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The Royal Restrooms Experience
86 Plays10 months ago
"It is important to put faith in those you entrust with your vision"
On a hot summer day in 2004, David Sauers, then a banker, took two of his daughters to a festival in the park. When faced with a dirty port-a-potty and a potty training child, he knew there had to be a better solution. From there, Sauers met up with Kappa Alpha fraternity brother Robert Glisson who took Sauers' rough idea and gave it his engineer's polish.
Leaving successful careers behind, Sauers and Glisson co-founded Royal Restrooms, paved the way for contemporary portable restrooms for special occasions like weddings, festivals, emergency response/disaster relief, and business remodels, and became leaders in the luxury portable restrooms and porta potty rental industries.
Join us as we delve into David's journey, discover the secrets behind Royal Restrooms' success, and explore the future of event services.
Let's dive into this conversation with David Sauers.
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction
00:00:14
Speaker
Welcome to the Entrepreneur Speaks podcast, where I sit down with successful entrepreneurs and hear their stories.
00:00:22
Speaker
from their biggest failures to their greatest successes. You get a behind the scenes look at what it really takes to make it as an entrepreneur. So come along for the ride and let's explore the entrepreneurial journey together.
Meet David Sowers
00:00:38
Speaker
Today we are honored to welcome
00:00:40
Speaker
an exciting and innovative businessman in the event industry. David Sowers, the mastermind behind Royal Restrooms. With a passion for luxury and commitment to excellence, David has redefined the portable restroom experience, bringing comfort and sophistication to events of all kinds. Join us as we delve into David's journey, discover the secrets behind Royal Restrooms success, and explore the future of event services.
00:01:10
Speaker
Without further ado, let's dive into the conversation with David Souths. David, thank you for being here. Hey, Koffee. Thank you so much. I appreciate your warm welcome. It's an honor to be here. Thank you.
Why Royal Restrooms?
00:01:25
Speaker
All right. Could you share the story behind the founding of Royal Restrooms and what inspired you to create large reportable restroom solutions?
00:01:33
Speaker
Absolutely. You know, it was we're celebrating our 20th anniversary this year on 2004. But yeah, it's, you know, it's an incredible milestone, especially for a small business to kind of emerge and grow like that. But it started in to 2003, my both of my daughters were potty training.
00:01:59
Speaker
And we were at a Shakespeare in the Park Festival here in Savannah, Georgia. And I took my oldest into the Port of John and it was just a horrible experience. It was something that was not very expected. I wasn't used to it.
00:02:18
Speaker
because as a parent going into a porta john and having your small child it's already very very tight but then it's also very traumatic because you're like don't touch anything don't you know there's there's pee on the ground there's you know there's a big bucket that you can look straight into and i remember my daughter stella just looking down being like daddy what is it and it's like grabbing her by the collar of the neck like ah don't do that you know
00:02:48
Speaker
And.
00:02:50
Speaker
Um, I had CC on my hip and I had to crack the door and hand one child to a stranger outside and keep my foot, my foot propped open on the door so I could watch one child and I'm holding the other one above the porta potty. And well, she ended up peeing all over me. It didn't make it into the port of John. It just, it was just a horrible experience. It was aggravating. It was.
00:03:20
Speaker
It was just so frustrating that I left the I left the event.
00:03:24
Speaker
And when I got home that night, I was just like, there's got to be something better out there. There's got to be something more. Why are we going to the bathroom in a bucket, in a box? I understand the whole concept and I understand the need and the necessity, but why do we have to go there? There should be another option. And I went downstairs and I just measured out my half bath.
00:03:53
Speaker
downstairs, which is just your toilet and your sink in there. I measured it out and we put it on a trailer. We just measured it out and put it on a trailer.
