If You’re Going to Spend the Time, Do it Your Way, with Your Own Style

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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:06] SPEAKER_01: Hey everyone, welcome to Canada's podcast network.
[00:09] SPEAKER_01: I'm Phil Bliss, a business visionary, coming today from Toronto.
[00:15] SPEAKER_01: A Canada's podcast we talked to entrepreneurs were making it happening here and across Canada.
[00:23] SPEAKER_01: So today I'm pleased to say that we're going to meet with Henry Dojas.
[00:31] SPEAKER_01: Henry is a Sheridan college graduate and in architectural technology, he started his career as an architectural drastman and then moved on and established his company in Mississauga in 2018.
[00:47] SPEAKER_01: And we'll find out more about it right now. Welcome Henry.
[00:51] SPEAKER_01: So Henry, welcome. And as I normally do, you know, tell us a little bit about who you are, you know, your entrepreneurial journey so far without getting into every little detail, you know, why you started it and where you're at today, feel like.
[01:09] SPEAKER_00: Definitely. Well, thanks again for bringing me on this show.
[01:12] SPEAKER_00: So how I started my career was back in 2017, graduated from my diploma, Sheridan College, going to the work field, started with more of the custom home division, right, more on the artistic and creative side there.
[01:27] SPEAKER_00: From that point I spent up my year in that firm, learning as much as I can from the owners, learning to understand that I was very interested in the architectural portion of custom homes, everything's new, everything's creative, everything's freedom.
[01:40] SPEAKER_00: From there, I expanded my knowledge and just went to more the commercial space. So I was doing renovations and design work for a company that specializes in two more innovations actually.
[01:52] SPEAKER_00: Right, I spent a couple of months there, learn as much as I could. It's more repetitive work, right, so there's only so much you can absorb in that sort of work field.
[02:00] SPEAKER_00: From there, I moved on to more the apartment building type of field, right, more design and renovations type again, trying to learn as much as I can on that sort of style of industry level.
[02:15] SPEAKER_00: And then finally I went more to investment side. So my journey started with different sort of industry, unique niche, right, trying to learn as much as I can from everybody I can learn from in a span of like two or three years.
[02:29] SPEAKER_00: It's after that time that I decided to, you know, all the knowledge I have would decide to start my own business, right, a couple years into the field. I learned as much as I could figured, you know, I can actually expand this, do my own type of work, find, like, make my own decisions and grow my own company with everything I have.
[02:51] SPEAKER_01: But, you know, why are you coming on to bring up mean it's full risk, you know, you know, no, definitely there's a lot of risk. Yes, yes, you know, everyone wants to rewards on entrepreneur, but if you've read anything, you know, the risk is much higher than the reward.
[03:11] SPEAKER_00: No, 100% is always so much risk when it comes to with this entrepreneur business, you know, you're not, does not stable job, you're not working night to five for sure. There's a lot more stress and headaches, but it also comes with own share of rewards as well.
[03:26] SPEAKER_00: The way I saw it was that if I want to spend all my energy time and effort on something, I might as well be spending all my own type of practice, right, my own way, my own style.
[03:37] SPEAKER_00: That was how I saw it. And even with my own level of freedom, you're working nine to five most jobs, but sometimes it to work late at night or on the weekends at some firms.
[03:47] SPEAKER_00: In my case, if I'm going to be doing that, I might as well make sure I build this sort of snowball effect, right, that all my time and effort was going to work something that I enjoyed doing.
[03:57] SPEAKER_00: So that's how I saw it. The risk didn't really hit in too much as I enjoyed what I was doing on a daily basis.
[04:04] SPEAKER_01: So you're still, you know, I would say a fairly young entrepreneur.
[04:11] SPEAKER_01: You know, what sort of what would you say with it as a critical success factors that someone just starting out needs to consider?
[04:26] SPEAKER_00: So definitely that's a good question. And for sure it's relationships, right, your relationship with your consultants, with people that you work with in industry, you had to make sure you build a solid foundation with them, right.
