March 26, 2025 • 55 mins
Meagan from C&J Storage Solutions brings a refreshingly different perspective to the shed industry. Drawing from her background in mental health facilities, she's transformed how customers experience buying outdoor structures at her family's business in Bonnell, Florida.
Her journey began unexpectedly—helping with social media and occasional weekend coverage for her parents' shed business. When COVID hit just after her son's birth, Meagan made the difficult choice not to return to healthcare, gradually taking on more responsibility until ultimately running the business while her parents moved into semi-retirement.
What makes Meagan's approach unique is her customer-first philosophy. "I'm not a salesperson," she admits candidly, explaining how she focuses on building genuine connections instead of rushing to close deals. This authenticity resonates with customers who appreciate straight answers and personalized guidance through what can be a significant investment decision. As Meagan notes, sometimes the hardest part of the entire process is simply choosing paint colors!
The conversation explores fascinating ways customers are repurposing sheds beyond basic storage—from home offices to art studios, fitness spaces to hair salons, and even microgreen growing operations. Meagan delights in helping customers design structures that transform their properties and enhance their lives, whether they need a compact garden shed or a fully finished workspace with electrical, insulation, and climate control.
Perhaps most impressive is Meagan's commitment to service after the sale. Rather than leaving customers to navigate warranty issues alone, she serves as their ongoing advocate—handling repairs, answering questions, and ensuring satisfaction years after purchase. This dedication has created a loyal customer base that returns for additional structures and enthusiastically refers friends and family.
Whether you're considering a shed, metal structure, or gazebo, this episode offers valuable insights into finding the right solution for your needs and working with dealers who truly care about your long-term satisfaction. Subscribe to Shed Geek for more conversations with industry professionals who are changing how we think about outdoor structures.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Shed Geek (00:09):
Welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek
podcast.
Excited for today's interview,it's been a little bit of one in
the making to some extent andI'll tell you what, Meagan, if
you don't care, just maybe likeintroduce you who you are, your
company, a little bit about whatyou guys do in the industry.
Meagan Hamblin (00:31):
OK, hi, welcome.
I'm happy to be here.
My name's Meagan.
I am a shed dealer in Bonnell,Florida, C & J Storage
Solutions.
We are on the east coast ofCentral Florida.
We deal in sheds, metalstructures and gazebos.
(00:54):
My family's been in the industryfor going on six years ago.
I am a mom of two and a wife,and my previous background was
in mental health and substanceabuse facilities, long-term care
(01:18):
, inpatient treatments andstatements, and back in 2019 I
think.
Um, the company belongs to mydad, joe, and his wife, Kathy,
and they were looking forsomeone to just help make
Facebook posts on the differentbuildings and get that out there
(01:40):
.
So I started helping just thatway.
Then they were both working sixdays a week on opposite
schedules, never getting muchtime together, so they asked if
I would step in and work onSaturdays, on my day off from my
other job, to kind of give thema break.
So, I spent the first monthworking alongside my dad.
(02:05):
I wasn't allowed to talk to anycustomers yet.
My job was to listen and watchand read the materials and
understand the product, andeventually he trusted me to kind
of go out on my own.
So, I went from one day a weekto two days a week.
And then COVID hit and a lot ofFlorida shut down.
(02:29):
I was home fresh with a newbornbaby.
My son was born in the verybeginning of the shutdown of the
pandemic and I was supposed toreturn to my job at the mental
health facility and I didn'tfeel comfortable doing that.
They were flying in.
We were flying in patients fromall over the country.
(02:51):
It was very uncertain at thattime, like what the incubation
period was and whatever, so Ididn't go back and I went to
three days a week here and thenfour days and now it's just me
here.
They've retired, they work athome in the background and I
handle the business day to day.
Shed Geek (03:13):
That's awesome.
There's so much to unpack there.
Just a cool story.
What I love about doingpodcasts with people and me and
you have talked some, but youknow it's hard to really connect
on a, on a, on a real largelevel of knowing everything
about a person.
And and I love this just almostimmediately as you begin to
(03:37):
tell this like commercial oflike who you are and how you got
here you talk about mentalhealth and substance abuse, and
it's one area that we find somecommonality specifically with
substance abuse.
I had an opportunity to work inthe faith- based drug and
alcohol rehabilitation centerfor about one year of my life
and it was one of the mostrewarding years that I've ever
(04:00):
had the chance to work.
You know, um, they say ministryis not about the income, it's
about the outcome, and I didn'tmake a lot of money but, man, I
was rich with some of theexperiences and stories I got to
learn and it really sets aperspective too for you in life.
So, and that's always been apassion of mine, I've always, uh
(04:21):
, um, just kind of toyed withthe idea of doing a podcast
around, you know, recovery andpeople's stories, because that's
what I really love.
I really love people's stories.
I love to hear people's storiesand, you know, even whenever I
travel, I look at homes, I talkto people and I go wonder what
it's like to live there, wonderwhat their experience in this
(04:42):
world's like, you know.
I mean, like it's the way mymind kind of works and I just
had some of the best experienceslistening to people tell me
their stories.
I've had some true heartbreaks.
I've had friends, you know,who's passed away from addiction
that just could not seem to getout of it and it just kind of
(05:05):
shifts your perspective and yourfocus on life, you know at
least it did mine.
I had a guy tell me one time,Meagan, I said, hey, what did
the program do for you?
Now, this was a faith-basedprogram, but it was really
interesting, he said.
I said what did the program dofor you?
And he said you know it, itchanged my wants.
And I was like, wow, that'sdeep.
He said you know it, it changedmy wants and I was like, wow,
(05:25):
that's deep.
He said you know, I used towant to, you know, go do drugs
and do all these things and thenI found you know.
He said I found Jesus and thatthat changed my wants.
I wanted to be a family guy, Iwanted to like be a productive
citizen, I wanted to.
It was really a literally arebirthing, if you will, of like
(05:45):
who he was as a person.
So, and he still is clean andsober today and it's awesome,
you know to see him thriving.
Yeah.
Meagan Hamblin (05:51):
That's cool, I didn't know.
I'm sorry, go ahead.
Shed Geek (05:55):
No, I just I didn't know I was going to find that
out today, so that that thatinterest immediately caught my
attention.
Meagan Hamblin (06:01):
Yeah, it's a.
It's a very rewarding job.
It's a heavy job.
My attention yeah, it's a, it'sa very rewarding job.
It's a heavy job.
I took a lot of it home with meand that was that was hard for
the family aspect of things andstuff like that.
But you know the wins are bigwins and the losses are bad
losses.
So, it's kind of like a verymuch give and take in that
(06:23):
industry and you put your allinto it because you're dealing
with people's lives.
So, this you know, I enjoyed myexperience with that.
I did that for probably five,six years and I worked with a
lot of great people.
I did strictly a facility thatwas active military women that
(06:48):
came and got treatment.
I you know I've done men'sfacilities, female facilities,
strictly mental healthfacilities.
So, it's a lot.
This is definitely a morelighthearted job.
Yeah, for sure, but I definitelygained a lot of wisdom and
experience working and listeningto people's stories and
(07:10):
figuring out kind of what makespeople tick.
Shed Geek (07:13):
Do you feel like you know, do you feel like that had
kind of allowed you?
So, I want to ask this first,any previous sales experience
before that?
Okay, so do you feel like thatkind of allowed you, just your
(07:34):
life experience in that way?
Because I find that most peopledon't go into sales.
Most people kind of fall intosales.
We're starting to see someprograms, I feel like in the
education system that kind ofoffers some focus around sales.
But you know, mostly they'reusually like marketing degrees
(07:56):
or something like that.
That kind of fall into salesand realize like hey, maybe
marketing wasn't my thing, saleswas my thing.
As I kind of mentioned in aFacebook post yesterday for a
small company, you know salesand marketing kind of fits the
same category in a lot of ways.
But as you get bigger you startto realize that there's a
difference in the two and Ithink a lot of marketing folks
(08:18):
just fall into a sales position.
Do you feel like you have a legup in some ways because you
know people's stories?
You get into their storiesbecause of what you did with
mental health and those types ofthings.
I feel like that helped makeyou a better transition into
sales.
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Meagan Hamblin (09:36):
I think so.
It helps me to connect withpeople.
To me, a big part of my salesis creating the rapport with the
customer.
I definitely was never asalesperson.
When they hired me on here, Isaid I'm not a salesperson.
Funny story my parents, prior toselling sheds years ago I mean,
(10:01):
they've had a ton of differentbusinesses, including call
centers of home diabeticsupplies, medical supply
equipment, vacation packages ontop of a lot of other things,
and I've tried to work for themin those positions before and I
just couldn't do it.
I couldn't.
(10:22):
I wasn't the person to callpeople and be like hey, you know
, can I send you diabeticsupplies?
I just I couldn't do it.
And, um, I just wasn't asalesperson.
People told me no, I'm like, no, okay, have a good day, bye, so
um, but after having theexperience listening to people's
stories, I I'm able to kind ofmeet people where they are, you
(10:45):
know.
They come in and I ask abouthow their day was and what
they're looking for, whatthey're planning on storing in
the buildings, what their wantsand needs are, and not as much
to just try to upsell them orget them to buy that day I'm
very honest or get them to buythat day.
(11:09):
I'm very honest with mycustomers.
I don't believe in trying torush through anything just to
make the sale, just to get thepaperwork signed, like that's
not me, and I have a lot ofcustomers that return to me for
that they go.
Oh, you know, we were shoppingaround and this other place,
they, they, you know it feltlike we were bothering them and
they didn't want to give us theinformation.
And, and you know, you sat usdown and told us everything you
(11:33):
knew about the buildings, whatthis costs, what that looks like
.
You didn't you?
You were very honest about itand they appreciate that, you
know.
