Today we’d like to introduce you to Dale Madden.
Hi Dale, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
As a kid, I worked with my dad on weekends when he would do projects around the house. I enjoyed learning how to do certain construction and general yard work tasks. I went on a few mission trips to Mexico with my church youth group in high school and worked on the construction team. I was inspired by serving others and learning about their culture, particularly their language. These experiences motivated me to start my own business in high school doing residential landscape maintenance. After several years of establishing the business, I knew that the business needed to grow to become more successful. I met an experienced businessman and teamed up to start Earthadelic. I obtained my contractor’s license, which enabled us to take on larger projects. We’re now a well-established brand in the east TN market and are fortunate to have a great team and great customers to serve. After serving 8 years on the Knoxville Tree Board, I now serve as chair for a non-profit, Trees Knoxville. I am excited to work on community projects to preserve and enhance Knoxville’s urban canopy. We’re now undergoing a large Urban Forestry Master Plan for the city. This is a huge milestone for Knoxville and will impact the quality of life for the residents of our city.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Like anyone else in business for his or would tell you, it has been a challenging road. Sudden issues arise that you never have in your life expectancy. Some say it is all about how you respond, which is very true, but I dig a little deeper about what went wrong and what I would do differently next time. Beyond that, it is very challenging to grow a business organically. I never had any outside funding. I just reinvested profit to purchase assets for our team to have the needed equipment and nurture the business. We’ve started business units that have yet to succeed and have had to pivot to protect the core business.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our company is a fun atmosphere. It is a bunch of hard-working guys and girls who like to work hard and have fun doing it. We cherish our culture and celebrate our accomplishments all the time. We embrace creativity in design, building techniques, business strategy, or management. When performing work on our projects, we are dedicated to high-quality output and strive to be the best. Earthadelic possesses a broad base of specialties. We are a design-build firm specializing in both architectural and landscape design. The outdoor living spaces we create are our calling cards. We design and construct swimming pools, outdoor structures, and unique hardscape spaces surrounded by beautiful landscape settings. We also do extensive remodeling and renovation work inside and outside the house. What is unique about Earthadelic is that we design nearly every project we implement and perform almost all of our work using our internal forces. We set and maintain a high standard for our crews that our customers have come to expect. I am proud of the Earthadelic brand because we are professional in all business areas.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
Be careful what you commit to. Saying no is an acceptable response. You want to avoid overcommitting and finding yourself unable to do what you said you would. Communicate well in advance if you need more time to fulfill an obligation or start a project. I wish I’d had more opportunities to work in the various trades or had more training. Having adequate experience and knowledge of the trades in our industry is important to one’s success. Since our business has evolved so much, I’ve learned everything I know from experience in the field; that’s often the hard way. It is crucial that you do things right and are intolerant of cutting corners. Sometimes, even if you know the right way to do something, you can find out the hard way that there may be better ways. Always ask questions. Be sure you fully understand something before you commit to it. I also wish I had known the cost of growing a business, not only the money factor but the time involved. Profit does not translate to money in your pocket. If you want to grow your business, it translates into more opportunities. Investing in those opportunities is the key to growth, which takes patience.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.earthadelic.com
