1. Name: David Burke
Company: Burke & Son’s
Relations: Father
Siobhan Burke
Nichols College
Business and Society
Section 4

2. About Burke & Son’s: Burke & Son’s is a window and door company. They
install glass windows and doors into homes, companies, or any building
that needs services
Type of Partnership: Sole proprietorship
 Why: he thought it would be a good
idea to control all of the decisions by
himself
How long has Burke & Son’s been in
business?:
20 years

3. Background
How did you get started?: I was working for a company called Great Lakes
Windows for about 15 years and then decided I could make more of a profit if I
started my own business
How did you finance your purchase of the business?: I had some money I had
been saving up for years
Why did you start the business?: it was always a dream to own and operate a
business of my own and when I got the money to do so, I did
What is the owner’s training or background in the business?: I worked at a
professional windows and doors company for 15 years, and before that I did
similar type jobs
How does the company today compare to the company when it started?: the
company is pretty much what it used to be back then. It is a crew of professionals
who know all about windows and doors. The company was and is still small
besides the few extra men we picked up

4. Successes
What have been the successes? : “business has been pretty good
for years. I have been very blessed”
What is the most rewarding aspect of running the business?
Why?: “knowing I'm making money while helping customers and
providing my employees with a good job”
What are the critical success factors for this type of business?:
this type of business requires a lot of work hours. I have to do
field work as well as paper work, and it is all on me”

5. Challenges
What have been the challenges?: unfortunately money is sometimes a
challenge as well as occasionally being understaffed, and long hours
What is the most challenging aspect of running the business? Why?:one of
the biggest challenges is dealing with the slow seasons. Every year there will be
a very slow period were there just is not a lot of work to be done. You just have
to muddle through though those times
How did you overcome the challenges?: if the company hits a slow season we
typically just muddle through. People always need new windows and doors so
even the slow seasons tend to be good to us. If I ever find myself understaffed I
try to find other qualified workers but this is sometimes hard to find
What are the fatal flaws in this type of business?: one of the most fatal flaws
for a lot of company's most days are lawsuits. It is very easy for people to sue
now a days, and if someone sues the company over something it could possible
be devastating

6. Competition
Who do you consider two of your closest competitors?: Saratoga Springs
Windows And Doors, Saratoga Springs Window Company
How does the business try to achieve competitive advantage?: “ I try to work
outside of Saratoga Springs NY while the others stick to Saratoga mostly”
How do you keep your customers satisfied? How do you build customer
loyalty?: “if my customers are not satisfied I will personally sit down and talk
with them to find out the problem and how I can fix it. I make sure they have a
wonderful experience at Burke & Sons so they will always come back”.

7. Marketing/Staffing
What type of strategies do you employ to market your business?: “I like to always tell
people how long I have been in the windows and doors business, and how focused we
are on customer satisfaction”
When considering new employees for your business, what type of qualities and fit are
you looking for?: “they have to be qualified, and dedicated to the business. They have
to be willing to work hard”

8. The Future
Does the owner plan to stay in business for the extended future and,
if so, what are some of their future plans/goals for the business?: “ I
like what I do and I don’t see myself giving it up anytime soon. I love
where the business is now, although I might pick up a few more
employees if I decide to expand”

9. Questions
What do you do if a customer is not satisfied with an employees
job?: “ the first thing I do is try and satisfy the customer. After I do
that I review the employees actions to see what happened so it could
be fixed for the next time”
What makes your job enjoyable?: “I always enjoy satisfying my
customers. It brings me joy when I see the look on peoples faces
when they get what they wanted in the work I have done”

10. Questions
What do you do with an employee who you don’t think is
doing there job: “I will always try to talk to them and tell them
what they did wrong first. Then if they still aren't doing there
job correctly I will be forced to fire them.”

11. Summary
What advice does the business owner have for the members of
this class?: “what ever business you get into, make sure it is a
job you love and enjoy!”
What did you learn: I learned that running a business is a little
more complicated then what I first thought when looking at my
dads business