I grew up in Rock Hill SC. After graduating from Rock Hill High School in 1995 I moved to Charlotte. My brother and I started our first business in 1997. It was a Sno Biz franchise in Concord NC. We opened stores throughout North and South Carolina. I spent most of my time between stores in Concord NC, Salisbury NC, and High Point NC. My hard work was instilled by my grandmother Mama June at a young age. My first job was washing dishes at The Branding Iron in Rock Hill. I eventually started waiting tables, working on the weekends with my aunt & Grandmother in their catering business, All Occasions Catering. I have never forgotten the value of hard work, overdelivering, and under promising.
My entrepreneur career continued after the Sno Biz days. In 2004, we started Cornerstone Mantel Designs & R Lloyd & Co. We designed and manufactured limestone mantels, range hoods, interior design elements, outdoor stone, and commercial applications. This is where I was introduced to the home building industry and real estate. I have always had a natural desire and attraction to design, and how things work and are made. Visualizing, modeling, building it in my mind, and eventually seeing it come to fruition is an attribute I possess. I noticed this attribute in building companies throughout my 27 years of entrepreneurship.
In 2009, we decided to close this chapter and move to the next venture. I started importing hammocks from India & China in 2009. Selling on eBay and Amazon opened my eyes to the world of ecommerce. I spent 18-20 hours per day for 7 years building STL Products, Inc. Our product line grew exceptionally. These ranged from home goods, health & beauty, and pet supplies. In 2013, I knew I had to be different and offer quality products. Amazon is flooded with third-party sellers. I knew I had to figure out a way to be seen for my products to sell. I didn't stop until this happened. We designed, manufactured, and sold our own private-label product lines until 2016. These ranged from baby products (IanCo Baby Products), home goods (IanCo Chef), prepacked food (Trader Rick's), and an essential oil brand ( Myuz Essential Oils).
All of my entrepreneurial experience, years of figuring out ways that don't work, and the ability to adapt to change bring an immense amount of value to my real estate career. Hard work doesn't bother me. The harder I must work for something, the harder I work until I reach the point of achieving whatever it is that I am working on. The same applies to a seller listing their home, a first-time buyer embarking on the complicated journey of buying a home, or a home buyer making a life-changing move.
Happy home selling and buying :)
Rick
