Shed Geek Podcast

Beyond Four Walls: The Human Side of Selling Structures

• Shed Geek Podcast • Season 5 • Episode 24

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Meagan from C&J Storage Solutions brings a refreshingly different perspective to the shed industry. Drawing from her background in mental health facilities, she's transformed how customers experience buying outdoor structures at her family's business in Bonnell, Florida.

Her journey began unexpectedly—helping with social media and occasional weekend coverage for her parents' shed business. When COVID hit just after her son's birth, Meagan made the difficult choice not to return to healthcare, gradually taking on more responsibility until ultimately running the business while her parents moved into semi-retirement.

What makes Meagan's approach unique is her customer-first philosophy. "I'm not a salesperson," she admits candidly, explaining how she focuses on building genuine connections instead of rushing to close deals. This authenticity resonates with customers who appreciate straight answers and personalized guidance through what can be a significant investment decision. As Meagan notes, sometimes the hardest part of the entire process is simply choosing paint colors!

The conversation explores fascinating ways customers are repurposing sheds beyond basic storage—from home offices to art studios, fitness spaces to hair salons, and even microgreen growing operations. Meagan delights in helping customers design structures that transform their properties and enhance their lives, whether they need a compact garden shed or a fully finished workspace with electrical, insulation, and climate control.

Perhaps most impressive is Meagan's commitment to service after the sale. Rather than leaving customers to navigate warranty issues alone, she serves as their ongoing advocate—handling repairs, answering questions, and ensuring satisfaction years after purchase. This dedication has created a loyal customer base that returns for additional structures and enthusiastically refers friends and family.

Whether you're considering a shed, metal structure, or gazebo, this episode offers valuable insights into finding the right solution for your needs and working with dealers who truly care about your long-term satisfaction. Subscribe to Shed Geek for more conversations with industry professionals who are changing how we think about outdoor structures.

For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.

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This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Union Grove Lumber

CAL
LuxGuard
Shed Pro
Making Sales Simple
Digital Shed Builder

Shed Geek:

Welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek podcast. Excited for today's interview, it's been a little bit of one in the making to some extent and I'll tell you what, Meagan, if you don't care, just maybe like introduce you who you are, your company, a little bit about what you guys do in the industry.

Meagan Hamblin:

OK, hi, welcome. I'm happy to be here. My name's Meagan. I am a shed dealer in Bonnell, Florida, C & J Storage Solutions. We are on the east coast of Central Florida. We deal in sheds, metal structures and gazebos.

Meagan Hamblin:

My family's been in the industry for going on six years ago. I am a mom of two and a wife, and my previous background was in mental health and substance abuse facilities, long-term care, inpatient treatments and statements, and back in 2019 I think. Um, the company belongs to my dad, joe, and his wife, Kathy, and they were looking for someone to just help make Facebook posts on the different buildings and get that out there. So I started helping just that way. Then they were both working six days a week on opposite schedules, never getting much time together, so they asked if I would step in and work on Saturdays, on my day off from my other job, to kind of give them a break. So, I spent the first month working alongside my dad. I wasn't allowed to talk to any customers yet. My job was to listen and watch and read the materials and understand the product, and eventually he trusted me to kind of go out on my own. So, I went from one day a week to two days a week.

Meagan Hamblin:

And then COVID hit and a lot of Florida shut down. I was home fresh with a newborn baby. My son was born in the very beginning of the shutdown of the pandemic and I was supposed to return to my job at the mental health facility and I didn't feel comfortable doing that. They were flying in. We were flying in patients from all over the country. It was very uncertain at that time, like what the incubation period was and whatever, so I didn't go back and I went to three days a week here and then four days and now it's just me here. They've retired, they work at home in the background and I handle the business day to day.

Shed Geek:

That's awesome. There's so much to unpack there. Just a cool story. What I love about doing podcasts with people and me and you have talked some, but you know it's hard to really connect on a, on a, on a real large level of knowing everything about a person. And and I love this just almost immediately as you begin to tell this like commercial of like who you are and how you got here you talk about mental health and substance abuse, and it's one area that we find some commonality specifically with substance abuse.

Shed Geek:

I had an opportunity to work in the faith- based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for about one year of my life and it was one of the most rewarding years that I've ever had the chance to work.

Shed Geek:

You know, um, they say ministry is not about the income, it's about the outcome, and I didn't make a lot of money but, man, I was rich with some of the experiences and stories I got to learn and it really sets a perspective too for you in life.

