Start-Up Stories

by Tim Weyland

“I’m Grateful for the Great Reputation We Have.”

Tim Weyand liked the idea of being able to work for himself and have a career doing something meaningful where he was in control. After being laid off in the oil business for the third time, he decided the time was right.

“I had just built my own fence and a neighbor complimented me on it. Then I built a friend’s fence and I thought, ‘I can do this.’ I needed to pay bills and put food on the table. At that time, my dad worked for me part-time for free. My priority was, and continues to be, building trust with my customers by doing the right thing,” Weyand explains.

Today, Tim’s Fences is entering it’s 25th year. Located in Stafford, Texas, near Houston, the company has done well. “I began this venture by beginning from scratch, graduating from the school of hard knocks,” he says.

“So much has changed over the years. Thanks to technology, people can visit my website and get a pretty good idea of what we can do and receive a ballpark estimate. We’ll still visit to provide a hard estimate, but this technology gives the client an idea of the cost without ever leaving the couch. While I embrace the technology, I’m also glad some things haven’t changed. Good recommendations from former clients are the best way to gain new customers and I’m grateful for the great reputation we have,” Weyland says.

In the early days, Weyland drove through Houston, studying fences of all types: how they were made, the materials used, and what he could do differently. He started tweaking and expanding on the ideas.

Tim’s Fences offers products specifically targeted for the Houston area, such as metal posts for wood fences and galvanized, powder-coated ornamental iron, along with cedar, prefabricated steel, composite, chain link and welded wire and gate options. They work with commercial and residential customers.

“The beginning days of my business are a bit unusual, since I didn’t start with another company. I didn’t work for a distributor or have contacts within the fencing industry. I started with a clean slate, a desire to control my destiny as much as possible and build a great reputation for customer service and quality workmanship,” says Weyland. “

He, along with his team of 15 employees, participate in continued education to stay up to date on the latest options. “For every job we do, my team and I are committed to making sure our expectations and the customer’s expectations are the same,” he says.

For more information, visit www.timsfences.com.

Those on the outside may think owning and growing a business is glamorous. They see the current building, the staff, the equipment and the profits. What they don’t see are the startups. The small beginnings, the ever-present worry, the dreams and the everyday decisions that can either make it or break it.

Fence News honors those who put their hat in the self-employment ring and built their business one small step at a time.