Meet Devynn Thompson | Co Owner- Thompson Family Plumbing and Rooter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Devynn Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Devynn, how do you think about risk?

Taking risks is vital to any success. In the early years of business we erred on the side of caution, playing it safe out of fear, ego and Identity. Once you take an assessment of your growth and see that you aren’t optimizing what is working out of fear, you realize that you are creating fences and stunting your own success and goals. There is a David Bowie quote that deeply resonated with me and put the need of taking risks into perspective. “If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”- David Bowie

What should our readers know about your business?
My husband was the top producer at his plumbing shop that he was working for in 2012. He came to me and started to enthusiastically gush about his dream of getting his contractors license and starting our own company. I was originally not very thrilled about the idea. We had a mortgage, 3 kids and the pillows that our jobs provided ;medical, dental, retirement, all the things a millennial would want for security in life. I knew that my husband this far in our relationship had always proven to be a great provider and a skilled tradesman. He was passionate and hardworking, so why should I stand in the way? We took the leap together, and were scared for our lives. We had $100 in our back account left after draining our savings to purchase equipment, materials, make advance mortgage payments, vehicles and insurance. The costs involved to start a licensed, professional plumbing company would make anyones head spin. Neither he or I graduated from college, or had any business degrees. I had experience in the dental field working as an office manager, so had some exposure and knowledge on business basics. He and I both agreed that if we did not turn a profit in 6 months, we would reassess our decisions and “come back to reality” as one family member put it. We were out of the red in 3 months and were able to start paying ourselves a basic budget salary in 3 ½ .From being financially disciplined and keeping retained earnings, we have found ways to keep a healthy business and we continue to grow and build on each of our small successes

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Lake Havasu City is a fantastic tourist location. We have activities for all seasons. Boating in the summer is a large attraction. You can launch and be in the hot spot, the channel where all the action goes down within minutes. Boats in all shapes and sizes, sunscreen, white claws, sunglasses, pasties and male thongs can be seen at any time. It’s like a trip to the Ozarks where everyone is ready to party and meet new faces and strike up fun conversation. Lake Havasu City also has the original London Bridge. It was purchased in 1968 and was brought and reconstructed here by Robert P. McCulloch .The bridge connects the mainline to the Island, where there are beautiful homes, resorts, restaurants, bike trails and look out points where you can watch the sunset overlooking the lake. Havasu offers off roading trails as well that lead to the Bunker bar. You can travel there by car or off road trails where you can enjoy a cold beer and large pretzels, hot dogs or finger foods.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout goes to my ex-employer Elly Foroosh. She was extremely critical of her staff and wanted excellence in every way. I would watch the way she conducted herself as a female boss/ owner. She was elegant, diplomatic, and hard to read. At the time of working for her, I would manifest myself sitting in her seat ( figuratively), and taking the role of an owner one day. She was severely misunderstood by all her staff due to the fact that she had to maintain balance, fairness and control over her operations. She had exquisite taste and projected the image of a powerful, attractive woman, who was judged and envied. The staff would speak harshly of her, including myself when we felt that she was too unfair, questioning us or had unattainable expectations. When in reality she was doing her job, and doing her best with all the responsibilities she had.
My exit from the company left me motivated by a comment she made about my choice to join my husband to start our own plumbing company. The comment was “ She went from limousines to plumbing” as if I should be ashamed of being in the trades. At the time I was offended and motivated to prove her wrong. As I have gone through my personal entrepreneurship, alongside my husband, I have never been so proud to be a woman that fought her way to earn the respect of the blue collar community and mostly of my staff. I have learned a lot from Elly, and I understand her more now than ever. From being judged by family, friends who think that ownership is a walk in the park, employees who think you’re taking home millions, I now see why she was the way she was and I respect her more now than ever. Despite her offensive comment about plumbing, it was a motivator more than anything to me. I used those stones thrown to build a wall to hike over it and overcome skeptics and distractions. I am forever grateful for my Miranda Presely ( Devil Wears Prada)

Website: www.Thompsonfamilyplumbing.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thompsonfamilyplumbing/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thompson-family-plumbing-and-rooter-inc./mycompany/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThompsonFamPlum

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThompsonFamilyPlumbingAndRooter

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/thompson-family-plumbing-and-rooter-hesperia-2

Image Credits
Jc Guzman