Shed Geek:

So, and that's always been a passion of mine, I've always, uh, um, just kind of toyed with the idea of doing a podcast around, you know, recovery and people's stories, because that's what I really love. I really love people's stories. I love to hear people's stories and, you know, even whenever I travel, I look at homes, I talk to people and I go wonder what it's like to live there, wonder what their experience in this world's like, you know. I mean, like it's the way my mind kind of works and I just had some of the best experiences listening to people tell me their stories. I've had some true heartbreaks. I've had friends, you know, who's passed away from addiction that just could not seem to get out of it and it just kind of shifts your perspective and your focus on life, you know at least it did mine.

Shed Geek:

I had a guy tell me one time, Meagan, I said, hey, what did the program do for you? Now, this was a faith-based program, but it was really interesting, he said. I said what did the program do for you? And he said you know it, it changed my wants. And I was like, wow, that's deep. He said you know it, it changed my wants and I was like, wow, that's deep. He said you know, I used to want to, you know, go do drugs and do all these things and then I found you know. He said I found Jesus and that that changed my wants. I wanted to be a family guy, I wanted to like be a productive citizen, I wanted to.

Shed Geek:

It was really a literally a rebirthing, if you will, of like who he was as a person. So, and he still is clean and sober today and it's awesome, you know to see him thriving. Yeah.

Meagan Hamblin:

That's cool, I didn't know. I'm sorry, go ahead.

Shed Geek:

No, I just I didn't know I was going to find that out today, so that that that interest immediately caught my attention.

Meagan Hamblin:

Yeah, it's a. It's a very rewarding job. It's a heavy job. My attention yeah, it's a, it's a very rewarding job. It's a heavy job. I took a lot of it home with me and that was that was hard for the family aspect of things and stuff like that. But you know the wins are big wins and the losses are bad losses. So, it's kind of like a very much give and take in that industry and you put your all into it because you're dealing with people's lives. So, this you know, I enjoyed my experience with that. I did that for probably five, six years and I worked with a lot of great people. I did strictly a facility that was active military women that came and got treatment. I you know I've done men's facilities, female facilities, strictly mental health facilities. So, it's a lot. This is definitely a more lighthearted job.

Meagan Hamblin:

Yeah, for sure, but I definitely gained a lot of wisdom and experience working and listening to people's stories and figuring out kind of what makes people tick.

Shed Geek:

Do you feel like you know, do you feel like that had kind of allowed you? So, I want to ask this first, any previous sales experience before that? Okay, so do you feel like that kind of allowed you, just your life experience in that way? Because I find that most people don't go into sales. Most people kind of fall into sales. We're starting to see some programs, I feel like in the education system that kind of offers some focus around sales. But you know, mostly they're usually like marketing degrees or something like that. That kind of fall into sales and realize like hey, maybe marketing wasn't my thing, sales was my thing. As I kind of mentioned in a Facebook post yesterday for a small company, you know sales and marketing kind of fits the same category in a lot of ways. But as you get bigger you start to realize that there's a difference in the two and I think a lot of marketing folks just fall into a sales position. Do you feel like you have a leg up in some ways because you know people's stories? You get into their stories because of what you did with mental health and those types of things. I feel like that helped make you a better transition into sales.

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Meagan Hamblin:

I think so. It helps me to connect with people. To me, a big part of my sales is creating the rapport with the customer. I definitely was never a salesperson. When they hired me on here, I said I'm not a salesperson.

Meagan Hamblin:

Funny story my parents, prior to selling sheds years ago I mean, they've had a ton of different businesses, including call centers of home diabetic supplies, medical supply equipment, vacation packages on top of a lot of other things, and I've tried to work for them in those positions before and I just couldn't do it. I couldn't. I wasn't the person to call people and be like hey, you know, can I send you diabetic supplies? I just I couldn't do it. And, um, I just wasn't a salesperson. People told me no, I'm like, no, okay, have a good day, bye, so um, but after having the experience listening to people's stories, I I'm able to kind of meet people where they are, you know. They come in and I ask about how their day was and what they're looking for, what they're planning on storing in the buildings, what their wants and needs are, and not as much to just try to upsell them or get them to buy that day I'm very honest or get them to buy that day. I'm very honest with my customers. I don't believe in trying to rush through anything just to make the sale, just to get the paperwork signed, like that's not me, and I have a lot of customers that return to me for that they go. Oh, you know, we were shopping around and this other place, they, they, you know it felt like we were bothering them and they didn't want to give us the information. And, and you know, you sat us down and told us everything you knew about the buildings, what this costs, what that looks like. You didn't you? You were very honest about it and they appreciate that, you know.

