Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Harrell.
Hi Tim, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in a very lower-class family within a very rural area of east Texas. I excelled very highly in school, thinking that I was going to do very well in life with little effort. I was president of this club, that club, every teachers pet, top 3 in my class, went to church all the time, one of those.
Once I got into college I entered into the devils playground. Got into drinking, partying, girls, a lot of bad choices were made. I ended up getting kicked out of college, could barely hold a steady job, and my life was a mess. I did end up going back to college that next year at a different school and did a lot better now that all my negative influence friends left. I got married right after graduating and was in the hospitality industry. I wish I could say this is when things started getting better, but unfortunately thats when all the rest of the dominoes began to fall.
Got divorced not long after getting married. Moved back to central Texas, became a hunting guide, lived the ultimate bachelors life. All my vices were still hot and heavy in my life but ended up meeting someone and then quickly got married again. That marriage was very toxic and tumultuous. The only silver lining in that situation are my two amazing daughters. I also had a marine electronics business that I owned where I would repair electronics on bass boats and did a lot of equipment installations. I did that for about 5 years and thats where I got my start in the trades. I then had to sell my business and became a commercial electrician.
Long story short, that relationship ended with me in the hospital. I was a victim of a very drunken and horrible domestic violence incident. I had to get 16 staples in my head and spent 2 weeks in the hospital. Spent a lot of time in physical and mental therapy. Had to move in with my parents at the age of 30 to let them take care of me until I was physically able to go back to work. Here’s where I got my introduction to the HVAC trade.
My nextdoor neighbor was a project manager for a commercial HVAC and mechanical company and out of a favor from my dad, he offered me a job installing roof top units. I loved every minute of it. I got to see cranes and helicopters lift these huge RTU’s and fly them through the air, it was awesome. I also got to learn a little bit about plumbing while I worked for this company as well.
The best part is that a year after the incident, I started going back to church. I got involved in a program called celebrate recovery, helping others who had similar stories as I did. Having this newly discovered fulfilment of life, I realized my purpose in life was to help others. Shortly after going through recovery, I was laid off at the hvac company. I was knocked down but not defeated. I flooded indeed with my resume and had even accepted an offer to get back into electrical but really wanted to stick with hvac. One day someone at a small residential hvac company reached out to me for an interview. I barely took it seriously, I showed up in a florescent yellow shirt wearing a Whataburger hat but ended up talking to them for over 3 hours.
I told them my story, my situation, and my desire to be in ministry. They said I didnt have to be in ministry to pastor and disciple others, that I will see more people each day than I ever will weekly in ministry. They offered me a working interview, coming back the next two days to see how well I like it and how I get along with everyone then offer me a job if it works out. After getting to talk to a handful of new people and build relationships with them, I knew I was in the right place.
I worked with that company for a very long time and then eventually moved back to central texas. I had met someone and eventually (much longer than last time) gotten remarried before moving us down here. I started working for another company here, but wasnt exactly going how I wanted it to. I decided to take a step back, get a license of my own, and venture out into the great unknown as my own contractor.
Today I own Giddy Up heating and air. I want to be the ultimate comeback story and show others its possible to live out your dreams despite any hardship you go through. I focus on building my business the old fashioned way, one relationship at a time. I do not take investors, capital or business loans, I wanted to build it brick by brick with little to no debt. I use this opportunity to help as many people in the community as I can, apart from anything hvac related. If they need help with mowing their yard, or removing trees after the tornados, food drives, helping the homeless, I just use HVAC to help me bridge my way to those opportunities.
I built my business through word of mouth. I can trace back nearly every customer I have and who referred who. I have gone door to door handing out flyers or even just talking to them saying that I do hvac work trying to make it in the world. I do things a little differently when it comes to social media posts, I add a bit of that western cowboy flair to everything I do, just to make my brand stick that much more. I have a monthly savings club called the Winners Circle where customers save a lot of money on services and even get free tune ups. My website has a bunch of horses running on the main screen. My images are people wearing cowboy hats. I show up to customers houses wearing a cowboy hat and boots. Im very intentional with that. I offer solutions in several options, and give those options western themed names. I dont push for whats going to give me the most money, I let them decide whats best, even if that means they need to find someone else. Im perfectly okay with that even if it means I lose out on deals because I didnt push like I have seen other companies and sales people do.
Im soon about to start hiring people and want them to see my vision and live by our mission statement. I live and breathe everything I do in business by one Bible verse. Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. That is the lifeblood of what I do through Giddy Up and everything I do is with a servants heart. I want to do things so much differently than anyone in this town has ever seen this side of the Mississippi.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I put so much into My Story I didn’t even realize this part would be a different question. haha.
To put it in a nutshell, other than the personal stuff with the attack and going through recovery and all of that, focusing on just what I go through on a daily basis of Giddy Up since I started it.
Getting my license and insurance.
Keeping up with my books (I am not a bookkeeper or have those skills so something I had to learn on my own)
Losing bids to cheaper companies
Losing out on deals or bids because I didnt push hard enough
Potential customers not having faith in me because Im a newer contractor
Overcoming customers’ decades long relationships with previous hvac contractors in the area
Being present for my kids and their sports commitments and balancing work-life
Being visible on social media and consistent posting
Using no outside financial help
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As I mentioned in My Story, Im very intentional with my branding. I chose the name Giddy Up because not only is it an action inducing word but also a phrase that you can correlate to Texas, and so I just took it from there. I feel like Im very creative, Im good with words and brain storming so a lot of what you see online that I post is weeks worth of coming up with and scheduling. All of my posts and information utilizes that western flair. I want something that will stick in the minds of people as being entertaining but also informative and easy to remember. I offer several options for solutions so that the customer can pick how much or how little is done and give them the power to choose rather than me telling them what to do. I go door to door if I have to, talking to strangers at the grocery store or lowes, give free advice online, whatever I can do to own the conversation about HVAC. I have gone up to people offering to mow their yard for free or offer some kind of help that I can see that they need and then mention I also do HVAC work and if they need anything to let me know. Ive even done work for free for seniors or for a good cause without the expectation of anything in return, but I do believe in the third cicle theory and karma so I know that it will come back to me one way or another. My colors are purple and gold, the two royal colors, not red and blue. So already I try to stand out. The pens I use are purple, my shirts are purple, anything I buy I try to get purple, eventhough my favorite color is blue.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I listen to a lot of podcasts from Andy Frisella, the owner of 1st Phorm supplements, who has RealAF and MFCEO podcast. I try to emulate a lot of what he does because he built his business from the ground up as well, helping one person at a time doing it the right way, now he has a billion dollar company.
Also listen to my church’s podcast which is called Becoming Something which talks about the Bible (obviously) and applying it to real life situations.
I also listen very closely to an Austin podcaster Caleb Hammer who does Financial Audit. He has been very influential on how we spend our money and budgeting.
My CRM software is called Housecall Pro and they have been an absolutely instrumental part of my success and have helped me grow and keep my books clean and tidy.
I read a lot a lot a lot. Self help books, communication, marketing, financial, story telling, all of it. I like to read a lot about successful people I look up to and how I can replicate what they did. I follow special close attention to HVAC owners on linkedin or social media to see how they have built their empires.
My favorite books to learn from have been Cant Hurt Me by David Goggins, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, the Book on Mental Toughness by Andy Frisella, High Performance Habits by Brendan Burchard, and Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Pricing:
- Winners Circle Savings Club $9.99/Mo per system
- Service Calls full price $95
- Tune Up full price $89
- Capacitor pricing $250
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.giddyuphvac.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timthehvactech
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giddyupheatingandair
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-harrell-9b982b69/
