Pipes, Pressure & Perseverance: A Day in the Life of a Salisbury Plumber

Transcript

Matt: Guys. Welcome back to King's arena, the show where we explore, explore the grind, growth and real stories behind Charlotte's and North Carolina's top businesses. Today, we're diving under the sink and into the trenches with a local expert who keeps homes flowing smoothly across Salisbury, North Carolina.

We have Marcus Gentry from All For One Plumbing. He's based out of Cleveland, but proudly serving the Rowan county community.

Marcus, happy to have you, man.

Marcus: How you doing this morning?

Matt: We're doing well. Doing well.

Alex: Yep.

Matt: So for All For One Plumbing, can you share the story behind, you know, what inspired you to start it and.

Marcus: What really inspired us to start it is when I got my license test,

I passed it, and I was told so many times that I couldn't do it.

Then I did it,

and then the time,

I didn't really know how I was going to start it or where I was going to start. But then I met Matt and Fletcher. We all had the same idea.

Alex: And.

Marcus: It got to the point where we got pushed out. So we started it, and we haven't looked back.

Alex: That's awesome.

Alex: Yeah, that is awesome. So was this always your path, or did you just kind of fall into it?

Marcus: Kind of really fell into it. I needed a job out of high school, wanted to do the military, but that didn't pan out. So I came back to plumbing, and here we are.

Alex: Gotcha.

Alex: All right.

Matt: Nice. So where did the name come from?

Marcus: Really? It was just a random thing,

looking it up and trying to figure out a name that we all agreed on. And I found All For One Plumbing,

and I talked to him about it, and we liked the meaning behind it. We all protect each other, so we. It stuck with us and we started it.

Alex: Nice. So how many business partners do you have?

Marcus: Just two. Matt and Fletcher.

Alex: Okay. All right.

Alex: And I guess. Did you work with them before you said?

Marcus: Yeah.

Alex: Okay. All right.

Alex: Nice, Nice.

Matt: So what would you say sets your business apart from other plumbers in Salisbury and Cleveland and neighboring towns?

Marcus: I mean, really, the thing that sets us apart is we only give you the services you need. We don't come in there and try to sell you a new water heater.

It just depends. Like,

the integrity behind what we try to do is a lot different than some company values.

Alex: Okay.

Matt: So going off that. Can you walk us through a typical workday for you or your team?

Marcus: Typically, we meet at the supply house and we talk about what we're going to do today, and then we go from there, and we start the schedule and try to fit as many people as we can in and make everybody happy.

Alex: Awesome.

Alex: Awesome. So what. What kind of calls do you most often get in Salisbury, North Carolina?

Marcus: Most of the calls are like pipe leaks and water line leaks and all that kind of stuff. And drain cleaning.

Matt: Was there ever a job that, like, surprised you or stands out as especially memorable?

Marcus: Yeah, it was about three months ago. This older lady reached out to us, and she hadn't had water for eight years.

And we worked with the water company to get her meter replaced. And then we ran a new water main because the galvanized pipe leak was so bad it wasn't repairable.

They replaced that, got her water on. She was smiling from ear to ear the whole day because she could flush her toilet.

Alex: Wow.

Matt: Yeah, Eight years is a very long time to go without hot water. I don't know how she did it.

Marcus: Yeah, she didn't have water at all, so it's kind of bad. Yeah.

Matt: Really?

Alex: Water at all.

Matt: Talk about roughing it.

Alex: Wow, that is tough.

Matt: So how do you stay calm under pressure when you're dealing with, you know, stressful emergency plumbing situations?

Marcus: I mean,

it depends on how you look at it. Emergency is no different than a regular call. You still have to get it done. So if you keep that mindset, it doesn't really get stressful.

Alex: Gotcha. Gotcha.

Alex: So break down some of the most common plumbing problems in older homes around Salisbury.

Marcus: I'd say the most common problem is with copper, galvanized, and cast iron pipe leaks and Salisbury helms.

Alex: Okay, gotcha.

Alex: So what do you do to kind of repair those? Like, do you go in and do a whole new remodel on it or.

Marcus: It depends on the severity of it, like if it's repairable or repair it, but if it makes more sense to replace it and, like, cost effective,

we just repair it.

Alex: Okay, perfect. Very cool.

