Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Crawford.
Hi Paul, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started out as a warehouse guy for Dave’s heating and Air in Taylor Texas. Working long ours learning as much as I could. After I made my first investment in power tools and a couple hand tools I started to try working on a few things back at the shop, making sure I knew how to take everything apart and think about how it went back together.
It was a Monday at about 9pm that I got a call from my boss asking if
I could go fix a problem that another technician accidentally created and they couldn’t get ahold of. I said I sure can. I went to the customers house and installed the needed part to get them up and running and that was my first experience in making someone’s night better by keeping them cool. Fast forward a little to around Covid time, I had already helped on a few jobs and gained some experience running service calls. Our other technician kept calling in so I would get all of his calls. I was excelling in the craft. I once wanted to be a mechanical engineer so most of this stuff just made sense to me. Bad motor here bad motor there. Refrigerant restrictions and leaky coils. I was learning so much so quickly. 16 hour days, they were tough, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I loved my job. I loved helping people. I loved seeing the grateful look on people’s faces whenever they would feel the nice cool air running through their house. Fast forward some more to October 2022. Dave sold the business. And sold me with it. It was supposed to be a good change, it was supposed to be all the things I was hoping for but it turned into a numbers game. Pretty soon Mr and Mrs homeowner who had done business with us for 20 years turned into just another house number and street. Cookie cutter service which was wayyy over priced. The new company called us doctors. When I knew I was a college drop out just trying to do a good thing with the knowledge I had. I couldn’t stand going to work. 5 hour days in 100 degree heat it wasn’t making sense, nobody was calling us. Everyone knew something was wrong. They could all sense the money hungry pigs in the cage behind the name on the truck. Sell this, sell that. After hours fee “oh they are going to pay for that” “stick it to em, they need us!”.
Flash back to July of 2022. It was one of the hottest days of the year schedule full. Finally got back to Taylor with 3 more calls left at 8pm. I walked up to a wide open trailer home. It had all the doors and windows open. I saw the man asleep on his chair. I didn’t want to spook him so I tried to make some noise. I coughed. Rustled around. Even started saying “Hey, we are here to fix your AC!”. I was too late. It was too hot that day. It was his time. He had passed away. He passed away waiting for me. They are right; we are doctors. Surgeons even. Ready to dissect and perform surgery on all units, old and new. Performing life saving services. I couldn’t sleep that night. I ended up sick. I thought it was Covid but now, I think I was just tore up from not making it in time. That was when I knew that the work I did mattered. When this new company started charging $700+ for $10 parts I knew I couldn’t do it the way they wanted me to. You mean to tell me just because someone isn’t wealthy means that they can’t have cool air? That’s when I started Crawford Heating and Air. So that I could be the reasonably priced option who still did good work. They say how you do business is by picking two out three things: being FAST, being GOOD, and being CHEAP. Meaning if you have two, you can’t have the last one. It’s my mission to be all 3. It’s my mission to only serve others not myself. I don’t want a million dollar house I just want what I need to survive. While keeping everyone cool and comfortable. It’s been a hard fought journey trying to be an honest business owner. Lots of hard lessons learned. Lots of free work performed just to get my name out there. I don’t want to charge my customers so that I can advertise, so I rely on word of mouth. Raving fans who want to see me succeed. Who want to share the deals that they got. Who enjoy my service and trust my expertise. We don’t specialize in high end systems or the perfect science behind cooling. We leave that for the doctors. But we can keep you cooling. We can creatively cool a space that hasn’t been cooled before. We can fix your 30 year old air conditioner and if it makes the most sense to replace it, we will help you out as much as we can. I didn’t start this business with a huge savings account. I started this business with a push from God who said “you can do it”. I’ve made the least amount of money I’ve made ever. But I love waking up every day. Serving my community and gaining their trust. Trying to bring hard work back to the industry. In a world where everyone is over paid to do nothing, we at Crawford Heating and Air are the hardest workers you’ll ever meet.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Opps I put a lot in the question before. It has not been a smooth road. I was married but now divorced. My ex wife and sister in law were working in my office. It was a tough road. Trying to balance work and relationships. Wanting the people I loved to care about something the way that I did was also a huge obstacle. I’ve hired and fired many people trying to find the right fit. Ran out of money more times than I can count. Have experienced bad equipment where I had to do jobs twice or even 3 times if we made mistakes. My trucks have been broken into multiple times where they have stolen all my tools twice. I’ve had multiple people refuse to pay me. The odds are definitely stacked up against me. But that doesn’t stop me from showing up.
As you know, we’re big fans of Crawford Heating and Air conditioning . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are an Air conditioning service that is fairly priced. We specialize in doing clean affordable work. Having multiple relationships with multi family housing and land lords. Taking care of tenants and homeowners with the same respect to their home. If we fix it we are going to fix it right and for the long term not just put endless bandaids, we will advise you on exactly how to get the most life out of your system.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Get out there. Most of my professional relationships came from the dancehall. Business owners and friends alike are out relaxing occasionally on the weekends. Introduce yourself to everyone. Join clubs, make new friends. You don’t have to just know business owners.
Pricing:
- Maintenance program is 165 a year + 40 per additional system up to 3
- Typical system replacement cost is 8-13k or higher depending on what you are looking for
- Lifetime capacitor replacement runs $320
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Crawfordheatandair.com
