September 6, 2024 • 10 mins
Ever wondered how a military veteran transitions into a thriving business owner in the real estate market? In this episode, we sit down with Will Ramsey, the passionate and resilient owner of Frontline Inspections, to uncover his inspiring journey from Ohio to Central Florida. Will takes us through his early days in the military, his move to Florida, and his eventual leap into the home and commercial inspection industry. With over a decade of experience, Will sheds light on the critical role his company plays in safeguarding real estate investments and ensuring quality for homeowners and commercial entities alike.
Gain valuable insights as Will discusses the shifting trends in the Central Florida real estate market and how Frontline Inspections has effectively adapted to these changes. Learn about the strategic relationships built with local vendors and the expansion of service offerings that have allowed the company to thrive amidst market fluctuations. This episode is a treasure trove of advice for entrepreneurs and anyone interested in the real estate and construction industries. Don't miss Will's expert tips and the compelling story of his journey, driven by a commitment to his family and community.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the First Media Consulting Podcast, the
Business Chronicles, where wedive deep into the stories of
successful business owners.
Here's your host, Didi andNicholas.
Thanks for joining today.
Let's talk.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hello everyone, welcome to our podcast.
I am just so excited tointroduce to you Will Ramsey.
To introduce to you Will Ramseyhe's the owner of Frontline
Inspections and he's got a lotof good information to kind of
share with us about his businessand some advice for
entrepreneurs as well as peopletrying to start a business in
(00:37):
the future.
How are you doing, will?
Hey, good morning.
How's it going?
I'm doing awesome man.
Thanks so much for asking.
Let's dive right into it andkind of give our audience, our
listeners, a little bit of abackground of who you are.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
I appreciate that.
First of all, thanks for havingme on.
It's certainly an honor just tohave the opportunity to kind of
share our story and how we'reimpacting the community here in
Central Florida, so superappreciative of that, thanks.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yeah, a little bit about me.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm from Ohio born and raised.
I joined the military out ofhigh school.
I got out, moved here toFlorida because it was an
attractive state with lots ofbeaches in which I was super,
super excited to be around andthen kind of went through a
couple of small businessownership opportunities when I
lived in the Jacksonville marketand then transitioned to the
Orlando market and about 10years ago got into some
(01:29):
insurance adjusting and then hada friend you know recommend
that I do.
You know residential andcommercial building inspections
and I looked at it dove right intwo feet first, and 10 years
later here we are with a reallyawesome business that has a huge
impact here in our CentralFlorida market.
We have a lot of friends,families, neighbors and we
really enjoy doing that.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Mary with four kids.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
So we do this all for them and at the end of the day,
it's being able to give themsomething that, necessarily, I
didn't have as a child.
So that's what this is allabout for me.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
That's awesome, man, thanks.
Thanks so much for sharing that.
It's awesome to hear differentstories and different
backgrounds on differentbusiness owners and kind of
understanding their journey, ifyou will.
So let's dive into learningabout your business.
What do you do?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
and residential property inspection company.
A majority of our business doesexist in the real estate space,
whether they be new constructionhomes, new construction
commercial projects or existinghomes and existing buildings.
But a majority of that doesexist in the real estate space
throughout purchase and selling.
But we also have a lot ofclients who bring us in under
renovation circumstances towhere we can do quality
assurance, quality controlchecks for the trades that are
(02:52):
performing these renovations.
So for us it's a really goodopportunity to be widely
involved in the real estate andcommercial and residential
construction industry and reallybe a consumer advocate to make
sure that people are gettingwhat they pay for, their
investments are protected and,at the end of the day,
protecting their financials bymaking sure that they're not
going to be liable for issues inthe future.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
That's interesting and you know there are so many
different industry changes fordifferent businesses, right?
And of course it always happens.
Are there any type of trendsthat are happening in your
industry?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yeah, we've seen a real, marked shift in the
residential real estate, reallyin all real estate transactions
here in Central Florida, whichdoes have an impact on our
business.
But we are adept to ourcommunity and we are adept to
our market and we've been ableto adjust, uh, some of our
offerings and our availabilitiesto to meet the market demand,
um, and to broaden our spectrumin services that we provide.
(03:55):
So one of the primary thingsthat folks think about, you know
, with the home inspector, usbeing directly impacted by the
housing market here in CentralFlorida and not knowing the
interest rates or not knowinghousing values and things like
that what we've been able to dois just strengthen our
relationships with our localvendors and partners, build some
new opportunities and go outand seek new resources in order
(04:20):
to garner more attention andserve our community in a larger
capacity.
So for us it's been a wonderfulgrowth opportunity through a
changing market where many folksare really struggling, and
we've been able to thrive, whichhas been fantastic.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I like how you use the word.
