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Driven By Professionals: An Interview with Constantine Kotantoulas (aka. @mk_home_solutions)
Happy New Year Everyone! We are kicking off the new year with another instalment of our Bissett Blog. As a family-owned Canadian company that began in 1929, we know that construction professionals need products and service they can count on. Our slogan “Driven By Professionals” is the driving force behind all the products and services we offer. Our products are made with professionals in mind, which is why we want to highlight some people in our industry who are doing some pretty incredible things. Each month we will be featuring individuals in our industry to learn a little bit more about them and the type of work they specialize in.
This week we chatted with Constantine Kotantoulas, co-owner of MK Home Solutions based out of Ottawa, ON. The 27-year-old contractor, who specializes in residential renovations, talks about the importance of ongoing learning in the trades, and the challenges faced when running your own business. Kotantoulas also touches on the importance of growing the number of skilled trades workers in the future. “It’s forecasted that we’ll lose a majority of trade workers in the next 10 years to retirement, so we’ve got to build it back up with people who are competent, capable, and honest”, he notes. His advice to people getting into the industry; “dive in” and work hard.
Here is our interview with Constantine:
1. Who are you?
My name is Constantine, I’m a 27 year old general contractor from Ottawa. I co-own MK Home Solutions with my business partner, Rob.
2. What’s your specialty?
We specialize in residential renovations, mainly Basement and bathroom renovations for interiors and decks and fences for exteriors.
3. How did you get into the trade?
My partner and I got into the trades through very different paths. I was a university student who had worked many labour jobs to pay for school, and my business partner was the former owner of a weight loss clinic who changed his tune and got into interior finishing work. I started working for him one summer, dropped out of the environmental science program at university, and we partnered up officially.
4. What’s your favourite part about work?
What I love most about the work is how honest it feels to produce something with your hands. You can’t lie with this work. If you’re bad or incompetent, it shows. And the same is true if you’re skilled. There’s an endless pool of knowledge in the industry and new things are being developed every day. The moment you think you’ve learned enough is the moment you start to fail.
5. What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in the workplace?
One of the bigger struggles we’ve had to face is learning from mistakes we’ve made. Whether it was a mistake in pricing, or a product not delivered in a way the client was happy with, we’ve always pushed hard for customer satisfaction. That usually means a financial loss, and that’s very hard to deal with when you’re starting out. But if you learn from your successes in the field, you learn doubly from your mistakes.
6. What project/job(s) are you the most proud of?
The projects I’m most proud of would have to be some of the custom bathrooms we’ve built. The before and after on those is always spectacular, and the attention to detail that we have to invest in each step of the process is insane. They’re stressful for that reason, but the reward at the end is worth it.
7. What advice would you give to someone getting into the trade?
My advice to anyone getting into the field is dive in. Work a bunch of jobs. Get to know the industry and figure out what you’re good at. And then work hard at developing those skills. It’s forecasted that we’ll lose a majority of trade workers in the next 10 years to retirement, so we’ve got to build it back up with people who are competent, capable, and honest.
8. What do you like to do in your spare time?
As for my spare time, when I have some, I like to keep myself occupied. I play guitar and piano, I read, I tinker with tools. I’m not one to let my mind go blank. If I’m not occupied I’ll inevitably start thinking about work, and given that I spend most of the day in the field it’s got to take a break from all that.
BONUS! Favourite Bissett Product?
My favourite Bissett tool is definitely my coil nailer. Versatile, workhorse, packs a punch, and looks pretty sleek too.
You can find more information about Constantine by viewing his page on Instagram (@mk_home_solutions).
Do you know someone who should be featured next in our series? Let us know!
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