00:04:06
Speaker
My business partner, Robert Glison, was truly the catalyst that kind of launched this thing forward. I had been kind of just sitting on it and I told Robert about the idea and Robert was, he was just like, this is brilliant. Yes. Oh my gosh, we need this. This, you know, we can do this. And Robert is, was an environmental engineer. So he knew a lot of the background and a lot of the trades and, and,
00:04:36
Speaker
we just put it together. And next thing you know, we have created an outdoor, as I say, luxury portable experience. Now our luxury bathroom, which it's really, it's just a bathroom. It's just a real bathroom that's portable. All right. That's a very interesting story. And we'll delve into some more details as we converse. But I like the fact that there was an experience. You faced a challenge. And based on that challenge,
00:05:05
Speaker
you found an innovative way around it. You found a solution to your challenge, first of all, and out of that came out with a very good business idea. That is very encouraging. And we hope to listen to a lot more and pick some nuggets as we confess. Very, very exciting. So now let's talk about royal restrooms.
Branding and Quality
00:05:28
Speaker
Royal restrooms. First of all, if I may ask, why that name? Royal restrooms. Why that name?
00:05:34
Speaker
Well, we were trying to set it, um, a part, you know, there, there are most of, most of your sanitation businesses and most of your, uh, portable toilet, you know, they all have very creative, creative names, you know, kind of play on words, you know, they're, they're, they're very.
00:05:55
Speaker
Localize their their, you know family-run businesses. And so we wanted to Basically, you know you think of royalty you think of royal it's it's it's expensive, but it's it's tasteful It's got it's something, you know that you like that, you know, it's regal. It's it's royal. It's it's five-star, you know, it's it's
00:06:19
Speaker
The name kind of all of a sudden just it put it sets the tone for the business. So when you when you think of rural restrooms, you think automatically of nice, you know, you think of luxury.
00:06:34
Speaker
You think that it is it's you know a pleasant experience or it just in general It's just gonna be nice. So we we we settled on royal restrooms of course the two are so it just kind of goes together, but It's it was a it wasn't it was an easy name choice, but back in the day All right. I like that
00:06:56
Speaker
I like that, but we'll still delve into the answer you just talked about because you've highlighted some key words. You've talked about luxury, quality, royalty, elegance. Now, what really sets Royal Restroom apart from traditional portable restroom providers? And how do you maintain a focus on luxury and then quality also in your services?
Business Model and Structure
00:07:21
Speaker
Yes. So that's a great question, coffee. Our business back in 20 years ago when we started, we didn't have a whole lot of competition because what we provided was a restroom on a trailer. And it wasn't just any restroom, it was a fully functioning restroom. So it was something that you would see in a hotel, something that you'd see in your house.
00:07:46
Speaker
Flushing toilets, climate controlled, sinks, running water, you could wash your hands, you could look at yourself in the mirror. It was not necessarily so luxurious, but compared to a basic portable toilet, which is just a box that's plastic and has zero amenities, it was luxury. It was very much luxury.
00:08:14
Speaker
So we continue to maintain our trailers and our name. It's a lot by our service. It's a lot of our franchise business owners. It's the owner's mentality. It's their legacy. It's not just mine, but it's all of my office owners. It's my employees. It's their employees. Everybody takes a whole lot of pride in what they do.
00:08:42
Speaker
And we wouldn't be where we are without our loyal employees, our loyal office owners. They're the ones who really make sure that we are different from everyone else. They put their touch on it. They put their heart and soul into it. They wear royal restrooms on their sleeve, basically. They're behind what we do because
00:09:06
Speaker
They know that what we're doing is something good for the community. Like I said, we'll talk about a lot of different things today, I hope, but the nuts and bolts of what I think has made us a success is not myself and Robert as leaders of the company, but it's the people that are putting everything together with us. It's the others that have believed in our vision and
00:09:34
Speaker
have bought into kind of our entire vision and they've carried our vision out with us. So my guest once again is David Siles of Royal Restroom. He's taking us on a journey, telling us about his company and how far he's come. He's touched on a number of important things that we want to delve into some more details. So David tell me, you've highlighted something, you've talked about franchise, you've talked about your employees and all.
00:10:03
Speaker
But before we continue, how is Royal Restroom structured? How is it structured? Can you give us a better appreciation of how Royal Restroom is structured? Yes, absolutely. So Royal Restrooms is really broken down into we have a franchise company.
00:10:22
Speaker
that manages or kind of oversees all of the franchises to make sure that we're all on the same page. The organization of the franchise is to sell the business, but also to maintain the business from a
00:10:42
Speaker
I guess a brand status. We want to ensure that our logos are proper, our trailers are up to specs, our community involvement is reached.
