Position: Co-owner with her husband, Larry
Company: Onsite Audio
What they do: Car installation services
Revenue: $150,000
Next Goals: Sustain and ultimately improve Onsite’s reputation as a leading local audio retailer
The ragged, torn sign hangs from rusted posts standing above crumbled piles of sheetrock. The only thing inside the hollow space is the wooden framework, which is surrounded by shattered glass and battered plywood.
That’s what’s left of one building that Hurricane Gustav ravaged last September. It’s a sight most people would look at and then run away.
But in these weathered ruins, Cathi Williamson and her husband Larry heard the sweet sound of opportunity. They bought Onsite Audio, purchasing the lease for the building in March 2009 and literally rebuilding the business from the ground up.
“We talked to the owners, and we agreed it would be built better than it was before,” Larry says.
“We knew we could design it and build it exactly how we wanted,” Cathi says. “We could make it our own.”
Interior design was not the only factor they considered. The site shares space with a car-care business on Jefferson Highway across from Parkview Baptist, a location Larry says attracts young customers.
As reconstruction continues, time is the primary concern for the Williamsons. With bills and expenses looming, they are anxious to establish business. So far, they’ve managed to stay in contact with clients through a Web site and an answering service.
They hope to maintain and increase clientele long after Onsite Audio opens this month, and Larry says the best way to do that is know your profession well and build business relationships.
“I took on a business once that I didn’t know a lot about, and I made money, but I still felt uncomfortable when asked a lot of questions,” Larry says. “You have to be comfortable with the field you’re in.”
Larry began working for Onsite Audio years ago after closing his first business, and is confident that highly experienced professionals will be the determining factor for success. He will oversee car installations and general management, and Cathi—with more than 11 years’ experience in real estate—will handle the accounting.
Once Onsite Audio opens, it will provide services that include car installations and mobile video and security systems for well-established clients such as Price LeBlanc and ExxonMobil. Keeping clients happy will be necessary for maintaining a healthy business.
“I want to treat the business like we’ve just moved in,” Larry says. “I want to earn every customer.”