[04:39] SPEAKER_00: It's not easy at first. You can make sure you print that 100% 120% effort into that making sure that both sides feel like they're working together, right.
[04:50] SPEAKER_00: It's not one over rules another. It's not one that's a boss of another. You got to make sure you're a 50 50 partnership here. You're working together for the same goal, right. And I really make creates a foundation and for the empire that you're creating here.
[05:03] SPEAKER_01: And you know, the other thing I think people kind of come into is in their early stages, now how can I how can I finance it. How can I get it going.
[05:16] SPEAKER_01: How can we do that? Do you have any insights for people on that front that they're, you know, that there's sort of just in that where you are in terms of the, you know, the first steps from, you know, from from being employed to
[05:31] SPEAKER_00: to being being, you know, carrying carrying the low condition like definitely for sure. So my nature, I've always been saving my money, right.
[05:42] SPEAKER_00: I've always saved it, investing it, being sure I had some sort of saving just in case the worst comes the worst. That's just who I was normally, right.
[05:50] SPEAKER_00: It was only until I started this whole architectural journey that I had a large reserves just in case the worst come to the worst, right.
[05:59] SPEAKER_00: Normally how I started my business was that was doing some projects on the side after 9 to 5, building up that empire from 6010 and solely build up the company's reserve, as well as keeping up with my own personal reserve.
[06:11] SPEAKER_00: So at the time where I finally reached out that I could sustain my own lifestyle for about a year was my own personal and company's reserve.
[06:17] SPEAKER_00: It was at that point I decided to go on my own and say let's let's try this, let's see how it works. You know, if we, if it works, that's great.
[06:25] SPEAKER_00: If it doesn't, I still have a year to kind of see how I would be resulting.
[06:29] SPEAKER_01: That's good. Good advice basically. You make sure you've got, you've got that kind of cushion basically as it doesn't work often.
[06:37] SPEAKER_01: And this quickly as you think, it's really great.
[06:43] SPEAKER_01: So either one is a typical day, look like for you as an entrepreneur. I mean, how is it different now?
[06:55] SPEAKER_00: Say then when you were working for somebody, or is it maybe it isn't right. So definitely on my day to day basis is more problem solving.
[07:05] SPEAKER_00: Right. When you work for somebody else, everyone solving the problems that are ones telling you what to do.
[07:10] SPEAKER_00: They're the ones saying like, this is my decision. This is what we have to do. Even though you don't agree with it most of the time.
[07:16] SPEAKER_00: Right. Everybody has their own priorities. Right. As I see my day to day life, I see like we need to set priorities to different things because this will result in a greater outcome than something else.
[07:27] SPEAKER_00: Right. Some of the team members I have here, they want to do something, but that's not going to give us the best results at that time where it's me where I decide this is what's best for the company.
[07:37] SPEAKER_00: This is what we need to do. This is where we need to focus in. Right. So that's more of my day to day life, just problem solving, making sure everything is rolling correctly and making sure it's efficient at the end of the day.
[07:49] SPEAKER_01: Okay. Interesting. You know, you're an old girl or a relationship school and I mean, is this sort of GTA a good place to do what you're doing? I mean, is that part of the part of the reason for success? You think?
[08:07] SPEAKER_01: What are you going to do in Calgary or in? You know, in Saskatoon or something like that?
[08:15] SPEAKER_00: Well, being here in the GTA really does help in terms of like everybody's renovating everybody's doing their own projects. Everybody's a little bit different for sure. There's a lot of work here.
[08:23] SPEAKER_00: And we see it now the last couple of years where there's a lot of firms building up the same level as me if not greater. Right.
[08:31] SPEAKER_00: But in other locations, I haven't explored that much that far yet. But I did here, Vancouver and Halifax, those other areas are booming and they do need some sort of designers or firms like us to be there to support them as well.
[08:46] SPEAKER_00: But in terms of like area, I would say it really has helped the business, but we're not just focusing the GTA. We've expand down south more up north. Right.
