Our Story

introduced to the Trades

2014

Steven begins his first foray into Cabinets, working as a tech at Espresso finishes in Tampa FL.

Initially, Steven planned to work with Espresso Finishes short term while he figured out what he wanted to do  next.

Steven quickly began noticing areas for dramatic improvement in the business, and was able to help the owners make significant improvements… but it was a challenge.   The owners were somewhat reluctant to try new things.

Steven decided that instead of battling the owner to implement ideas that would help their business, he’d be better starting his own.

Steven quickly began noticing areas for dramatic improvement in the business, and was able to help the owners make significant improvements… but it was a challenge.   The owners were somewhat reluctant to try new things.

Steven decided that instead of battling the owner to implement ideas that would help their business, he’d be better starting his own.

Elite Cabinet Coatings is Founded

2015

Steven moves from Tampa to Orlando to start his own business.  Confident in his ability, he uses the deposits from his first few sales to purchase the materials for his jobs.

Like any business, Steven had challenges… but was 100% committed to the success of his business.  He regularly put in 16 hour days… often completing two jobs a week by himself.

His first year he brought a portable spray booth to thanksgiving and was working through the holidays. 

The hard work enabled him to bring in almost 500,000 in revenue his first year… but he quickly became aware it wasn’t sustainable.

The Quest for Balance

2016-2018

Hard work is a cornerstone of success… but most successful people will tell you, it can only get you so far.  

Steven recognized that if he was ever going to have balance, he’d have to learn how to hire and manage teams.  He had a successful business… but at the time, he didn’t have much of a life.  So he made a change.

In 2016, Steven hired his first team member.

Over the next two years, he grew Elite Cabinet Coatings into a multimillion dollar business.   

The process wasn’t easy.  He spent tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours making mistakes.  He hired crew members, sales people, office staff… and through trial and error, learned how to effectively build and manage a highly successful company.

When people found out what he did for a living, they were often surprised.  People didn’t believe that kind of success was possible in the trades… 

As Stevens friends began starting their own trades businesses, he found himself consulting and helping them to grow.  And that’s when an idea was sparked.

Steven was very aware of the shortages that exist in the trades.  When he first started his business, it seemed like you could get plenty of work just by showing up on time.

As the business grew Steven quickly began to notice the amount of issues they were having with other contractors.  Jobs that weren’t completed on time, workers who just didn’t show up… fly by night contractors that would take the deposit and disappear. 

He realized that he could take all he had learned and actually make a meaningful difference in the trades.

Cabinet Startup is Born

In 2018, Steven decided to take the skills he’d learned, the work he was already doing in helping his friends, and his desire to make a difference to launch something revolutionary.

And Cabinet Startup was born.

In the beginning, Steven flew out to a students location and helped them to start their business.  They covered everything from launching the LLC all the way to how to prep, prime and paint the cabinets…

The first students had successes beyond even what he expected.  They were able to create a profitable business in less than 60 days… with the proof of concept in place, Steven knew it was time to double down.

About that time, Steven met Wilson… the other partner in Cabinet Startup.  Wilson’s experience running a major solar company gave him some incredible insights into the trades… and his background in sales and business opportunities was perfect to help make the change.

They immediately began expanding and improving the program to meet the needs of the students.  They created a training facility where students could learn first hand, in a controlled environment… while also being able to see how the operations run at a 7 figure shop.

From 2018-2020, Steven and Wilson helped over 35 people successfully launch their own cabinet shops. 

They quickly became known for helping their students achieve a six figure run rate in under 90 days. 

They have several students who’ve already done over a million in revenue… and are continuing to grow.

During that time they’ve refined the program dramatically to help their students achieve the best results possible, in the shortest time.  They program focuses on simplicity and process… it’s not easy, but it works!

Cabinet Startup’s proprietary CADS system has been responsible for over $10,000,000.00 in Revenue, just in Cabinet Refinishing.

Testimonials

We judge our success in Cabinet Startup not in revenue, but in lives changed.  Your success is our success, these are just a few of the lives we’ve changed over the years!

Brands we've created with our Partners and Clients

See what he Noah has to say about how the training has helped him and his father’s cabinet business in Minnesota and what their business has been up to after they left training in Florida!

Noaha

Tony describes his experience working with the team and getting his business moved over! The focus on cabinets brought a huge increase for his business!

Tony

Learn how Charles created a six figure business in under 3 months working with the Cabinet Startup Team!

Charles