Two words strengthenrelationships, and you know
that's so powerful in businessbecause without good
relationships your business isnot going to, you know, go to
the next level or becomesuccessful.
How important is that.
You know, like you mentioned,how important is that.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Well, I'm a huge advocate for the small business.
I truly believe that the smallbusiness is the pillar of
success in every community andin that space it's super
important that all the vendorsand the small business owners
are cooperative in that space sothat we all thrive not just
survive, but we all thrive.
And so I've been a hugeadvocate for small business
(05:15):
owners right here in the CentralFlorida market.
We endorse a variety ofdifferent vendors and small
business owners that produce aquality product and that are
reliable, dependable and haveproven themselves year after
year, client after client.
In that space of making surethat we succeed, we're able to
help others succeed, whichtherefore promotes the small
(05:36):
business initiative in ourmarket that's well stated.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Let's talk about challenges.
Every business is faced withchallenges.
Are any come to mind thatyou've experienced?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
yeah, there's been a few over the years.
Um, one of the biggest thingsthat stands out to me as a small
business owner is we live anddie by our uh, our past clients
and their reviews, and so, asany small business owner could
imagine, you know, one negativereview is usually enough to
deter tens, if not hundreds, ofpeople from potentially choosing
(06:09):
us as a partner or a vendor andtheir inspection needs or their
project needs, and so, for us,what we've forced ourselves into
is a space of continuing torely on the relational aspects
of our community partners andvendors, and then, if we make a
mistake, then we own up to it.
We step into a space ofownership, we step into a space
(06:30):
of reconciliation.
We chase making things right Ifsomeone is unhappy.
It is our goal that, regardlessof what our outcome is as a
business, that our client feels,like they have been served to
the fullest from our company.
And I feel like when you arewilling to stand up and take
responsibility for mistakes andyou're willing to stand really
for lack of better terms on thefront line and say we're willing
(06:52):
to put our needs and ourdesires and our agenda aside to
make sure that you're well caredfor.
People react well to that andpeople tend to gravitate towards
people and businesses that arewilling to put themselves on the
line to make sure things aredone right and followed up with
correctly.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Very true, man.
I couldn't have said it bettermyself.
That is awesome.
You know there's going to be anumber of listeners here that
are wanting to be aspiringentrepreneurs.
Right, they want to start theirown business.
Any advice that you could givethem in wanting to start their
own business?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Absolutely.
I think one of the biggestthings that human nature is
afraid of is we're afraid tofail.
We're afraid to fail in ourpersonal lives.
We're afraid to fail in ourpersonal lives, we're afraid to
fail in our professional lives,and then, in that failure, we're
afraid for other people to seeit, and what I can honestly say
is, over the years, thebusinesses that I've owned or
attempted to run or start andhave failed.
(07:51):
I have failed and lost more thanmost people have ever even
considered trying, and so, whilethe heartbreak in failure is
very difficult, I have foundgreat success in learning from
the lessons in my failure.
I have a saying that I like tosay is I like to be wrong,
because it helps keep me humble,and in that humbleness we learn
(08:12):
a lot.
And so if you're an aspiringentrepreneur, you're looking to
start a new business, I wouldjust encourage you to take the
leap and don't be afraid offailure, because more often than
not, failure will lead you intowhere you're meant to be, and
that's really how we got towhere we are today.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
And, like you said, it makes you stronger.
And I always come up withfailure is not an option, right,
yeah, if you're really yeah, goahead.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
No, I'm just gonna say you know, I have a wife and
four kids, and you know, like Isaid, the very beginning, my
mission for this has always beenabout them, and so for me,
failure isn't an option, and soone of the things I have done is
not just as a business ownerhere at Frontline, but as an
entrepreneur as a whole is we'vebroadened our spectrum and
we've allowed multiplebusinesses and multiple
offerings to come to the tablefor us, and we've done that and
(08:56):
impacted not only our familywell, but our community well
with our multiple offerings fromour umbrella company.
So one of those things is notbeing afraid to fail has also
forced us into a space to set upa backup, and so, in the event
that Frontline Inspections fails, we have other options and we
have other opportunities to helpour family and our community
continue to succeed, even in theevent of failure in one of our
(09:19):
businesses.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Yeah, that's awesome man, very good, such good
information, and I definitelyappreciate you being on here and
if you could please provideyour phone number as well as
your website for our listenersto get a hold of you.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yeah, frontline Inspections will be at
wwwfrontlineinspectionsus, ourdirect office line 407-223-2928.
And you can schedule via phone,text, email or our website.
