Abaev came from Russia to the U.S. in 2006 on a J1 visa. With limited English skills but an unstoppable work ethic, he spent the next few years grinding it out as a laborer, mostly on the East Coast. “I realized you can go to the Gig section on Craigslist and post ads there. We became number one on Craigslist in Baltimore Metro,” Abaev recalls. The first basement job came in 2009, and he soon pivoted to specialize in that one area. More advancement came when Abaev spearheaded the creation of a customized software that greatly sped up the estimating process. Today the company completes 100-plus projects yearly with a team of 17.
Biggest Challenge: Like most remodelers, Abaev has struggled to hire project managers with construction experience and strong communication skills. The approach that’s worked is a combination of growing team members from within the company and becoming large enough in the local market that people now go to him. “The larger the company, the easier it is to attract the talent,” he says. “We hired two people who contacted us via Instagram because they saw our profile.”
Ten-Year Vision: Abaev hopes to grow the company to $100 million in revenue across multiple locations. He also wants to pursue his passion for software development and AI.
Podcast Recommendation: Lex Fridman Podcast