And if I don't know an answer, Itell them like I don't have
that answer, but if you give mea little while, I'm happy to
research it and find it out foryou.
And I think that goes a longway with people and I feel like
(11:56):
people are used to in the salestype industry.
I mean you pull up to a cardealership, right, and it's like
.
I mean you pull up to a cardealership, right, and it's like
they run to you and it's whocan get the sale first?
And they try to kind of I can'tthink of the word for it.
They try to surface leveleverything to make it go as
quickly and easy as possible andthat's if you're not ready
(12:20):
today, that's fine, let me giveyou the information.
I'll give you the information10 more times and then, whenever
you are ready, I'm here for youto answer any more questions
you have.
And I believe that goes a longway with people.
So, I don't know if itnecessarily gave me a leg up,
but I think it helps me furtherconnect with people.
(12:42):
Make that rapport furtherconnect with people.
Make that rapport.
A big thing I was taught wascustomer service comes first.
So, a big thing I tell mycustomers is you know, when
you're buying from us, whenyou're purchasing from C& J
(13:02):
Storage Solutions, it's a familytype experience.
When you call next week to aska question, it's still going to
be me answering the phone.
It's just me here every day,all day, so they're not going to
have to chase me down or try tofind an answer and someone else
give them a different answer.
They're dealing with me fromstart to finish, from
(13:26):
information to order placement,to building being received and
delivered.
It's me the whole time.
So, I think that's importantand it's important to build
those relationships with thecommunity for sure.
Shed Geek (13:39):
It really streamlines the process too for the
consumer to deal with onepersonality throughout the whole
process.
I feel like maybe you knowpeople who come to buy.
They buy because they have aneed and then they find someone
(13:59):
that can meet the need and theytransfer that enthusiasm, you
know, to like hey, we have yoursolution and then.
But it's really nice to be ableto work with them through the
whole process.
You said something earlier and,and you know I did a keynote
speech recently and I'll give ashout out to my, my good friends
in Millersburg, Ohio, atPlaymor and Stryker Hunting
(14:23):
Blinds and I got a chance tospeak on both days to their
dealer network and I really dugin deep, you know, personally,
to come up with this content, totry and think about and at the
end of the day, you know and itsaid it whenever I got there and
their big banner behind thestage said fun, you know.
(14:44):
And you know I told him I saidyou know you guys get to sell
one of the coolest things onearth.
You talked about sellingmedical supplies and I brought
that up even in my speech.
I said you know you could beselling medical supplies.
You know how fun is thatMedical supplies like necessary
Absolutely.
Meagan Hamblin (15:03):
Definitely not fun.
Shed Geek (15:04):
No, but you know they're selling fun because
they're selling play sets, right, you know what I mean.
Like it's fun, and fun's theeasiest thing to sell, because
people want to have fun.
Even people who don't like tohave fun like to have fun when a
fun person makes them have fun,right.
Meagan Hamblin (15:22):
You know, they still enjoy.
It.
Shed Geek (15:24):
They do, they, they, they, they might fight it
because they're gruff andserious and everything else.
But whenever you finally getthem to crack a smile, they're
just kind of like, yeah, thiswas good, I needed this, you
know.
And hunting blinds, you knowhow cool was that?
Because it might not be fun inthe sense of like laughter and
swing sets and rock walls, butit's your extracurricular
(15:49):
activities, it's your idea offun.
Maybe as an adult you go out,you enjoy hunting and that's fun
for you.
I don't know if we sell funselling sheds and gazebos and
carports, but you do sell sortof a dream, because people have
something they want to do.
Maybe they want to do a musicstudio in their shed.
So now you're getting to attachyourself to the fun part of
(16:11):
their life and dream with themwhat that's going to look like.
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Meagan Hamblin (17:43):
And it definitely can be fun.
You know we do very custombuildings.
I like to say we offereverything except for plumbing,
because I don't do plumbing, wedon't.
We're not at the point yet oflike tiny homes, residential,
but in the years I've done this,I've done art studios, I've
(18:05):
done home gyms, I've done homeoffices were a huge thing,
especially at when COVID hit,you know, everyone was home,
everyone was locked down, peoplewere trying to work from home,
but the kids were also doingschool from home and the husband
or wife was still in the otherroom trying to do their job.
(18:27):
So we offer what's called, youknow, a premium building which
is fully insulated, electricalheating and air conditioning,
interior walls, we do specialdoors and windows.
So it can be fun, for sure to.
It's fun for me to help thecustomer kind of design it.
(18:47):
What are your wants?
What are you wanting in thisbuilding?
What are you needing and what'sgoing to make you the most
productive?
And so, for me the fun issitting with them, getting to
know what they really want,being able to put that on paper
and then watching the buildingget delivered in and the
(19:09):
customer just lighting upbecause it was everything that
they wanted.
Now, don't get me wrong, thebread and butter is definitely
the smaller storage buildingsthat house the lawnmower and the
garden equipment and the kidstoys or whatever.
But we get to do a lot of funthings and a lot of fun designs.
(19:29):
I have a lot of cool buildingsoutside on the lot right now
that are waiting to be deliveredout that I sat down with
customers over weeks or monthsto design and come to fruition
for them.
So, I think it's fun for sure.
Shed Geek (19:43):
What's one of the more interesting uses of a
building that you've seen so far, since you've been selling.
Meagan Hamblin (19:54):
I think it's cool when people want to make
them into tiny homes.
Florida isn't as up to thetimes with tiny homes as a lot
of other states are, so it'spossible to be done, but they
kind of make you jump throughhoops a bit to get there.
Um, but I have seen people incertain places take one of my
(20:17):
buildings that was mostlyfinished and do full habitable
structures out of them bathrooms, kitchens, I mean big decks
around them.
I've seen hunting cabins.
I have a friend here where Ilive in Palm Coast.
(20:37):
Her whole business is workingout online doing videos for
other women to work out to.
She sells like a subscription.
So, she bought one of mybuildings and she has it fully
set up as her home gym.
So, there's a lot of coolthings that I've seen.
(20:57):
I don't know if I couldpinpoint it off the top of my
head of what's what the coolestwas, but it's.
It's fun to see how far I cantake them with it and then see
what they do with it afterdelivery.
Shed Geek (21:12):
It's really just dreaming with them, kind of you
know, like initially wouldpeople think of like selling a
space for a you know asubscription model.
You know gym membership, if youwill.
That's kind of you know,natured around like you know,
(21:35):
maybe women empowerment orwomen's health or something
along those lines it's like, butthose things didn't exist
before because the internet'schanged everything now, so
that's even changed the use ofthe building, because it's like
no one before would have beenlike you know, you could turn
this into a, you know a studioand it's like, well, you know
how could I do that?
Well, who's going to watch?
But with the, with the Internetbeing 30 years old now and
(21:59):
seeing these things take offmore and more, I see people
playing music and seeing thesethings take off more and more.
I see people playing music.
I see a lot of music studios.
You know, not even just.
You know your traditionalgardening.
You know garden shed, you know,or greenhouse or whatever, but
some really unique use cases forspace and they want a space
(22:21):
that is like sturdy.
And they want a space that islike sturdy and they want a
space that is secure and in somecases they want one that's
finished out, even if it's tooup to the point of plumbing, you
know, and maybe they have tojump through the hoops, but you,
you are right that we can sell.
Still, have fun.
It's really getting to knowthat customer and spending some
(22:42):
time in the customer acquisitionphase to kind of know what do
you need and how can I bestserve you.
Like you know, what else can wedo?
What can we add to this to?
I mean, they're putting golfsimulators in sheds now.
It's pretty, pretty regular,you know, and it's like man,
that's fun.
Meagan Hamblin (22:59):
Yeah, yeah, I've done a couple of hair studios
also women that, or even menthat you know that's what they
do.
They're a barber, they're ahairdresser.
They don't want to sit in a bigshop so they put, you know, a
studio in their yard where theycan take their clients one on
one.
I did a guy that lived in Chilefor a long time and he came
(23:25):
back over here and he wasgrowing and selling micro greens
at farmers markets.
So he was growing them in thebuilding and then bringing them
to farmers markets and sellingthem arugula, like you know,
different basil, differentgreens, like that.
So that was pretty cool when hesent me pictures of that.
(23:48):
And one thing I always findfunny is I can have customers
sit with me and they make everydecision on doors, window
placements, where they wantevery single outlet to be placed
in the height.
Would you believe me when Itold you that the hardest
decision is paint colors?
I'm serious At the end of theday.
(24:12):
They're like I just don't knowwhat paint color I want on my
building and they may take anextra week to decide that.
I always find that kind offunny.
Shed Geek (24:22):
Well, and it speaks a lot to the mindset of the
customer really, whenever theycome in, that, like you know, we
get so bogged down being in theindustry, sometimes with, like
our knowledge of the paint orthe products or different things
(24:42):
, that sometimes we forget toalmost be childlike in our
approach to the customer andwhat, why they're there and what
they're hoping to accomplish.
Like, like you know, for uswould we say, man, it shouldn't
take a week to pick a paintcolor, right, like all of us are
like, come on, let's just getthis thing done so we can get
the sale, but it's like, hey,this is a that that's that
(25:05):
important to that customer, youknow what I'm saying?
Meagan Hamblin (25:07):
Sure, it's an investment.
Shed Geek (25:09):
Yeah, yeah.
Meagan Hamblin (25:11):
I mean, especially if you're doing a big
finished unit.
It's a large investment and ittakes time to make those
decisions.
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Shed Geek (27:12):
And I even love that you say investment, because you
know that changes the dynamicfrom a big cost to a big
investment.
You're investing into your time, your future.
You're investing into a placeto store your things, to keep
them safe, secure, dry, out ofthe weather.
Just the word investmentchanges the mindset for the
customer.
We invest in a lot of things.
(27:32):
We invest in a home to be safeand to be secure too.