We have all of those optionsavailable for info and contact
Will.
Thank you so much for beingpart of this or our website.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
we have all of those options available for info and
content Will.
Thank you so much for beingpart of this and I'm so excited
to be able to for you to sharewith our listeners your journey
and hopefully we'll have youback in the near future.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
We look forward to it .
I appreciate the time and welook forward to seeing you guys
again.
You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Thank you for tuning in to First Media Consulting
Podcast.
If you enjoyed the podcast,subscribe today.
You're welcome.
Welcome to the First Media Consulting Podcast, the
Business Chronicles, where wedive deep into the stories of
successful business owners.
Here's your host, Didi andNicholas.
Thanks for joining today.
Let's talk.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hello everyone, welcome to our podcast.
I am just so excited tointroduce to you Will Ramsey.
To introduce to you Will Ramseyhe's the owner of Frontline
Inspections and he's got a lotof good information to kind of
share with us about his businessand some advice for
entrepreneurs as well as peopletrying to start a business in
(00:37):
the future.
How are you doing, will?
Hey, good morning.
How's it going?
I'm doing awesome man.
Thanks so much for asking.
Let's dive right into it andkind of give our audience, our
listeners, a little bit of abackground of who you are.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
I appreciate that.
First of all, thanks for havingme on.
It's certainly an honor just tohave the opportunity to kind of
share our story and how we'reimpacting the community here in
Central Florida, so superappreciative of that, thanks.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yeah, a little bit about me.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm from Ohio born and raised.
I joined the military out ofhigh school.
I got out, moved here toFlorida because it was an
attractive state with lots ofbeaches in which I was super,
super excited to be around andthen kind of went through a
couple of small businessownership opportunities when I
lived in the Jacksonville marketand then transitioned to the
Orlando market and about 10years ago got into some
(01:29):
insurance adjusting and then hada friend you know recommend
that I do.
You know residential andcommercial building inspections
and I looked at it dove right intwo feet first, and 10 years
later here we are with a reallyawesome business that has a huge
impact here in our CentralFlorida market.
We have a lot of friends,families, neighbors and we
really enjoy doing that.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Mary with four kids.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
So we do this all for them and at the end of the day,
it's being able to give themsomething that, necessarily, I
didn't have as a child.
So that's what this is allabout for me.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
That's awesome, man, thanks.
Thanks so much for sharing that.
It's awesome to hear differentstories and different
backgrounds on differentbusiness owners and kind of
understanding their journey, ifyou will.
So let's dive into learningabout your business.
What do you do?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
and residential property inspection company.
A majority of our business doesexist in the real estate space,
whether they be new constructionhomes, new construction
commercial projects or existinghomes and existing buildings.
But a majority of that doesexist in the real estate space
throughout purchase and selling.
But we also have a lot ofclients who bring us in under
renovation circumstances towhere we can do quality
assurance, quality controlchecks for the trades that are
(02:52):
performing these renovations.
So for us it's a really goodopportunity to be widely
involved in the real estate andcommercial and residential
construction industry and reallybe a consumer advocate to make
sure that people are gettingwhat they pay for, their
investments are protected and,at the end of the day,
protecting their financials bymaking sure that they're not
going to be liable for issues inthe future.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
That's interesting and you know there are so many
different industry changes fordifferent businesses, right?
And of course it always happens.
Are there any type of trendsthat are happening in your
industry?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yeah, we've seen a real, marked shift in the
residential real estate, reallyin all real estate transactions
here in Central Florida, whichdoes have an impact on our
business.
But we are adept to ourcommunity and we are adept to
our market and we've been ableto adjust, uh, some of our
offerings and our availabilitiesto to meet the market demand,
um, and to broaden our spectrumin services that we provide.
(03:55):
So one of the primary thingsthat folks think about, you know
, with the home inspector, usbeing directly impacted by the
housing market here in CentralFlorida and not knowing the
interest rates or not knowinghousing values and things like
that what we've been able to dois just strengthen our
relationships with our localvendors and partners, build some
new opportunities and go outand seek new resources in order
(04:20):
to garner more attention andserve our community in a larger
capacity.
So for us it's been a wonderfulgrowth opportunity through a
changing market where many folksare really struggling, and
we've been able to thrive, whichhas been fantastic.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I like how you use the word.
Two words strengthenrelationships, and you know
that's so powerful in businessbecause without good
relationships your business isnot going to, you know, go to
the next level or becomesuccessful.
How important is that.
You know, like you mentioned,how important is that.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Well, I'm a huge advocate for the small business.
I truly believe that the smallbusiness is the pillar of
success in every community andin that space it's super
important that all the vendorsand the small business owners
are cooperative in that space sothat we all thrive not just
survive, but we all thrive.
