PERSONALITY PROFILE 17
Still dishing up service
By
Rory Macnamara
Our next personality profile this month is Dean Cane , owner of BrightServe Plumbing , serving the greater Johannesburg area .
When Dean matriculated in 1995 , he worked in a restaurant as manager at the Randburg Waterfront in its heyday . Not happy being cooped up in a restaurant all day he grew to dislike the job .
Dean ’ s cousin , with whom he shared a close relationship , took another route and after standard eight ( Grade 10 ) went to Technikon and studied plumbing , where he went on to form his own company called Super Plumbing . His company did work for the restaurant and to use Dean ’ s own words , “ I could see that he loved his work .”
One day during a sink mixer repair Dean confided in him about his dislike for the restaurant job and right then and there he insisted Dean come and work for him as an apprentice .
History records that 26 years later Dean is a well-recognised plumber , having qualified through Super Plumbing in 2001 .
“ So , I got into the plumbing industry by accident . I neither had ambitions to become a plumber nor did I dream of becoming a plumber . But over the years I have experienced both construction and maintenance plumbing , working for a large construction plumbing company for several years , as well owning large and small plumbing companies .”
Being the modest fellow , he is , and we all know him for , he describes himself as 44 , Married to Debbie for 14 years , and has three beautiful children , Dalia , Eden , and Ezra .
Dean attended Highlands Boys , Northview High and Sandringham High schools .
What advice does he have for young plumbers both in the field and entering it , ( probably some old plumbers as well !)
• Read and learn . Then read and learn some more , and then read and learn even more . Knowledge is power and with technology changing very fast a plumber who does not keep pace with change will not be happy .
D Cane
Dean Cane , owner of BrightServe Plumbing .
• Get yourself a mentor , have a sounding board , and use him or her to guide you in how to run a plumbing business .
• Be proud of your profession as what you do as a plumber is a vitally important role within your community .
Some advice he offers for when you go into your own business : Your mentor will guide you in running a business . You were taught to do all things plumbing , now you need to learn how to run a business .
Learn your financial numbers , cost correctly , learn better ways of controlling money and costing . This mean running a lean and mean operation and when you get staff , look after them well . They are the heartbeat of your business , and when you look after them , they will look after you .
Above all , give exceptional service – your customer will decide whether you excel in this area , do not let them down . Providing exceptional service is hard work , humble yourself and look at the issue from the customer ’ s perspective .
Be different – only you can decide how you will differ from your competitors . You need to give customers a compelling reason to use your services .
Be prepared to give back . Someone took time and trouble to train you , be prepared to do the same .
Finally , accept that the journey is going to be hard . In fact , it ' s going to be much harder than you think . There will be ups and downs so prepare mentally for this . Having the right mindset from the get-go , will help you handle the inevitable ups and downs .
D Cane
BrightServe Plumbing vans and team .
June 2021 Volume 27 I Number 4
In conclusion , “ I see the industry going forward in a positive way . Sure , it has its problems , but it is better now than in 1995 when I started .” PA www . plumbingafrica . co . za