Right, it's not just a cost ora negative thing in our life.
You said something earlier aboutbeing honest and don't want to
rush the sale.
You know customer acquisitiontime in sales because we sell a
retail product.
What's your approach whensomeone comes in?
(27:57):
I remember early on in shedsales I had a guy come in and
had one foot in the door and onefoot out the door and he had
been in the week before and he'slike hey, went down to your
competitor, he's got it for thisprice.
Now we didn't really have achance to sit down and apples to
apples walk through because wedid a price match anyway.
(28:19):
So, we would have literallymatched whatever they were
getting at whatever quality.
We would have just had tounderstand it.
Do you feel like it'sbeneficial for you to take the
time in the customer acquisitionphase to explain that to them,
because there's a lot of impulsebuyers out there that are just
like you know.
(28:39):
I want to stop by get thisthing done in about five minutes
and move on.
I want to stop by get thisthing done in about five minutes
and move on, only for there tobe problems later because
there's questions or things thatdidn't get asked.
Meagan Hamblin (28:52):
What approach do you guys take?
Kind of similar, I definitely.
You know, try to compare applesto apples.
I will never talk down aboutanother distributor or another
manufacturer.
I don't believe that's right.
In some cases I know what thosecompanies offer and how their
buildings are made.
Other times I don't.
(29:14):
And I always, you know, I'malways like sure, please shop
around, just make sure you'recomparing.
What you should be comparing,know, is the framing right, is
you know?
In Florida, everything has to bebuilt up to, you know, a very
high standard because ofhurricane.
So, all my buildings are 16 oncenter, double studs every four
(29:38):
feet, double two by four.
Hurricane top plates, a lot ofum, a lot of competition, does
24 on center of everything andsingle top plates.
A big thing, though, is againbeing able to say you're only
dealing with me when you comethrough here.
(29:59):
This is a small business, I'mone person, we are not a
franchise, it's just us.
A lot of the other companies,they have multiple lot locations
all over the place, and it's abigger business model.
Motions and sales, where I maynot have that option, but I also
(30:24):
have excellent warranties.
I have an amazing repairman onstaff, so if you ever were to
have an issue with your building.
You never have to go throughthe manufacturer, where most of
the warranties are manufacturerwarranties on the siding, on the
roofing.
(30:44):
It all comes through me.
You send me photos, let me knowthe issue, I send my repairman
out immediately, no questionsasked, to see what the issue is,
how he can fix it, and then Isubmit through the warranty,
because there's a lot ofcompanies that offer warranties
but unless the building isfalling down, it's you know, the
(31:08):
structural integrity isinfected.
They're like, yeah, no, we'renot fixing that, we're not
coming out, or sure we'll getback to you.
And then they never get back toyou.
So, my goal is to stick withthem through the whole way.
So, in three years you've hadyour building and now you have
an issue, call me, I'll pull youup.
(31:30):
Most of the time I rememberthem or I remember their
building and I'm able to getthat service taken care of
immediately.
I have customers that returnfor multiple buildings or
they've bought sheds and nowthey want a gazebo.
So, I think it's important tonever talk bad about the
(31:51):
competition or anothermanufacturer, because everyone's
just, at the end of the day,trying to build their business
and find success, right?
I just want to make sure thatmy customers are getting what
they need, and if that'ssomewhere else, ok, that's fine.
But I can also help you too.
Shed Geek (32:11):
Yeah, no, that's great.
You always have a, you alwayshave a value proposition of
yourself to be able to take careof the customer.
And it's really just.
You know, a lot of the productsare very similar.
Maybe you can find 10 to 15%difference if you broke it down
on some kind of a scale.
But what you can't replace isthe salesperson, and that's one
(32:31):
of the most important parts ofthe process, the systems and
processes and the personthemselves and the trust that
they can develop and the rapportthey can develop with the
consumer.
I love.
I wrote down some notes herewhere you talked about you know,
customer service first andbeing a customer service first
(32:56):
company, your sales after theservice, which is absolutely
imperative, and it's a part ofsales that sometimes many of us
forget.
It's just, you know, it's easyto forget that, like you get
your commission, you're done,you got the sale.
I don't act with the sameenthusiasm, probably you know,
once I've closed the deal, butyou should.
(33:16):
You know, because the salesisn't the sales cycle doesn't
stop at the sale.
Matter of fact, there's muchwork to be done once you close
and that's taking care of thecustomer, making sure they know
when the building's coming,checking up on them afterwards.
I'm hearing rumblings of peopletalking about you know, starting
(33:38):
sort of like a I'm talking tothem, so it's not rumblings, but
you know, starting a vlog in asense, to some extent of even
like, what do you do afteryou've had your shed for a year?
What do you do?
You know what if you want to doshelving?
What if you want to domaintenance or some kind of
(33:59):
repair that's not covered underthe warranty, or what you know?
How do you replace the roof ora door or a window or add one If
you came to the conclusionafter you got it there?
We need to change this up andit's like man, there's a whole
host of things that you can be aguide towards.
You know, as a salesperson, tobe like hey, you know, and, and
(34:20):
guess what that does, that givesyou the power to ask for
referrals.
Like hey, you know, and guesswhat that does.
That gives you the power to askfor referrals, gives you the
chance to like, trust yourcustomer to the point where they
say, trust me, you've got to goto Meagan because we just had
the best experience.
And she's even been checked upwith us, you know, every six
months, even afterwards, youknow, to make sure everything
was good or whatever.
(34:41):
So, service after the sales isa big one.
I want to shift gears and Iwant to ask you what your
thoughts are on.
Have you always sold likecarports, metal structures and
gazebos, or is it, you know, wasit sheds first or vice versa?
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Meagan Hamblin (35:59):
So, it's funny.
Before I started, the storygoes is they were selling used
cars.
They were selling used cars andgazebos and then a gentleman
stopped by their location oneday and said hey, have you ever
(36:20):
thought about selling sheds?
And they signed up to sellsheds.
The cars went out the windowand it started with.
So, it started with the gazebos, then started the sheds.
The metal structures came after.
We did enclose trailers for alittle while, but they take up a
lot of space and where I livehere they're very hit or miss.
(36:45):
I wouldn't sell any for weeksand then I would sell three in a
week.
So, once we got rid of theoriginal inventory we had, we
didn't sell any more enclosedtrailers.
But yeah, it's basically alwaysbeen since I've been here the
sheds, the metal structures andthe gazebos.
Shed Geek (37:07):
How do you differentiate or do you
differentiate?
Is it even necessary?
Your approach to steelstructures versus sheds Do you
find them kind of similar?
Do you find the customers to besimilar whenever they come in
looking for something?
Or do they look for a shed andrealize, oh, a steel structure
(37:30):
would have been better for thissituation, or vice versa?
Meagan Hamblin (37:34):
Yeah, sometimes.
And that goes back to findingout the customer's why.
Right, you've walked into myoffice, you're here, you need
something, but what is it you'relooking to do, right?
If you're looking for, you knowyou live on a property that
doesn't have a garage and youneed a two-car garage and a
place to do some work.
(37:54):
I'm going to direct you towardsa steel structure.
Let me show you one.
You can get a lot more squarefootage for the price point with
the steel structure.
What brings the pricing up onthat is concrete if you're
placing it on a concrete slab.
So I do have concrete companiesI recommend to my customers to
(38:17):
reach out to get multiple quoteson.
If you're looking for, you know,just a place for a lawnmower
and some hand tools, let me showyou a smaller shed.
You know the steel structurestend to be larger.
I think the smallest size Ioffer is a 12 by 16.
(38:38):
And if you're looking for justlawnmowers and bikes, you may
not need that size.
There's also different city andcounty restrictions, also when I
live in Palm Coast, they arenot an HOA but they have a lot
of HOA type rules andregulations, so they don't allow
steel structures.
(38:58):
So, if you've come in and youlive in Palm Coast, I know that
the steel structures isabsolutely off the table.
Let me show you a shed up tothis size because that's what
they'll allow Most of the time.
I don't think the customers aredifferent between the two.
(39:20):
I think it's more just whattheir needs are and what their
why is just so, what their needsare and what their why is.
You know, I also am able tooffer a lot more finishing
options for the sheds than I ama steel structure.
I can build you the structure,but you have to with the steel
buildings.
You have to send out forelectrical, for insulation, for
(39:40):
all of that where the sheds.
I can give them a more finishedproduct if that's what they're
looking for.
Shed Geek (39:47):
No, that's great.
And have you found thatoffering those steel structures
sometimes will net you a shedcustomer?
You know it actually benefitsto have them on the property
because somebody says you know,I don't really need that, the
shed will work perfect.
Meagan Hamblin (40:08):
Yeah, yeah, I've done both, and at the same time
I've had customers that havecome in and bought steel
structures and then a couple ofyears later, they just need a
small utility shed and they comeback for a shed.
So, it definitely works bothways.
There are definitely customersthat come in with a notion of
what they want and then beforethey leave, they've completely
(40:32):
switched gears Right.
So, it's nice to be able tooffer more, more options, more
products to be able to fitmultiple needs.
Shed Geek (40:44):
Do you think that you guys will add to your line of
products as you go, Furniture,play sets, any things of that
nature?
Is that, excuse me?
Is that in the future?
Meagan Hamblin (40:57):
I'm not sure They've done play sets.
In the past they were doingplay sets along with gazebos
before they started the sheds.
We have started looking intobarn dominium type products
pergolas, sunrooms.
That was a lot of talk prior tomy parents retiring and it
(41:23):
hasn't been talked about as muchsince they have retired.
I've looked into some barndominium type stuff and, to be
honest, it's hard to kind ofbring on a lot more when it's
just me here.
I can do x amount of researchand try to find a right company.
It was definitely a lot easierto do some of that stuff when my
(41:45):
dad was here and because hemakes those connections, the
business type connections.