00:10:58
Speaker
Lines of communication are very readily available. Social media is intact. All of those type things. And then we kind of have a management arm under there, which is Royal Restrooms Management, which kind of oversees or handles all of the smaller details that the franchise company does. And that management company, you know, they handle things like our branded marketing materials.
00:11:28
Speaker
It handles all of our paraphernalia from t-shirts to hats to, you know, stickers and, you know, just general knickknacks. But the management company also handles national contracts and military and government stuff. It also handles national emergencies from FEMA or other local state and community involvements. Like we're actually under a tornado watch right now.
00:11:57
Speaker
in Savannah, Georgia. We have severe weather, which I hope it does not interrupt our communication in any way. But from that side, then it breaks down to your independent franchise owners. So the people that have bought a franchise, then they own their own office locations, they own their own territory, and their
00:12:21
Speaker
structured under us. We actually don't own them, but we kind of give them a set of guidelines to follow. But we want each individual office to run the office as if it's owned. We're just kind of setting a blueprint out there for them to follow and manage and make sure that they don't harm the brand or harm another office owner's image of some sort. We want that person to really
00:12:50
Speaker
take control of, of, of their office and make the best of it. You know, we want them to be the best that they can be because all entrepreneurs, all, you know, franchise owners, they are, they're all leaders. They all have that, you know, that drive to be something more than what they're doing today. You know, they want to believe in a vision. They want to accomplish something and that that's,
00:13:19
Speaker
You know, that's the nuts and bolts of how our whole organization is. I can't say enough about all the great leaders that we have in our business. All right. Thank you for those words, David. So you've talked about leadership, teamwork.
00:13:38
Speaker
driving people, believing in a vision. And I think these are very key principles for a striving and a successful business. So thank you for sharing this with us. As you converse, we'll try and unpack some of these things and pick useful lessons from them. Because at the end of the day, this show is supposed to encourage people. We are sharing your journey today, but then we want to use you as an example.
00:14:04
Speaker
as an inspiration for somebody somewhere and this is global everyone is listening people will pick something from your story and be able to utilize this in their business operations so David you've been on this journey for a very long time
00:14:20
Speaker
And like any journey, there's been highs and
Overcoming Challenges
00:14:23
Speaker
lows. I'd like us to touch on some of these things. What indeed has been some of the challenges? Let's start with challenges. And later we'll talk about lessons you've picked up on this journey. Let's start with challenges. So what indeed are some of the challenges you've picked up on this journey? Oh, wow. You know, there are so many directions that you can go with that, you know, from
00:14:50
Speaker
You have internal challenges. You have family challenges. You have, you know, even from government and, you know, government challenges, um, you know, owning a small business in creating a business that, that grows and expands beyond what, what you're capable of really doing. Uh, there, there are a lot of highs and there are a lot of lows.
00:15:20
Speaker
And you, you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other to keep, to keep going. But for instance, you know, when we were very young, when Robert and I were very young in this business, we were starting to get some traction. We were, we were motivated. We were gun ho. We were excited. We were so excited about everything that we were doing. We thought we were changing the world, man. We were, we were way up there. You know what we, we just thought we were, you know, going to be millionaires and everything else, you know, long time ago.
00:15:51
Speaker
And we did an event at somewhere in Maryland and the attorney general slapped us with a huge fine and forced us into being kind of government, I guess, audited or mandated and forced us to go into the franchise model. And it was, you know, that was a struggle. That was a very, a very big blow because
00:16:19
Speaker
We were in kind of uncharted territories. We didn't know where to turn. We didn't know where to go. We had to get attorneys from out of state because nobody locally could help us. But that's a growing pain that we were forced with that we never foresaw.
