Inspiring Conversations with Bill Lawrence of KL Coatings

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Lawrence.

Hi Bill, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
Our story starts out about 15 years ago when I had just graduated school and had no idea what I wanted to do going forward. A friend of the families had a small bathtub refinishing company and offered me a job refinishing bathtubs. Not knowing what I was going to do next and preparing to get married, I needed work, so I took the job. I worked there for 9 years before deciding to take a leap of faith and attempt to purchase the business. With the support of my wife, we dove into being owners of a small business, not really having any clue at the time of what we were doing. Over the next few years, we were lucky to grow and grow rapidly. Wanting to expand, I looked into other services, which is where Kevin joined the picture. I had been friends with Kevin for a long time and knew that he would be a great addition. Kevin already had a successful career as an Electrician so this would just be a side gig though. We started by going to a training in Chicago to begin refinishing Kitchen Cabinets on the side. While there, we found other products and services that we thought would be great as well, such as tile and countertop refinishing, so we added those as well. What we didn’t expect was the demand for these services, and soon we had to create an actual business together to take care of the demand, which is where KL Coatings, Inc. got its start. Fast forward a few years and the workload had grown to the point where Kevin took a leap of faith and left his career as an electrician, and I had hired more help with Ugly Tub so that I could shift my focus to KL Coatings. Now five years after starting our “Side Gig”, we are going strong and growing still. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t always been easy, being that we never intended KL Coatings to be a full-fledged business, there were times that Kevin and I both had to make sacrifices. There were times when Kevin, while still being a full-time electrician, had to work after hours to take care of jobs. There were times for me when I had to work double duty to complete jobs for my other business Ugly Tub, while not missing jobs with KL Coatings. We also had to navigate Covid during the very beginning of our company. Luckily, Kevin and I have always had each other’s back, and if one of us struggled with something, the other always stepped up to pick up the slack. Owning a business with someone else has its benefits and its challenges but trusting each other the whole way has made it much easier to deal with the challenges. 

We’ve been impressed with KL Coatings, Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our business, KL Coatings, Inc., is a refinishing company where we offer refinishing of Cabinets, Tiles, Fiberglass, Counters, and more. We specialize in large-scale refinishing in apartments, hotels, or rehab projects on a large scale, but we also serve the retail market as well in homes and small rentals. We offer many of the benefits of going with a large company, while still giving the care that a “mom and pop” business would give you. 

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
The biggest advice we can offer is know what you’re getting into. Research the industry you are attempting to get into, talk to as many people you can. If you are going to go into business with someone, make sure you both understand what lies ahead. Even if everything goes well, there will always be stress, be able to communicate with your partner and trust each other. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.klcoatingsinc.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KLCoatings