Fronts of Coppell is a Sidekick series in which executive news editor Shivi Sharma profiles a Coppell business owner to bring awareness to community-based establishments.

Coppell handyman Matt Young’s skill set is just as extensive as his toolset. After a career consisting of writing software applications for the finance industry, Young established his own company 27 years ago, just like his father’s accounting business. He has been working in Coppell for 11 years, doing remodeling and repair work including building fences, plumbing and structural drywall repair. 

What is appealing about running your own business?

I like having that control; your destiny is created by yourself. A lot of people can go out into the world, get a job, work for somebody else and have great meaning. But if you don’t work with the right people, it’s not really fulfilling. A lot of people move around jobs and their careers until they find a good, fulfilling place that they feel like their two cents are counted. This fulfills my need to help others.

How did you acquire your handyman skills?

Trial and error. Friends and associates is the best method of learning, kind of like apprenticeships. A lot of my skills are self-taught. The desire to learn something, even on your own is valuable. A lot of these skills can’t be taught in a classroom – it’s more of a trade. Several times I’ve had to redo work, not because it wasn’t good enough, it just didn’t meet my expectations. My expectations are higher a lot of times than a lot of my clients’. If I don’t feel that it’s good enough, I will rip it apart and redo it.

What have you learned in this industry?

I tend not to like a lot of contractors. However, I’m one of them. I feel that contractors have received bad rap over the years. But then again, it’s by their own doing. The communication between the two parties, say the homeowner and the contractor, is typically what falls short. I find that the communication on my part with my clients is the key to my success, because I ask questions that no one asks. I look at the end result, and work backwards from there to make sure that I’m achieving their dream, not just for today, but six months or a year down the road. They still walk in, they see that and they’re like, “wow, that looks great.” That’s my overall goal.

What is something people might not know about being a handyman? 

Most people don’t realize that a handyman can do a lot of repairs that they’re just not aware of or don’t know somebody that could. I do about 80 percent of electrical work and plumbing work. The other 20 percent is very specialized because of a skill set, as well as a toolset. There are specific tools that are required that are just not cost-effective for me to use. 

How do you reach and build relationships with your customers? 

Word of mouth. Everything I do is by referral. I do no marketing, no advertising. I strongly believe that I don’t need to. My dad has been doing accounting work for over 55 years, and he has never spent a single dime on advertising. That, to me, speaks volumes. That just shows the quality of your workmanship. 

I look at them, not as customers, but clients. There’s a huge difference between those terms. I focus very highly on relationships because my clients put their trust in me to help them. That goes a very long way. I’m not here for the one-time benefit of, “let me fix this for you, and I’ll never see you again”. I would rather show up and do work free of charge, then to come one time and never see them again. That’s just my mentality. 

Follow Shivi (@_shivisharma_) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.