The prolonged economic hardships of the last eighteen months have often favored big box service companies over local neighborhood shops. Many independent businesses faced a significant downturn, laying off staff, or even closing completely. Shining like a beacon in the storm, Jim Feliciano specializes in guiding local entrepreneurs through rough waters.
Feliciano’s expertise comes from real world experience. The award-winning Founder and CEO of Plumbing Unlimited started in the trenches as a service plumber. “My Dad deeply ingrained in me at a very young age that if you want anything in life, you have to go get it. It’s not going to be handed to you,” Jim recollects. Employed by a large national company, he took the initiative to implement innovative sales systems and customer strategies. Heads turned as he accelerated his local branch from 30K a month to 2 million. Although recognized as a corporate rising star and well compensated economically, Jim felt unfulfilled.
Then one day, the light bulb went off in his head. Feliciano realized he could duplicate his successful tactics, tools and strategies for other shops, teaching them how to expand their businesses, compete against the corporate behemoths, and win. Seeing the positive impact on entrepreneurs, their families, and communities resonated with him. Since founding Plumbing Unlimited, Jim’s worked with hundreds of plumbers, radically transforming independent shops in the industry.
Jim loves connecting with others and impacting their lives, yet recognizes that solo entrepreneurship can sometimes be a lonely road. Plumbing Unlimited combats that sense of isolation with a robust online community. Shop owners are connected with mentors and a support system to provide actionable playbooks in bite sized chunks. “We focus on flooding your phone with quality customers without breaking the bank on marketing costs. Then, we place you with plumbers with high production numbers that genuinely want to help you. It forces you to think at a whole different level,” explains Feliciano.
Jim also visits businesses to help with profitability. Like a doctor making a house call, he spends an entire day with the shop owner, diagnosing where profits are being burned and the fastest way to stop the bleeding. He often finds shops are burning on the average 50 cents for every dollar made. With a keen eye for paring costs and increasing efficiency, Feliciano offers insights that can have an immediate impact on the bottom line.
Jim Feliciano has created a team of independent entrepreneurs from all over the country. They are united by Plumbing Unlimited’s core values which prioritize integrity, continuous improvement, innovation, and blowing the customer away. Next time the disposal breaks or the sewer line backs up, you might opt for personalized service from a local independent shop owner – instead of a Goliath mega-organization – to tackle the job.
Jim is originally from New York, where he volunteered serving the city’s youth and homeless. He recently moved to Texas and is happily adjusting to life in Austin. Wherever he calls home, Jim Feliciano is a fan of empowering and serving business owners. He can be reached at (512) 886-8166.
