A tradie of many skills and a learner at heart
Behind the scenes: Our team caught up with Tom from Impala Homecraft in Rangiora | Photo by Builderscrack
About Impala Homecraft
Q: How did Impala Homecraft get started?
A: “I worked for myself most of my career, and when I came to New Zealand, I thought I’ll just stick with working for somebody. But I guess when that’s in your blood, there’s no turning back. It’s just something you’re going to do again after a while, and the time is never right. So we just jumped in and did it.”
Q: Did you run your own business before, back in South Africa?
A: “Yeah. My first business was in the town I grew up in, similar to Rangiora. I knew so many people there. Two weeks in, I didn’t know what to do with all the work. I employed my first guy. A few years later I gave the business to my brother and moved to another town, and it was the opposite story. It was so difficult to start in an economy that’s struggling.”
Q: What kind of work do you specialise in?
A: “Most home improvement things, inside and outside the house. Anything you see and you want repaired around your house, or if you want something added, from a fence to a carport. We do a bit of automated and sliding gates as well, we like those. And driveways, if you want to extend or make them wider.”
Q: Does that variety help you win more work?
A: “Yes, it does. As clients get to know us better, they call us back and they’re like, ‘can you do this, can you do that?’ Instead of having five different guys in your house, you can build a relationship with one guy, and you can trust him. We appreciate it when clients trust us. That’s the goal.”