I Interviewed Michael Dubeau, the President of Victory Heating and Air Conditioning located in Bellingham,

Massachusetts.

I’ve known Mr. Dubeau and his family since I became best friends with his daughter Kaylee my freshman year of high school. I’ve grown very close to the Dubeau family and Mr. Dubeau is one of the wisest, kind-hearted and successful person I have ever met.

Hayley Clifford • Nichols College • Business & Society • MGMT 100-01

• Victory provides plumbing, heating, air conditioning, duct work and other HVAC services. They provide installation, replacement and repair services. Their air conditioning installation and repair service covers 65 towns.

• Victory is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year!

• Victory is a Corporation with two owners who own exactly 50% of the company. They chose this because it allows them to share the level of commitment without overtaxing their family lives.

About Victory

Background• Michael and his partner started Victory in the basement of his home in Blackstone, Massachusetts. “With little to no capital, we just capitalized on all the contacts we knew and hit the ground running”.

•To finance the business each owner took $5,000 and put it in a joint account just hoping for the best. “We built it from the ground up.”

•They started Victory for the independence and they felt confident they would succeed. They wanted to have a great investment for their retirement.

•Both owners were 39 years old and had 20 years experience in all aspects of the business; management, sales, engineering etc.

The Success• Today Victory has 65 employees with about 40 trucks on the road.

•The company grew fast but steady by providing the best services they could in order to satisfy every customer. “We never bit off more than we could chew”.

•They hired very skillful workers and stayed conservative when taking risks. They were careful with their decisions and never lived beyond their means.

•The most rewarding aspect of running your own company is “knowing you are in control of your own direction and with hard work and a lot of luck, own destiny”.

• The critical success factor is being committed to service.

Challenges• Finding good people, staying up to date on business law, codes and new technology has been a big challenge.

• The most challenging aspect is the cash flow. “Even if sales are good, cash is king and can only follow a solid profit and loss statement”.

• Stress, dedication, networking and other businesses/professional groups have helped overcome these challenges.

• The most fatal flaw is competition. It’s fierce and relentless so “you have to keep every customer feeling valued”.

Competition• Victory has plenty of competitors, none in particular but “the worst are not the major players but the moonlighters or small shops that don’t follow all the rules”.

•To achieve competitive advantage, you have to differentiate yourself from the competition. It’s hard to complete this task because it requires a continued change in your organization.

• Honesty, integrity, and loyalty helps keep customers satisfied. “Never let them think you forgot about them. Your competition is always soliciting them with a better deal!”

Marketing/Staffing• Today’s strategy is all about the internet generation. They depend on this for new business. Referrals and existing customers are always one of the best resources.

• They use direct mail, newsletters, ad campaigns, follow ups, networking, mobile billboards and other advertisements to market their company.

•When considering new employees, key things to look for are appearance, communication skills, dependability, loyalty, empathy, cleanliness, organizational skills, and professionalism.

The Future• Victory plans on staying in business! They are investing a great deal in structuring for the future. Recently, they invested in a state of the arc training room and three working labs.

•They are also investing in their people to get the company to run without the need to be there daily.

• “Though neither of us plan to leave the business anytime soon, our goal is to free up our time for personal pursuits or to explore acquisitions.”

Other Questions• Have you ever employed family members? • “We have but only on a very limited basis. That can be

very tricky with a partner in the business. It can be challenging to always be subjective”.

• Is there anything that you would change about your business?• “I suppose there are a lot of things I would change and we

have changed many things over the years. Finding your niche and honoring that type of service or product is always advisable.”

• How many locations do you have and are you looking to expand? • “We did open 2 locations for about 7 years but we

consolidated to prepare for the recession. We’ll expand again soon as our existing building is now maximized.”

Advice for FutureEntrepreneurs

“Never hang on to mediocre employees. Never compromise yourself or allow your employees to do so. Always insist on doing what’s

right! Treat your customers like royalty. Treat your employees very well and show your appreciation. Train them well and empower them. Reinvest in yourself, your employees and the company.

Always be looking to grow or bring in new customers, stagnation is dangerous. Surround yourself with people smarter than you. Find a good lawyer, banker and CPA. But most of all, be sure you start a

business you have passion for and do your research to be sure there is a sound and growing market for what you have to offer. A sound

business plan with contingencies in place so you’re prepared for the obstacles and setbacks. There will be some for sure! And a prayer

every now and then doesn’t hurt” -Michael Dubeau, President of Victory Heating and Air Conditioning

What I Learned

From interviewing Mr. Dubeau, I learned that it takes a lot to

start a business. Starting and owning a business has its ups and downs but also you get

what you put into your business. Customer satisfaction is key and the competition is tough. Victory

has been successful for 20 years and they have worked

many long nights to make this happen. Mr. Dubeau is someone who I have always looked up to

and have a great bond with. He’s a true entrepreneur who

deserves all the success! Kaylee, Me, Mr. Dubeau and

Kaylee’s Step Mom on a cruise!

Thank You!