Meagan Hamblin:

And if I don't know an answer, I tell them like I don't have that answer, but if you give me a little while, I'm happy to research it and find it out for you. And I think that goes a long way with people and I feel like people are used to in the sales type industry. I mean you pull up to a car dealership, right, and it's like. I mean you pull up to a car dealership, right, and it's like they run to you and it's who can get the sale first? And they try to kind of I can't think of the word for it. They try to surface level everything to make it go as quickly and easy as possible and that's if you're not ready today, that's fine, let me give you the information. I'll give you the information 10 more times and then, whenever you are ready, I'm here for you to answer any more questions you have. And I believe that goes a long way with people. So, I don't know if it necessarily gave me a leg up, but I think it helps me further connect with people. Make that rapport further connect with people. Make that rapport.

Meagan Hamblin:

A big thing I was taught was customer service comes first. So, a big thing I tell my customers is you know, when you're buying from us, when you're purchasing from C& J Storage Solutions, it's a family type experience. When you call next week to ask a question, it's still going to be me answering the phone. It's just me here every day, all day, so they're not going to have to chase me down or try to find an answer and someone else give them a different answer. They're dealing with me from start to finish, from information to order placement, to building being received and delivered. It's me the whole time. So, I think that's important and it's important to build those relationships with the community for sure.

Shed Geek:

It really streamlines the process too for the consumer to deal with one personality throughout the whole process. I feel like maybe you know people who come to buy. They buy because they have a need and then they find someone that can meet the need and they transfer that enthusiasm, you know, to like hey, we have your solution and then. But it's really nice to be able to work with them through the whole process.

Shed Geek:

You said something earlier and, and you know I did a keynote speech recently and I'll give a shout out to my, my good friends in Millersburg, Ohio, at Playmor and Stryker Hunting Blinds and I got a chance to speak on both days to their dealer network and I really dug in deep, you know, personally, to come up with this content, to try and think about and at the end of the day, you know and it said it whenever I got there and their big banner behind the stage said fun, you know. And you know I told him I said you know you guys get to sell one of the coolest things on earth. You talked about selling medical supplies and I brought that up even in my speech. I said you know you could be selling medical supplies. You know how fun is that Medical supplies like necessary Absolutely.

Meagan Hamblin:

Definitely not fun.

Shed Geek:

No, but you know they're selling fun because they're selling play sets, right, you know what I mean. Like it's fun, and fun's the easiest thing to sell, because people want to have fun. Even people who don't like to have fun like to have fun when a fun person makes them have fun, right.

Meagan Hamblin:

You know, they still enjoy. It.

Shed Geek:

They do, they, they, they, they might fight it because they're gruff and serious and everything else. But whenever you finally get them to crack a smile, they're just kind of like, yeah, this was good, I needed this, you know. And hunting blinds, you know how cool was that? Because it might not be fun in the sense of like laughter and swing sets and rock walls, but it's your extracurricular activities, it's your idea of fun. Maybe as an adult you go out, you enjoy hunting and that's fun for you. I don't know if we sell fun selling sheds and gazebos and carports, but you do sell sort of a dream, because people have something they want to do. Maybe they want to do a music studio in their shed. So now you're getting to attach yourself to the fun part of their life and dream with them what that's going to look like.

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Meagan Hamblin:

And it definitely can be fun. You know we do very custom buildings. I like to say we offer everything except for plumbing, because I don't do plumbing, we don't. We're not at the point yet of like tiny homes, residential, but in the years I've done this, I've done art studios, I've done home gyms, I've done home offices were a huge thing, especially at when COVID hit, you know, everyone was home, everyone was locked down, people were trying to work from home, but the kids were also doing school from home and the husband or wife was still in the other room trying to do their job. So we offer what's called, you know, a premium building which is fully insulated, electrical heating and air conditioning, interior walls, we do special doors and windows. So it can be fun, for sure to.

Meagan Hamblin:

It's fun for me to help the customer kind of design it. What are your wants? What are you wanting in this building? What are you needing and what's going to make you the most productive? And so, for me the fun is sitting with them, getting to know what they really want, being able to put that on paper and then watching the building get delivered in and the customer just lighting up because it was everything that they wanted. Now, don't get me wrong, the bread and butter is definitely the smaller storage buildings that house the lawnmower and the garden equipment and the kids toys or whatever. But we get to do a lot of fun things and a lot of fun designs. I have a lot of cool buildings outside on the lot right now that are waiting to be delivered out that I sat down with customers over weeks or months to design and come to fruition for them. So, I think it's fun for sure.