So that is definitely somethingwe're looking into.
The Barn Dominium seems to be abig thing around here and
throughout most of the UnitedStates right now.
I don't think we'd go back toplay sets.
(42:06):
So yeah, I think if we broughtin anything, it would probably
be either pergolas or barndominiums it's just, I'd like to
eventually be able to offereven a more finished unit, do
like a be able to offer a fullstart to finish tiny home, um.
But again, that requires a lot,of, a lot of research to be in
(42:30):
with the counties and the citycodes and have contractors on
hand to do plumbing and and andkitchens and bathrooms and
things like that.
So that would that would be agoal that we'd like to see come
true at some point.
We'll just have to see how itgoes, you know.
Shed Geek (42:48):
Well, I, I, yeah, I applaud you for it.
It just seems like the shedindustry, you know, has so much
opportunity that I always saythe shed is the common
denominator, but there's so manyother things, from furniture, I
mean, this poly furniture isjust getting wild, you know,
it's everywhere.
(43:09):
And I'm thinking to myselfyou're in Florida, you know, I
don't know, maybe that's a bighit.
It's just, you know, and if wecan ever be a resource for you
to help, we're more than happyto be a resource in any way that
(43:30):
we can.
So, we're growing theadvertising network for people
who want to be on there and getin front of people, people who
want to be on there and get infront of people.
So, yeah, if you, if it'ssomething that you guys offer
and you want to get in front ofpeople, it's pretty, pretty,
pretty cost effective in termsof, like, what we're doing right
now.
So, I'm excited about it.
I just think.
I think it's cool.
I still have the same energy,you know, for the shed industry
(43:51):
that I had whenever I first gotin it, even when starting the
podcast four years ago.
You know it's went from turninginto, you know, fun to a job,
you know, but I still have,excuse me, I still have fun at
my job and that's the coolestthing.
Any shout outs any, any, any,any questions that you have for
(44:13):
me.
I always like to offer at theend of the podcast to ask people
.
You know, do you have anyquestions?
Maybe that's something I cananswer about podcasting sheds,
maybe you don't, but justanything that comes to mind and
that will create a littledialogue between us, and that'll
create a little dialoguebetween us.
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Meagan Hamblin (45:41):
Not that I can think of off the top of my head.
You guys have been excellent,extremely patient with us in
making decisions on marketingand things like that.
Y'all built us a beautifulwebsite.
I very much enjoy working withyou guys.
I don't know that I have anyspecific questions and you know
(46:05):
I'm excited that you asked me todo the podcast with you.
I was trying to.
You know, my daughter is 11,going on 17.
So, I was like, hey, I'm goingto be on a podcast tomorrow.
So, I was like, hey, I'm goingto be on a podcast tomorrow.
And she goes why?
Like I'm not cool enough, likeI must not be cool enough.
And I was like well, they askedme to be on the podcast.
And she's like why?
So, I definitely feel cooler atwork than I do at home, so I
(46:29):
appreciate you asking me to bepart of that.
Shed Geek (46:32):
You can be the cool mom now.
Meagan Hamblin (46:36):
You can go around the house like you get to
watch me on a podcast and she'slike no, so, um, that's funny,
um, but that definitely soundslike uh, yeah, like what my kids
would probably say.
Shed Geek (46:49):
You know, the truth is so.
My kids are 20 and 22.
They actually do a lot of theediting most of the editing for
these shows.
They both work for us and it'sinteresting.
It's fun because it's a familydynamic much like what you guys
have there, but then it's alsointeresting because you know
(47:12):
they are notorious for tellingme I like to give lectures.
Because you know I arenotorious for telling me I like
to give lectures because youknow I'm their dad.
I'm just like sitting there andI'm like look, look, look.
You know I'm like let me set youup right for the world and do
this and do that, and it's like,oh, this is so boring.
Maybe they see a littledifferent side.
Whenever we get to do like thepodcast and have fun with people
, I try to let my personalityshine, but trust me, this is
(47:34):
about as good as it gets.
I'm a much more introvertedperson than people actually
realize.
When I started a podcast, Ifound it fascinating to talk to
other people and hear theirstories and it's like I didn't
realize that I would get so muchattention and I'm a little
embarrassed by it sometimes, youknow.
(48:03):
But then I put on this.
You know I don't have it today,but I normally have on, like
this, bowtie and suspenders andI get to play this little
character and it is fun and Ijust, yeah, well, we're thankful
that you guys decided to youknow, work with us in some
capacity.
To you know, work with us insome capacity where we're always
willing to help in areas thatwe that, that we can.
There's a lot of other goodcompanies out there that provide
(48:24):
a lot of good products andservices and things in the
industry.
So, we try to just be fair.
Like you said, don't bad mouthanyone and recognize that we
can't serve everyone anyway, andso it's awesome.
I always tell people, you know,I'm a Christian.
I'm a little bit loud about myChristian beliefs, maybe not as
(48:44):
loud as I should be, but I atleast want there to be enough
evidence to suggest I am aChristian.
And the one thing I know thatI'm taught through that is that
it's people first, businesssecond.
So you know, for me these arebrothers and sisters in Christ
first, and then they arebusiness, friends and foes.
(49:07):
Second, you know so like I wantto see people succeed, I love
to see others succeed as welltoo, because you know we're
built for that.
We're built to help peoplesucceed.
I love to see others succeed aswell, too, because you know
we're built for that.
We're built to help each otherand we're super excited to have
you guys on as a client, and ifyou ever need any resources
whatsoever, just feel free toreach out.
(49:28):
We're more than happy to oblige.
Maybe I can make it down thereone day, because I'm assuming
it's a lot warmer there todaythan it is here, based off your
t-shirt and my hoodie.
Meagan Hamblin (49:40):
Yeah, it's a little cooler this morning at 71
.
Shed Geek (49:46):
Yesterday.
How do you guys get through?
I don't even know how you do it.
Meagan Hamblin (49:48):
I'll tell you I'm sweating.
Maybe I was nervous to be onhere, but I'm sitting here going
.
Man, did I turn the AC on inhere today it's hot.
No, I mean, we're originallyfrom Rhode Island but my family
moved to Florida in 93.
I was seven years old, so Idon't know the snow, I don't
(50:10):
know the cold.
Like I need sunshine, I needpalm trees, I need.
I don't go to the beach much,but I need to know that it's
just a couple of minutes away ifI want to stop by.
Shed Geek (50:22):
No well, it's a balmy 27 here in Metropolis today, so
I would take the 71 any day.
I keep convincing, droppinghints with my wife.
Like you know, we could justalways move to Florida.
I mean, everyone else is doingit.
We would be the cool kids tooand move to Florida, you know.
Meagan Hamblin (50:44):
That's the dream , right?
You eventually move to Florida,retire at the beach, play golf,
I don't know.
I mean, that's the, that's thedream.
I mean, we're flooded withnewcomers right now, but, uh,
there's always more space.
So, either way, it's a niceplace to visit and, um, but you
know, it's it's, it's always the.
(51:05):
You know the grass is alwaysgreener.
I would love to see mountainsand, uh, I want to see the snow,
but I want to come back herebecause I can't handle the cold.
Shed Geek (51:16):
I'll live vicariously and through envy of your
weather today and every day.
You guys are great.
It's really.
You know, we really appreciateyou know, yourself and Joe
connecting and just theconversations.
I hope you got hoodies orshirts or something.
We sent something down to you,I don't remember what it was.
Meagan Hamblin (51:37):
Yeah, I got a couple of shirts.
Shed Geek (51:38):
Yeah, all right, good yeah, I just can't say enough
about how much we appreciate it,appreciate you listening,
certainly appreciate you beingon the show.
I hope you've enjoyed it andmaybe it wasn't as intimidating,
maybe as initially thought no,so a lot smoother than I
expected.
(52:00):
A lot of people.
I think they said that publicspeaking is like fifth on the
list of the fears that mostpeople have, and I always feel,
like you know, I have a littlebit of room to move with the
specifically the salespeoplebecause I tell them you know
you're talking and puttingyourself out there every day,
all day now anyway, so youshould feel very comfortable and
(52:23):
, if not, you should get out ofyour skin and start feeling
comfortable with being able tospeak in public events or in
spaces because, listen, you'realready doing it.
You're already doing it and whynot try to get better at it?
And most people will tell melike wow, that either went by
really fast or it wasn't as badas I thought it would be.
And it boils down to this forme, Meagan, I believe everyone
(52:45):
has a story and I really likelistening to yours here today
and look forward to getting toknow and meet you guys further,
and I can't wait to swing bywhen we're in Florida and just
say hello.
Meagan Hamblin (52:55):
So yeah, that would be awesome.
Come and see us.
Shed Geek (52:59):
That sounds good.
Well, we will stay on here, butwe'll go ahead and end the
podcast, definitely.
Thank you guys for listening.
I'm trying to think of thingsthat I need to drop in here last
minute.
If you guys aren't on the ShedSales Professionals page, please
go to it and just make surethat you fill out your
information.
(53:20):
You do not have to put youremail in, but it's an option if
you want to receive the ShedGeek newsletter, which is
basically an email campaign thatwe have been growing out, where
we're also offering blogs.
So, we want people tellingtheir stories through blogs.
We want people who offerproducts and services in the
industry to be able to blog andtalk about their service, their
(53:44):
product and why it's beneficialand helpful.
We will plug those in.
We're just.
I'll get you in touch with mywife and she will take care of
that.
There are sponsorship spotsavailable.
Our 10 sponsor spots for theWednesday show are full, but
there are others that areavailable and becoming available
, including our digital ads,which we've lowered all the way
(54:06):
down to a whopping $100 a monthfor those, and people say why
did you do such a big pricedecrease and listen.
This is why.
The reason why is because wehave been blessed, the Lord's
been good to us through ourother opportunities like
marketing and rent to own andfinancing, and there may be more
(54:31):
that we're doing here beforetoo long.