[08:56] SPEAKER_00: We take our business almost anywhere as long as the opportunity presents itself. Right. Because, you know, interesting projects happen to happen to happen outside the GTA. Right. There's just a low less competition, but more interesting projects out there.
[09:11] SPEAKER_01: I mean, you know, you're basically in the real estate side of things and obviously in the development side of things.
[09:24] SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's been a strange three years and lots of new trends of revolt. Is that the way it's going to stay? I'm sure lots of people are thinking that.
[09:39] SPEAKER_00: No, definitely the last three years have been pretty unique in the way that things have been going through. Right.
[09:45] SPEAKER_00: As of now, like we see the interest rates going up, house prices going down, right. And people just trying to see their options, right.
[09:53] SPEAKER_00: Either stay renovates or sell my new or just live with parents and then start building their own custom home. Right. I've seen all the different scenarios and people are just making their decisions now. Right.
[10:05] SPEAKER_00: Whereas they decide to stay and renovate it provides more business to firms like myself already decided to sell and create their own home that also provides business and expands the economy itself. Right.
[10:17] SPEAKER_00: So, especially all these undeveloped areas.
[10:20] SPEAKER_00: So you've been doing what you've been doing for about three or four years.
[10:25] Speaker UNKNOWN: And you've been doing this.
[10:28] SPEAKER_01: Is there something you would do differently?
[10:32] SPEAKER_01: Maybe you learned. And so we haven't done that.
[10:41] SPEAKER_00: There's a couple of things for sure that I've definitely made mistakes on that I should have done better. Right.
[10:46] SPEAKER_00: I would say mostly it's like in terms of my career basis more of the commercial work that you know wasn't really there.
[10:55] SPEAKER_00: More of the corporation, more of the repaid of stuff that you do on a day to day basis, not expanding my knowledge as much as I should. Right.
[11:03] SPEAKER_00: The biggest issue now is even was a new new generation coming onto our field is that there's so limit it was experience all they have is mostly saying at the same office work day to day nine to five to be 65 days a day a year.
[11:17] SPEAKER_00: Right. They're not expanding their knowledge and order career because there is a different between career and job here. Right.
[11:23] SPEAKER_00: They're stating the same status quo versus learning and expanding their knowledge and to actually be coming on to deliver. Right.
[11:29] SPEAKER_00: In my case, I just expanded different companies in different industries to learn as much as I can in such a short period of time.
[11:37] SPEAKER_01: Big big on mentorship. Is there anything in your side of the thing you're progress where you've given a bit of advice and it stayed with you and you keep using it.
[11:51] SPEAKER_00: Is there something there on that? No, definitely. I have had a couple mentors in the past. I would say number one mentor was you know a good friend of mine. He's actually my godfather of mine too as well.
[12:02] SPEAKER_00: He runs a construction company and him and I have been working for the last couple of years. It's always this whole we always talk about this all snowball effect. Yeah.
[12:11] SPEAKER_00: Until like right now it's the biggest legwork right now is it's a growing pains right right now is the most difficult time of your life.
[12:18] SPEAKER_00: But in 10, 15, 20 years you're really going to thank yourself for doing all that work now versus like your average person spending their money is enjoying life and joining your 20s doing whatever they want.
[12:29] SPEAKER_00: Right. You're 20 or your four year old self is really going to thank you for this. So this is where keep pushing myself because it will provide results.
[12:37] SPEAKER_00: You know, I want to put it this weird. Do you like your friends or do you differently me friend?
[12:45] SPEAKER_00: I'm so much different than my friends who who enjoyed their enjoy life overall they like to travel, they like to party, they like to do a lot more things and I never do right.
[12:55] SPEAKER_00: My you know, my passion is like this business rights. You know to bring her trying to enjoy the freedom trying to build something from the ground up.
[13:03] SPEAKER_00: It literally is when you're not a winner you start with one block and you slowly build your way to becoming an empire eventually right.
[13:11] SPEAKER_00: So in that regards there's no way locally to talk to you and my own friend group. But there's people just like my golf or like I mentioned that has advice and people he's around himself with.