Shed Geek:

What's one of the more interesting uses of a building that you've seen so far, since you've been selling.

Meagan Hamblin:

I think it's cool when people want to make them into tiny homes. Florida isn't as up to the times with tiny homes as a lot of other states are, so it's possible to be done, but they kind of make you jump through hoops a bit to get there. Um, but I have seen people in certain places take one of my buildings that was mostly finished and do full habitable structures out of them bathrooms, kitchens, I mean big decks around them. I've seen hunting cabins. I have a friend here where I live in Palm Coast. Her whole business is working out online doing videos for other women to work out to. She sells like a subscription. So, she bought one of my buildings and she has it fully set up as her home gym. So, there's a lot of cool things that I've seen. I don't know if I could pinpoint it off the top of my head of what's what the coolest was, but it's. It's fun to see how far I can take them with it and then see what they do with it after delivery.

Shed Geek:

It's really just dreaming with them, kind of you know, like initially would people think of like selling a space for a you know a subscription model. You know gym membership, if you will. That's kind of you know, natured around like you know, maybe women empowerment or women's health or something along those lines it's like, but those things didn't exist before because the internet's changed everything now, so that's even changed the use of the building, because it's like no one before would have been like you know, you could turn this into a, you know a studio and it's like, well, you know how could I do that? Well, who's going to watch? But with the, with the Internet being 30 years old now and seeing these things take off more and more, I see people playing music and seeing these things take off more and more. I see people playing music.

Shed Geek:

I see a lot of music studios. You know, not even just. You know your traditional gardening. You know garden shed, you know, or greenhouse or whatever, but some really unique use cases for space and they want a space that is like sturdy. And they want a space that is like sturdy and they want a space that is secure and in some cases they want one that's finished out, even if it's too up to the point of plumbing, you know, and maybe they have to jump through the hoops, but you, you are right that we can sell. Still, have fun. It's really getting to know that customer and spending some time in the customer acquisition phase to kind of know what do you need and how can I best serve you. Like you know, what else can we do? What can we add to this to? I mean, they're putting golf simulators in sheds now. It's pretty, pretty regular, you know, and it's like man, that's fun.

Meagan Hamblin:

Yeah, yeah, I've done a couple of hair studios also women that, or even men that you know that's what they do. They're a barber, they're a hairdresser. They don't want to sit in a big shop so they put, you know, a studio in their yard where they can take their clients one on one. I did a guy that lived in Chile for a long time and he came back over here and he was growing and selling micro greens at farmers markets. So he was growing them in the building and then bringing them to farmers markets and selling them arugula, like you know, different basil, different greens, like that. So that was pretty cool when he sent me pictures of that. And one thing I always find funny is I can have customers sit with me and they make every decision on doors, window placements, where they want every single outlet to be placed in the height. Would you believe me when I told you that the hardest decision is paint colors?

Meagan Hamblin:

I'm serious At the end of the day. They're like I just don't know what paint color I want on my building and they may take an extra week to decide that. I always find that kind of funny.

Shed Geek:

Well, and it speaks a lot to the mindset of the customer really, whenever they come in, that, like you know, we get so bogged down being in the industry, sometimes with, like our knowledge of the paint or the products or different things, that sometimes we forget to almost be childlike in our approach to the customer and what, why they're there and what they're hoping to accomplish. Like, like you know, for us would we say, man, it shouldn't take a week to pick a paint color, right, like all of us are like, come on, let's just get this thing done so we can get the sale, but it's like, hey, this is a that that's that important to that customer, you know what I'm saying?

Meagan Hamblin:

Sure, it's an investment.

Shed Geek:

Yeah, yeah.

Meagan Hamblin:

I mean, especially if you're doing a big finished unit. It's a large investment and it takes time to make those decisions.

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Shed Geek:

And I even love that you say investment, because you know that changes the dynamic from a big cost to a big investment. You're investing into your time, your future. You're investing into a place to store your things, to keep them safe, secure, dry, out of the weather. Just the word investment changes the mindset for the customer. We invest in a lot of things. We invest in a home to be safe and to be secure too. Right, it's not just a cost or a negative thing in our life.

Shed Geek:

You said something earlier about being honest and don't want to rush the sale. You know customer acquisition time in sales because we sell a retail product. What's your approach when someone comes in? I remember early on in shed sales I had a guy come in and had one foot in the door and one foot out the door and he had been in the week before and he's like hey, went down to your competitor, he's got it for this price.