I can't say too much, but sofor that reason we didn't want
to give it away for free,because I think people don't
value free, but we wanted to goall the way down as low as we
could, and we we've settled onthat being a hundred dollars a
month.
So, if you want to get yourproduct or service in front of
the industry, that goes out toover 5,000 people in the
(54:54):
industry and look, we just enjoybeing a resource really for the
industry, along with themagazines.
It's nice to have a place tocome see people, hear their
stories and talk about theindustry.
And if we can help you in someway, feel free to reach out to
me.
Yeah, I'm trying to get all mylittle plugs in and things like
(55:16):
that.
I'm not trying to bore peopleto death or whatever.
But, um, Meagan, it's been funtell Joe we said hello and we
sincerely thank you guys forlistening.
Meagan Hamblin (55:30):
Thank you.
Welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek
podcast.
Excited for today's interview,it's been a little bit of one in
the making to some extent andI'll tell you what, Meagan, if
you don't care, just maybe likeintroduce you who you are, your
company, a little bit about whatyou guys do in the industry.
Meagan Hamblin (00:31):
OK, hi, welcome.
I'm happy to be here.
My name's Meagan.
I am a shed dealer in Bonnell,Florida, C & J Storage
Solutions.
We are on the east coast ofCentral Florida.
We deal in sheds, metalstructures and gazebos.
(00:54):
My family's been in the industryfor going on six years ago.
I am a mom of two and a wife,and my previous background was
in mental health and substanceabuse facilities, long-term care
(01:18):
, inpatient treatments andstatements, and back in 2019 I
think.
Um, the company belongs to mydad, joe, and his wife, Kathy,
and they were looking forsomeone to just help make
Facebook posts on the differentbuildings and get that out there
(01:40):
.
So I started helping just thatway.
Then they were both working sixdays a week on opposite
schedules, never getting muchtime together, so they asked if
I would step in and work onSaturdays, on my day off from my
other job, to kind of give thema break.
So, I spent the first monthworking alongside my dad.
(02:05):
I wasn't allowed to talk to anycustomers yet.
My job was to listen and watchand read the materials and
understand the product, andeventually he trusted me to kind
of go out on my own.
So, I went from one day a weekto two days a week.
And then COVID hit and a lot ofFlorida shut down.
(02:29):
I was home fresh with a newbornbaby.
My son was born in the verybeginning of the shutdown of the
pandemic and I was supposed toreturn to my job at the mental
health facility and I didn'tfeel comfortable doing that.
They were flying in.
We were flying in patients fromall over the country.
(02:51):
It was very uncertain at thattime, like what the incubation
period was and whatever, so Ididn't go back and I went to
three days a week here and thenfour days and now it's just me
here.
They've retired, they work athome in the background and I
handle the business day to day.
Shed Geek (03:13):
That's awesome.
There's so much to unpack there.
Just a cool story.
What I love about doingpodcasts with people and me and
you have talked some, but youknow it's hard to really connect
on a, on a, on a real largelevel of knowing everything
about a person.
And and I love this just almostimmediately as you begin to
(03:37):
tell this like commercial oflike who you are and how you got
here you talk about mentalhealth and substance abuse, and
it's one area that we find somecommonality specifically with
substance abuse.
I had an opportunity to work inthe faith- based drug and
alcohol rehabilitation centerfor about one year of my life
and it was one of the mostrewarding years that I've ever
(04:00):
had the chance to work.
You know, um, they say ministryis not about the income, it's
about the outcome, and I didn'tmake a lot of money but, man, I
was rich with some of theexperiences and stories I got to
learn and it really sets aperspective too for you in life.
So, and that's always been apassion of mine, I've always, uh
(04:21):
, um, just kind of toyed withthe idea of doing a podcast
around, you know, recovery andpeople's stories, because that's
what I really love.
I really love people's stories.
I love to hear people's storiesand, you know, even whenever I
travel, I look at homes, I talkto people and I go wonder what
it's like to live there, wonderwhat their experience in this
(04:42):
world's like, you know.
I mean, like it's the way mymind kind of works and I just
had some of the best experienceslistening to people tell me
their stories.
I've had some true heartbreaks.
I've had friends, you know,who's passed away from addiction
that just could not seem to getout of it and it just kind of
(05:05):
shifts your perspective and yourfocus on life, you know at
least it did mine.
I had a guy tell me one time,Meagan, I said, hey, what did
the program do for you?
Now, this was a faith-basedprogram, but it was really
interesting, he said.
I said what did the program dofor you?
And he said you know it, itchanged my wants.
And I was like, wow, that'sdeep.
He said you know it, it changedmy wants and I was like, wow,
(05:25):
that's deep.
He said you know, I used towant to, you know, go do drugs
and do all these things and thenI found you know.
He said I found Jesus and thatthat changed my wants.
I wanted to be a family guy, Iwanted to like be a productive
citizen, I wanted to.
It was really a literally arebirthing, if you will, of like
(05:45):
who he was as a person.
So, and he still is clean andsober today and it's awesome,
you know to see him thriving.
Yeah.
Meagan Hamblin (05:51):
That's cool, I didn't know.
I'm sorry, go ahead.
Shed Geek (05:55):
No, I just I didn't know I was going to find that
out today, so that that thatinterest immediately caught my
attention.
Meagan Hamblin (06:01):
Yeah, it's a.
It's a very rewarding job.
It's a heavy job.
My attention yeah, it's a, it'sa very rewarding job.
It's a heavy job.
I took a lot of it home with meand that was that was hard for
the family aspect of things andstuff like that.
But you know the wins are bigwins and the losses are bad
losses.
So, it's kind of like a verymuch give and take in that
(06:23):
industry and you put your allinto it because you're dealing
with people's lives.
So, this you know, I enjoyed myexperience with that.
I did that for probably five,six years and I worked with a
lot of great people.
I did strictly a facility thatwas active military women that
(06:48):
came and got treatment.
I you know I've done men'sfacilities, female facilities,
strictly mental healthfacilities.
So, it's a lot.
This is definitely a morelighthearted job.
Yeah, for sure, but I definitelygained a lot of wisdom and
experience working and listeningto people's stories and
(07:10):
figuring out kind of what makespeople tick.
Shed Geek (07:13):
Do you feel like you know, do you feel like that had
kind of allowed you?
So, I want to ask this first,any previous sales experience
before that?
Okay, so do you feel like thatkind of allowed you, just your
(07:34):
life experience in that way?
Because I find that most peopledon't go into sales.
Most people kind of fall intosales.
We're starting to see someprograms, I feel like in the
education system that kind ofoffers some focus around sales.
But you know, mostly they'reusually like marketing degrees
(07:56):
or something like that.
That kind of fall into salesand realize like hey, maybe
marketing wasn't my thing, saleswas my thing.
As I kind of mentioned in aFacebook post yesterday for a
small company, you know salesand marketing kind of fits the
same category in a lot of ways.
But as you get bigger you startto realize that there's a
difference in the two and Ithink a lot of marketing folks
(08:18):
just fall into a sales position.
Do you feel like you have a legup in some ways because you
know people's stories?
You get into their storiesbecause of what you did with
mental health and those types ofthings.
I feel like that helped makeyou a better transition into
sales.
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Meagan Hamblin (09:36):
I think so.
It helps me to connect withpeople.
To me, a big part of my salesis creating the rapport with the
customer.
I definitely was never asalesperson.
When they hired me on here, Isaid I'm not a salesperson.
Funny story my parents, prior toselling sheds years ago I mean,
(10:01):
they've had a ton of differentbusinesses, including call
centers of home diabeticsupplies, medical supply
equipment, vacation packages ontop of a lot of other things,
and I've tried to work for themin those positions before and I
just couldn't do it.
I couldn't.
(10:22):
I wasn't the person to callpeople and be like hey, you know
, can I send you diabeticsupplies?
I just I couldn't do it.
And, um, I just wasn't asalesperson.
People told me no, I'm like, no, okay, have a good day, bye, so
um, but after having theexperience listening to people's
stories, I I'm able to kind ofmeet people where they are, you
(10:45):
know.
They come in and I ask abouthow their day was and what
they're looking for, whatthey're planning on storing in
the buildings, what their wantsand needs are, and not as much
to just try to upsell them orget them to buy that day I'm
very honest or get them to buythat day.
(11:09):
I'm very honest with mycustomers.
I don't believe in trying torush through anything just to
make the sale, just to get thepaperwork signed, like that's
not me, and I have a lot ofcustomers that return to me for
that they go.
Oh, you know, we were shoppingaround and this other place,
they, they, you know it feltlike we were bothering them and
they didn't want to give us theinformation.
And, and you know, you sat usdown and told us everything you
(11:33):
knew about the buildings, whatthis costs, what that looks like
.
You didn't you?
You were very honest about itand they appreciate that, you
know.
And if I don't know an answer, Itell them like I don't have
that answer, but if you give mea little while, I'm happy to
research it and find it out foryou.
And I think that goes a longway with people and I feel like
(11:56):
people are used to in the salestype industry.
I mean you pull up to a cardealership, right, and it's like
.
I mean you pull up to a cardealership, right, and it's like
they run to you and it's whocan get the sale first?
And they try to kind of I can'tthink of the word for it.
They try to surface leveleverything to make it go as
quickly and easy as possible andthat's if you're not ready
(12:20):
today, that's fine, let me giveyou the information.
I'll give you the information10 more times and then, whenever
you are ready, I'm here for youto answer any more questions
you have.
And I believe that goes a longway with people.
So, I don't know if itnecessarily gave me a leg up,
but I think it helps me furtherconnect with people.
(12:42):
Make that rapport furtherconnect with people.
Make that rapport.
A big thing I was taught wascustomer service comes first.
