For those that have been listening to our episodes you may have heard a reoccurring comment: find a good partner from the distribution world. In today's episode, we get to hear about what happens when the distributor of porcelain slabs cannot find a partner to work with. For Atlanta's Leo Chuahy of Prime Surfaces, having a million dollars of inventory had to make the tough decision: sit and wait for someone to start installing his inventory, or get out there and do it himself. Hear his rationale, the lessons learned, and how having the right tools matters to him.

We needed to apologize to our friend from Cincinnati. In one of our earliest episodes, we chose to interview Fred Wiedenmann from Telos Tile on the floor of Coverings. That episode holds the record for shortest discussion recorded. So we thought we needed to give him another chance to explain how his savvy business acumen has allowed him to be critical of his business model. Hear the difference between panels and slabs, if having a showroom is really worth it, and if having old guys hanging out at your business is a good thing.

You are not in a metropolis like LA or NYC. You have a couple competitors that already have quartz and granite figured out. Why not try something new and see if you can make it your speciality? For Eau Claire, Wisconsin's Luke Dillamon of Eau Claire Custom Stone, that was the situation he found himself. Small startup, in a smaller market, with an established competitor. Hear how his background made him unafraid to try porcelain slabs for countertops, fireplaces, and more in this, our 20th episode!