We were lucky to catch up with Erick & Roland Funes recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erick & Roland, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I have always been a firm believer of “fake it till you make it”. Any time you start something new its going to feel uncomfortable & daunting. Most fields you go into their will be people with greater knowledge, experience, education, talent etc., so when competing you may feel like an impostor; like you really don’t belong. However, everyone and every company has something that is unique to them. Faking it till you make it helps you get experience in the field while also realizing what you have that is unique to you.
In our case we are typically much younger than our average competitors and so bring our newer outlook to remodeling. We try to specialize in excellent customer service while adapting the latest technologies & practices. Something that the older generations, often stuck in their ways, are not open to.
Our particular field is remodeling & renovations in the residential & commercial spaces, and there are plenty of folks that have been doing this longer than we have. When we submit a proposal for a job directly competing with them we have often felt like we really didn’t belong. There are not many millennials/Gen Z’ers doing what we do yet here we are!
The key to our overcoming imposter syndrome was sticking to our values & believing in our abilities despites the odds, and despite being the odd persons out. If you really have a passion for what you do and you persist, you will find impostor syndrome defeated. You will find that you can deliver that product or service with your own unique, charming twist. Not one person on this earth is the same as you. Logically, no one can do what you do how you do it. That is unique to you.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My brother and I are focused on becoming the leading remodeling & renovations company in our area. We love bringing older, outdated spaces back into life! We are open to collaborating with our clients about what the different spaces can potentially look like. We love being able to create custom cabinets, apply stains or paints of their choosing, renovating bathrooms with updated tiles or changing the look of a room with new flooring. The sky is the limit! We can completely change the look & feel of the space to their taste.
Professionally we are committed to expanding our knowledge base and network of great folks that can make these ideas come to life. Working with fantastic people is a huge key to success in this business, and every project present a new opportunity to learn. We love facing situations where we are asked to do a project we have never done before. Those, to us, are the most exciting because we are given a chance to expand what we know! Once conquered, we can sell this service over & over again and refine as we go. We are grateful to our customers and above all else this is what we are focused on professionally.
We are most excited to become a one-stop shop, turnkey remodeling business! We started by specializing in high quality paint jobs, but now are committed to being able to deliver full remodeling services to our customers. We love publishing photos on our social media! Find us at Funes Paint Service on Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Angie’s list!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
For us, the three most important qualities have been perseverance, network, and our reputation.
Perseverance is our top quality because you will often be in projects where things do not go exactly as you planned. Its important to see that setback are learning opportunities, and that they are meant to be learned from. If you quit once you hit a wall you will never reach success!
Network is just as important because of the ability to leverage other people’s talents. Even if you are able to run every aspect of your business you will still have time constraints. This is where delegating to a competent person will be key! Network is very important.
Honoring your word is also extremely important as it is tied to your reputation. Even if you make mistakes honoring your commitment to seeing things through will earn you respect from your customers and others in your field. Mistakes we all make, but they can be redeemed! If you make a major mistake, but honor your word and see things through till the end you will make a good reputation for yourself! You can still earn a referral and 5 star review!
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
These past 12 months we’ve experienced all sorts of challenges, and these challenges have lead to opportunities to improve. The biggest area of growth for us has been out network. With our network we are able to tackle much more complex jobs & offer our clients our same high quality work they have seen in our paint jobs, but now in more crafts.
People often say your network is your net worth, and we think it is very true! We’re excited to offer all sorts of construction services, and keep learning about the crafts on a day to day basis.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funespaintservice/?img_index=1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funespaintservices/
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