So, a big thing I tell mycustomers is you know, when
you're buying from us, whenyou're purchasing from C& J
(13:02):
Storage Solutions, it's a familytype experience.
When you call next week to aska question, it's still going to
be me answering the phone.
It's just me here every day,all day, so they're not going to
have to chase me down or try tofind an answer and someone else
give them a different answer.
They're dealing with me fromstart to finish, from
(13:26):
information to order placement,to building being received and
delivered.
It's me the whole time.
So, I think that's importantand it's important to build
those relationships with thecommunity for sure.
Shed Geek (13:39):
It really streamlines the process too for the
consumer to deal with onepersonality throughout the whole
process.
I feel like maybe you knowpeople who come to buy.
They buy because they have aneed and then they find someone
(13:59):
that can meet the need and theytransfer that enthusiasm, you
know, to like hey, we have yoursolution and then.
But it's really nice to be ableto work with them through the
whole process.
You said something earlier and,and you know I did a keynote
speech recently and I'll give ashout out to my, my good friends
in Millersburg, Ohio, atPlaymor and Stryker Hunting
(14:23):
Blinds and I got a chance tospeak on both days to their
dealer network and I really dugin deep, you know, personally,
to come up with this content, totry and think about and at the
end of the day, you know and itsaid it whenever I got there and
their big banner behind thestage said fun, you know.
(14:44):
And you know I told him I saidyou know you guys get to sell
one of the coolest things onearth.
You talked about sellingmedical supplies and I brought
that up even in my speech.
I said you know you could beselling medical supplies.
You know how fun is thatMedical supplies like necessary
Absolutely.
Meagan Hamblin (15:03):
Definitely not fun.
Shed Geek (15:04):
No, but you know they're selling fun because
they're selling play sets, right, you know what I mean.
Like it's fun, and fun's theeasiest thing to sell, because
people want to have fun.
Even people who don't like tohave fun like to have fun when a
fun person makes them have fun,right.
Meagan Hamblin (15:22):
You know, they still enjoy.
It.
Shed Geek (15:24):
They do, they, they, they, they might fight it
because they're gruff andserious and everything else.
But whenever you finally getthem to crack a smile, they're
just kind of like, yeah, thiswas good, I needed this, you
know.
And hunting blinds, you knowhow cool was that?
Because it might not be fun inthe sense of like laughter and
swing sets and rock walls, butit's your extracurricular
(15:49):
activities, it's your idea offun.
Maybe as an adult you go out,you enjoy hunting and that's fun
for you.
I don't know if we sell funselling sheds and gazebos and
carports, but you do sell sortof a dream, because people have
something they want to do.
Maybe they want to do a musicstudio in their shed.
So now you're getting to attachyourself to the fun part of
(16:11):
their life and dream with themwhat that's going to look like.
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Meagan Hamblin (17:43):
And it definitely can be fun.
You know we do very custombuildings.
I like to say we offereverything except for plumbing,
because I don't do plumbing, wedon't.
We're not at the point yet oflike tiny homes, residential,
but in the years I've done this,I've done art studios, I've
(18:05):
done home gyms, I've done homeoffices were a huge thing,
especially at when COVID hit,you know, everyone was home,
everyone was locked down, peoplewere trying to work from home,
but the kids were also doingschool from home and the husband
or wife was still in the otherroom trying to do their job.
(18:27):
So we offer what's called, youknow, a premium building which
is fully insulated, electricalheating and air conditioning,
interior walls, we do specialdoors and windows.
So it can be fun, for sure to.
It's fun for me to help thecustomer kind of design it.
(18:47):
What are your wants?
What are you wanting in thisbuilding?
What are you needing and what'sgoing to make you the most
productive?
And so, for me the fun issitting with them, getting to
know what they really want,being able to put that on paper
and then watching the buildingget delivered in and the
(19:09):
customer just lighting upbecause it was everything that
they wanted.
Now, don't get me wrong, thebread and butter is definitely
the smaller storage buildingsthat house the lawnmower and the
garden equipment and the kidstoys or whatever.
But we get to do a lot of funthings and a lot of fun designs.
(19:29):
I have a lot of cool buildingsoutside on the lot right now
that are waiting to be deliveredout that I sat down with
customers over weeks or monthsto design and come to fruition
for them.
So, I think it's fun for sure.
Shed Geek (19:43):
What's one of the more interesting uses of a
building that you've seen so far, since you've been selling.
Meagan Hamblin (19:54):
I think it's cool when people want to make
them into tiny homes.
Florida isn't as up to thetimes with tiny homes as a lot
of other states are, so it'spossible to be done, but they
kind of make you jump throughhoops a bit to get there.
Um, but I have seen people incertain places take one of my
(20:17):
buildings that was mostlyfinished and do full habitable
structures out of them bathrooms, kitchens, I mean big decks
around them.
I've seen hunting cabins.
I have a friend here where Ilive in Palm Coast.
(20:37):
Her whole business is workingout online doing videos for
other women to work out to.
She sells like a subscription.
So, she bought one of mybuildings and she has it fully
set up as her home gym.
So, there's a lot of coolthings that I've seen.
(20:57):
I don't know if I couldpinpoint it off the top of my
head of what's what the coolestwas, but it's.
It's fun to see how far I cantake them with it and then see
what they do with it afterdelivery.
Shed Geek (21:12):
It's really just dreaming with them, kind of you
know, like initially wouldpeople think of like selling a
space for a you know asubscription model.
You know gym membership, if youwill.
That's kind of you know,natured around like you know,
(21:35):
maybe women empowerment orwomen's health or something
along those lines it's like, butthose things didn't exist
before because the internet'schanged everything now, so
that's even changed the use ofthe building, because it's like
no one before would have beenlike you know, you could turn
this into a, you know a studioand it's like, well, you know
how could I do that?
Well, who's going to watch?
But with the, with the Internetbeing 30 years old now and
(21:59):
seeing these things take offmore and more, I see people
playing music and seeing thesethings take off more and more.
I see people playing music.
I see a lot of music studios.
You know, not even just.
You know your traditionalgardening.
You know garden shed, you know,or greenhouse or whatever, but
some really unique use cases forspace and they want a space
(22:21):
that is like sturdy.
And they want a space that islike sturdy and they want a
space that is secure and in somecases they want one that's
finished out, even if it's tooup to the point of plumbing, you
know, and maybe they have tojump through the hoops, but you,
you are right that we can sell.
Still, have fun.
It's really getting to knowthat customer and spending some
(22:42):
time in the customer acquisitionphase to kind of know what do
you need and how can I bestserve you.
Like you know, what else can wedo?
What can we add to this to?
I mean, they're putting golfsimulators in sheds now.
It's pretty, pretty regular,you know, and it's like man,
that's fun.
Meagan Hamblin (22:59):
Yeah, yeah, I've done a couple of hair studios
also women that, or even menthat you know that's what they
do.
They're a barber, they're ahairdresser.
They don't want to sit in a bigshop so they put, you know, a
studio in their yard where theycan take their clients one on
one.
I did a guy that lived in Chilefor a long time and he came
(23:25):
back over here and he wasgrowing and selling micro greens
at farmers markets.
So he was growing them in thebuilding and then bringing them
to farmers markets and sellingthem arugula, like you know,
different basil, differentgreens, like that.
So that was pretty cool when hesent me pictures of that.
(23:48):
And one thing I always findfunny is I can have customers
sit with me and they make everydecision on doors, window
placements, where they wantevery single outlet to be placed
in the height.
Would you believe me when Itold you that the hardest
decision is paint colors?
I'm serious At the end of theday.
(24:12):
They're like I just don't knowwhat paint color I want on my
building and they may take anextra week to decide that.
I always find that kind offunny.
Shed Geek (24:22):
Well, and it speaks a lot to the mindset of the
customer really, whenever theycome in, that, like you know, we
get so bogged down being in theindustry, sometimes with, like
our knowledge of the paint orthe products or different things
(24:42):
, that sometimes we forget toalmost be childlike in our
approach to the customer andwhat, why they're there and what
they're hoping to accomplish.
Like, like you know, for uswould we say, man, it shouldn't
take a week to pick a paintcolor, right, like all of us are
like, come on, let's just getthis thing done so we can get
the sale, but it's like, hey,this is a that that's that
(25:05):
important to that customer, youknow what I'm saying?
Meagan Hamblin (25:07):
Sure, it's an investment.
Shed Geek (25:09):
Yeah, yeah.
Meagan Hamblin (25:11):
I mean, especially if you're doing a big
finished unit.
It's a large investment and ittakes time to make those
decisions.
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Shed Geek (27:12):
And I even love that you say investment, because you
know that changes the dynamicfrom a big cost to a big
investment.
You're investing into your time, your future.
You're investing into a placeto store your things, to keep
them safe, secure, dry, out ofthe weather.
Just the word investmentchanges the mindset for the
customer.
We invest in a lot of things.
(27:32):
We invest in a home to be safeand to be secure too.
Right, it's not just a cost ora negative thing in our life.
You said something earlier aboutbeing honest and don't want to
rush the sale.
You know customer acquisitiontime in sales because we sell a
retail product.
What's your approach whensomeone comes in?
(27:57):
I remember early on in shedsales I had a guy come in and
had one foot in the door and onefoot out the door and he had
been in the week before and he'slike hey, went down to your
competitor, he's got it for thisprice.
Now we didn't really have achance to sit down and apples to
apples walk through because wedid a price match anyway.
(28:19):
So, we would have literallymatched whatever they were
getting at whatever quality.
We would have just had tounderstand it.
Do you feel like it'sbeneficial for you to take the
time in the customer acquisitionphase to explain that to them,
because there's a lot of impulsebuyers out there that are just
like you know.
(28:39):
I want to stop by get thisthing done in about five minutes
and move on.
