Erik Libby
The To-do Dudes LLC
What does your company do?
The To-Do Dudes are a group of young professionals that assist with a variety of household chores. Our mission is to develop leaders to gain experience for their future careers while helping the community at the same time. The typical request from our customers ranges anywhere from unloading box trucks to skimming pools, mulching gardens to event/party assistance, and even closet organization to technology support. We are not professionals but students with ambition.
What is your background and how did you get into the business?
Since childhood, I have always been entrepreneurial minded looking for opportunities to start my own business. It began with lemonade stands and garage sales and turned into brainstorming sessions and problem identification later in my life. I was unaware at the time, but my first job was for my grandmother while her friends playing the golf course parallel to her house took notice. Many of them called out to me while I was working and suggested that I help them with the same type of work. I realized after about five of her friends approached me that there was a market for this type of work.
What sets your company apart from others?
Where we are different from our competition is the labor force we bring to the projects. Our organization now has 18 team members employed, with the oldest being 20. We are a young group and can bring ambition and professionalism because, for many members of our team, this will be the position that jumpstarts their careers. We can provide value simply by giving an extra hand. We have found that many customers have not been able to find support with the smaller to-do list items, so that is where we come in.
What is the biggest challenge your business faces?
Because our company strives to bring the highest quality of young professionals to service customers’ homes, it has been difficult to expand our workforce quickly. As many other places have had the same struggle, we too have found it tough to bring on enough support to help our growing service needs. We are working on connecting with a few local organizations to create a pipeline for recruitment.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
My favorite part about The To-Do Dudes has been all of the connections I have developed along the way. From the members of my team to our customers in the community. Starting with my team, so many of those relationships have turned into great friendships and connections that I will hold on to for the rest of my life. It makes me so proud as a leader to see them develop their skills and be able to have experiences to jumpstart their careers. Our customers have also been incredibly important to me. We wouldn’t be able to continue our mission without all of their positive and encouraging words. Seeing these things come together inspires me to continue working even harder to expand our mission.
What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
My biggest advice for entrepreneurs is to find something you love and go after it. The inspiration for entrepreneurship shouldn’t be the material things you will obtain or the status you will achieve, but the change you will create. Find your skill where you can add the most value and use it to solve a problem that has not been filled. It doesn’t happen overnight, but through diligence, hard work and integrity, a new business can begin to flourish. It only takes one customer to give you a chance.
What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?
This is my first official business, but I know as my life progresses, I will begin many other ventures. I love the idea of creating from scratch and building something from nothing into something that sustains. It has been incredible to watch how The To-Do Dudes started in my grandmother’s backyard with only an idea, to now having almost 20 team members, servicing over 500 different households, and having completed close to 2,000 projects.