Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Bancroft.
Aaron, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my career in Michigan by getting a BS in Construction Management/ Land Development degree from Michigan State University. I had several internships and jobs that involved me with every kind of construction project, ranging from single family residential to large scale commercial projects. By the time I left college, I had my degree, I got certified by the American Institute of Constructors as a Certified Professional Constructor (CPC) and had several other honors and certifications not really worth mentioning. I eventually moved to Houston in search of better job opportunities. I worked for a few General Contracting companies (like Hensel Phelps, Camden Builders for example) for several years and I also tried at owning my own contracting companies. After doing General Contracting work for close to 20 years, I finally decided to narrow the field down and simplify the business model to do 1 trade.
At this time, I should also add that I am a professional musician. I also started this career in Michigan at the same time I was in college. These two professions has led me to many interesting connections and business opportunities I would have never thought possible.
Before I chose the 1 trade I would focus on, I had gotten in to real estate and started flipping homes. I did this for close to 10 years while still doing the contracting work and playing gigs on the weekend as a musician. Flipping homes was a good business model too but I knew I had to create a contracting business to help me with the home flipping business. I finally settled for Stone Countertop Fabrication and Installation. It seemed that I had lots of trouble finding one source to handle ALL of my stone countertop needs.
The way it seems to work is like this: If you want to have stone countertops, then you first need to find the right material and color. Someone will then have to come out to measure. Next, you will have to find a fabricator to fabricate the stone to custom fit the cabinets it goes on. After that, you will have to find someone to install the material correctly and have it all done without someone stiffing you. Majestic Stone does ALL of these things from start to finish and the customer has 1 point of contact within our company. They get 1st class service from a respectable and experienced company. Better yet, who do you call if something goes wrong? We warranty our work and we are always available.
So, since I saw a niche to be filled within the construction industry for my own projects, I thought I had found the very sub-contracting business I was looking for. I had several partners over the years but they never had the vision I had and ultimately did not pan out. It soon had realized that I will have to do this on my own and with my family. I have always wanted a family business and now it seems to be happening relatively fast. My brother, Nathan Bancroft is head of operations, my sister, Jessica Bancroft, is head of marketing and public relations, my sister-in-law (Nathan’s wife), Adrienne Flis is our office manager, and my father, Stephen Bancroft, is one of the officers and financier of this company. We have recently added to our staff by bringing on a consultant type person to help build a better infrastructure within our company to increase our productivity and better cater to our customers and clients. I don’t see this trend slowing down anytime soon. I am also running out of family members to employ at this time.
So, how does the music career play into this? Since I could not get a regular job due to the requirements and obligations I committed myself too with the music industry, I was forced to create work for myself and find creative ways to make money. After some time, I became good at handling the loads and different tasks. You could say I became a capitalist by default or by accident because of my love for performing and creating music. In order to pursue my passion as a musician, I knew I had to do something to create a steady flow of income but also create something of value to contribute to our duties in society. At the same time, I was just starting to raise a family and it became more apparent that I needed to take these steps. Along the way, it turned out, I met a few individuals through the music scene, which led to some of these people to invest in what I do so I could continue doing the music thing. They believed in me and thought I ran a good ethical business as well. These are amazing people to me and it further inspired me to do something extraordinary. The rest is history.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
NO…..It has not been smooth at all. It seems I am always making progress but it has taken a lot of time and effort to gain respectability, credibility, and confidence within myself and the people I do business with. Credibility was hard to come by when you have 2 or more passions or careers (especially when one is Music and the other is Entrepreneurial) I really don’t know where to start because I have had so many uncountable times of uncertainty and people taking advantage of me. I have had investors steal property from me while I did all the work. I have had clients stiff me while I tried everything I could to make it right for the customer. I have been lied to, cheated and stolen from by my partners and fellow man. I have always been forced to learn from these experiences and it has made me a better business man. Instead of wallowing in the negative energy, I decided to use it to learn and chalk it up as the learning curve and the learning curve is very expensive.
The biggest struggle for me early on was having enough money to do the things I knew I needed to do to get to the next level. Handling investors was also a challenge for me and my business model. Investors have to be convinced and then when they are convinced, most of them like to take control or want to change the model for whatever reasons. In my business of flipping homes, the custom aspect and variables associated with this business (Tax Deed and foreclosures) was too hard to predict and made it extremely difficult to adhere to the requirements of my investors. Like I said before, I eventually did find the right investors and it worked out great for me and my investors.