I want to stop by get thisthing done in about five minutes
and move on, only for there tobe problems later because
there's questions or things thatdidn't get asked.
Meagan Hamblin (28:52):
What approach do you guys take?
Kind of similar, I definitely.
You know, try to compare applesto apples.
I will never talk down aboutanother distributor or another
manufacturer.
I don't believe that's right.
In some cases I know what thosecompanies offer and how their
buildings are made.
Other times I don't.
(29:14):
And I always, you know, I'malways like sure, please shop
around, just make sure you'recomparing.
What you should be comparing,know, is the framing right, is
you know?
In Florida, everything has to bebuilt up to, you know, a very
high standard because ofhurricane.
So, all my buildings are 16 oncenter, double studs every four
(29:38):
feet, double two by four.
Hurricane top plates, a lot ofum, a lot of competition, does
24 on center of everything andsingle top plates.
A big thing, though, is againbeing able to say you're only
dealing with me when you comethrough here.
(29:59):
This is a small business, I'mone person, we are not a
franchise, it's just us.
A lot of the other companies,they have multiple lot locations
all over the place, and it's abigger business model.
Motions and sales, where I maynot have that option, but I also
(30:24):
have excellent warranties.
I have an amazing repairman onstaff, so if you ever were to
have an issue with your building.
You never have to go throughthe manufacturer, where most of
the warranties are manufacturerwarranties on the siding, on the
roofing.
(30:44):
It all comes through me.
You send me photos, let me knowthe issue, I send my repairman
out immediately, no questionsasked, to see what the issue is,
how he can fix it, and then Isubmit through the warranty,
because there's a lot ofcompanies that offer warranties
but unless the building isfalling down, it's you know, the
(31:08):
structural integrity isinfected.
They're like, yeah, no, we'renot fixing that, we're not
coming out, or sure we'll getback to you.
And then they never get back toyou.
So, my goal is to stick withthem through the whole way.
So, in three years you've hadyour building and now you have
an issue, call me, I'll pull youup.
(31:30):
Most of the time I rememberthem or I remember their
building and I'm able to getthat service taken care of
immediately.
I have customers that returnfor multiple buildings or
they've bought sheds and nowthey want a gazebo.
So, I think it's important tonever talk bad about the
(31:51):
competition or anothermanufacturer, because everyone's
just, at the end of the day,trying to build their business
and find success, right?
I just want to make sure thatmy customers are getting what
they need, and if that'ssomewhere else, ok, that's fine.
But I can also help you too.
Shed Geek (32:11):
Yeah, no, that's great.
You always have a, you alwayshave a value proposition of
yourself to be able to take careof the customer.
And it's really just.
You know, a lot of the productsare very similar.
Maybe you can find 10 to 15%difference if you broke it down
on some kind of a scale.
But what you can't replace isthe salesperson, and that's one
(32:31):
of the most important parts ofthe process, the systems and
processes and the personthemselves and the trust that
they can develop and the rapportthey can develop with the
consumer.
I love.
I wrote down some notes herewhere you talked about you know,
customer service first andbeing a customer service first
(32:56):
company, your sales after theservice, which is absolutely
imperative, and it's a part ofsales that sometimes many of us
forget.
It's just, you know, it's easyto forget that, like you get
your commission, you're done,you got the sale.
I don't act with the sameenthusiasm, probably you know,
once I've closed the deal, butyou should.
(33:16):
You know, because the salesisn't the sales cycle doesn't
stop at the sale.
Matter of fact, there's muchwork to be done once you close
and that's taking care of thecustomer, making sure they know
when the building's coming,checking up on them afterwards.
I'm hearing rumblings of peopletalking about you know, starting
(33:38):
sort of like a I'm talking tothem, so it's not rumblings, but
you know, starting a vlog in asense, to some extent of even
like, what do you do afteryou've had your shed for a year?
What do you do?
You know what if you want to doshelving?
What if you want to domaintenance or some kind of
(33:59):
repair that's not covered underthe warranty, or what you know?
How do you replace the roof ora door or a window or add one If
you came to the conclusionafter you got it there?
We need to change this up andit's like man, there's a whole
host of things that you can be aguide towards.
You know, as a salesperson, tobe like hey, you know, and, and
(34:20):
guess what that does, that givesyou the power to ask for
referrals.
Like hey, you know, and guesswhat that does.
That gives you the power to askfor referrals, gives you the
chance to like, trust yourcustomer to the point where they
say, trust me, you've got to goto Meagan because we just had
the best experience.
And she's even been checked upwith us, you know, every six
months, even afterwards, youknow, to make sure everything
was good or whatever.
(34:41):
So, service after the sales isa big one.
I want to shift gears and Iwant to ask you what your
thoughts are on.
Have you always sold likecarports, metal structures and
gazebos, or is it, you know, wasit sheds first or vice versa?
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Meagan Hamblin (35:59):
So, it's funny.
Before I started, the storygoes is they were selling used
cars.
They were selling used cars andgazebos and then a gentleman
stopped by their location oneday and said hey, have you ever
(36:20):
thought about selling sheds?
And they signed up to sellsheds.
The cars went out the windowand it started with.
So, it started with the gazebos, then started the sheds.
The metal structures came after.
We did enclose trailers for alittle while, but they take up a
lot of space and where I livehere they're very hit or miss.
(36:45):
I wouldn't sell any for weeksand then I would sell three in a
week.
So, once we got rid of theoriginal inventory we had, we
didn't sell any more enclosedtrailers.
But yeah, it's basically alwaysbeen since I've been here the
sheds, the metal structures andthe gazebos.
Shed Geek (37:07):
How do you differentiate or do you
differentiate?
Is it even necessary?
Your approach to steelstructures versus sheds Do you
find them kind of similar?
Do you find the customers to besimilar whenever they come in
looking for something?
Or do they look for a shed andrealize, oh, a steel structure
(37:30):
would have been better for thissituation, or vice versa?
Meagan Hamblin (37:34):
Yeah, sometimes.
And that goes back to findingout the customer's why.
Right, you've walked into myoffice, you're here, you need
something, but what is it you'relooking to do, right?
If you're looking for, you knowyou live on a property that
doesn't have a garage and youneed a two-car garage and a
place to do some work.
(37:54):
I'm going to direct you towardsa steel structure.
Let me show you one.
You can get a lot more squarefootage for the price point with
the steel structure.
What brings the pricing up onthat is concrete if you're
placing it on a concrete slab.
So I do have concrete companiesI recommend to my customers to
(38:17):
reach out to get multiple quoteson.
If you're looking for, you know,just a place for a lawnmower
and some hand tools, let me showyou a smaller shed.
You know the steel structurestend to be larger.
I think the smallest size Ioffer is a 12 by 16.
(38:38):
And if you're looking for justlawnmowers and bikes, you may
not need that size.
There's also different city andcounty restrictions, also when I
live in Palm Coast, they arenot an HOA but they have a lot
of HOA type rules andregulations, so they don't allow
steel structures.
(38:58):
So, if you've come in and youlive in Palm Coast, I know that
the steel structures isabsolutely off the table.
Let me show you a shed up tothis size because that's what
they'll allow Most of the time.
I don't think the customers aredifferent between the two.
(39:20):
I think it's more just whattheir needs are and what their
why is just so, what their needsare and what their why is.
You know, I also am able tooffer a lot more finishing
options for the sheds than I ama steel structure.
I can build you the structure,but you have to with the steel
buildings.
You have to send out forelectrical, for insulation, for
(39:40):
all of that where the sheds.
I can give them a more finishedproduct if that's what they're
looking for.
Shed Geek (39:47):
No, that's great.
And have you found thatoffering those steel structures
sometimes will net you a shedcustomer?
You know it actually benefitsto have them on the property
because somebody says you know,I don't really need that, the
shed will work perfect.
Meagan Hamblin (40:08):
Yeah, yeah, I've done both, and at the same time
I've had customers that havecome in and bought steel
structures and then a couple ofyears later, they just need a
small utility shed and they comeback for a shed.
So, it definitely works bothways.
There are definitely customersthat come in with a notion of
what they want and then beforethey leave, they've completely
(40:32):
switched gears Right.
So, it's nice to be able tooffer more, more options, more
products to be able to fitmultiple needs.
Shed Geek (40:44):
Do you think that you guys will add to your line of
products as you go, Furniture,play sets, any things of that
nature?
Is that, excuse me?
Is that in the future?
Meagan Hamblin (40:57):
I'm not sure They've done play sets.
In the past they were doingplay sets along with gazebos
before they started the sheds.
We have started looking intobarn dominium type products
pergolas, sunrooms.
That was a lot of talk prior tomy parents retiring and it
(41:23):
hasn't been talked about as muchsince they have retired.
I've looked into some barndominium type stuff and, to be
honest, it's hard to kind ofbring on a lot more when it's
just me here.
I can do x amount of researchand try to find a right company.
It was definitely a lot easierto do some of that stuff when my
(41:45):
dad was here and because hemakes those connections, the
business type connections.
So that is definitely somethingwe're looking into.
The Barn Dominium seems to be abig thing around here and
throughout most of the UnitedStates right now.
I don't think we'd go back toplay sets.
(42:06):
So yeah, I think if we broughtin anything, it would probably
be either pergolas or barndominiums it's just, I'd like to
eventually be able to offereven a more finished unit, do
like a be able to offer a fullstart to finish tiny home, um.
But again, that requires a lot,of, a lot of research to be in
(42:30):
with the counties and the citycodes and have contractors on
hand to do plumbing and and andkitchens and bathrooms and
things like that.
So that would that would be agoal that we'd like to see come
true at some point.
We'll just have to see how itgoes, you know.
Shed Geek (42:48):
Well, I, I, yeah, I applaud you for it.
It just seems like the shedindustry, you know, has so much
opportunity that I always saythe shed is the common
denominator, but there's so manyother things, from furniture, I
mean, this poly furniture isjust getting wild, you know,
it's everywhere.
