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Grow Your Business Through Simplification with Brandon Nicastro of GCS Glass

Episode Summary

Ted speaks with Brandon Nicastro, owner and CEO of GCS Glass in Phoenix, Arizona. A family-run business, GCS has had its ups and downs. Brandon shares how his company started small, stayed lean and grew fast. Join us for a lesson on good business practices and to learn about the glass company taking the nation by storm.

Episode Notes

Today Ted speaks with Brandon Nicastro, owner and CEO of GCS Glass in Phoenix, Arizona.  Founded in 2013, the company has exploded and has already expanded to 5 states with the goal of 50 markets in the next 5 years.

Brandon started with nothing and struggled for many years before deciding to open up his own business. Now with business booming, he works hard to run his company like the family-owned business they are by putting customers first. He weighs in on the pros and cons of growth, the option to franchise, and the benefits of staying lean.

Listen in as Ted talks Brandon through his best and worst business decisions, the mistakes he’s made, and the steps he’s taken to stop surviving and start thriving. 

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• [2:50] Branding and why it matters
• [12:00] Growing and expanding takes good people
• [14:20] A family-run company 
• [16:25] Who is your target audience
• [19:20] To franchise or mot
• [22:20] Why developing processes is important
• [27:40] How did your business handle COVID?
• [33:25] A challenge that helped the company grow
• [38:40] Putting the customer experience first
• [42:10]  Being a serial entrepreneur
• [43:25] A coach can help you stay focused
• [44:55] Looking at the bigger picture
• [47:15] The difference that exercise can make
• [52:05] Advice to new entrepreneurs

CONNECT WITH GUEST

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

KEY QUOTES FROM EPISODE

• You gotta look past the money that you're spending on ads because you might think that you're not getting enough ads, but it's branding that you're putting out there.You might be getting, let's say you put in $4000 a month, might be getting $60,000 in revenue, whatever it is. But you might be getting $100,000 in revenue coming from other sources that you don't, you don't understand. You can't track that.
• But the way I look at it is: I would rather have ten $1,000,000 locations than one $10 million location because then you're dealing with middle management.You're dealing with a lot of issues with the bigger company. So if you can manage these smaller companies, your profits are higher and you can run leaner and but then those companies can still continue to grow.
• I'm glad I started GCS by myself. But now I'm glad I have partners because I wouldn't want to do it any other way. To have other people to lean on. When I'm not motivated, they can push me.
• I definitely believe people should chase their goals no matter how big they are. And you just gotta try it. Because you never know how it’s gonna work. You can fail over and over and over, but if you’re not failing you’re not trying.