#31 - 20 Stories For 20 Years in Business - Part 1

Twenty years ago, I didn’t even know the window treatment industry was a real business lane. I thought hanging shades was something everyone did themselves. Then I spent one weekend with my cousin and watched his phone light up with customer calls and I realized there was a hidden market for shade installation, blinds, and in-home service work that most people never notice until they need it fast.

I’m celebrating 20 years of Shades in Place by walking through the first 10 turning points that shaped how I operate, sell, and grow. These lessons live in what I call “courage and motion” the early season where you move forward without feeling fully ready. I talk about getting fired for doing a good job, why that closed door mattered, and how training and certifications (including Hunter Douglas certification) changed my skill level and confidence. I also share how Lowe’s subcontractor work became a real-world school for customer service, speed, and professionalism, plus the moment I shifted from installer to dealer when a simple phone call created an opportunity.

We go deeper on the business side too: learning QuickBooks so product sales and service income don’t get messy, joining a weekly networking group to build public speaking confidence, and taking on scary jobs like shutters, corner windows, two-story drapery, and motorized shades. If you’ve ever felt behind, shy, or unsure whether you’re “qualified,” these stories are proof that progress often looks like baby steps, good relationships, and the willingness to ask for help.

Subscribe for part two next week, then share this with a friend building a small business and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. What’s one moment that changed your path?

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Transcript

Roger Magalhaes 1:20

Hello,

Twenty Years And A New Framework

Roger Magalhaes 1:21

hello. Welcome to another show of No Strings Attached. My name is Roger McGallas, and I am your host. If this is your first time here, welcome to the show. But if you have been here before, welcome back. Today I am celebrating 20 years in business with Shades in Place. And I thought it would be fun to pick 20 moments that made a change in my business. It helped me get here. So today we are going to discuss the first 10 moments. And I put those moments into a bucket called courage and motion. I wrote a book called Nobody Told Me That. And my book is actually a mirror image of my company. I pick 20 lessons, put on a book, and I divide it into three buckets. First bucket is courage emotion when you really don't know what you're doing, but you're doing anyway. The second bucket is authentic connections when everything starts being your solo act and starting having people helping you one way or the other. And the third bucket is the view of the climb. Everything that you worked your ads off is starting paying off. So today I am going to share 10 lessons out of the courage emotion bucket. Nothing is in truly order, it's just things that came to my mind that really remarked how my whole journey started. So

Discovering The Hidden Shades Market

Roger Magalhaes 3:09

the first lesson, it was having a conversation with my cousin. I was a truck driver, and I remodeled my house over you know weekends and nights, everything done with my own hands. And when the job was completed, I invited my cousin over for a cookout. And then we're having beers, having a good time, and his phone was just ringing off the hook. And I at one point I said, What the heck, dude? Are you selling drugs or something? And he said, No, cousin, I'm installing shades. And I was like, What? I just remodel my entire home myself. Who the heck hire someone to hang shades? And he said, There's a lot of people that either make too much money, they are too busy, or they have no clue how to hand the drill. So, yes, there is a market for that. And I was kind of wow, this is incredible. I want to check it out. So I tag along with him one weekend, and I thought I could do that myself. So I told him, connect me with your company, and I wanna see what this is about. So he connected me with his company, and I talked to the manager, and I became a part-time installer. So, first lesson right there. That is an industry behind window shades that nobody knows exists, other than the people that lived here. So this is lesson

Fired For Doing Great Work

Roger Magalhaes 4:55

one. Lesson two, I was fired for doing a good job. So I started working for the same company that my cousin was doing, only part-time, but I had a super high standard while doing my work. So I I always have this mindset to treat people with respect, to respect time, to call ahead. It has been that way all my life. So after two or three weeks, people start calling the store asking me by name. Say, I want Roger to come to my house, I want Roger this. And that creates some jealousy among the other installers because they were not getting paid commission because nobody were requesting them. As a result, they came to my to the manager and said, You either get rid of Roger or we are going to leave. So having this conversation with the manager because I wasn't getting more calls, she said, You gotta go. They've only been here for two, three weeks. And that's when I I realized I was fired for doing a good job. So the lesson here is keep doing the best way possible because there's a reason why some doors shut. If it hasn't, if that door wasn't shut, I would never started my own shades of place business. If everything was fine and I was comfortable there, I will probably be still there today. So don't complain when something goes in a different route than you were originally thought. There's a reason for that. So getting home and sharing that with my wife that uh I was let go. She said, Why don't you go to another store and and try to work there? And I said, No, I'm not gonna bother, I'm just gonna keep my full-time trucking job. And she said, No, you you seem very happy doing what you're doing, so go find another place to do your shade job. So

