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Meet Brenda Campbell and Chip Meek of Early Bird Appliance Repair Company in North Central

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenda Campbell and Chip Meek.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Brenda and Chip. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Chip and I first met mountain biking back in 2016 when I was finishing up graduate school at ASU and he had just moved to Arizona to learn the appliance repair trade. This was a bit serendipitous as my dad had spent 30 years in the appliance repair business, although I never imagined I’d one day co-own a repair company! It’s funny how life works out sometimes.

Anyway, Chip and I hit it off immediately and discovered that the entrepreneurial lifestyle aligned with the vision we both held for our futures, being able to work hard to play hard. We also began to recognize an unfulfilled niche within the appliance repair trade for honest, dependable and convenient in-home service so we began developing a business around those very characteristics. It was imperative to both of us that our clients always felt safe and comfortable inviting us into their homes. Our clients are trusting us with their most important and personal asset, their home, which is what drives us to work tirelessly providing our community with the same premier standard of service that we expect in our own homes. And, we also really wanted our services to be convenient! I mean, who has time to wait around for a repair person all day? Not me, that’s for sure! So that’s why we offer convenient two hour appointment windows with en-route text notifications starting with our 6 a.m. ‘early bird’ service calls.

So that’s it! That is how Early Bird Appliance Repair Company came to be! It really has been the perfect partnership, combining my background in strategic planning and customer service with Chip’s mechanical skills and innate likability! So, in a nutshell, is how Early Bird Appliance Repair Company was hatched!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh wow, ha! I wouldn’t call it smooth. Rewarding, yes! But smooth, no. Like any new entrepreneurs, we had to learn the ropes, adjust when things weren’t working, readjust again, and on and on. I think that is honestly the key; learning how to stay true to your vision while forging a new path into uncharted territories. Communication is key, learning to recognize when something isn’t working and not being afraid to try a new approach. When you are a small business owner, you have to have the personal fortitude to stand up every time you get knocked down because there isn’t anyone else to rely on besides each other. Persistence, you have to have persistence.

Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
At the heart of it, we repair all major kitchen and laundry appliances including your refrigerator, dishwasher, cooktop/range, microwave, washer and dryer. We also work on stand alone ice makers, wine/beverage chillers and reverse osmosis (RO) systems.

But honestly, since the beginning, we’ve always taken the approach of being a customer service business first and a repair company second. I think this is really what sets us apart from the competitors and helps define our business. We take care of our clients, look out for their best interest when recommending a replacement or repair and above all else, we are always highly communicative about the repair process. Whether you come to us from your home warranty company, as a recommendation from your neighbor, or found us on Google, we will always be explicitly clear about the next steps and expectations. I love taking care of our clients, it’s my favorite part of this work!

Another thing we are proud of is our community engagement. Chip is an avid mountain biker and last year, we started the Early Bird Cycling Team which has grown into a group of 50+ awesome teammates who you can see ripping around valley trails, taking part in trail maintenance and racing in local and regional mountain biking events. If you’re an outdoors person, you’re bound to see those Early Bird’s riding around valley trails!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I think sometimes the hardest part about being an entrepreneur is that you tend to get siloed in your work. I think it’s super important to take the time to network and reach out to others. Now that we’ve been established for a few years, we have more time to engage in this way and have loved being members of Local First Arizona for this reason! They put on monthly networking events at local Phoenix hot spots like Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company, and provide the space for busy entrepreneurs to interact and glean business wisdom from one another.

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