Shed Geek:

Now we didn't really have a chance to sit down and apples to apples walk through because we did a price match anyway. So, we would have literally matched whatever they were getting at whatever quality. We would have just had to understand it. Do you feel like it's beneficial for you to take the time in the customer acquisition phase to explain that to them, because there's a lot of impulse buyers out there that are just like you know. I want to stop by get this thing done in about five minutes and move on. I want to stop by get this thing done in about five minutes and move on, only for there to be problems later because there's questions or things that didn't get asked.

Meagan Hamblin:

What approach do you guys take? Kind of similar, I definitely. You know, try to compare apples to apples. I will never talk down about another distributor or another manufacturer. I don't believe that's right. In some cases I know what those companies offer and how their buildings are made. Other times I don't. And I always, you know, I'm always like sure, please shop around, just make sure you're comparing. What you should be comparing, know, is the framing right, is you know?

Meagan Hamblin:

In Florida, everything has to be built up to, you know, a very high standard because of hurricane. So, all my buildings are 16 on center, double studs every four feet, double two by four. Hurricane top plates, a lot of um, a lot of competition, does 24 on center of everything and single top plates. A big thing, though, is again being able to say you're only dealing with me when you come through here. This is a small business, I'm one person, we are not a franchise, it's just us. A lot of the other companies, they have multiple lot locations all over the place, and it's a bigger business model.

Meagan Hamblin:

Motions and sales, where I may not have that option, but I also have excellent warranties. I have an amazing repairman on staff, so if you ever were to have an issue with your building. You never have to go through the manufacturer, where most of the warranties are manufacturer warranties on the siding, on the roofing. It all comes through me. You send me photos, let me know the issue, I send my repairman out immediately, no questions asked, to see what the issue is, how he can fix it, and then I submit through the warranty, because there's a lot of companies that offer warranties but unless the building is falling down, it's you know, the structural integrity is infected. They're like, yeah, no, we're not fixing that, we're not coming out, or sure we'll get back to you. And then they never get back to you.

Meagan Hamblin:

So, my goal is to stick with them through the whole way. So, in three years you've had your building and now you have an issue, call me, I'll pull you up. Most of the time I remember them or I remember their building and I'm able to get that service taken care of immediately. I have customers that return for multiple buildings or they've bought sheds and now they want a gazebo. So, I think it's important to never talk bad about the competition or another manufacturer, because everyone's just, at the end of the day, trying to build their business and find success, right? I just want to make sure that my customers are getting what they need, and if that's somewhere else, ok, that's fine. But I can also help you too.

Shed Geek:

Yeah, no, that's great. You always have a, you always have a value proposition of yourself to be able to take care of the customer. And it's really just. You know, a lot of the products are very similar. Maybe you can find 10 to 15% difference if you broke it down on some kind of a scale. But what you can't replace is the salesperson, and that's one of the most important parts of the process, the systems and processes and the person themselves and the trust that they can develop and the rapport they can develop with the consumer. I love.

Shed Geek:

I wrote down some notes here where you talked about you know, customer service first and being a customer service first company, your sales after the service, which is absolutely imperative, and it's a part of sales that sometimes many of us forget. It's just, you know, it's easy to forget that, like you get your commission, you're done, you got the sale. I don't act with the same enthusiasm, probably you know, once I've closed the deal, but you should. You know, because the sales isn't the sales cycle doesn't stop at the sale. Matter of fact, there's much work to be done once you close and that's taking care of the customer, making sure they know when the building's coming, checking up on them afterwards.

Shed Geek:

I'm hearing rumblings of people talking about you know, starting sort of like a I'm talking to them, so it's not rumblings, but you know, starting a vlog in a sense, to some extent of even like, what do you do after you've had your shed for a year? What do you do? You know what if you want to do shelving? What if you want to do maintenance or some kind of repair that's not covered under the warranty, or what you know? How do you replace the roof or a door or a window or add one If you came to the conclusion after you got it there? We need to change this up and it's like man, there's a whole host of things that you can be a guide towards. You know, as a salesperson, to be like hey, you know, and, and guess what that does, that gives you the power to ask for referrals. Like hey, you know, and guess what that does.

