Tom Smith, of Weston, Florida, is a successful business owner and entrepreneur. He is the President of All Year Cooling, a Coral Springs, Florida-based air conditioning company that serves all of South Florida. The HVAC business specializes in home air conditioning unit installation and repair. Tom was born in Hollywood, Florida, and attended South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida. Tom Smith was a hardworking self-starter from a young age. He began selling cars at the age of nineteen and soon had his own lot. Tom then successfully ran a business that bought and built houses. When he became the President of All Year Cooling, he returned to the industry where he grew up.
All Year Cooling has grown from a small company to a thriving and well-established business thanks to Tom Smith. Under his guidance, it has become one of the leading air conditioning companies in South Florida. All Year Cooling, based in Weston, Florida, and with a home office in Coral Springs, serves consumers from Vero Beach to Homestead. Tom is a fantastic leader who sets an example for others to follow. His commitment to providing exceptional customer service motivates his team to continuously produce high-quality work. Tom makes himself available to his customers at all times of the day to ensure that they can rely on him.
Tom Smith is a dedicated family man despite his hectic schedule as a business owner. He and his wife, Erin Smith, live in Weston, Florida, with their four children, where they are involved in a variety of community activities and charitable causes, including Project We Care, a family-based non-profit organization that provides food, clothing, home goods, and other necessities to veterans. Tom enjoys participating in his children’s activities, such as lacrosse, soccer, gymnastics, or coding, and spending time with his family creating new memories.
What’s the name of your company? What exactly does your company do and how do you help people?
All Year Cooling is a Heating, Air Conditioning, and Appliance Company. We install, maintain and repair HVAC units in homes all over South Florida. Our main goal is to provide the best service possible to our customers. Not only do we want them completely satisfied with the job that was done but we always strive for 100% customer satisfaction overall! We believe in integrity and fairness in everything we do at All Year Cooling so when you call us for anything you’re guaranteed to get someone who’s ready to help right away. We help people by providing a reliable service that ensures satisfaction and comfort whether it is a residential or commercial job.
What is your hiring philosophy?
My hiring philosophy is to hire the most honest, dependable and respectful staff possible. I look for those who are friendly and patient. It’s very important to us that we choose someone with a positive attitude because their attitude will also be reflected onto our customers. I enjoy teaching and training people the skills that they need, but certain qualities people bring in the door with them.
What piece of advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
I wish someone had told me that I should always do my best but to remember that there is no reason to compare myself with others because we all start at different points in life. My other advice would be to take things slowly and make sure you are ready for what you want before you go all in. It’s important not to get ahead of yourself because you might fail if you plan too much at once, so start small and work your way up!
Tell us, how do you deal with rejection?
Rejection is never easy, but you have to learn from every experience. The most important thing to remember about rejection is that it can’t always be your fault. Sometimes it’s out of your control and the only way to know that is by giving everything a try in order to understand what you are good at. The more experience you have, the better because when you get rejected for something you’ve done before you will know how much effort to put into future projects so they don’t meet the same fate! It’s okay if things don’t go your way – just keep trying until they do because not every situation calls for the same approach.
What do you see as your greatest success in life, so far?
My greatest success has been my family, without them I would be nothing. As cliché as it sounds, my wife and kids are the most important thing to me in this world! They give me hope for our future every day because they still think that their dad can do anything he puts his mind to. Prior to having children, I never realized how difficult it is but now that I have had the opportunity to experience fatherhood first-hand on a daily basis, my appreciation for what I have only grew more and more each day.
What are your thoughts on delegation?
Delegating can be difficult for some people, but it’s extremely important to the success of your business! It’s not sustainable to do everything by yourself, especially if you are trying to grow. I am slowly learning that delegating is a skill that everyone should have because it will allow you to focus more of your time on things that actually matter instead of wasting hours stuck in repetitive tasks. Be willing and ready to let people take on tasks they may not be accustomed to because it gives them experience and confidence when working independently.
What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?
The future is full of potential. I am excited to branch out and continue learning more about business management in order to expand my knowledge on how to achieve maximum results for our customers.
What is the one major key to your company’s success?
Our success is built upon the foundation of honesty and integrity. We strive to be a company our customers can trust, which is why we place an emphasis on customer service. It’s not only about the job either; it’s important that our customers feel at home with us because I want them to feel like part of my family!
What is a habit of yours as an entrepreneur that you would recommend?
My secret to success is having a good partner by my side. Whether it’s in business or life, one person can’t do everything so I have learned how important it is to surround myself with people who are better than me at certain things. For example, my business partner spends hours upon hours working on the financials for our company because he has a passion for numbers while I will dedicate more time to training new employees and collaborating with clients. We balance each other out perfectly and work as a team to keep ourselves motivated every day because we both know that we can’t be successful without each other.
What does your average day look like and how do you make it productive?
My average day starts very early because I like to get everything done as soon as possible! I wake up at 7:00 am and answer emails until 8:00 am; then, I take my kids to school before sitting down for two hours of focus time. After that, it’s business time! My business partner and I will spend a few hours dedicated to our clients and whatever projects we have going on during the day, and after lunch we leave the office around 5:30 pm so we can pick our children up from school. We make our days productive by staying focused and working hard together because success only comes with dedication and perseverance. It has been said that you are most likely to accomplish those things that you are passionate about.
Can you tell us one way that you have grown your business?
I have learned so much about customer service and how to attract new customers through networking. Every chance we get, we try to meet new people and learn as much as possible from them because you never know what kind of opportunities they can provide or who knows, maybe they will become your next client!
What is your favorite quote?
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” -Henry Ford
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