The Turnaround

 

BY ELLEN ROHR

 

I offer a half-hour phone visit if you want some business advice or a swift kick in the butt. I am here to serve! No charge…you just have to fill out a little questionnaire and we set up a date to chat. One of the questions is, “How did you hear about me?”

 

This answer got my attention: “I started reading your articles when I was in prison.”

 

Starting, fixing, growing a business is a challenge. Even if you have start- up capital, a loving and supportive community of family and friends, and mentors who pick you up when you stumble. Even if you don’t have a felony record. Chris Koch was not set up to succeed. And he is succeeding anyway.

 

I asked if I could see his business, meet his team and tell his story. I also asked if it was okay to discuss his past. He bravely said, “Yes,” so I headed to Orlando, Florida to see Top Notch Plumbing, Inc.

 

Over coffee and green tea, Chris shared his journey from criminal to entrepreneur. The two professions have a lot in common.

The knockdown

 

Chris is smart with an adventuresome spirit. He remembers scoring a 13.9 grade level reading score when he was in the first grade and had big dreams of being an Air Force pilot and an astronaut. Like a lot of smart kids without proper adventuresome fulfillment, he was bored at school. That can be a recipe for trouble. As Chris shared his story, he was clear that his parents had done the best they could do. There were struggles with addiction and dysfunctional family relationships — raise your hand if you have some of that in your life — and he is appreciative of how far his family has come. Then, however, he was rudderless. He dropped out of school. (He did earn his ged. As soon as he turned 15)

“I started hanging out with other kids who quit school. With too much unsupervised time on my hands, and a little peer pressure, it’s little wonder things turned out the way they did. I started stealing, vandalizing; I did it for the thrill of it, recalled Koch. Chris cooked up lots of trouble and dozens of arrests in a short amount of time with very little to no consequences from the legal system.

 

Inevitably, Chris wound up in prison. A week after he turned 17, he made the poor choice of stealing a purse from the back seat of a locked car. The purse, containing a gun and police badges, belonged to an undercover officer. The Florida legal system sent Chris to prison as an adult where he started a 14-year sentence.

 

Survival steps

 

“At first I couldn’t comprehend what I had done to myself. I had just turned 17, was currently sentenced to do almost as many years as I had been alive, and placed in this environment of society’s worst people and unspeakable violence.

“It was a combination of my primal will to survive and fate looking out for me that I earned the respect of a group of lifers who showed me the ropes, and who basically became my mentors and gave me the insiders wisdom to survive the worst of my sentence,” said Koch.

 

Plumbing as a path

 

“They also got me on an inside plumbing crew. This meant some responsibility and freedom. And I started learning plumbing skills I thought were useless at the time. But for the most part, I liked the work. It was one of the few things that gave a sense of accomplishment and something in which to take pride.

 

“Not long into my new assignment on a large retrofit plumbing job, they brought in a crew leader, a “free” man named Richard Speacht, who started teaching us real plumbing skills and techniques. The right way to do things. Hope started to grow from a very small seed.

 

“People and projects came and went. Around year seven, I started to realize that I might get out of prison someday and had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Along the way I met a union plumber on a new construction project who added a lot to my arsenal of trade knowledge. But what finally caught my attention was the fact that he had made a lucrative career for himself. Prior to this, I had never really thought about and had no idea how much plumbers in the free world were paid. And I had only had two legitimate jobs in my life, both making a whopping $5.00 an hour, so when I learned you could make quadruple, I thought I would get rich on wages!

 

“I could see how plumbing could be a path to financial freedom and started seeking knowledge with a new passion. Formal training was not available so I read whatever I could get my hands on and interrogated everyone I came across who had a clue as to what they were doing. I read Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters by Lee Smith and devoured every page; did every exercise. Read boiler maintenance manuals, you name it.