00:16:42
Speaker
is kind of being clipped by something that is a government agency that just restricts what you're trying to do. And I understand why they do that and because they don't want
00:16:58
Speaker
pyramid schemes. They don't want people trying to rip other people off. If you're selling something, then you need to make sure that it's proven, that it's got sustainability, that you're not taking or stealing someone's hard-earned money. But that's just one struggle. You go to the economy. We had a lot of government contracts at one time. We had a lot of
00:17:27
Speaker
business contracts. Back in 2008, the bottom kind of fell out of the economy. We lost a lot of rentals. We were floating on fumes. Cash flow was gone. Everything was still going up. We were subject to the fuel crisis. All of a sudden, it's
00:17:48
Speaker
$5.80 a gallon at one point. And how do you adjust by that? Do you just kick it back to the customers or how much of an impact does that make? Or like COVID, just of recent. Robert and I, when COVID shut down everything and the government shut down, I think that Robert
00:18:17
Speaker
our local office here in Savannah, I think that we returned like $80,000 in deposits in like two days. You know, it was, it was crazy and talk about struggle and scared to death. Like, Oh my gosh, we've made it this long and now some global crisis is going to shut us down.
00:18:40
Speaker
But we survived. We saw through it. We handled it. And it's like every deterrent that happens to you. You just have to keep pushing forward. It's the same in your personal life. When people start to see you make a difference, they start to see a little success. Your peers around you start to beat up on you a little
00:19:05
Speaker
it. They isolate you or they tell you what you're doing is wrong or it's not going to work or it's not going to fail. There is a way to make it happen. There is a way to push forward. There is a way and that way is about belief in yourself, by belief in your concept, by belief in your business and your family support and the support of your employees and the support of
00:19:31
Speaker
Everyone else and you just have to kind of push through it. Um, there's, there's just, you know, in, in life and business there, there are always hurdles and, and you know, the, the one good thing that you can say is, you know, if you're having a bad day, you know what yesterday was as bad as it's going to get tomorrow's a new day. We're going to, we're going to, we're going to see how tomorrow goes and, you know, hopefully there's always another day, you know, keep fighting.
00:19:59
Speaker
All right, keep fighting. Yesterday was bad, but we leave to fight again. Tomorrow promises to be...
00:20:08
Speaker
very exciting with a lot of opportunities. And these are the nuggets my guest David is sharing with us today on the Entrepreneur Speaks podcast. David, you've talked about challenges in a growing business, challenges. But challenges comes with also lessons and lessons help you become better. So can you share some of the lessons you picked up on this journey with us?
Work-Life Balance
00:20:35
Speaker
Sure. I think that one of the most powerful lessons that you can have is it's not so important to do everything right away. I think that
00:20:58
Speaker
You have to sit back and you have to think about your work-life balance. You need to make sure that you have time for your family. I lost a lot of time with my children early on that I can never take back.
00:21:16
Speaker
You need to be able to set boundaries for yourself. And I think a lot of business owners don't set boundaries. They don't sell personal boundaries. They expect things to be done. And there's this urgency to get it done right away. And it's not necessary. Set those boundaries. But I think the other thing is,
00:21:43
Speaker
Set the expectations and do your job. The people under you need to be able to do their job. If they do their job,
00:21:57
Speaker
everything will kind of flow a little bit easier for you. You won't, you won't have these little headaches. And the other thing is you don't have to do everything yourself. Um, there are people that are willing to help you. There are people that believe in you and you know, you hired them because you believed in them. You see something that maybe they don't see. Um, and, and trust, you know, trust them. You don't, you don't have to,
00:22:28
Speaker
um, over, overlook your shoulder all the time. You know, there's, there's a lot of times when you, when you get this feeling like, I don't know, maybe that somebody is just trying to sabotage you because you, you've got this great vision. Everything's going great. And it's like, how does it tear down so quickly? And the truth of the matter is that that's just life, you know, nobody's really, that's just, that's just life.
00:22:57
Speaker
That's life happening. And business is a lot like that. And I think that the most... Sure. Sustainability is increasingly important in today's world. How does Royal Restroom incorporate eco-friendly practices in its operations?