Getting Certified And Staying Humble

Roger Magalhaes 7:26

I went to a more high-end store, and I got there and I asked the manager, and I said, Hey, I only have two, three weeks of experience, but I'm very handy. People seem to like what I do. And she came to me, do you have any certifications? And I was thinking, who the heck needs a certification to hang shades? And I said, No, uh, I don't have such a thing. And she said, Well, you need to get at least some certifications in order to work for us because we deal with high-end clients and they kind of expect the best. I say, Okay, so here's the lesson: get as much training as you can. It doesn't have to be formal training, but at least get educated in what you do. As much as you think you know everything, there's always a different way. Perhaps even you find worse ways than what you have, and that reinforces what you already know. But don't be the guy or the girl that thinks you know everything because you don't. So be humbled, get training, get education, and then you move forward. So, lesson four, it was a Hunter Douglas certification training. So once I have that conversation with the manager, and she told me I need to get at least some Hunter Douglas training, I went back home and I went online and started searching, and then I realized there was an entire industry behind doing things like a regular industry. And then I saw a certification for Hunter Douglas in Minnesota. So I book a flight, I went there, and obviously totally green, completely clueless about these, and I just dove right in, and I learned so much from being at a training, from learning from the instructors, from learning from the other people in the room. So there were people already installers, there were people doing the part-time, but everything was new to me. So here's the lesson: go to training, mingle, learn from other people, ask questions because every part of the country does things in a different way. The way construction is created in Florida is different than California, which is different than Boston. So go for training every time you can.

Lowe's As A Real World School

Roger Magalhaes 10:31

So after that comes lesson number five. I start working for Lowe's, and the only reason I start working for Lowe's as a subcontractor was because while in training with Hunter Douglas, one of the guys told the installer's program for Lowe's, otherwise, I would not know. So there's another reason you you network, you learn from other people. So I started working for Lowe's as a subcontractor, and the whole thing changed because I started going to homes, I start getting work, and one of the premises with Lowe's was you do a job, and we are going to score you after the job is completed. Any the more the higher you score, the faster you rotate in the system. And I said, Okay, this is great. So they gave me three stores to start it out, and after three weeks, I got a PO from a store that I wasn't part of. So I called my boss, Mark, and I say, Hey Mark, I think you guys made a mistake. I'm not doing work for this store, but I got the paperwork and said, No, Roger, now you're doing. And then I started getting another store, now you're doing, and then another. And before I knew it, I was working for nine stores. That gave me a lot of experience. I didn't make a great amount of money, but it was a great school working for Lowe's and then for other chains as well. So you go into a lot of different people, a lot of different profiles, a lot of different clientels, you learn how to behave inside people's homes. It was a great, great experience. On top of that, I noticed the neighbors just looking through the windows, wondering what is my neighbor doing with this guy in his house, you know, and that opened up an opportunity to me. And I said, Wow, if I actually advertise what I'm doing here, perhaps I could grab more work, maybe not directly from Lowe's, but on the side, and then I could start making a little bit more money.

Turning Side Leads Into Sales

Roger Magalhaes 12:59

So I start advertising my name and my company and my phone number, and next thing I got was a phone call from someone that saw my van and said, Hey, I'm looking for shades. Can I get it from you? And at that time, I did not sell anything, I was just an installer, but I saw an opportunity which becomes number six in our list. I became a dealer because the opportunity came across, and I already at that time already have contacts and I knew a local fabricator, so I went there and I started selling his product. So comes an opportunity to make more money without really biting the hand that feeds me. On top of that, when repeat clients for Lowe's called me back for more work, I said, Mrs. Jones, you need to go back to Lowe's because that's how I got you. And she said, I'll definitely go to the competitor, but I will never go back to Lowe's because I have a terrible experience, except for you, Roger. And that gave me another lesson, another opportunity. The opportunity to beat your competitor. Beat your competitor, not bashing them, just being better, servicing better, offering a better product than your competitor. So became a dealer, started doing my work, start selling on the side for the people that inquire, wasn't really promoting products, it was just an opportunity to make a little side money. And

Learning QuickBooks And Networking Confidence

Roger Magalhaes 14:50

then I realized now I sell services and I sell products. I need to understand exactly how to treat these with my accounting. Honestly, I had no clue about the accounting part, I had no clue about the business behind the hands-on part of the business. So I decided to take a night class at a high school for QuickBooks. Lucky enough, the guy teaching the class was a member of networking group called BI. At that time, I had no clue what it was. And after the class, he came to me and he said, You have potential. So it was a phenomenal opportunity just to understand how the business side works. So I joined BI, and then it became a regular thing that you go every week. So I'm clueless in the business. I joined a group full of people, full of business owners every week. Super tough, super hard, super uncomfortable for me, but it made me start to build confidence to be in a room with a lot of people to public speaking. So if you listening to the show feel like you're too shy, you should join a networking group, start mingling more, start meeting people, and they're going to help you build your confidence. So,

