Susan “Deb” McCreedy worked as an executive in magazine publishing and advertising before starting her own company this year. Her San Diego business license became active in August.
McCreedy, 59, tapped into the expertise she gained while flipping houses to establish Dependable Referrals, an online service that connects homeowners with prescreened contractors. Before decided on that business, she considered purchasing a magazine.
“I started looking for something that was still familiar with me, and something that could help people get through these tough times,” she said. “I’m going to be retiring from advertising in the next couple of years, but I still wanted to be in the home improvement industry.”
McCreedy said when she moved from Iowa to San Diego a few years ago, she and her husband bought a condo in Del Mar and began remodeling it as an investment. “I had to start from scratch and find the contractors who really did a good job,” she said, “and some of the experiences were not all that great. I learned my lesson, that people need to know who they can call and who they can trust.”
McCreedy decided to set up a referral network using a business plan she purchased from a woman who has helped set up about 400 such networks throughout the country. McCreedy found her by searching on the Internet. It’s not a franchise, so she pays no ongoing fees.
The service she offers through dependablereferrals.com is different from the contractor-review site Angie’s List.
Homeowners pay nothing for the service. McCreedy is available to the homeowner, if there are any problems, throughout the entire project. “It’s a very personal approach to making sure that the homeowner has the best possible experience in hiring someone to come into their home,” she said.
She interviews contractors and obtains copies of their license, bonding, insurance and recent references. She also monitors Better Business Bureau complaints. When a homeowner calls with a project, she connects them with a contractor, who pays her a referral fee only if he or she gets the job. The fee comes out of the contractor’s marketing budget and is not passed to the customer, she said.
She is already getting several leads a month, mainly for painting, fireplace repairs or maintenance, and window covering installation. McCreedy is continuing her work in advertising on a freelance basis to support herself until the business takes off.
“There’s a freedom in making sure all the details are taken care of, and not having to count on someone else to follow through.”
Read the full article from the San Diego Union Tribune: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/12/buying-themselves-job/
