Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Lamb.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved to Austin 15 years ago with my husband, two young daughters and two dogs. We wanted a change of lifestyle than what we had in Las Vegas so we moved to Austin with no friends or family here ready for a change and we have loved every minute of it! As a working mom, it was very important to me to create a special time for me and each of my daughters so I became their Girl Scout troop leader – it was such a blessing to be a part of such phenomenal young women lives and seeing them graduate high school ready to conquer the world! I also volunteer through my church to help the homeless and partnered with my husband and other like-minded parents to establish a 501 C 3 nonprofit education foundation (then called the Hill Country Education Foundation) that raised over $1M for schools in Leander school district. I love being able to empower others to better their lives in my personal life and until I read the book “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek a couple of years ago, I didn’t think I could do that professionally as well.
I got into the home improvement industry and worked my way up to the VP of Operations position for an $80M company with five locations and over 300 employees. I worked hard to accomplish that professional growth but I wasn’t fulfilled, so I prayed a lot and took the biggest leap of faith of my life and quit.
I never aspired to own a business but after years of suggestive encouragement from my husband, I finally listened to the advice I had given my two Girl Scout Troops I led- to try to “make the world a better place”. I saw how I could do something as lofty as that (make the world a better place) through the industry I had entrenched my life in and I was thrilled.
While I loved the home improvement business, I knew there was a better way to do things other than the industry standard; a better way to treat customers, a better way to treat the community we served, a better way to treat the country we live and certainly a better way to treat employees- so I started Better Home.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I started a business in the midst of a global pandemic – I look back now, I can’t believe I did! We had to shut down and have everyone on the team quarantined a couple of times as a safety precaution- while that was the right thing to do for humanity, it was a hard thing to do for a new business who needed to pay rent! Prayer works as everyone stayed healthy and safe and we got jobs when we needed it to not only survive by continue our aggressive growth. Many homeowners were understandably concerned about having a stranger in their home and employees were just as concerned about going into stranger’s homes. We did a lot of educating about our products and services while wearing gloves and masks standing outside of homes in driveways or porches. A lot of renovation that we do isn’t just a “nice to have” – many homeowners, due to a sudden physical limitation, were unable to independently bathe, so they needed their tub converted to a walk-in or roll-in shower. Despite the challenge of working through the uncertainty of the pandemic, our customers encouraged us with their smiles and appreciation being able to age in place safely. Overall it was far more rewarding than challenging to be able to help our customers.
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?
Better Home is a home improvement company specializing in bathroom and kitchen remodels as well as window and door replacement. At my company, we don’t do the high-pressure sales tactics or manipulate customers with pricing gimmicks – I think that is rude and insulting to homeowners. We provide education about our products, listen to the needs of homeowners and provide fair and reasonable pricing. We proudly support our community through funding girl leadership programs and helping disabled or aging veterans with home improvement. I love that we only work with products made in the United States and everyone that works with us are employees with a clear background. We are happy to provide company-paid insurance, profit sharing and equity and just launched a Infant-At- Work Program to help working parents continue their career while being able to care for their baby. Ultimately, I want our team to wake up inspired, feel secure and valued in their roles and at the end of their days are fulfilled by the work they do.
I had never planned to promote the fact that Better Home was a woman-owned business with women leading up our Design and Installation departments, but I quickly found out that customers loved knowing this. I was fortunate enough to have been included in an article last November from Pro Remodeler which focused on how women-owned home improvement companies are changing the industry; I’m proud to play a part in that much-needed shift and hopefully encourage others.
Whether it be helping a homeowner age in place with a new walk-in shower or complete a kitchen renovation to accommodate the improved functionality needs of a young family – I love being a part of making homes and the lives of those owners better!
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I have been incredibly blessed by individuals and businesses that I have worked with in previous roles that have gone above and beyond to help me launch Better Home amidst the pandemic. Vendors and advertisers extended such kindness and generosity to me based on my previously established work relationships- they wanted me to succeed and have been so supportive of me and the company it was amazing.
Due to Covid and the lack of physical interaction many elderly homeowners had with their families, I saw loneliness like I’ve never seen before. It was heartbreaking – When we would go out to a design appointment last November and December, there were countless people who wanted someone to talk to or do a puzzle with. I’ve seen photos of grandkids that were missed and told stories of fond memories from sweet people that really missed their family, especially during the holidays. That experience reiterated to me the importance of making the effort to connect with family and make them know how much they matter even if it’s sitting six feet away from them in the garage while we both wear masks!
Contact Info:
- Email: Hello@BetterHomeTX.com
- Website: www.BetterHomeTX.com
- Instagram: @Betterhometx
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/betterhometx
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtO54-H3ZWFckg0eR7p-7qw
Image Credits
Jordan Lamb
