Kelly Rosenblatt
Former Senior Manager, Small Business Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Published
October 09, 2019
Paul Hauzer, CEO, President and Majority Owner of VetCor LLC
To better highlight the impressive members of the small business community, we sat down with the 2019 Dream Big Award finalists to learn more about their startup stories, the challenges they have faced, and what the future of business looks like to them. We chatted with Paul Huszar, CEO and majority owner of Florida-based VetCor LLC, a restoration company that solves water and mold damage problems in commercial and residential properties, which is staffed primarily by veterans of the U.S. military. Here is what he had to say (what follows has been lightly edited for length and clarity):
Q: What inspired the creation of your business? What problem does it help solve?
Our founder, David Howard, wanted to help veterans transition into civilian careers, and at the same time create a service company that shares similar culture, norms and values of the U.S. military to be able to differentiate our company from others.
It solves two primary problems: 1) we’re creating meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities for our nation’s heroes, and 2) we’re helping to restore integrity and improve the reputation of service providers – all while building a brand around the same culture, norms and values to help close the gap between veterans and the society we’ve served to protect and defend.
Q: What is the greatest challenge you faced while building your company and how did you overcome it?
Cash flow – we grew so fast and achieved early success, we nearly outran our cash flow. We had to use several creative solutions to overcome this challenge because accessing capital and credit for a new small business is exceptionally challenging.
Q: What impact do you hope your business has on society as it grows?
We intend to build a brand known for timely, quality, and reliable service that also represents the values of veterans. In doing this, we intend to create opportunities for veterans and their family members.
Q: If selected as the winner of the Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award, how will you invest the $25,000 grand prize?
We will use it to expand our franchising efforts and create even more opportunities for veterans and their family members.
Q: What words of advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Everyone always says you need twice the amount of capital you think you do, and that was true for us, especially with rapid success. So, be very conservative in your planning and surround yourself with great teammates – try veterans!
To learn more about the 2019 Dream Big Award finalists, click here.
About the authors
Kelly Rosenblatt
Kelly Rosenblatt is the former Social Media and Digital Operations Project Manager at the U.S. Chamber.