[13:21] SPEAKER_00: And people we meet up sometimes in you know some of our meetups and architectural firms or investor meetups as well similar minded people who are looking to become financially free or like independent or entrepreneurs.
[13:37] SPEAKER_01: You know, if you had to pick one word to describe yourself what would it be determined for sure.
[13:44] SPEAKER_00: The term is how I see myself on a day to day basis I'm determined to do this I want to get this done I will stay focused I will get the results that's who I am by nature.
[13:56] SPEAKER_01: You know, and what you know in terms of where you're at I mean, you always enjoy being entrepreneur but what's the best thing about being an entrepreneur.
[14:11] SPEAKER_01: Is it just making more money or is it some other thing you know for sure.
[14:18] SPEAKER_01: Not the same wrong with it being just making more money. I'm not saying that shouldn't be it.
[14:24] SPEAKER_00: No, the making money is okay for sure it does help you know pay bells and such right.
[14:29] SPEAKER_00: But it's more of creating something that's always been intriguing right creating something from the ground up like this is this is Henry's creation from the ground up.
[14:38] SPEAKER_00: Is it his way his standards his quality right that's why I want to make a brand to my name type of thing you know your workers Henry this is what you you get right.
[14:48] SPEAKER_00: Same thing when you buy from somebody else like Apple or you know somewhere else right you buy the brand because you appreciate it you respected you want that.
[14:57] SPEAKER_01: What's the greatest challenge you face in the business so far.
[15:02] SPEAKER_01: I can't remember.
[15:05] SPEAKER_00: I've been able to overcome a couple of things but right now my current you know obstacle right now it's just scaling right scaling is the biggest issue to see like how far you can reach.
[15:16] SPEAKER_00: How many people will get to know you because you can have the best product in the world but nobody knows you it's just not going to do anything right it spread the word spread yourself you know try to.
[15:27] SPEAKER_00: Make sure everybody knows who you are the thing in this whole industry that everybody's on social media everybody's the same sort of person how do you make yourself different and how do you prove that is what we're struggling in but we're getting there one example is like trying to go meet ups right making sure you're having this you know human connection with people because.
[15:46] SPEAKER_00: Setting you an email or call or cold call and he was not going to work doesn't work it's never really worth you guys meet somebody face the face you know talk about business talk about your similarities and then take it from there they can more human than robotic yeah.
[16:01] SPEAKER_01: You know when we get things that we don't expect.
[16:08] SPEAKER_01: I have a process.
[16:10] SPEAKER_01: Do you process allows you to overcome them or do we just hit them as they come down to them just curious.
[16:21] SPEAKER_00: So like when it comes to like obstacles right I definitely take my time to evaluate our options right there's never just one answer you have to see what sort of options and are there that you can do you know ABCD which one gives you the best results I take my time in.
[16:36] SPEAKER_00: To look at over it over a couple days maybe I take the night to sleep on it and then I come up with an answer next day or so right that time kind of a tackle these obstacles that mine what's the best piece of advice you've received.
[16:49] SPEAKER_00: In terms of the obstacles right terms of just business advice.
[16:54] SPEAKER_00: Well the best advice I can give to like other similar minded people like myself is like do the extra work run the extra mile right yeah you know if you have to work longer if it's a work later right.
[17:06] SPEAKER_00: It's it's all worth it.
[17:08] SPEAKER_01: Let's move on some more fun.
[17:12] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[17:14] SPEAKER_01: If you were doing what you're doing now what would you be doing instead.
[17:21] SPEAKER_00: Oh 100% I'd be doing some sort of high level investments for sure I've always taken interest in investment.
[17:27] SPEAKER_00: Firms investment in general stocks real estate that's always been a secondary hobby of mine actually.
[17:33] SPEAKER_00: Okay so that's what I would be technically doing.
[17:37] SPEAKER_00: Even only overnight.
[17:39] SPEAKER_00: More of a morning person you know get up at 5 6 am in the morning and start my day you know medium black coffee in my hand and start working.