Shed Geek:

That gives you the power to ask for referrals, gives you the chance to like, trust your customer to the point where they say, trust me, you've got to go to Meagan because we just had the best experience. And she's even been checked up with us, you know, every six months, even afterwards, you know, to make sure everything was good or whatever. So, service after the sales is a big one. I want to shift gears and I want to ask you what your thoughts are on. Have you always sold like carports, metal structures and gazebos, or is it, you know, was it sheds first or vice versa?

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Meagan Hamblin:

So, it's funny. Before I started, the story goes is they were selling used cars. They were selling used cars and gazebos and then a gentleman stopped by their location one day and said hey, have you ever thought about selling sheds? And they signed up to sell sheds. The cars went out the window and it started with. So, it started with the gazebos, then started the sheds. The metal structures came after. We did enclose trailers for a little while, but they take up a lot of space and where I live here they're very hit or miss. I wouldn't sell any for weeks and then I would sell three in a week. So, once we got rid of the original inventory we had, we didn't sell any more enclosed trailers. But yeah, it's basically always been since I've been here the sheds, the metal structures and the gazebos.

Shed Geek:

How do you differentiate or do you differentiate? Is it even necessary? Your approach to steel structures versus sheds Do you find them kind of similar? Do you find the customers to be similar whenever they come in looking for something? Or do they look for a shed and realize, oh, a steel structure would have been better for this situation, or vice versa?

Meagan Hamblin:

Yeah, sometimes. And that goes back to finding out the customer's why. Right, you've walked into my office, you're here, you need something, but what is it you're looking to do, right? If you're looking for, you know you live on a property that doesn't have a garage and you need a two-car garage and a place to do some work. I'm going to direct you towards a steel structure. Let me show you one. You can get a lot more square footage for the price point with the steel structure. What brings the pricing up on that is concrete if you're placing it on a concrete slab. So I do have concrete companies I recommend to my customers to reach out to get multiple quotes on.

Meagan Hamblin:

If you're looking for, you know, just a place for a lawnmower and some hand tools, let me show you a smaller shed. You know the steel structures tend to be larger. I think the smallest size I offer is a 12 by 16. And if you're looking for just lawnmowers and bikes, you may not need that size.

Meagan Hamblin:

There's also different city and county restrictions, also when I live in Palm Coast, they are not an HOA but they have a lot of HOA type rules and regulations, so they don't allow steel structures. So, if you've come in and you live in Palm Coast, I know that the steel structures is absolutely off the table. Let me show you a shed up to this size because that's what they'll allow Most of the time. I don't think the customers are different between the two. I think it's more just what their needs are and what their why is just so, what their needs are and what their why is. You know, I also am able to offer a lot more finishing options for the sheds than I am a steel structure. I can build you the structure, but you have to with the steel buildings. You have to send out for electrical, for insulation, for all of that where the sheds.

Meagan Hamblin:

I can give them a more finished product if that's what they're looking for.

Shed Geek:

No, that's great. And have you found that offering those steel structures sometimes will net you a shed customer? You know it actually benefits to have them on the property because somebody says you know, I don't really need that, the shed will work perfect.

Meagan Hamblin:

Yeah, yeah, I've done both, and at the same time I've had customers that have come in and bought steel structures and then a couple of years later, they just need a small utility shed and they come back for a shed. So, it definitely works both ways. There are definitely customers that come in with a notion of what they want and then before they leave, they've completely switched gears Right. So, it's nice to be able to offer more, more options, more products to be able to fit multiple needs.

Shed Geek:

Do you think that you guys will add to your line of products as you go, Furniture, play sets, any things of that nature? Is that, excuse me? Is that in the future?

Meagan Hamblin:

I'm not sure They've done play sets. In the past they were doing play sets along with gazebos before they started the sheds. We have started looking into barn dominium type products pergolas, sunrooms. That was a lot of talk prior to my parents retiring and it hasn't been talked about as much since they have retired. I've looked into some barn dominium type stuff and, to be honest, it's hard to kind of bring on a lot more when it's just me here. I can do x amount of research and try to find a right company. It was definitely a lot easier to do some of that stuff when my dad was here and because he makes those connections, the business type connections. So that is definitely something we're looking into. The Barn Dominium seems to be a big thing around here and throughout most of the United States right now. I don't think we'd go back to play sets.

Meagan Hamblin:

So yeah, I think if we brought in anything, it would probably be either pergolas or barn dominiums it's just, I'd like to eventually be able to offer even a more finished unit, do like a be able to offer a full start to finish tiny home, um. But again, that requires a lot, of, a lot of research to be in with the counties and the city codes and have contractors on hand to do plumbing and and and kitchens and bathrooms and things like that. So that would that would be a goal that we'd like to see come true at some point. We'll just have to see how it goes, you know.

