March 20, 2017

Meet Matt Plaskoff of One Week Bath in Van Nuys

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Plaskoff.

Matt, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
• When I was a kid, I always had an Entrepreneurial spirit. At a very young age, I turned our family playhouse into a candy store. Had my Mom take me to the store to buy bulk candy and then set up shop. At 13, I started a magic entertainment company, traveling to kids parties each weekend and doing magic shows for pay. At 16, I created a speaker company that made custom speakers with hand wound crossovers and sold them to my friends. I sold greeting cards door to door for years. These were the stepping stones to “starting and owning a business”.
• I developed my customer service skills, critical to any enterprise, in the restaurant business, bussing and waiting tables, tending bar and eventually managing the largest grossing restaurant in California (at least in 1984), Gladstones 4 Fish. Fast paced. High energy.
• My love for Building came from always trying to figure out how things worked. I would take things apart and put them back together. My Mom tells a story about how I took my brother’s crib apart and he ended up on the floor. I was only 18 months older then him. I would build things from scratch. In woodshop, I once made a furniture piece to hold an aquarium, out of a raw log with bark on it. I could see things before they were there.
• I started college as graphic design major and moved into Architecture. I thought this was the route for me but a professor discouraged me by criticizing how accurate my lines were. “You should be a mechanical draftsman. You work is too perfect.” Ironic…..everyone uses CAD now and you can’t get much more perfect than that.
• My love for the ocean overtook me in my second year of college. I grew up in Sunset Mesa, by the old Getty Museum and, like my Dad, had a love for the water and the sand. I took a class in Marine Biology and was hooked. Science taught me how to study data, to challenge the “known” and explore the unknown. I use my science daily in my business, analyzing marketing data and studying numbers, looking for patterns that will help me make decisions.
• UCSB was the best place for me to realize my dream of working with Marine Mammals. Unfortunately, when I got out of school, all the Dolphin training positions were taken. That’s when I found myself teaching SCUBA diving and working at the largest fish restaurant in California…..Gladstones.
• My Dad was a college professor, so education was critical to our family. I transferred that love and knowledge into training programs at the restaurant. Creating slide shows and training materials to improve our staff. I continue to use those tools in our current businesses.
• When I decided I’d had enough at Gladstones, I went to work for a friend of mine who owned a paint business. I hated painting but loved to manage the books. My big break came when a fantastic contractor, working on one of our projects, asked if I wanted to come work for him. I really didn’t know anything about construction. I was handy and that was about it.
• I know it’s going to sound cliché but I started at $6.00 an hour sweeping floors. I was just happy to smell cut wood and be around home building. I paid attention, asked lots of questions and tried my hand at trades when I could. Steve, the Contractor, taught me everything. He was amazing. I learned to do demolition, framing, electrical, build cabinets, hang doors, install trim and finally, manage projects. It wasn’t long before I was telling everyone what to do on the job sites. I was promoted to a working superintendent and ultimately to Project Manager.
• I worked as a Project Manager for another great Contractor and he showed me the ropes as a Project Manager. During my work with this contractor, I was approached by a couple who wanted me to build them a home. When I offered to have them speak with my boss, they said they preferred me to do it and asked if I would be willing to go out on my own and make their home my first project. I finished the work I had committed to and when I was done, I launched Plaskoff Construction, my custom home building and remodeling company. My wife Karry, of 30 years, and I ran this out of our apartment for the first year or so and began to build our business. This was 1988. We were married just one year.
• Honestly, I didn’t really know how to run a remodeling company. Entrepreneur… yes. Seasoned business owner/operator….no. We started with $2,000 in the bank and built that business into a very prolific and solid company within a couple years. At its peak, we had 9 project managers and 15 projects running. These projects were large; large remodels and custom homes. Our average project was $500,000 to $1,000,000. Hollywood was great to us. Once we completed a project for a Producer, Director, Actor, Composer or anyone else in the “business”, they would refer their friends. Business Managers loved us because we respected privacy, we did a great job and were honest. This helped catapult our business to one of the most respected in Los Angeles.
• In 2000, after running Plaskoff Construction for over 12 years, I dreamed of a more systematic, specialized, consistent and replicable model….something that wouldn’t rely 100% on me, something I could potentially sell. I came up with One Week Bath; a bathroom specialty company that could sell faster and build faster. Plaskoff Construction was going strong. I also had started an Architectural and Design company, the Plaskoff Design Group. This company fed Design and Architecture to Plaskoff Construction and completed the Design/Build Model that we’d grown to love. So, One Week Bath was not something I could put my attention to. I built business plans, studied financial models and continued to dream about it.
• Finally, in 2004, I decided to put some real attention to it and starting building some baths just to test the model.
• About the same time, ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition came on the scene. They wanted to build a show around remodeling homes in just one week. A producer came to see me with the pilot tape and asked if I had interest in being part of the show. At first, I was hesitant. It took us 3-6 months to do an extensive remodel. I really had no desire to be embarrassed on National TV. However, my VP of Production at the time built a schedule and showed me it could be done. We committed to the 2nd show ever shot and built it in 5 days 9 hours. We thought, “That was a great once in a lifetime experience.”
• Shortly after, the show contacted me as they had a contractor back out at the last minute. Our team came in and shot another show and added space to that home in 5 days, 9 hours.
• ABC decided that the show was a hit and wanted to take it on the road. They needed a Contractor who had done it and also who had connections across the country, to help them roll out nationally. I was that guy. ABC hired me as the Construction Consultant for the show and I helped them find, train and manage contractors throughout the country.
• At this point, I had Plaskoff Construction, Plaskoff Design Group, Extreme Makeover and a dream about One Week Bath. In 2004, I had to make some decisions.
• I decided to stop doing the TV Show and starting putting my attention to One Week Bath. We created software, hired key managers, set up a warehouse, hired and trained installation crews and designers. This was not without cost. We raised money and took on shareholders to make this happen. As One Week Bath started to grow, I had to make some more decisions about where my attention could land. I started to wind down Plaskoff Design Group and started to shrink Plaskoff Construction so that I could help grow One Week Bath.
• One Week Bath was struggling in the sales and marketing area. We were spending a lot of money on Marketing but we weren’t selling. I felt the only way I could figure out the issue, was to try my hand at selling myself. I began to go on Design meetings and sell bathrooms and I learned that our model had some flaws. This was great news! I began to modify the model and saw the sales rise.
• In 2008, our COO at One Week Bath, decided that it was time for him to move on. This was a turning point for us because I needed to make the monumental decision of which business was to be my future. I chose One Week Bath. We weren’t very profitable at that time. In fact, we were losing money. This was primarily due to over spending on Marketing, too much infrastructure (we had really built the business fast and big, anticipating it would grow very quickly) and too many employees not doing enough. As the market started to turn and the large custom projects were disappearing, I felt it was time to move the lion’s share of my attention to One Week Bath. It was the right move.
• I zero based budgeted the company, throwing anything overboard that we didn’t need to weather the “recession” storm. I let all but one of our sales team go and started selling each and every bath; speaking with each and every customer. In 90 short days, we had turned OWB around. With the help of Brian Kargari, our new VP of Production, we were able to find the key to selling and building effectively and profitably. We modified our offering, our price point and expanded the types of projects that we would offer.
• Over the next 4 years, our company would triple its sales.
• In 2010, a friend and fellow remodeler in Kansas City asked if I he could launch OWB in his City and surrounding cities. This was our opportunity to see if what we had created could be replicated. We had to train sales, train installation, set up marketing etc. We began the process of setting him up and created a partnership to run the company. At this point, we were not an official franchise. One Week Bath Kansas City worked! We were able to do it. This was great news.
• We also began to study kitchens as an extension to our offering. Our clients were asking us to do these and so we started to offer them to repeat and referral clients only.
• In 2012, we decided to become an official franchise. We created the documents and were approved by the Franchise Board. To date, we have yet to sell a franchise.
• We continue to grow One Week Bath and are looking to expand into other cities. Our continued goal is to build a sustainable business and build value for us and our shareholders, as well as our team members.
• In 2014, we launched our Open Book Management program with our friend, shareholder and open book coach, Bill Fotsch. This has helped us grow and be a better team, which is what we will need moving forward.
• As of 2017, we currently build about 250-300 custom bathrooms per year as well as 30-40 kitchens. Plaskoff Construction continues to run and we do 2-3 specialty projects there per year. We have 45 excellent team members and I’m very proud of how far we’ve come. We’ve now been in business, at Plaskoff Construction, for almost 30 years. We’ve now been in business at One Week Bath for over 15 years. We have a huge amount of knowledge, experience and have a fantastic offering.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? In a word “no”. We are very grateful for the opportunities that have come our way. Things have been great but business and growth are not without struggle and challenge.
• From the first project at Plaskoff Construction, we had challenges with cashflow and building mistakes. That’s how you learn. I remember putting payroll on our VISA card in the beginning as we waited for a client to pay.
• There were so many struggles along the way it would take too long to explain. We have encountered people challenges, client challenges, building department challenges, vendor challenges, software challenges etc…

