Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Thorsen.
Hi Brett, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a second generation owner that started in the business at a very young age. My late father, Paul, started the business around 1978 after years of installing floors. I quickly became his shadow in life and enjoyed being around the business. He made it a point to have me start at the very bottom scrubbing toilets all the way to installing custom tile in beautiful homes. He taught me much more than flooring. He taught me how to truly work for myself. He taught me the value of putting in a hard days work and how to proplery service our customers. He had a enormous passion for life that fortunately trickled down to me as well. Owning a buiness has its ups and downs, being able to adapt is imperative. You never truly have it all figured out… and if you ever think that you better watch out.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road… most of the time. But unfortunately nothing lasts forever. There will always be new challenges that you never saw coming. The ability to stay humble and admit when something went wrong is essential. We are all human and we all make mistakes. There are times as a business owner that you must own up to those before you can grow and move on. There are two major bumps in the road that will always stand out. I was almost in the process of buying the business from my father in 2010 when he unexpectedly passed away. Not only did I loose a best friend, I lost my mentor and business partner. It was very difficult time but looking back I realize his drive for me to succeed was what made this all work out. Personally this changed me forever, but I never missed a beat at work. I was able to put my head down and push through. The next major obstacle was navigating through the Covid 19 Pandemic. It was the unknown on so many levels… it made running a business next to impossible. Trying to sell and install flooring in homes accross our community durning a national emergency is something I hope doesn’t pop up in my future ever again!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a local family flooring business that has been servicing our communityfor nearly 50 years. We sell and install carpet, vinyl, wood, tile, and we specialize in custom showers. We are apart of a nation wide Co-Op or “buying group” that gives us a huge competitive edge in the industry. We have access to any brand of flooring in the market and have buying power as a group to compete on a national level. I am proud to service our customers and provide employment opportunities for my staff. I am fortunate to work with some amazing people.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I wouldn’t consider myself as a risk taker… but I am ready to jump at a good opportunity. I enjoy the numbers side of my business which helps weigh out what direction I should go. Recently, after feeling the stress of bursting at the seams, I made the decesion to expand. We just didn’t have anymore room in either our warehouse or showroom. We put up a 3000 sf building that now serves as a warehouse and outlet center on our same property. This allowed to get expand our showroom in our exsting building and expand our warehousing resources.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lakeshorecarpetonemuskegon.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lakeshorecarpetone?stkn=MWxldHYxMnZlbG5hYw==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EoX3w1UPS/