Shed Geek:

Well, I, I, yeah, I applaud you for it. It just seems like the shed industry, you know, has so much opportunity that I always say the shed is the common denominator, but there's so many other things, from furniture, I mean, this poly furniture is just getting wild, you know, it's everywhere. And I'm thinking to myself you're in Florida, you know, I don't know, maybe that's a big hit. It's just, you know, and if we can ever be a resource for you to help, we're more than happy to be a resource in any way that we can. So, we're growing the advertising network for people who want to be on there and get in front of people, people who want to be on there and get in front of people. So, yeah, if you, if it's something that you guys offer and you want to get in front of people, it's pretty, pretty, pretty cost effective in terms of, like, what we're doing right now. So, I'm excited about it. I just think. I think it's cool.

Shed Geek:

I still have the same energy, you know, for the shed industry that I had whenever I first got in it, even when starting the podcast four years ago. You know it's went from turning into, you know, fun to a job, you know, but I still have, excuse me, I still have fun at my job and that's the coolest thing. Any shout outs any, any, any, any questions that you have for me. I always like to offer at the end of the podcast to ask people. You know, do you have any questions? Maybe that's something I can answer about podcasting sheds, maybe you don't, but just anything that comes to mind and that will create a little dialogue between us, and that'll create a little dialogue between us.

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Meagan Hamblin:

Not that I can think of off the top of my head. You guys have been excellent, extremely patient with us in making decisions on marketing and things like that. Y'all built us a beautiful website. I very much enjoy working with you guys. I don't know that I have any specific questions and you know I'm excited that you asked me to do the podcast with you. I was trying to. You know, my daughter is 11, going on 17. So, I was like, hey, I'm going to be on a podcast tomorrow. So, I was like, hey, I'm going to be on a podcast tomorrow. And she goes why? Like I'm not cool enough, like I must not be cool enough.

Meagan Hamblin:

And I was like well, they asked me to be on the podcast. And she's like why? So, I definitely feel cooler at work than I do at home, so I appreciate you asking me to be part of that.

Shed Geek:

You can be the cool mom now.

Meagan Hamblin:

You can go around the house like you get to watch me on a podcast and she's like no, so, um, that's funny, um, but that definitely sounds like uh, yeah, like what my kids would probably say.

Shed Geek:

You know, the truth is so. My kids are 20 and 22. They actually do a lot of the editing most of the editing for these shows. They both work for us and it's interesting. It's fun because it's a family dynamic much like what you guys have there, but then it's also interesting because you know they are notorious for telling me I like to give lectures. Because you know I are notorious for telling me I like to give lectures because you know I'm their dad. I'm just like sitting there and I'm like look, look, look.

Shed Geek:

You know I'm like let me set you up right for the world and do this and do that, and it's like, oh, this is so boring. Maybe they see a little different side. Whenever we get to do like the podcast and have fun with people, I try to let my personality shine, but trust me, this is about as good as it gets. I'm a much more introverted person than people actually realize. When I started a podcast, I found it fascinating to talk to other people and hear their stories and it's like I didn't realize that I would get so much attention and I'm a little embarrassed by it sometimes, you know.

Shed Geek:

But then I put on this. You know I don't have it today, but I normally have on, like this, bowtie and suspenders and I get to play this little character and it is fun and I just, yeah, well, we're thankful that you guys decided to you know, work with us in some capacity. To you know, work with us in some capacity where we're always willing to help in areas that we that, that we can. There's a lot of other good companies out there that provide a lot of good products and services and things in the industry. So, we try to just be fair. Like you said, don't bad mouth anyone and recognize that we can't serve everyone anyway, and so it's awesome.

Shed Geek:

I always tell people, you know, I'm a Christian. I'm a little bit loud about my Christian beliefs, maybe not as loud as I should be, but I at least want there to be enough evidence to suggest I am a Christian. And the one thing I know that I'm taught through that is that it's people first, business second. So you know, for me these are brothers and sisters in Christ first, and then they are business, friends and foes. Second, you know so like I want to see people succeed, I love to see others succeed as well too, because you know we're built for that. We're built to help people succeed. I love to see others succeed as well, too, because you know we're built for that. We're built to help each other and we're super excited to have you guys on as a client, and if you ever need any resources whatsoever, just feel free to reach out. We're more than happy to oblige. Maybe I can make it down there one day, because I'm assuming it's a lot warmer there today than it is here, based off your t-shirt and my hoodie.

