Hector Picard had nearly 20 years of experience as a lineman with CMP when he decided to start his own company installing power lines. In 2015, Private Power Services started out with Hector and his father, and one truck. Today, it’s a strong company of eight full-time employees and 11 trucks, plus some other heavy equipment. They offer the unique service of installing power lines to homes, developments, and businesses in Southern Maine, and assist with storm outages all along the eastern seaboard. If you need high-voltage power to your building, he installs the poles and runs all the power lines. All CMP or your utility company then needs to do is come turn the power on, saving the consumer a significant amount of money.
In this article, Hector shares some insights about how he managed the growth of his company, and a few of the biggest lessons he has learned as a business owner a decade later.
Starting out small allowed Hector to control his costs, and do the legwork required to spread the word about the business. Since his services cost a fraction of what the big utility companies charge people to install powerlines, there has always been a market. However, it’s also not something many people can do. You must be a first-class lineman to perform such installations.
After a couple of years, the word started to spread, and people had figured out exactly what he did – essentially replace what a large utility company does for you, and save people a bunch of money in the process. He grew a little bit each year, and was smart not to grow too fast. His approach is to add an employee or buy another truck, get that person or truck busy every day, then repeat the process. That way, he knows the work is there before he invests a lot of money.
When he picked up doing storm restoration for CMP and Holland Power out of Canada, that was a big leap for Private Power. This is very hard, dangerous, and demanding work. Where installing power lines is referred to as “dead work”, repairing downed lines is “hot work”. The crew is away from home for days to weeks at a time. They have worked storm restorations from Maine to New York and Pennsylvania, down to North Carolina, Louisianna, and Florida.
Hector’s approach to growing his business is slow and steady. He doesn’t invest in his business until the finances are there to support it.
Grow, then add what you can afford. Private Power grew one truck at a time; when that truck was busy every day, Hector would buy another truck. Same with employees; when everyone was busy every day, he’d hire someone else.
“I don’t jump the gun. I don’t overreach or get in over my head.”
What Private Power does is specialty work requiring very special training, expensive and time-consuming training. Hector has trained employees to full capacity, then had them decide to go out on their own without notice, and with the intention to compete directly against him. He now has all employees sign non-compete agreements to protect his business.
“It’s the deception and the lying that got me, after providing a good job for 5-6 years. I learned you have to cover your back; you can’t always trust people unfortunately. Business isn’t friendship.”
Be realistic about whether there is enough market for you where you want to have your business. How much competition is there to contend with. Also, don’t make promises you can’t keep because word gets around about that.
“For me, there’s only so much room for a company like me in the market. You also need to be realistic about how much work you can handle in any set timeframe.”
It can be tempting to do work outside your specialty or pick up extra pay because you’re there and you can do it. But if another business is involved that is doing it, don’t step on someone else’s toes. Stick to what you excel at, that’s how you make the most profit as well.
“I can do tree work, I have the equipment, but I don’t offer it because I work with contractors who do it. I don’t want them feeling like I’m stealing their business. When you take someone’s business from them, you’re taking money out of the their pocket, and people don’t take kindly to that.”
“Being honest with people, and I stand by my word. Jobs don’t just come to me, even now. I go out and get them. I answer every call that comes in. I go out to every job and look at it. We are a customer-facing business. I always answer my phone or call someone back as soon as I can. Unless I’m dead or in jail, I’ll be where I said I’d be. If I misjudge or underestimate something, I stand by what I said in the first place.”
Hector Picard has shown that bold, risky strategies aren’t necessary for business success. Private Power Services has grown and thrived using a more traditional, controlled approach, proven by the stability and resilience of the company. His priority is to ensure his business remains grounded and reliable. With a focus on integrity and customer relationships, Hector has proven these values stand the test of time.
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Noelle has been a marketing professional, and a published author and copywriter for over 20 years. Her work has been featured in both print publications and online media, where she has written on a broad range of topics. She owns Castle Media Co., assisting businesses with their marketing and digital media needs, specializing in website development, content marketing, social media, copywriting, and blogging.