My Challenges today have changed. I have finally been around long enough, have gained enough experience to prove myself to the doubters, and I make a pretty good living and people are noticing and taking note of these things. My business is mostly referral based but we do advertise (on radio and in magazines) to try and break into a larger market. The commercial side is picking up and the challenges are now having to do with logistics and management of all the moving parts to this company. We plan to expand and eventually open up a distributorship and new shop with offices. We never stop learning and I plan to push the envelope to its limit of what we can accomplish.
I guess I could say that the future holds challenges I yet do not know about, and the challenge is going to be how I will be able to handle these future challenges. . . . . . I guess just like I have always done. . . . You live and you learn. Bottomline, challenges are my friend because they bring about change, opportunities, and teach you the best things you need to know in business. It takes an open and listening ear. It takes desire within ourselves to want that change and be comfortable with uncomfortable changes. Changes almost always bring challenges and obstacles and I, for one, invite more so I can continue to learn and grow.
Life is a challenge…… but it also should be fun and fulfilling.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Majestic Stone – what should we know?
Majestic Stone specializes in a FULL SERVICE, customer oriented, custom fabrication and installation company for almost ALL stone products. We do countertops, showers, tub surrounds and decks, outdoor kitchens, conference tables, and even stone veneer for the siding of buildings. We include materials such as granite, soapstone, marble, porcelain, quartz, quartzite, Dekton, and many others. We are certified to fabricate and install Porcelain and Quartz. We are Caesarstone Certified for Quartz and Dupont Certified.
For the price we charge our customers, you will not find another company that will pay attention to detail and produce like Majestic Stone does. Being a full serviced company in the stone industry is hard to find and even harder to find one that gives the attention to our clients the way we do. We are a small family run business and it shows. We pride ourselves on being able to answer our phones when our clients call and giving the proper attention to ensure a smooth process. Ethics and precision is our key. Sometimes it is just easier to beat our competition simply because we do the right thing. If a customer has a problem at a later date, they will always be able to get a hold of us and we still give the attention they need regardless if they owe us money or not.
What sets us apart…….? Well, half of it is just answering and returning your phone calls. That is a big part of it sadly. After that, we follow up with knowledgeable all around construction and stone countertop experience to inform our customers of their options and hold their hand to the very end. You start with a representative from our company and you end with the same person.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
First and most important is my thanks to God for gifting me with a talent to create a vision and then have the strength to take steps in order to realize the vision. My father, Stephen Bancroft, also had a lot to do with the development of this business and the encouragement to take the necessary steps. He was an Episcopalian priest for 40 years and has an ethical base and experience at the entrepreneurial level. He was essential in giving me the confidence I needed to move forward.
I have had many “mentors” and they all gave me a perspective I can take ideas from. I, myself, have had to take pieces from everyone and created my own puzzle to put together so I really can’t attribute ALL to one or two people. I owe a lot to the authors of books I have read that help me learn and do the right thing. To be an entrepreneur requires “outside of the box” thinking and I owe a lot to friends and associates through discussion and talks that do make a difference.
Finally, like I said before, the music scene produced some very close friends that turned to additional help on the side of business. One man in particular, Scott Jaynes (owner of Patriot Oil Field Services), believed in me enough to invest heavily with me which catapulted our business into another category. He is no long with us now. He died almost 3 years ago and he is very much missed. His wife currently oversees the investment with me and it is going well. Without Scott’s help, it would take me many more years to reach the level we are currently at. It was a blessing and it will forever change the direction of my vision. I feel even more driven than before to make this a successful business because of this man.
Other to be thankful for: Nathan Bancroft and Adrienne Flis…….for being with me through thick and thin and believing in me. This company would not be as successful without them.
Contact Info:
- Address: Office: 5855 Shurmard Dr., Houston, TX 77092
Shop: 13907 Packard St., Houston, TX 77040 - Website: www.majesticstonetexas.com
- Phone: (713) 899-7306
- Email: majesticstone.houston@gmail.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/majesticstonetexas
- Yelp: www.m.yelp.com
Image Credit:
Photos taken by Adrienne Flis Bancroft and Tiffanie Kimball Dougal
Thanks to Greg Webb Family for letting us take photos in their home.
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