Matt: Do you have any sort of basic tips for homeowners so they can, you know, avoid costly repairs?

Marcus: If you have a small drip, don't wait until it floods your house. Small drip turns into a big one.

Alex: So there's a lot of things behind the walls that we can't see that if you're at least given a sign of some sort, then you need to take that sign seriously and give all for one a call.

Alex: Yep, gotcha.

Matt: So obviously, you know, with people trying to avoid costly repairs, a lot of the times they'll take the initiative to try and DIY it and do it themselves.

What are a few DIY fixes that you've seen backfire pretty frequently?

Marcus: I'd say the biggest One is the most.

Probably the embarrassing one is plunging a clogged toilet or like waterline repairs. They use duct tape and stuff like that. I mean,

I can name a whole list right now.

Matt: So when do you think someone should call a professional plumber like yourself instead of just trying to do it themselves?

Marcus: You should really call a professional plumber, like, if you're not comfortable fixing it. Drain cleaning would be the biggest one.

We do a lot of drain cleaning out of Salisbury.

Alex: Okay, why do you see that to be the case? Why does that kind of. Is it like old pipes or.

Marcus: Well, it depends. Like, if it's older pipes and you send a drain machine down it, you'll poke a hole through it. Now you have a bigger problem.

Alex: That's not a good thing. So, as a small business owner, what's been your biggest challenge, growing your company?

Marcus: The biggest challenge is taking it slow.

I mean, you can stretch yourself pretty thin and then you put yourself out of business. That's the biggest challenge we've came across.

Alex: Yeah.

Alex: Makes sense. A lot of lessons learned on that one.

Matt: Definitely. What would you say your approach to building trust with your customers is?

Marcus: It all starts when you meet them and you discuss their problem.

It starts with the honesty, pretty much.

You can take a picture and show them that that's what it is and that's how we're going to have to fix it.

That pretty much sets the whole path of they know you're going to do the right thing.

Alex: Gotcha.

Matt: Gotcha.

Alex: So how has the Salisbury community really responded to your business? Like, what kind of response are you getting from there?

Marcus: Salisbury's been pretty supportive. We've done a lot in the community. Like the animals, things we're doing right now, it's. It's been different.

Alex: Yeah, I bet, bet.

Alex: So what advice would you give to, you know, other local service pros trying to stand out in that market?

Marcus: Just answer the phone and show up when you say you're going to.

Alex: Makes sense. Kind of the easy things you should be able to achieve, right?

Marcus: Yep.

Alex: Makes sense.

Matt: So going off that you're based in Cleveland, but you do a lot of work in Salisbury and neighboring towns and cities as well.

Marcus: Why is the focus on Salisbury mainly focus on Salisbury? Because the people in the community, I mean, they've been very supportive. We know a lot of people there,

and it's very easy to get in that community as long as you know the right people.

Especially, like if you come in time, like when people really need you, that's when the word of mouth gets around. And it helps a lot.

Matt: Definitely. Yeah, I can understand that. Now, do you serve mostly residential customers in Salisbury, or do you have any commercial clients?

Marcus: We do a mixture of both. We do commercial and residential. I'd probably say 60% of it's residential and 40% of it's commercial. Really Just depends on the date.

Alex: Gotcha. All right, perfect.

Alex: And so what are some of the neighborhoods or zones in Salisbury that you work in? Most.

Marcus: Most of the.

Like. Most of our work in Salisbury is probably the country club and the new country club.

There's a lot of houses, and people actually want stuff done that they don't think of every day.

Matt: Yes.

Alex: Makes sense.

Matt: So how far out from Salisbury do you typically serve?

Marcus: Well, we do the surrounding counties, like Iredell, Davie, Cabarrus, and Lexington. We try to stay in the neighborhoods. That way we don't get too far.

Alex: Yeah, gotcha.

Alex: So I know you've kind of, you know, touched on this, but I'm curious. What is the strangest thing that you.

Alex: Pulled out of clogged grain?

Alex: Anything like rubber duckies or something that.

Matt: People are trying to flush down?

Marcus: I would say probably say kids glasses, and then the kid trying to put them back on.

Matt: Oh, that's.

Alex: That really teaches a lesson, doesn't it?

Marcus: Yeah.

Alex: Yeah.