 

“I started to find some friends, inmates who inspired me to dream of a better life. That little bit of hope started growing. I met Jeremy and Terry and Joe the Plumber (no, not that Joe.) They liked to talk about their business ideas. Terry had a business prior to getting arrested. He recommended Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and The E Myth by Michael Gerber. There was no way I was going to read business stuff! But they wore me down and I read the books. And, I started subscribing to a plumbing magazine. That’s how I met Ellen Rohr and Dan Holohan, and learned so much about the industry. I started reading philosophy books, too. There is a Scandinavian belief that a person is remembered for his or her actions. Glory comes from doing glorious things. I realized I didn’t want to die without doing something great, something amazing,” said Koch.

 

The turnaround

 

After 10 years served, Chris was released. He wanted wealth and success — the world! — and he wanted it right away. However, the world wasn’t instantly responsive. His first job was plumbing tract homes. The work was uninspiring and he was paid $8 per hour — not the hoped-for mega-bucks. Without verifiable experience and a clean record, nobody wanted to pay what he was worth. And the “job-site politics” were confusing and frustrating. His effort was unappreciated. He thought getting out and getting rich would be — easier.

 

“I thought I deserved better and wasn’t making it on my wages. So, I got into dealing drugs and, right away, I got busted. I thought I had screwed my life up for good. Then, the charges were dropped. I couldn’t believe it. Instead of making a quick fortune, I barely avoided going back to prison and put myself deeply in debt. Yet, things were working out for me. I was completely humbled. It was up to me to make the best of it.  It got my ego out of the way. I was still free and I wasn’t going to blow up my life again. I put a plan together to pay off my debt and start a successful plumbing business. I got my plumbing license (which was an accomplishment in itself with a felony record) and I started Top Notch Plumbing in 2007,” said Koch.”

 

Like so many entrepreneurs, Chris has lots of ideas and a zillion things he wants to accomplish. While we were together, we updated his Master To Do List and Top Projects List. (It’s the mother and the consultant in me.) We had a blast! I met his team. They believe in Chris. Juana Kelly is the bookkeeper, and Chris’ mom. I was impressed with her first-rate accounting work. The financials are spot on. Dawn Decker is the client service representative and dispatcher. She’s just the right combination of friendly and “let’s get it done.” Glen Decker and Demetrius Dozier are service technicians. And Chris’ younger brother, Travis Koch, just signed on as the newest service tech. The techs are, well,  Top Notch — willing, inspired and ready to grow.

 

Defining freedom

 

I asked Chris what advice he would give to others who are incarcerated, and looking forward to freedom. He replied, “Walk, don’t run. Celebrate the victories. Don’t get frustrated if things don’t happen fast enough. I came out of prison with so much pent up energy. ‘Digest’ that energy. Transform it and put it to good use. As a kid, I was resourceful. You can tap into that resourcefulness and use it to grow your business and become a better person.” 

 

Solid advice for soon-to-be ex-cons. And entrepreneurs.

 

Then he said, “Just before I was released, I met a guy named Anthony. He was another person who helped me believe in myself. I can see now how many things went right for me, in spite of all that went wrong. I visited him the other day. It would be cool if he could come to work with me once he gets out. He’s got to play it straight. We drug test. We are licensed and insured. There is a place here for him if he is ready to hold to our high standards.

 

“I have my own definition of freedom. It’s not just living outside of incarceration. It’s not just financial freedom, because money in itself is hollow. It’s not owning materialistic things either, because if you’re not careful, those things can own you. It’s having the freedom to experience people, places, and things. I’ll take memorable experiences over material riches any day. (Although I would like a Ferrari, a boat, and a house on the beach someday — I could easily grow tired of them.)

 

Here’s to freedom!    

 

Overwhelmed by too much to do and too little time? Join Ellen for the Step by Step Success program. The power of one simple, focused action…one step at a time. Reach me at 417.753.1111 or contact@barebonesbiz.com. Check out the Step by Step Success program at www.barebonesbiz.com.