Hello
friends, family, clients and potential funders,
My
name is Ryan and I created Perdure a little under two years ago as a means to expand
my efforts to generate extra income on weekends and evenings and potentially
grow a business that would usurp my day job. I have always kept my rates low
and delivered service beyond what I would expect to get from others. I love
what I do with a passion and am passionate about treating my clients fairly. To
date, my mission has changed a great deal causing me to call out for help.
Over
the past 10 years I jumped between employers managing maintenance operations and
have grown tired of watching my employers provide me with substandard resources
to care for THEIR property and then turn around and ask their employees why
their performance seems sub-par. In the same right I have seen employees
overcome with complacency and never lift a finger more than what is necessary
to appear as though they are doing their job. I have seen misdirection and the
misallocation of funds occur on grand scales. I have seen it all. Most
importantly I got to see what all of these things amount to: People living and
working in substandard spaces…
In
time, I came to the realization that I will never be happy under these
circumstances and took the side projects that I did for extra cash much more
seriously as an alternative to working for employers that have misguided views
of maintenance. It was clear a much bigger impact could be made starting a new
company with new values. So under the fanfare of supportive friends and family
I embarked on building a company and a dream. I left my job, racked up more
debt than I could imagine, sold off many of my major belongings, built up a
small workshop and began a struggle that has changed my life and me as a
person.
Perdure:
per·dure [per-door,
, -dyoor
]
verb (used without
object), -dured, -dur·ing.
- to continue or
last permanently;
endure.
In re-developing this concept of a company
I wanted to provide something I rarely got to provide working for large corporations:
Service that shows that you care about what you do and how it affects others.
Blue-collar maintenance work has as much value and purpose as being a teacher
and I feel somewhere along the way, many folks in this industry lost sight of
that purpose. We are the people that keep homes comfortable, offices productive
and classrooms functional. Perdure’s function is not just to fix buildings but
allow them to endure in their beauty, function and beyond to encompass the
value they present to people on a level of individual experience.
My mission to grow Perdure beyond just
sustaining my life and modify it’s direction, has been most stimulated by my
recent experience working with low income housing providers and charter
schools. In both cases the amount of things I found to be subpar and downright
wrong was unbelievable. It has been a fundamental element of all the job
changes I’ve endured and the underlying principles of why I decided to build a
business on my own to never be a part of or stand by and watch service
providers not provide what people are paying for. Period.
The Impact:
Perdure,
by design, is an all-encompassing maintenance solutions and resource management
company whose primary target is multi-family and commercial clients. Through
this, the goal has been to provide services and resources that which clients
may use to further their efficiency and effectiveness. Instead of just
repairing a problem, find a solution that prevents it from happening again.
Teach clients more about their property so as to eliminate costly and
unnecessary repeat visits. Earn repeat customers through actual need for
service and not because it was not done right the first time. When this concept
is applied to the financial struggles we are all facing, a reasonable solution
arises where one can run a sustainable company that is designed to help others
sustain themselves.
The
black and white result will be creation of new jobs, a little more “umph” being
put back into the Bay Area economy and some much needed improvement in the
services that organizations like charter schools receive.
There
is no option for failure as I have invested everything I have in this company
and it is built around core beliefs in my life to do right unto others with the
talents one possesses. To not execute this campaign means to willfully turn a
blind eye to things that are wrong, knowing full well they can be righted by my
actions.
What We
Need & What You Get:
While
the need is large, this is a basic infantile step in reaching larger goals. The
money is to finish providing the basic infrastructure for the self-sufficiency
of the company. The $32,000 will cover 4 major sections of the campaign:
($7,200) Section 1: Licensing fees, Insurance and bonding.
This just covers the basics of providing protection to the forthcoming
employees, clients and assets acquired during the campaign
($18,000) Section 2: Equipment and Product development. While
I have a great deal of the equipment to be successful already, there is a lot
more necessary to support the addition of staff and equip them to be successful
at the jobs they will do. The majority of this section is the purchase of
service trucks (used) as they will be crucial to effective service over wide
prospective coverage area. The second largest portion will go to staff
training/certification and software development of proprietary programs that
are being designed to enhance how clients manage their operations and access
the services we provide – a crucial element to how Perdure will change the way
the maintenance industry operates and cut significant costs.
($3,500) Section 3: Marketing and Brand Management. Despite
the desire to not be like other companies, in order to be successful and remain
so, one must manage and market a “brand” that is easily recognizable. This sum
entails making signage, pamphlets, logos on fleet vehicles and uniforms.
($3,300) Section 4: Real estate. Many of the services that I
currently offer and plan to offer require workspace away from the client’s
property. Currently, the workshop I have won’t be able to support the expanded
usage. Thus, once the first three sections of the campaign are conducted the
base of operations will need to move to a larger location to support the added
work and store the newly acquired equipment. Funds will cover deposits, license
fees, moving labor, materials for set up of the new shop, and one month of rent
on a larger location. The inclusion of rent in this section will support the
large disruption in productivity that occurs during the relocation of the
business and the time necessary to set up a functional and organized shop.
Every
penny received is a needed contribution. Thus if the campaign funding goal is
not met, the funds will still be used to push forward and make Perdure a
success. Again, this campaign is the step of going beyond just having a job to
make-do and having a purpose and making an impact.
What’s
in it for you?
$32,000
is a lot of giving. Thus I am prepared to give back. Check out my perks in the
sidebar. I know most things aren’t a whole lot but that is the down side of
being in the middle of trying to significantly grow a company and make it
sustainable. Due to the monetary requirements of some
of the perks, some will not be distributed until the end of the campaign. If
the funding goal is met and exceeded, expect a party at the opening of the new
shop and great honors bestowed upon the donors.
Other Ways
You Can Help:
All
giving doesn’t have to have a specific monetary value to it. This is the
digital age where your voice can stretch around the world in the time it takes
to blink. Your word of mouth contribution is invaluable. That contribution can
be in the form of referring people back to this campaign page or generating
referrals for business. Even contacting me to work for you helps keep the
income coming and the company growing.
Whether
you donate or not, you have my indelible gratitude for just even reading this
far. Thank you for your time, faith, contributions and well wishes. I hope it
feels good to help my dream come true and make an impact on our community,
because it sure feels good to me.