And so I've been a hugeadvocate for small business
(05:15):
owners right here in the CentralFlorida market.
We endorse a variety ofdifferent vendors and small
business owners that produce aquality product and that are
reliable, dependable and haveproven themselves year after
year, client after client.
In that space of making surethat we succeed, we're able to
help others succeed, whichtherefore promotes the small
(05:36):
business initiative in ourmarket that's well stated.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Let's talk about challenges.
Every business is faced withchallenges.
Are any come to mind thatyou've experienced?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
yeah, there's been a few over the years.
Um, one of the biggest thingsthat stands out to me as a small
business owner is we live anddie by our uh, our past clients
and their reviews, and so, asany small business owner could
imagine, you know, one negativereview is usually enough to
deter tens, if not hundreds, ofpeople from potentially choosing
(06:09):
us as a partner or a vendor andtheir inspection needs or their
project needs, and so, for us,what we've forced ourselves into
is a space of continuing torely on the relational aspects
of our community partners andvendors, and then, if we make a
mistake, then we own up to it.
We step into a space ofownership, we step into a space
(06:30):
of reconciliation.
We chase making things right Ifsomeone is unhappy.
It is our goal that, regardlessof what our outcome is as a
business, that our client feels,like they have been served to
the fullest from our company.
And I feel like when you arewilling to stand up and take
responsibility for mistakes andyou're willing to stand really
for lack of better terms on thefront line and say we're willing
(06:52):
to put our needs and ourdesires and our agenda aside to
make sure that you're well caredfor.
People react well to that andpeople tend to gravitate towards
people and businesses that arewilling to put themselves on the
line to make sure things aredone right and followed up with
correctly.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Very true, man.
I couldn't have said it bettermyself.
That is awesome.
You know there's going to be anumber of listeners here that
are wanting to be aspiringentrepreneurs.
Right, they want to start theirown business.
Any advice that you could givethem in wanting to start their
own business?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Absolutely.
I think one of the biggestthings that human nature is
afraid of is we're afraid tofail.
We're afraid to fail in ourpersonal lives.
We're afraid to fail in ourpersonal lives, we're afraid to
fail in our professional lives,and then, in that failure, we're
afraid for other people to seeit, and what I can honestly say
is, over the years, thebusinesses that I've owned or
attempted to run or start andhave failed.
(07:51):
I have failed and lost more thanmost people have ever even
considered trying, and so, whilethe heartbreak in failure is
very difficult, I have foundgreat success in learning from
the lessons in my failure.
I have a saying that I like tosay is I like to be wrong,
because it helps keep me humble,and in that humbleness we learn
(08:12):
a lot.
And so if you're an aspiringentrepreneur, you're looking to
start a new business, I wouldjust encourage you to take the
leap and don't be afraid offailure, because more often than
not, failure will lead you intowhere you're meant to be, and
that's really how we got towhere we are today.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
And, like you said, it makes you stronger.
And I always come up withfailure is not an option, right,
yeah, if you're really yeah, goahead.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
No, I'm just gonna say you know, I have a wife and
four kids, and you know, like Isaid, the very beginning, my
mission for this has always beenabout them, and so for me,
failure isn't an option, and soone of the things I have done is
not just as a business ownerhere at Frontline, but as an
entrepreneur as a whole is we'vebroadened our spectrum and
we've allowed multiplebusinesses and multiple
offerings to come to the tablefor us, and we've done that and
(08:56):
impacted not only our familywell, but our community well
with our multiple offerings fromour umbrella company.
So one of those things is notbeing afraid to fail has also
forced us into a space to set upa backup, and so, in the event
that Frontline Inspections fails, we have other options and we
have other opportunities to helpour family and our community
continue to succeed, even in theevent of failure in one of our
(09:19):
businesses.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Yeah, that's awesome man, very good, such good
information, and I definitelyappreciate you being on here and
if you could please provideyour phone number as well as
your website for our listenersto get a hold of you.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yeah, frontline Inspections will be at
wwwfrontlineinspectionsus, ourdirect office line 407-223-2928.
And you can schedule via phone,text, email or our website.
We have all of those optionsavailable for info and contact
Will.
Thank you so much for beingpart of this or our website.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
we have all of those options available for info and
content Will.
Thank you so much for beingpart of this and I'm so excited
to be able to for you to sharewith our listeners your journey
and hopefully we'll have youback in the near future.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
We look forward to it .
I appreciate the time and welook forward to seeing you guys
again.
You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Thank you for tuning in to First Media Consulting
Podcast.
If you enjoyed the podcast,subscribe today.
You're welcome.
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