I recently spoke with Derek Smith, CEO of HomeSpot (www.homespothq.com).  HomeSpot is like an online user manual for your house.  Helping homeowners maintain, protect and manage their property.   HomeSpotHQ has had a lot of attention in the news lately and I am happy Derek made the time for this interview.

Derek Smith, CEO of HomeSpotHQ.com

CHUCK: Tell me a little about your background and training.

DEREK:  I am originally from Spokane, Washington, and I’ve been doing software development in some form or another as long as I can remember. My first ‘product’ was developed in high school as a flash card system for basic Japanese characters. In college I developed a system to manage our college’s radio station, and also did internships for a multinational chemical company as well as a regional gold mining company. Since then I have worked for privately held and publicly traded companies, non-profits, state government, and had a 6 year season doing freelance software development and consulting.

CHUCK: How did you come up with the idea for HomeSpotHQ?

DEREK:  When I bought my first home in 2005 I immediately started doing various projects. Everything from replacing light fixtures, repainting rooms, and plenty of landscaping. I had always had in mind creating some type of electronic knowledge base so I could have a record of before and after pictures or just notes about some little oddity that occurred when doing a project. In 2009 I was working for a software company that was having a lot of trouble bringing a product to market, which led to a very tumultuous work environment. A co-worker and I would end up having regular brainstorming sessions for new businesses that we could start on the side. HomeSpot was probably the 3rd or 4th idea that we tossed around, but after getting some feedback on the idea, we decided to move forward to start building the product and see if we could get it to market. Our first release occurred 4 or 5 months later, and within a few months we had several hundred registered users. That was enough validation for us to keep pursuing it.

CHUCK: Please explain how you came up with the name HomeSpotHQ.

DEREK:  Well, we knew we needed some variation on home or house in the name. We mostly just brainstormed and then would check to see what domain names were available to register. We added the HQ to make it a bit more distinct.

CHUCK: Any big challenges in developing or testing HomeSpotHQ?

DEREK:  As it turned out, I started the development of HomeSpot HQ the same week that my 2nd daughter was born, so in those early days the biggest challenge was fatigue. I would stay up late coding and go to bed right about the time my wife would wake up to feed the baby.  So lack of sleep was a big challenge.

CHUCK: Who is the typical user of HomeSpotHQ?

DEREK:  Our typical user is a home owner that is oriented towards  organization.  Many also enjoy  do-it-yourself home repair and improvement. We have users from nearly all 50 states as well as a handful of other countries. They recognize the importance of routine maintenance for their home, and like having a system that will help them plan and organize the work that needs to be done.

CHUCK: Can you offer a preview of new features planned for your product?

DEREK:   Sure – we get almost all of our feature suggestions from our users, and we try to incorporate as many as we can in each release. Probably our biggest request is the ability to manage multiple properties under one account. This feature is under development now and will be released in 2012. We also are looking at ways to incorporate the routine maintenance tasks for vehicles into the product as well.

CHUCK: Any plans on the drawing table for new products?

DEREK:  We have been working on planning out apps for the various mobile and tablet platforms like Android and the iPad and iPhone. Also we’re working with remodeling and handyman contractors on a platform they can use to offer HomeSpot HQ to their clients called HomeSpot Pro.

CHUCK:  Anything else you would like to share?

DEREK:  I always love to take the opportunity to thank our users. Every time you use HomeSpot you encourage us to keep developing new features and ideas. Without our users, we would not have the story to tell that we do. So to the more than 5,000 homeowners who have joined HomeSpot, I personally offer my sincere thanks.

CHUCK:  Thanks Derek for taking the time with me!

Learn more at www.homespothq.com.

With a Lowe’ s credit card, you can save 5% on all your home improvement materials.  This is an ongoing discount and applies to homeowners with a Lowe’s credit card or for contractors that have a business Lowe’s credit card.