Eco-Friendly Practices
00:23:18
Speaker
Well, we've always started out with trying to make sure that we are eco-friendly. One of the things that we do use is we use low flow
00:23:31
Speaker
low flow water. So all of our trailers have low flow water consumption as well. We try to use minimal light or power, I guess you should say. So everything is either 12 volt or LED powered. So we have very little power usage. Really, our main power source is when we hook up to climate control to make sure that we're
00:23:56
Speaker
have that, but, um, from a product standpoint, you know, everything we make sure is echo friendly. It's, it's not a contaminant. Uh, I guess from a dump site, you know, to, to leaving a footprint on, on earth, uh, all the chemicals that we use as well for cleaning products and stuff, you know, they're, they're non harmful ingredients on, on animals and skin and stuff like that.
00:24:23
Speaker
They're all non-corrosive, but you know, I think that our biggest thing is just to make sure that the products that we buy and the products that we use remain eco-friendly. Okay. So David, so you all know this and you know it's more. So Roya restrooms.
00:24:45
Speaker
You cater from weddings to corporate events. How do you cater to all these wide range of locations? And can you share some memorable events or projects that you've been a part of with us?
Community Engagement
00:24:59
Speaker
Oh, yes. From weddings to natural disasters, weddings are always fun. Festivals are always fun.
00:25:09
Speaker
But even just small nonprofit works. Some of the most memorable events that we've done is we did some things with the World Cricket Games down in the Caribbean Islands. We've done several Super Bowls, Super Bowl football.
00:25:29
Speaker
Games. We did the World Equestrian Tour in Kentucky. We've done numerous large sporting events. We've done several celebrity weddings. We've done a lot of movie shoots, a lot of movie shows in the film industry. But I think that some of the more memorable ones are our community-based events that we've done, our nonprofit events that we've done.
00:25:59
Speaker
You know, the community is kind of the heart and soul of where you live. And I think it's so important to be a part and to give back to the community. And when we do things like the March of Dimes event or the Habitat for Humanity or, I mean, just anything, the Leukemia Lymphsoma Society,
00:26:25
Speaker
You're giving back locally, but you're helping a cause that is bigger than you, that is bigger than just your community. You're helping loved ones in that community. You're helping loved ones all over the world. It was such a touching thing when we first started. The local news station said that we were going to help
00:26:54
Speaker
this hurricane evacuation and that had been hit by a hurricane a number of years ago. And when I got home from work, my front doorstep was piled high full of diapers and canned food and water for us to take in the trailers down to that organization. And it's, you don't often, you're not,
00:27:20
Speaker
you're not always able to see how a community pulls together and helps out everybody else. And I think this business is, you know, it, it shows you that it shows you your community bonds and it shows you, you know, I guess the, the lighter side of, of, of the world, I guess you could say.
00:27:44
Speaker
Okay, so the event industry has evolved over the years and you've been in business for quite some time now. How has Royal Restrooms adapted to the changing trends and also your customer needs?
Adapting to Trends
00:27:57
Speaker
Well, the trends have changed to our benefit. More people have, more guests, more people have requested our type facilities because having or utilizing a facility like a real bathroom, it keeps people at an event longer. People feel a little safer. They're not,
00:28:23
Speaker
is much of a germaphobe. You know, they're able to go to a bathroom in comfort. Going to the bathroom is one of probably the last private things we do as individuals. I mean, you know, you like to go to the bathroom in comfort and style and stress free. And we provide that. We provide a sense of that comfort that is not stressful any longer.
00:28:49
Speaker
So event organizers in event locations and so forth, they're steering more towards our style product because it, you know, not only elevates the ambience of their event, but it shows to their guests and the people that are coming that they're thinking about them more than just the show that they're putting on. They're actually, you know, being a little more considerate of, of what, of when they're coming to the show and, and they want,
00:29:19
Speaker
The overall experience to be wonderful they don't want anything to be kind of tainted or or worrisome and you know not only that when you have a family style event or family style festival.
00:29:36
Speaker
Um, children, you know, that is a, that is a big thing, you know, um, taking children to a restroom, you know, it can be quite traumatizing as how my business evolved out of my experiences. You know, so from a, from a trending standpoint, um, you know, we haven't done a whole lot except just expand our capacity and our availability.
00:30:03
Speaker
Um, in the industry, uh, the industry, you know, globally is, is transitioning away from a porta potty, uh, to more restroom style trailers, you know, or at least flushing and more hygienic or, or sanitary conditions for, uh, portable restrooms. So in your submission, you've highlighted some things you talked about customer experience.
