Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Platow.
Hi Chris, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My dad is in the industry and I started working with him full-time when I was a teenager. My grandfather is in the industry as well so I’m a 3rd generation tradesman in the construction industry. Before that, it seems like everyone was a tradesman so 3rd generation seems to be about as far as I can justifiably go back if I’m going to use that kind of title. It’s funny because I joined my dad’s commercial construction crew and travelled around the country and saw the sights at a young age but both my brother and myself came into the industry “kicking and screaming” if you will. Neither of us saw it as anything more than a means to an end, with the added benefit of learning the family trade. At a certain point my brother and I started our own business under the tutelage of our father. After a few years in the industry something shifted and I started to grow a passion for the trade that our dad taught us which was tile and stone installation. At a certain point, my brother passed away and because the word Brother’s was in the name of our previous business, I decided to start a new business under the name Platow Tile llc, which was an obscure callback to my dad’s first business Platow Tile Inc. After several years, I realized that I was doing the bulk of the project management for any tile-heavy projects such as kitchens and bathrooms, so I started to subcontract out the plumbing, drywall, paint, cabinetry, electrical, while doing the tile work myself on these projects. I seemed to have knack for this type of work and I’ve always been an autodidact so I continued running these multi-trade projects and growing my knowledge base. Eventually, I started getting just as many remodeling projects as tile-only project leads and Platow Tile doesn’t exactly scream general contractor, so I decided to “rebrand” and file a DBA under the same LLC and begin to use the business name Platow Home & Tile.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not. Being in construction pretty much ensures you won’t have a smooth road, layer that with owning a business which pretty much ensures the same. I’ve never had to deal with damaging client conflicts, but I have dealt with a ton of problems related to not knowing my numbers and undercharging for things, employees leaving me suddenly with a workload I can’t immediately handle causing me to work 80+ hour weeks. I had a failed partnership where I was given the raw end of the deal and again left with a massive workload and a smaller team. The business was born from struggles. My brother passed away a month or two prior to opening the business. We had a business together but for the last six months when things got too slow, we started working for a tile and grout repair company. Once my brother passed away, my performance naturally waned and instead of getting complained at by the business owner I decided I would just go back out on my own. That hardship made it clear that it was sink or swim. I knew I could do what felt comfortable and crawl in a hole or I could push through and see what my potential was, and there wasn’t going to be any middle ground. So I kept pushing forward, and ended up getting to a really good place within a year or so both mentally and professionally. I’ve developed a habit of stepping back from the situation when the hardships are at their peak and remembering that these times make us better. The more it sucks in the moment, the more growth you’ll have by the end of it. So I can appreciate the struggles.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a tile-specialized remodeling company. All of the tile installers in my business are CTI certified, which is the highest credential you can achieve in our trade. We also do general construction. Mainly interior remodeling with an emphasis on bathrooms and kitchens. So we’re the ideal option for someone who’s looking for a general contractor to do their bathroom or kitchen, but we’re a great option for any project that falls within our wheelhouse. We offer lifetime warranties on our tile work and even our general construction warranty is better than most in our industry. We also work very closely with a few premium designers, so if someone is looking for more of a design-build structure, we’re a great option for that as well. This is actually our favorite type of project because everything gets detailed out and worked through beforehand.
How do you think about luck?
Luck plays a role if that’s what you want to call it. I’ve been very lucky and im thankful for that, but I’ve also had bad luck on projects or unlucky weeks/months and that’s fine too because a lot can be learned from those experiences. I find that if everything is prepared well enough in advance, then luck won’t be a concern.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.platowhomeandtile.com
- Instagram: /platowhomeandtile
- Facebook: /platowhomeandtile