[17:47] SPEAKER_00: Just enjoy just like you know the quites piece of mind before the day starts right yeah yeah.
[17:54] SPEAKER_01: You know what's keeping you up at night these days.
[18:01] SPEAKER_00: Just making sure to see like everything's on the on the role everything is going according to plan I'm a planter.
[18:07] SPEAKER_00: I like to plan things out but if something doesn't go as planned it bothers me for the rest of the night for sure right but you got to learn to live with it and try to try try to understand that nothing goes everything accordingly to plan it adjust accordingly.
[18:22] SPEAKER_00: Right so that's if anything that's what's keeping me up at night sometimes.
[18:27] SPEAKER_01: Okay that's interesting.
[18:32] SPEAKER_01: In terms of you know the business itself.
[18:42] SPEAKER_01: How you explained it a little bit but without being too promotional you know just talk about a little bit about.
[18:53] SPEAKER_01: Why role just empire design versus the competition.
[18:59] SPEAKER_01: You know on what do you do on the design side that makes makes it happen for others.
[19:08] SPEAKER_00: No so definitely when you're comparing us with somebody else what the three things I'm most companies usually do is like they try to make profit they try to provide you with high quality service.
[19:18] SPEAKER_00: And then they try to provide your high quality drawings at least in our industry.
[19:22] SPEAKER_00: At the three most companies can only really do two like it's impossible to do all three it's just not feasible.
[19:27] SPEAKER_00: You want to lose out on something how our company operates is that we like to provide a hundred percent customer satisfaction we try to provide the greatest customer service respond back as soon as possible.
[19:38] SPEAKER_00: And of course provide high quality drawings because our work will provide results that's all I see that we don't make money on this project.
[19:44] SPEAKER_00: I'm okay with that because I want to make sure at the end of the day your satisfy was our service and our work shows for that.
[19:51] SPEAKER_00: And that's what makes us a little bit different in our competitions where they're trying to make an extra buck or two or they're trying to you know negotiate that or try and rework it a little bit there.
[20:01] SPEAKER_01: Okay we actually let me.
[20:06] SPEAKER_01: Two sets.
[20:10] SPEAKER_01: So you know you've been very good you haven't you know overly promotional or anything like that.
[20:15] SPEAKER_01: But I'm just interested you know in terms of the architectural design side you know what makes road road just somewhat different than in the competition.
[20:31] SPEAKER_00: For sure so there's usually three things that the company usually focuses on in their business the profit the high quality drawings in the customer service.
[20:41] SPEAKER_00: Most of the time the most companies can't really deal with all three of them they have to you know try to pick two out of three or trying to manage how whichever they want to do it.
[20:49] SPEAKER_00: So that's how we want to focus on is we provide the best customer service and the best architectural you know drawings you know the high quality stuff.
[20:57] SPEAKER_00: Because at the end of the day profit if I lose out on the dollar or two doesn't really matter because I can sleep better at night you know when that we provide our best service and the best drawings that we physically can do.
[21:08] SPEAKER_00: That's how we see it and that's how we think that we're a little bit you know different then most companies are right.
[21:14] SPEAKER_00: Good good.
[21:16] SPEAKER_01: I think you know it's we're hitting our time mark actually.
[21:24] SPEAKER_01: How can people get a hold of you say what's the best best road to that.
[21:30] SPEAKER_00: So the best route right now for us would be Instagram you can find us at add rojas empire one word.
[21:38] SPEAKER_00: You can do must there for any questions concerns or any ideas it may have because right now we're we're doing a program right now where we're just making turn other.
[21:47] SPEAKER_00: Designers other business designers right trying to get them free of ice right now trying to help out as much as we can but I'm trying to give back to the community here right so it doesn't bother me if you have a question or two they just want to pick a brain.
[21:59] SPEAKER_01: Okay Henry thank you very much for coming up canvas podcast you can great meeting you hope you enjoy it perfect appreciate it.
[22:09] SPEAKER_01: Thanks a lot.