First Shutter Job And Who To Call

Roger Magalhaes 17:02

lesson number eight comes to a job that came across to me for shutter. At this point in the industry, I have no clue how to install a shutter. I didn't know any of the terminology. I just heard that you could make a good chunk of money installing and selling shutters, but they come with a big upside. If you make a mistake, the big upside is a big expense. So I knew it, there was potential, but there was also a lot of risks, and for that reason, my competitors didn't want to do that because they rather stay on a comfort zone. But I always been the guy that liked to try new things, I like to push the envelope. So when the first job came across, I say, oh yeah, absolutely, I'll go there, Mrs. Jones. It was a kitchen window. As a matter of fact, it was a corner window. And if you've been in business long enough, you know a corner window is a really hard window to treat because one butts into the other, it's complicated. And for shutter, it's twice as complicated. So my very first job, and I say, and I look at the window and I say, I have no clue what I'm gonna do here. But because I already have a relationship with my local fabricator, I went back and I said, Hey, can I have your sales rep to help me out? I just got this lead, I got this job, I just need someone to help me figure things out. So here's the lesson: you don't need to know everything, you just need to know who does build a relationship and create opportunities regardless. You don't need to tell Mrs. Jones everything that you don't know what you're doing, you're just saying that you're gonna bring your colleague with more experience. They understand, but it doesn't have to be said, and that helped me farther and farther. I could not know what I was doing, but I know who to call. In

Two Story Drapes And Baby Steps

Roger Magalhaes 19:32

lesson number nine, it's about a two-story high job that I didn't do, but it was something similar. I was in this house hanging a couple shades in the dining room, and then for some reason I asked Mrs. Jones if I could use the bathroom. She said, Well, it's down the hallway. So as I walk down the hallway, I come across this family room with two-story high, and I see beautiful drapes hung on these two-story windows, and I'm wondering, see how the heck someone is able to do such a job, and I'm starting shaking, and I say, I will never be able to do such a thing. Imagine the weight of those drapes. How am I gonna do this? No way, it's not gonna be me. So here's the lesson: it doesn't happen overnight. Obviously, 20 years later, I've done two-story highs, I even done a three-story high uh drapery job. It's incredible. It doesn't happen overnight, as I said, but baby steps, you build confidence, you do a little bit here, you do a little bit more, and little by little you build confidence, you belong to those networking groups, you belong to places like the Facebooks, where people share all the information, and then you learn, and then you make friends, even online friends, with someone that already did such a thing, and that is the key. You share and say, Hey dude, I got this job. What do I do here? Is that a possibility at all? And they'll guide you because they've been there prior to you, so don't be afraid, but don't just go head forward from the beginning thinking it's easy, it's not easy. You just need education, you just need confidence, you just build little by little, but you will get there.

Motorized Shades Before You Feel Ready

Roger Magalhaes 21:53

In lesson number 10 is my first time doing motorization. I came From as a high school, I went to robotics. I I went to vocational school and I learned robotics when I was 16. So I worked for General Motors, I worked for other companies, I integrated all those things. It was really fascinating 30, 35 years ago. And then when I got into the window treatment industry, everything was manual. Cordless was even starting out at that point. And then I heard that you could do remote shades. And I said, Man, that's the thing. I want to go right into it. And then I start advertising motorization, even though I have no clue what I was doing. But I was fascinated that you could do that. So again, first job, first few jobs. I didn't know what I was doing, so I called the raps from Sumpfi and I say, dude, come with me. I have an opportunity to do a job here. And then I started. I even remember one of my first jobs. It was like five shades in a room. Very short window. So I not even need a ladder. It was so easy to program all of these, easy today, 20 years later. But that day alone took me over five hours just to figure it out. Because I programmed one shade, I forgot to disconnect the others. Next thing I know, the channel one copy to channel five, it's supposed to work just one shade. Now it's working three. I'm frustrated, I'm alone. And I said, Why the heck did I get into these? But you know, you pass that point, you survive the frustration, you build confidence, and later on it just becomes something natural, something normal that you do on a regular basis. So I wasn't afraid, and I started out before everybody else. It was 2006 when I did my first motorization job. One single shades. 20 years later, I'm confident enough to do it a lot. Obviously, the whole industry evolved so much that so many other things evolved as well, and I'm still learning. But don't miss an opportunity. Same thing with the shutter that I just mentioned a while ago. Motorization is the same thing. I know dealers are still thinking about getting to motorization. I started 20 years ago, so you're missing the boat. So don't wait any longer. There's so much information. Pretty much every single manufacturer is already offering motorization, and they are more than welcome, more than willing, more than starving to get your business. So there's a lot of people willing to help you. So don't lose that. So

Ten Lessons Recap And Part Two

Roger Magalhaes 25:12

that gives us 10 reasons, 10 moments on this show where I share what I learned on this 20-year journey. So it was my cousin installing, I was fired for doing a good job, getting a certification, then a lot of training, a lot of knowledge that like that I learned on those certifications. Then I started working for Lowe's. I became a dealer, I joined BI, I got my first shutter job, then this two-story high drapery job, and finally motorization. So I hope you enjoyed all of this experience, all these stories that I just shared with you, and I'll see you next week for part two. If you have any questions, any suggestions, any comments, if you have any similar story, please share with me. I read everything. Take care, I'll see you then. Bye bye.

Intro / Outro 26:17

And that's a wrap for today. Hope you're leaving with something that sticks. If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. For more information, follow Roger at RogerMegallus.com and find the link in the show notes for a free chapter of his book, Nobody Told Me That. We'll see you next Sunday with no strings attached.