Learn more at www.Lowes.com

For you Seinfeld fans, you may recall George Costanzas’ infamous wallet.  Yes, that wallet that was so big it had its own zip code!  George’s wallet is now the object of a new advertisement that is promoting Google Wallet.  Google Wallet is a new way to pay for purchases by using a smart phone.

Enjoy the video below and learn more at http://www.google.com/wallet/

Here is a link to the video above

…

I was interviewed and quoted in the August issue of Remodeling Magazine, an industry leading journal published by Hanley Wood.  The article highlights pro’s and con’s of accepting credit cards as a form of payment for remodelers and home improvement contractors.

Read the full article .  My quote is below.

Chuck Solomon, president of Remodel & Repair Solutions, in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., gives his customers the option to use credit cards but only via PayPal.com or Google Checkout. “I let the customer know that I add the 2.9% processing fee that I have to pay onto their bill for that convenience,” he says. “These are both very easy to set up and there is no monthly fee involved.”

Solomon points out that he only offers this as a convenience for the relatively few customers who ask to pay by credit card.

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There are a few options that allow a small business to accept credit card payments from customers without having to purchase costly equipment or pay a recurring month fee. It is ideal for a business that maybe gets the occasional request from a customer to pay via credit card.

These services typically charge you 2-3% of the total as a fee. They do not charge monthly fees or require you to purchase any equipment. You may absorb the processing fee, or add 2-3% to all of your invoices

Check out the following services:

www.paypal.com and www.google.com/checkout — Both allow ability to email an invoice and customer pays on secure website online.

Also try  Squareup www.squareup.com and GoPayments www.payments.intuit.com offer a free credit scanner that attaches to a mobile phone. This small device allows you the ability to swipe a customers credit card for payment on the spot.

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remodeling blog

There continues to be a good deal of discussion around the remodeling industry about starting a new trade association.  The industry has two organizations that serve in this role.  NARI, and the NAHB Remodeler’s Council but some seem to believe that those organizations aren’t fully meeting the needs of remodelers.  Here is a new discussion on the topic on the Remodel Crazy website.

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www.StartContractorBusiness.com is a new resources available for those wanting to start a remodel, contracting, building, specialty trades or home improvement handyman business.

Are you –

• wanting to start your own business?
• seeking to grow your existing business?
• searching for tools that make  your business  more efficient and profitable?

Learn more at www.StartContractorBusiness.com.

From the FAQ page.  This website is for anyone that has a desire to start and operate a successful home improvement business in the United States or Canada.  The topics covered are mainly focused on a small business just starting out and wanting to develop business systems that will help them to be more productive and more profitable. The resources are applicable many types of home improvement service businesses such as handyman, painting, plumbing, contracting, landscaping, electrical contracting, HVAC, paving, grading, power-washing, remodeler, gutter cleaning, window cleaning, pool and spa, remodeling, masonry, chimney sweeping, flooring, tiling, carpentry, windows and siding, roofing and more.

Hello,

I am heading to Baltimore for the Remodeling Show tomorrow.  If you are attending, please stop by and we can meet in-person .  I will be at the ELMS Software Booth number 4103, right near the NARI booth.  I would enjoy meeting my blog subscribers.  So stop on by if you plan on attending this conference.

Regards,

Chuck

Follow-up to this post (9-21-10)

Besides being behind a bit with a backload of work to do from being out of the office for almost a week from my day job, I enjoyed my time at this years Remodeling Show.  Neat new products to see, many optimists in the crowd.  My favorite part was meeting and talking with a number of remodeling professionals from around the country.

FREE Webinar for contractors- How fit is your business?  Part of the Growth Coach Webinar series.  I have attended a few of these webinars and have always found some helpful information for my business in each.  It is and hour investment to help improve your home improvement or handyman business.

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept 8th, 2010 – 2:00 PM Eastern

WHERE:  Your computer

To learn more and register, click here.

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Queensboro Shirt company is offering deep discounts (up to 50% off) on there line of embroidered shirts, hats, and other products. Click here for custom-embroidered logo shirts and apparel or on the image below.

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