Transitioning to Decorative Concrete
Doug Carlton of Carlton Concrete offers sound advice on how to transition your structural concrete business into one that specializes in decorative concrete applications.
by Doug Carlton

I had looked forward to this day for a long time. I’m guessing it must have been 10 or 12 years ago. This would be the morning my concrete crew started the decorative concrete work for one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever to come from my area in the eastern San Joaquin Valley of California. His name was Leonard Whitney and he had masterminded what is today one of the largest grocery store franchises in the business. What a great opportunity for me to ask questions and receive useful information to leverage my concrete contracting company to a higher level, from someone who obviously held the keys to success.

After I rushed through color samples and pattern choices to the point where Mr. Whitney felt comfortable with my abilities, I asked the question I had been dying to ask: "How? How, Mr. Whitney, did you manage to build such a successful and respectable business?" His reply was shorter than I expected. "The grocery business is all I know, so it is all I do," said my client.

Inside, I’m thinking, "This is where he clubs me over the head with the hard work, integrity, never quitting, blah, blah, blah," but he simply turns and walks off. A man closer to 80 than 70, with nothing to prove and no shortcuts: another lesson learned.

The decorative concrete industry is in transition and has been for some time. Yes, this is an article on transitioning your business into the decorative side, and I will give several useful tips on doing just this. But please remember, there are no shortcuts. These tips will help you segue into decorative, but the real key is perseverance.