Alex: That only happened once. Have you been to a home that the kid did it twice?

Marcus: Yes.

Alex: Oh, okay.

Marcus: We've had to pull the same river. No, it was.

It wasn't the same rubber ducky, but she got one just like it. So when we pulled it out of the toilet, it was like.

Did you really give it back to him?

Alex: Time to get a new little PlayStation play area than the bathroom.

Marcus: Yeah. Maybe lock the door. Yeah, for sure.

Alex: Right.

Matt: So what would you say your favorite tool in your toolbox is, and why?

Marcus: I would probably say channel locks just because it's so versatile and I can do almost anything with them.

Alex: Okay, what was it? Your what?

Marcus: Channel locks.

Alex: Okay.

Matt: What is. What does that do exactly?

Alex: I was gonna explain what.

Marcus: Yeah, you pretty much grab anything you want to with it, like plastic, metal nut. I mean, just depends on what you want to do.

Matt: Nice.

Alex: Okay. Very cool.

Alex: You can tell we're not the diy.

Alex: We call you the clogged toilet.

Matt: So what household item would you say causes the most damage over time, in your experience?

Marcus: Cleaning tablets in the back of the toilet.

Alex: What's that now?

Marcus: Cleaning tablets in the back of the toilet.

Matt: Interesting.

Alex: Gotcha.

Matt: Why is that?

Marcus: Because I've been to this house,

I would say, three times now, and I've had to rebuild their toilets three times because the chlorine will sit there and eat all the rubber gaskets in the back of it and make it leak.

Alex: All over the floor.

Marcus: And it only takes about a year or two.

Alex: That's nasty.

Matt: That makes me think about those wet wipes that everyone thinks are flushable. In your experience, are they?

Marcus: They're not.

Alex: Yeah.

Alex: Well, then how's everybody saying that? How can you market that as saying it is?

Alex: Right?

Marcus: Well, I know a couple companies that have been doing that recently just got a pretty big lawsuit because they're not flushable. They don't break down like toilet paper.

Alex: Interesting. That is horrible.

Matt: So this is not brought to you by Davis.

Alex: One thing that every homeowner thinks. Thinks that is working, that actually doesn't.

Alex: Like what?

Alex: What have you seen that? They are like, oh, I live by this. But then you say, no, that's. That's actually hurting you.

Alex: Drain out. Okay. All right.

Matt: Drain out.

Alex: Yeah.

Marcus: Instead of clearing the pipe, it'll eat a hole through it.

Alex: Okay. All right.

Matt: So what's the better alternative then to.

Marcus: Get it snaked and camber it and actually find what's wrong with it?

Alex: Okay.

Matt: Do you guys offer those services?

Alex: Yeah, we offer camera. Camera's pretty regular.

Marcus: You do that pretty much every day? Every drain we clean. Just so we can say, look, here's proof.

Alex: Okay.

Marcus: Oh, I hope you're good.

Alex: How far out does that camera go?

Marcus: Goes out 100 foot.

Alex: 100 foot.

Alex: Okay. Wow. All right.

Matt: It's a big tank.

So if someone is looking for your services, what's the best way for someone,

especially in Salisbury, North Carolina, to book a plumbing service with you?

Marcus: I'd say the best way is to give us a call. Be all for one plumbing at 704-326-1886. Nice.

Alex: Now, do you offer free estimates and emergency service?

Marcus: Yeah, we give free estimates and 24 hour plumbing. For Salisbury?

Alex: Yeah, absolutely.

Alex: Cool.

Matt: How can people support your business if they don't currently need plumbing services?

Marcus: They can like or follow us on Facebook and save it for a rainy day or whenever they have an emergency.

Matt: So where can they find you online?

Marcus: The easiest way is either our website@allfor1plumbing.com.

Alex: Or our Google page. Okay, cool.

Matt: Marcus. Super knowledgeable guy. Definitely appreciate your time.

For those of you watching, if you're in Salisbury or anywhere in the Rowan county and you want honest, professional plumbing that's done right the first time,

be sure to check out all for one plumbing. Thanks again,

Marcus Gentry, for pulling back the curtain and sharing what really goes into running a local trades business.

Alex: Thank you, Marcus.

Marcus: Yep.

Matt: Thanks, guys.