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about One Week Bath – what should we know?
Based in Los Angeles, One Week Bath is an independent bathroom remodeling company that has expanded to also serve Orange County, Ventura, Inland Empire and all of Southern California. The innovation of contractor & entrepreneur Matt Plaskoff, our mission is to eliminate the risk & stress of bathroom remodeling, making overall customer experience & beautiful design the priority. We have completed thousands of beautiful bathroom remodels since our inception in 2000.

One Week Bath makes bathroom remodeling easy by offering a rare, truly all-inclusive custom design & construction experience. Every single item for the project is included in the contract – no surprises.

Our Designer comes to you and guides you through every detail and finish selection. All of this design and product selection occurs in the home, saving you valuable time, and ensuring the selections work perfectly in your space. On your construction start date, your dedicated crew shows up and handles the entire project from start to finish! All job sites remain clean and orderly from beginning to end and our crews are experts at minimizing the disruption to you, your home, family, pets and life.

All of our Designers and construction teams are full-time One Week Bath dedicated staff, trained by us. We do not use sub-contractors or temporary workers. We back our work with comprehensive material and workmanship warranties and only use top quality materials from brands, suppliers and trade partners we know and trust.

The One Week Bath process delivers an unparalleled experience every time, saving our customers countless days, weeks and even months of design and construction inconvenience, unlike any other construction model.
Speak with us today and learn why 98% of our clients would refer us to a friend, neighbor or family member.

Working With Us Is Easy! Here’s How It All Starts…

Step 1:
Call us today and speak to our Pre-Design Coordinator to determine if our process is right for your needs and project.
Step 2:
Fill out the Project Detail Questionnaire which will be provided to a Designer with the necessary details about your design and construction ideas, needs, and goals.
Step 3:
Speak with a Designer and discuss a plan. Review the project scope, discuss style and details that will help establish a general project budget range.
Step 4:
Our Designer comes to your home to plan and design your dream bathroom. Finish the meeting with a completed design, complete product list and a final project price and schedule.
Step 5:
On your scheduled date, the project begins and your bathroom will be beautifully remodeled in just one week!

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