(43:09):
And I'm thinking to myselfyou're in Florida, you know, I
don't know, maybe that's a bighit.
It's just, you know, and if wecan ever be a resource for you
to help, we're more than happyto be a resource in any way that
(43:30):
we can.
So, we're growing theadvertising network for people
who want to be on there and getin front of people, people who
want to be on there and get infront of people.
So, yeah, if you, if it'ssomething that you guys offer
and you want to get in front ofpeople, it's pretty, pretty,
pretty cost effective in termsof, like, what we're doing right
now.
So, I'm excited about it.
I just think.
I think it's cool.
I still have the same energy,you know, for the shed industry
(43:51):
that I had whenever I first gotin it, even when starting the
podcast four years ago.
You know it's went from turninginto, you know, fun to a job,
you know, but I still have,excuse me, I still have fun at
my job and that's the coolestthing.
Any shout outs any, any, any,any questions that you have for
(44:13):
me.
I always like to offer at theend of the podcast to ask people
.
You know, do you have anyquestions?
Maybe that's something I cananswer about podcasting sheds,
maybe you don't, but justanything that comes to mind and
that will create a littledialogue between us, and that'll
create a little dialoguebetween us.
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Meagan Hamblin (45:41):
Not that I can think of off the top of my head.
You guys have been excellent,extremely patient with us in
making decisions on marketingand things like that.
Y'all built us a beautifulwebsite.
I very much enjoy working withyou guys.
I don't know that I have anyspecific questions and you know
(46:05):
I'm excited that you asked me todo the podcast with you.
I was trying to.
You know, my daughter is 11,going on 17.
So, I was like, hey, I'm goingto be on a podcast tomorrow.
So, I was like, hey, I'm goingto be on a podcast tomorrow.
And she goes why?
Like I'm not cool enough, likeI must not be cool enough.
And I was like well, they askedme to be on the podcast.
And she's like why?
So, I definitely feel cooler atwork than I do at home, so I
(46:29):
appreciate you asking me to bepart of that.
Shed Geek (46:32):
You can be the cool mom now.
Meagan Hamblin (46:36):
You can go around the house like you get to
watch me on a podcast and she'slike no, so, um, that's funny,
um, but that definitely soundslike uh, yeah, like what my kids
would probably say.
Shed Geek (46:49):
You know, the truth is so.
My kids are 20 and 22.
They actually do a lot of theediting most of the editing for
these shows.
They both work for us and it'sinteresting.
It's fun because it's a familydynamic much like what you guys
have there, but then it's alsointeresting because you know
(47:12):
they are notorious for tellingme I like to give lectures.
Because you know I arenotorious for telling me I like
to give lectures because youknow I'm their dad.
I'm just like sitting there andI'm like look, look, look.
You know I'm like let me set youup right for the world and do
this and do that, and it's like,oh, this is so boring.
Maybe they see a littledifferent side.
Whenever we get to do like thepodcast and have fun with people
, I try to let my personalityshine, but trust me, this is
(47:34):
about as good as it gets.
I'm a much more introvertedperson than people actually
realize.
When I started a podcast, Ifound it fascinating to talk to
other people and hear theirstories and it's like I didn't
realize that I would get so muchattention and I'm a little
embarrassed by it sometimes, youknow.
(48:03):
But then I put on this.
You know I don't have it today,but I normally have on, like
this, bowtie and suspenders andI get to play this little
character and it is fun and Ijust, yeah, well, we're thankful
that you guys decided to youknow, work with us in some
capacity.
To you know, work with us insome capacity where we're always
willing to help in areas thatwe that, that we can.
There's a lot of other goodcompanies out there that provide
(48:24):
a lot of good products andservices and things in the
industry.
So, we try to just be fair.
Like you said, don't bad mouthanyone and recognize that we
can't serve everyone anyway, andso it's awesome.
I always tell people, you know,I'm a Christian.
I'm a little bit loud about myChristian beliefs, maybe not as
(48:44):
loud as I should be, but I atleast want there to be enough
evidence to suggest I am aChristian.
And the one thing I know thatI'm taught through that is that
it's people first, businesssecond.
So you know, for me these arebrothers and sisters in Christ
first, and then they arebusiness, friends and foes.
(49:07):
Second, you know so like I wantto see people succeed, I love
to see others succeed as welltoo, because you know we're
built for that.
We're built to help peoplesucceed.
I love to see others succeed aswell, too, because you know
we're built for that.
We're built to help each otherand we're super excited to have
you guys on as a client, and ifyou ever need any resources
whatsoever, just feel free toreach out.
(49:28):
We're more than happy to oblige.
Maybe I can make it down thereone day, because I'm assuming
it's a lot warmer there todaythan it is here, based off your
t-shirt and my hoodie.
Meagan Hamblin (49:40):
Yeah, it's a little cooler this morning at 71
.
Shed Geek (49:46):
Yesterday.
How do you guys get through?
I don't even know how you do it.
Meagan Hamblin (49:48):
I'll tell you I'm sweating.
Maybe I was nervous to be onhere, but I'm sitting here going
.
Man, did I turn the AC on inhere today it's hot.
No, I mean, we're originallyfrom Rhode Island but my family
moved to Florida in 93.
I was seven years old, so Idon't know the snow, I don't
(50:10):
know the cold.
Like I need sunshine, I needpalm trees, I need.
I don't go to the beach much,but I need to know that it's
just a couple of minutes away ifI want to stop by.
Shed Geek (50:22):
No well, it's a balmy 27 here in Metropolis today, so
I would take the 71 any day.
I keep convincing, droppinghints with my wife.
Like you know, we could justalways move to Florida.
I mean, everyone else is doingit.
We would be the cool kids tooand move to Florida, you know.
Meagan Hamblin (50:44):
That's the dream , right?
You eventually move to Florida,retire at the beach, play golf,
I don't know.
I mean, that's the, that's thedream.
I mean, we're flooded withnewcomers right now, but, uh,
there's always more space.
So, either way, it's a niceplace to visit and, um, but you
know, it's it's, it's always the.
(51:05):
You know the grass is alwaysgreener.
I would love to see mountainsand, uh, I want to see the snow,
but I want to come back herebecause I can't handle the cold.
Shed Geek (51:16):
I'll live vicariously and through envy of your
weather today and every day.
You guys are great.
It's really.
You know, we really appreciateyou know, yourself and Joe
connecting and just theconversations.
I hope you got hoodies orshirts or something.
We sent something down to you,I don't remember what it was.
Meagan Hamblin (51:37):
Yeah, I got a couple of shirts.
Shed Geek (51:38):
Yeah, all right, good yeah, I just can't say enough
about how much we appreciate it,appreciate you listening,
certainly appreciate you beingon the show.
I hope you've enjoyed it andmaybe it wasn't as intimidating,
maybe as initially thought no,so a lot smoother than I
expected.
(52:00):
A lot of people.
I think they said that publicspeaking is like fifth on the
list of the fears that mostpeople have, and I always feel,
like you know, I have a littlebit of room to move with the
specifically the salespeoplebecause I tell them you know
you're talking and puttingyourself out there every day,
all day now anyway, so youshould feel very comfortable and
(52:23):
, if not, you should get out ofyour skin and start feeling
comfortable with being able tospeak in public events or in
spaces because, listen, you'realready doing it.
You're already doing it and whynot try to get better at it?
And most people will tell melike wow, that either went by
really fast or it wasn't as badas I thought it would be.
And it boils down to this forme, Meagan, I believe everyone
(52:45):
has a story and I really likelistening to yours here today
and look forward to getting toknow and meet you guys further,
and I can't wait to swing bywhen we're in Florida and just
say hello.
Meagan Hamblin (52:55):
So yeah, that would be awesome.
Come and see us.
Shed Geek (52:59):
That sounds good.
Well, we will stay on here, butwe'll go ahead and end the
podcast, definitely.
Thank you guys for listening.
I'm trying to think of thingsthat I need to drop in here last
minute.
If you guys aren't on the ShedSales Professionals page, please
go to it and just make surethat you fill out your
information.
(53:20):
You do not have to put youremail in, but it's an option if
you want to receive the ShedGeek newsletter, which is
basically an email campaign thatwe have been growing out, where
we're also offering blogs.
So, we want people tellingtheir stories through blogs.
We want people who offerproducts and services in the
industry to be able to blog andtalk about their service, their
(53:44):
product and why it's beneficialand helpful.
We will plug those in.
We're just.
I'll get you in touch with mywife and she will take care of
that.
There are sponsorship spotsavailable.
Our 10 sponsor spots for theWednesday show are full, but
there are others that areavailable and becoming available
, including our digital ads,which we've lowered all the way
(54:06):
down to a whopping $100 a monthfor those, and people say why
did you do such a big pricedecrease and listen.
This is why.
The reason why is because wehave been blessed, the Lord's
been good to us through ourother opportunities like
marketing and rent to own andfinancing, and there may be more
(54:31):
that we're doing here beforetoo long.
I can't say too much, but sofor that reason we didn't want
to give it away for free,because I think people don't
value free, but we wanted to goall the way down as low as we
could, and we we've settled onthat being a hundred dollars a
month.
So, if you want to get yourproduct or service in front of
the industry, that goes out toover 5,000 people in the
(54:54):
industry and look, we just enjoybeing a resource really for the
industry, along with themagazines.
It's nice to have a place tocome see people, hear their
stories and talk about theindustry.
And if we can help you in someway, feel free to reach out to
me.
Yeah, I'm trying to get all mylittle plugs in and things like
(55:16):
that.
I'm not trying to bore peopleto death or whatever.
But, um, Meagan, it's been funtell Joe we said hello and we
sincerely thank you guys forlistening.
Meagan Hamblin (55:30):
Thank you.
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