Do you have what it takes to start your own business? Are you mentally and physically prepared to make the leap from corporate employee to entrepreneur? Do you need to make corrections to your small business to achieve or sustain operational excellence? This book is a unique perspective of the journey into the wild world of home services and delivering service excellence while working in customer’s homes.
People are spending more time living in their homes and working out of their homes than ever before. The home improvement boom that began in the U.S. about 15 years ago exploded in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, changing the lifestyles of tens of millions of people. Surveys show that 67 percent of companies now expect “Work from Home” to be long-lasting if not permanent.
For entrepreneurs with the passion and skills for home services and looking for something more than a 9-to-5 corporate job, From the Zoo to Wild will prove an invaluable guide. Corporate executive Chris Lalomia shares the path he took at the start of the boom, the discoveries he made in the wild, and the tools he used to succeed as a small business owner in the home improvement retail industry.
Whether you’re a small business startup or a franchise operation, From the Zoo to the Wild will give you the mindset, the habits, the leadership style, and the customer-oriented processes to succeed as a small business owner in home services.
FROM ZOO TO
THE WILD
By Chris Lalomia
Your Guide to Entrepreneurial Freedom and Wealth | Chris Lalomia
Chris Lalomia is a successful entrepreneur and change leader that has built on his experience working with the largest companies in America to start his own business from scratch. He brings his unique style to leadership to build a culture of professionalism to the blue collar world of home renovations. He left the corporate zoo and ventured into the entrepreneurial wild and started The Trusted Toolbox: Home Repair and Projects in 2008.
YES, he started a business right before the Great Recession, so timing the market is not his strength. He survived through
that time and has grown his business into a multimillion-dollar handyman and remodeling company which has won numerous awards in Atlanta, GA. Chris is originally from Jackson, MI, and he does use his hand to show where he lived. He went to college and earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Mechanical Engineering. His path to business ownership was similar to most people’s journey to their current position… spinning and winding… His first engineering job was at Curtiss-Wright Flight systems making airplane parts, but soon realized he needed to add some other business skills to his resume, he joined Accenture and began working with large banks to help them merge, which led him to SunTrust(now Truist) where he transformed the commercial loan operations department… That meandering path led him to make the leap into starting his own business, The Trusted Toolbox in 2008.
My Story
News and Updates
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Chris Lalomia does an excellent job of blending his personal story with sage advice for first-time business owners. From the Zoo to the Wild is also a shot in the arm for entrepreneurs who’ve been out there and looking to jumpstart 2021 with tips, methods, and the inspiration to take it up a notch.
— Dr. Ivan Misner, NY Times bestselling author and founder of BNI, the world’s largest networking group