00:30:33
Speaker
and satisfaction. Now let's talk about customer satisfaction. As you know, customer satisfaction is key in the service industry, the industry you find yourself in. So how does Royal Restroom ensure a positive experience for your clients?
00:30:50
Speaker
Well, that is something that we strive for and try very much. From a service standpoint, we want everybody to be comfortable and loving us as much as possible.
00:31:05
Speaker
But the funny thing is, is when you go to an event, you're most everybody is going to go to the restroom. They're not going to eat all the food. They're not going to drink all the liquor or the booze. They're not even going to pay. They may not even pay attention to the ice sculpture, but they will go to the bathroom and you know, that usually causes, uh, you know,
00:31:30
Speaker
They ask, where's the bathroom? How is it? You know, they want to, they're questioning, is it suitable to go to or is it, you know, they're trying to brace themselves for the experience. So a lot of times our restrooms, our facilities, people come back with, instead of, did you see the bathroom? It's, oh my gosh, did you see the bathroom? It is so nice. It is, you know, it is this,
00:31:58
Speaker
Perception of you know, we did our job better. So they're they're talking about us. They're they're excited about it But from an event holder standpoint, you know You would rather nobody talk about a bathroom, you know, you don't want that to be the topic although lots of the times we're the talk of
00:32:23
Speaker
conversation at the table how nice we were how pleasant it was now you know we can't control how it looks entirely through the entire night unless we have an attendant of some sort but guests are going to talk about if the bathroom is great or if the bathroom is horrible they're gonna let somebody know
00:32:46
Speaker
that instance. So we try to make sure that we have more of a wow factor rather than just, you know, we're a bathroom company. We want to bring you the wow factor. Okay. All right. Earlier on your submission, you touched on your COVID experience and what you did
Navigating COVID-19
00:33:07
Speaker
during that period. But I want us to spend time talking about COVID and your experience.
00:33:12
Speaker
We all know that COVID really impacted the event industry very significantly. How did Royal restroom, how did you navigate through the challenges posed by this global pandemic? Well, that was a very trying time and
00:33:35
Speaker
Everybody was putting all of their heads together. We were all communicating. It was almost like a disaster. Everybody was talking. Everybody is emailing. Everybody is texting. Like, what are we going to do? How is this? Because in the United States, everything shut down almost at once. It just
00:33:58
Speaker
Kind of collapsed all of it for cancelled everything was cancelled city with cities were shut down it was it was horrible. But we we were we were able to survive because we did not have to we were not necessarily isolated just to events even though that is.
00:34:20
Speaker
The bulk of our business is events, weddings, uh, social functions of that sort of thing. We do a lot of business remodels. We do a lot of disaster relief, emergency response, and you know, all of these COVID sites started popping up. Well,
00:34:39
Speaker
they needed facilities. And all of a sudden now a porta potty is not necessarily as it was not labeled as hygienic. I mean, I can remember going to the gas station and there they've got, you know, hand wash stations outside the gas station for you to wash your hands after you pump your gas. Um, or if you went into a store, you had to hand sanitize your hand before you open the, the, the door and you had to have a mask.
00:35:09
Speaker
Well, let's have trailers. We were able to capture a market that we didn't even really truly understand we had. And it was after all those events canceled, it was like all of our trailers started going out to different places. They were going out to news stations because they had people that were working out in the field. Well, the people working out in the field, they just, they needed to make sure that they
00:35:37
Speaker
washed up or whatever before they went back into the newsroom because you know businesses were technically kind of shut down you had to go into this uh kind of protocol of what what could be done to to work and but but we did testing sites we did a lot of military stuff we did schools we had um things at schools we had things at uh
00:36:06
Speaker
you know, hospitals, you had them at emergency care centers. Um, we even had showers and restrooms at temporary hospitals and holding centers and stuff like that. So we were able, able to weather the storm through those through that ability of, you know, the basic, you know, all of a sudden our services became,
00:36:36
Speaker
very impactful or very needed after COVID. So it was a weird, it was a weird time for us, but we were very blessed that we were able to do the jobs that we did. Okay. So innovation is very crucial for staying ahead in any industry and innovation I'm sure is very crucial in your industry.