Meagan Hamblin:

Yeah, it's a little cooler this morning at 71.

Shed Geek:

Yesterday. How do you guys get through? I don't even know how you do it.

Meagan Hamblin:

I'll tell you I'm sweating. Maybe I was nervous to be on here, but I'm sitting here going. Man, did I turn the AC on in here today it's hot. No, I mean, we're originally from Rhode Island but my family moved to Florida in 93. I was seven years old, so I don't know the snow, I don't know the cold. Like I need sunshine, I need palm trees, I need. I don't go to the beach much, but I need to know that it's just a couple of minutes away if I want to stop by.

Shed Geek:

No well, it's a balmy 27 here in Metropolis today, so I would take the 71 any day. I keep convincing, dropping hints with my wife. Like you know, we could just always move to Florida. I mean, everyone else is doing it. We would be the cool kids too and move to Florida, you know.

Meagan Hamblin:

That's the dream, right? You eventually move to Florida, retire at the beach, play golf, I don't know. I mean, that's the, that's the dream. I mean, we're flooded with newcomers right now, but, uh, there's always more space. So, either way, it's a nice place to visit and, um, but you know, it's it's, it's always the. You know the grass is always greener. I would love to see mountains and, uh, I want to see the snow, but I want to come back here because I can't handle the cold.

Shed Geek:

I'll live vicariously and through envy of your weather today and every day. You guys are great. It's really. You know, we really appreciate you know, yourself and Joe connecting and just the conversations. I hope you got hoodies or shirts or something. We sent something down to you, I don't remember what it was.

Meagan Hamblin:

Yeah, I got a couple of shirts.

Shed Geek:

Yeah, all right, good yeah, I just can't say enough about how much we appreciate it, appreciate you listening, certainly appreciate you being on the show. I hope you've enjoyed it and maybe it wasn't as intimidating, maybe as initially thought no, so a lot smoother than I expected.

Shed Geek:

A lot of people. I think they said that public speaking is like fifth on the list of the fears that most people have, and I always feel, like you know, I have a little bit of room to move with the specifically the salespeople because I tell them you know you're talking and putting yourself out there every day, all day now anyway, so you should feel very comfortable and, if not, you should get out of your skin and start feeling comfortable with being able to speak in public events or in spaces because, listen, you're already doing it. You're already doing it and why not try to get better at it? And most people will tell me like wow, that either went by really fast or it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. And it boils down to this for me, Meagan, I believe everyone has a story and I really like listening to yours here today and look forward to getting to know and meet you guys further, and I can't wait to swing by when we're in Florida and just say hello.

Meagan Hamblin:

So yeah, that would be awesome. Come and see us.

Shed Geek:

That sounds good. Well, we will stay on here, but we'll go ahead and end the podcast, definitely. Thank you guys for listening. I'm trying to think of things that I need to drop in here last minute. If you guys aren't on the Shed Sales Professionals page, please go to it and just make sure that you fill out your information. You do not have to put your email in, but it's an option if you want to receive the Shed Geek newsletter, which is basically an email campaign that we have been growing out, where we're also offering blogs. So, we want people telling their stories through blogs. We want people who offer products and services in the industry to be able to blog and talk about their service, their product and why it's beneficial and helpful. We will plug those in. We're just. I'll get you in touch with my wife and she will take care of that.

Shed Geek:

There are sponsorship spots available. Our 10 sponsor spots for the Wednesday show are full, but there are others that are available and becoming available, including our digital ads, which we've lowered all the way down to a whopping $100 a month for those, and people say why did you do such a big price decrease and listen. This is why. The reason why is because we have been blessed, the Lord's been good to us through our other opportunities like marketing and rent to own and financing, and there may be more that we're doing here before too long. I can't say too much, but so for that reason we didn't want to give it away for free, because I think people don't value free, but we wanted to go all the way down as low as we could, and we we've settled on that being a hundred dollars a month.

Shed Geek:

So, if you want to get your product or service in front of the industry, that goes out to over 5,000 people in the industry and look, we just enjoy being a resource really for the industry, along with the magazines. It's nice to have a place to come see people, hear their stories and talk about the industry. And if we can help you in some way, feel free to reach out to me. Yeah, I'm trying to get all my little plugs in and things like that. I'm not trying to bore people to death or whatever. But, um, Meagan, it's been fun tell Joe we said hello and we sincerely thank you guys for listening.

Meagan Hamblin:

Thank you.