper invoices for sales. (Our service has a computer system from 2001 that we still use today). We had damn papers everywhere. I’d write 7k sales all down on a 3×5 sticky note and write the sale up later we’re so busy. We mastered that way of business with maybe 1-2 missed orders a quarter (whoops).

In late 2021, our closest competitor next town over closed their doors after 60 years, kids didn’t want to take it over like me. They told all their customers about our store. Our sales nearly doubled the next three months into the slow season and new years.

But that didn’t happen. From 2022 to now, our sales have sky rocketed. Month over month rising up to nearly 3x what we were making the last 2 years. Bought another delivery truck, tried for a while to get a consistent 2nd delivery crew and after some turnover of friends of previously mentioned knuckle head, two of my good friends joined and are amazing. We’re now doing anywhere from 6-15 deliveries any given day. We hired an older guy to be sales and answer the phone part 30 hours a week. Got the delivery guys comfortable enough to answer the phone a couple times a day.

This year we’ve already passed last years sales. We’re on track to crush it. Dad and I finally get to work 40 hours a week again (I usually work 45 still whoops). Went from 50-60 hour weeks before. Finally talked my dad into paying me what I deserve, and himself too.

We’ve got mid-high 6 figures diversely invested in mutual funds, money market account, CD’s, bonds, etc. I majored in finance in college and used my knowledge to get my dad to leverage our huge cash pile.

Life at the shop has never been better. We still bust ass everyday unloading trucks, going on deliveries, fixing things, selling, answering the phone. I personally probably put 80-100 things away in the warehouse by dolly every week. We finally have a computer system and inventory system so i was able to cut back from that and focus more on the other things.

And I love every minute of it.

Let me know if you guys want more stories in the future.