Innovation and Expansion
00:37:00
Speaker
So how do you, how do your company
00:37:04
Speaker
How do you foster a culture of innovation within your company? We're always trying to minimize our footprint. We're always trying to, like you were talking about, being eco-friendly. We're testing out how to use solar power with batteries and stuff like that.
00:37:24
Speaker
For our 20th year, what we rolled out was a complete new design of a restroom trailer. Typically, most all of your restroom trailers on the market right now are, they look like a big cargo style cargo trailer, just a big white box.
00:37:47
Speaker
And what we did was I listened to the event planners and guests, you know, nobody necessarily liked seeing a big white trailer box. So we redesigned the outside with a slow bird. We call it a liquid restroom series. So it's a silver mirrored. Now it's real.
00:38:11
Speaker
rather than the big white box that you traditionally see. And that silver-weared reflection, it has a reflection, but it also mirrors its surroundings. So it kind of camouflages itself. It looks like, I mean, it looks like part of the event now. It looks like it's part of a prop. It looks like it's one of the, you know, the focal points of an event. Whereas, so we're not just back in the corner like we used to be. We're front and center.
00:38:42
Speaker
But one of the other things that we're doing to bring us into the next decade is we're offering some other style trailers, other event style trailers. We have an office trailer, which can be turned into a locker room or a temporary bunkhouse.
00:38:59
Speaker
but we also have some beverage trailers, bar trailers. We have some sink trailers. Uh, we have some, even some refrigerated trailers. So we're expanding our, our fleet of options. Even though we're remaining role restrooms and restrooms are still our focal point. We're still providing, um, things for the event industries that are, that are portable, that don't really change our footprint as a whole. Okay.
00:39:26
Speaker
Um, um, you've touched on something, but I still want to ask. So as a leader in your industry, what trends do you see, or do you foresee shaping the future of events, planning and services? Oh, well.
00:39:42
Speaker
The restroom trailer business, the industry as a whole has continued to just blossom. It's expanded. It's reaching new heights left and right. There are a lot of new businesses popping up. There are a lot of small mom and pop industries that are capturing small pieces of the market all over. But the main thing that I see is
00:40:13
Speaker
people are the driving force, you know, the, the general public, they're demanding our product. They no longer see that just a regular portable box Porta John or, or Porta potty is necessarily acceptable. Um, restroom trailers and event style restroom trailers, like what we have, that's becoming more of the, the standard, um,
00:40:39
Speaker
you know, that is becoming the standard product. That's what is expected now. And that's what people want. So our business will continue, or at least for the next foreseeable future, our business will continue to expand.
00:40:56
Speaker
Okay.
Advice for Entrepreneurs
00:40:57
Speaker
So, David, before we sign off, I would like us to spend our last minutes with you offering pieces of advice to my audience, to my listeners, to my viewers. So let's start off with an aspiring entrepreneur in the services and events industry. What would be your pieces of advice to such a person? Well, first off, whenever you're going off on a new endeavor,
00:41:26
Speaker
I think it's important that you jump all in. Don't do it piece by piece. If you believe in yourself and you believe in what you're doing, put everything you've got into it. So many people are scared of the unknown. They're afraid to make that leap that they never fully commit to what they're doing.
00:41:50
Speaker
They want to hold back for some small security like it, you know, it's almost like they, they don't quit their full time job because they are worried about this or they're worried about that. You know, uh, you, you have to, you have to make the commitment. But the other thing is, is, I mean, when you, like, when you buy a franchise, you're not buying success. You can't, it's,
00:42:20
Speaker
It's a blueprint. We're not, you know, the success is earned. You as an individual have to put in the work for you to be able, you know, you can't just buy what you think you deserve. So put everything you've got in it and move forward. What you put into it is what you're going to get out of it. But the other thing,
00:42:45
Speaker
make sure that you have yourself your ducks in a row, you know, make sure your houses is in order before you start expanding off because not, you're not going to add just stress to yourself, but you're going to add stress to those around you. So, you know, make sure that you have a good support system and make sure that they understand what it is that you're trying to accomplish and what you're trying to do, because they're going to be the ones to push you forward.
