Anthony Cafagna

Anthony Cafagna is the founder and CEO of All City Plumbing. Based in Rancho Cucamonga,Ca, All City Plumbing proudly serves residential and commercial customers throughout San Bernardino, Riverside, L.A., and Orange Counties. All City Plumbing opened their doors in 2009 and have always focused on one thing: helping their customers find the most cost-efficient solution. Anthony’s company also provides a plumbing school for his employees to ensure higher quality service for customers.

Where did the idea for All City Plumbing come from?

The home I grew up in was a fixer-upper, so I had seen many contractors come in and do a terrible job of performing various repairs and improvements. When I was done with going to college, I only had the desire to learn a trade and start a business. Plus when I was younger I had a landscape company so I knew I wasn’t afraid to work hard physically.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I’m very productive in the mornings, so I like to get an early start on the day so I can use the time to plan ahead and make sure I have adequate blocks of uninterrupted time to work on complex and urgent tasks throughout the day. It’s important for me to keep a detailed schedule for my day and stick to it, so anything I plan out in the morning gets added to my Google Calendar.

I believe research and education is the key to making sound decisions that will lead to my company’s future success. That’s why I make it a point to set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour in the morning, afternoon, and evening to check in and stay up-to-date with industry news and trends. This helps me identify potential opportunities for growth and areas of the business that can be improved to help us stay ahead of our competition.

I’m also committed to creating a work environment that encourages employee engagement and loyalty, so managing and interacting with my team is an integral part of my daily routine. I’m heavily involved in training new hires on the company’s processes and procedures, setting performance goals, and providing feedback and coaching to help my team members grow.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Ideas can come when you least expect it, and that’s why it’s important to always have something handy to record them. Jotting down ideas is something that helps me get the creative juices flowing. When I’m not able to write down my thoughts immediately, I record a voice memo on my phone to help prevent me from forgetting any valuable insights. Brainstorming and making to-do lists is also a great way to generate practical strategies and actionable tasks that will help bring my ideas to life.

After that, I ask for advice from more experienced professionals who might be able to help me refine the idea. It can be intimidating, but having access to the knowledge and experience of those who have gone through similar experiences can save you a lot of time and hassle in the long run. You might even gain some valuable insight that could help you take your idea to a whole new level. Taking the time to consider different perspectives can make all the difference when bringing your idea to fruition.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Smart home technology is a trend that excites me because it offers a variety of benefits to homeowners. Plumbing-related smart devices such as smart toilets, motion-sensor faucets, and smart leak detectors not only make life in the home more convenient, they also help homeowners conserve water and energy and prevent costly water damage caused by leaks. With more and more property owners investing in these trendsetting innovations in plumbing, I’m looking forward to seeing how much easier life will become for American households!

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Making a real effort to learn from my mistakes is one of the best habits I have developed. As a business leader, you’re expected to make decisions that will bring success for your company and team. However, it’s equally important to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them in the future. Mistakes can be costly in terms of time, money, or even relationships; but if we take the time to reflect on our mistakes and learn from them, then they become invaluable lessons for growth.

If you can accept responsibility for mistakes and take ownership of those decisions that led you astray, then you and your team can move forward with greater confidence knowing that past experiences have made you all stronger and wiser individuals. Closely assessing my mistakes has also led to lessons that have helped me rethink my goals, identify risks and opportunities more accurately, and be more strategic with decision making.

What advice would you give your younger self?

If I could give my younger self any advice, it would be to take the time to slow down and appreciate each moment for what it is. Life moves so quickly that it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, but taking a few moments every day to focus on being present can have immense benefits. Taking time to appreciate the smaller things can help cultivate more gratitude and contentment in life.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

The money is not real.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

As an entrepreneur, one of the most important things I recommend everyone do is to always be learning. It’s essential that you stay up-to-date on new developments in business, technology, and industry trends; not only so you can better your own enterprise, but also so you’re able to have an informed opinion when advising other entrepreneurs or debating industry issues. Staying abreast of all the latest knowledge and information gives you a competitive edge.

It’s important to make sure that learning is part of your daily routine. Make it a habit to read industry news and blogs regularly – this will help you to gain insights into new strategies and techniques, as well as upcoming technologies that could be beneficial for your business. Additionally, it’s worth attending local networking events or even reaching out to people outside of your immediate circle; these encounters with like-minded individuals often spark innovative ideas which can help propel a start-up forward.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Understanding our numbers and doing more of what works.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I was not priced right. I had to hire an accountant and work on pricing and our price book to ensure we would be profitable.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I think pet daycare and resorts are under served. Someone can clean house if they leverage technology and good marketing practices. You would be competing against people that love dogs but are bad at business. You can offer dog pick up and drop off service to help attract busy people that have way more money than time. People are willing to pay a premium for great service, as long as the business does way more to elevate the experience.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I bought a belt dog-leash holder, and now I can walk my dogs without holding a leash. It was a game changer!

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Google Calendar has been an invaluable tool for helping me stay productive and organized. Not only does Google Calendar enable you to easily schedule tasks, meetings, events and reminders, it also helps break down long-term goals into manageable chunks so that you can track your progress more efficiently.

You can also set alerts and notifications for important deadlines or events that are coming up in the future for all of your smart devices. This ensures that nothing slips through the cracks or gets overlooked as I’m working towards achieving specific short-term and long-term goals.

Google Calendar also makes it easier to collaborate with other entrepreneurs, employees, and colleagues. You can easily create shared calendars with specific people, which helps ensure everyone is on the same page.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

It depends on where you’re at in life and what you need. Usually the hardest part is believing you can do it, so Napoleon Hill’s The 16 Laws of Success.

What is your favorite quote?

“You don’t need more resources; you need to be more resourceful”- Tony Robbins

Key Learnings:

• Entrepreneurs should always be learning. It’s essential to stay up-to-date on new developments in business, technology, and industry trends; not only so you can better your own enterprise, but also so you’re able to have an informed opinion when advising other entrepreneurs or debating industry issues.
• Making a real effort to learn from mistakes is one of the best habits business leaders can develop. As a business leader, you’re expected to make decisions that will bring success for your company and team. However, it’s equally important to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them in the future.
• Ask for advice from more experienced professionals who might be able to help you refine your ideas. It can be intimidating, but having access to the knowledge and experience of those who have gone through similar experiences can save you a lot of time and hassle in the long run.