How HandySway Fights to Keep the American Dream Alive
Has the American dream changed or is it the same as it always was?
To take advantage of the opportunities granted to us, work hard, and earn a better life still seems like it’s within grasp.
Being in this country is a privilege, and it’s important to remember that in some places, there will be no reward no matter how hard you work.
Josue Aguilar, owner of HandySway, didn’t take anything for granted when we moved here.
He spoke to me about his history, some helpful tips for other contractors looking for work, and how motivating it is to be a business owner in the United States.
What led Josue to start HandySway?
Josue has always enjoyed working in construction and has practiced it for many years, even while living in El Salvador.
“I enjoy challenging myself to put something together. In construction, your brain is working all the time trying to put stuff together and make it work.”
Then, he moved to the U.S. 10 years ago from El Salvador to start a new life for his family.
He continued to work construction in the daytime but at restaurants during the night.
Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit, all the restaurants shut down.
“At the time, pretty much the only industry that wasn’t shut down was construction.”
So, with years of experience in the industry — Josue felt the best choice was to start his own business.
Why did Josue name his business HandySway?
Handy came from the idea of “handyman services,” but Sway references his nickname.
People have a hard time pronouncing his name (“Josue”) correctly, and he goes by Sway instead.
He put the two together and made the catchy name for his new business.
What contributed most to your success?
Josue says choosing the right industry, niche, and networking is what brought him his current success.
“I tried so many businesses in my life, and construction is very rewarding when it comes to money.”
What propelled Josue’s business forward was landing a top client and setting up a referral deal with him.
The client he landed was a real estate investor, that saw the quality in HandySway’s work, which made him warm to Josue’s offer.
Josue, a savvy businessman in this industry, offered to give him better prices on his real estate jobs in return for referrals.
Now, Josue is getting consistently booked up with real estate investor jobs and found himself in an ideal state for his business.
“Right now, we are at the point where we are choosing what jobs to take and what jobs not to take. Not all the jobs are good, you know? We can say no to some customers.
At the beginning, I was taking whatever, but now we are at the point where we can choose our customers.”
Why was working with real estate investors best for HandySway, and how can other flooring contractors find them?
Josue found his first real estate investor through HomeAdvisor, but since working with him through referrals, he didn’t need that service any longer.
In addition, Josue used to go to real estate investor meetings around his area.
I’ve been to these meetings too, and they are a great place to network. You can find them on apps like Meetup or Biggerpockets.
These meetings are filled with real estate investors, agents, and lenders looking for connections. If you’re a contractor, you’ll find people looking to hire you there.
Josue also mentions another tip to find real estate investor jobs:
“You see a lot of signs saying ‘we buy houses cash.’ Those are usually investors.”
Josue suggests calling them, offering your services, and giving better prices to the ones that refer more business to you.
Josue says he has a better time working with real estate investors because they understand the value of the work, and they are straightforward with their expectations.
Some may say they want something high quality, and others may say they want a quick fix. Regardless, they give it to you straight and let you do your work.
Furthermore, you form a stronger relationship with a real estate investor. You’ll work more jobs with the investor and get to know them more, while a residential customer may only see you every few years.
When you’re having a rough time, what keeps you motivated?
One factor that most business owners can relate to is family.
Josue says that when the going gets tough, he remembers that the goal is to provide for his family.
But he goes a little deeper than that and provides a unique perspective to what it means to work hard.
“In general — coming from Latin America — a lot of people are risking their lives to cross the border.
Not to be political — but we live in a great country where you can make whatever of yourself that you put into it.
That’s one of the things that keep me going. That I’m here and there are millions of people trying to get here that are risking their lives.
I’m here, so might as well take advantage of everything that we have.”
What more can you ask of someone — other than to work hard, build a business to provide for his family, and appreciate the great opportunities we have because we live in this amazing country?
What kind of services does HandySway offer?
Handysway has many home improvement services, such as flooring, siding, backsplashes, bathrooms, framing, and drywall.
His specialty is framing and drywall — which is building the structural part of a wall and adding drywall over it.
Josue says most of the flooring his team installs is vinyl, due to the type of clients he works with. They also install tile and hardwood floors.
If you are in the Oakland County, Michigan area, need framing, drywall, or flooring — you can contact HandySway by calling 248–212–3355 or emailing jdanny530@gmail.com.