00:43:15
Speaker
Okay. Thank you, David. Let's also consider another category of a business person. This is a business owner, a business person who has tried, tried, tried, has not succeeded, and the person is on the verge of giving up. What would be your pieces of advice to such a person?
Encouragement and Learning from Failures
00:43:34
Speaker
My advice would be that, you know, take a step back.
00:43:39
Speaker
look at your surroundings and maybe you have tunnel vision. A lot of people get stuck like this is the only way that it can be done. Even with my offices, if we don't necessarily agree on something or we take a different path, our end goal is still the same. We are trying to provide excellent customer service.
00:44:03
Speaker
but the way that I provide customer service may be this way, and the way they provide customer service be this way, but we're all still meeting in the middle. I think a lot of times when people try, try, try, try, they're kind of trying the same thing over, or they're doing the same thing and getting the same results, they just think in their head they're not, you know, you have, you, hmm, how do I say that right?
00:44:33
Speaker
A lot of people try the same thing over expecting different results. You have to take an entirely different approach. You have to step back and you have to listen to what other people are telling you. And it's okay to be wrong. It's okay to fail. It's okay to, you know, cause that's how you learn and whoever is
00:44:57
Speaker
trying, trying, and they're still failing, they're still, are you learning from what your mistakes are you trying a different route or are you still trying to go push forward? You know, sometimes you, sometimes you can't go through the mountain. Sometimes you got to go over it. Sometimes you get to go around it and sometimes you get to go under it, you know, but a lot of people still keep trying to just hammer through it when that's, that's not the route that they need to take. And it's hard for some people to see that.
00:45:26
Speaker
Okay, so it's important, the points you've put forward, that you will fail. There are times you will fail, but when you fail, pick useful lessons from it. Learn from that failure and bounce back. Bounce back. Use those learnings from your failure to bounce back and be a better person. Dave, we are just about wrapping up. We are just about wrapping up this exciting conversation. I could go on and on and on and on and on and on with you, but
00:45:55
Speaker
We at some stage, we have to call it a day. We are just about wrapping up. What are some exciting developments or initiatives that Royal Restroom has in store for the future?
Future Plans
00:46:09
Speaker
Well, you know, as I mentioned earlier, you know, we're going to roll out with a whole new line of trailers and a bunch of new rental opportunities because, you know,
00:46:21
Speaker
with opportunity, it creates potential. And having a bunch of different trailers gives us our different lines of trailers will give us opportunities to branch out to where we have it before and still offer the excellent customer service and excellent restroom service.
00:46:43
Speaker
So it's our big push now is kind of cross-selling because we're already doing a great job in the restrooms. You know, let's just capture a little bit more and make the events a little bit better. Okay, so we're just about signing off. What will be your general advice, last words to my audience?
00:47:06
Speaker
Well, one, I would coffee. I'd like to say thank you. I appreciate you allowing me to be on your show. It's been a pleasure talking to you. Don't give up. Keep trying. And, you know, there's a, there's a higher power that, that, that steers us all. And it's important to put faith in those that you entrust with your vision.
00:47:31
Speaker
All right. Can you repeat those last words again? I like that. Can you repeat those last words again? Well, it's important to put faith in those that you have given your vision to. All right. I can't remember. All right. It's important for you to put faith
00:47:54
Speaker
In those you've given a chance or you've welcomed to work with you. And these are nuggets that my guest David Siles has shared with us. He's given us an overview of his company, Royal Restroom, how he's come from the beginning
00:48:11
Speaker
he saw a challenge and in addressing the challenge, he came up with a very good business operations. He's highlighted the challenges and lessons he's picked up, the contribution they are making to society, and also talking about innovation and their future plans. David, thank you so much for being on our show. It has been an exciting moment and we want to wish you the very best. My pleasure and thank you so much.
00:48:41
Speaker
So this has been another exciting episode of the Entrepreneur Speaks Podcast. We'll come your way next time with another inspiring and exciting episode. I remain your host, Kofi and you may do. As always, do take good care of yourself and let's continue to keep hope alive. Cheers.
00:49:02
Speaker
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