Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchisee, Tim Sostak, contemplated pursuing an entrepreneurial opportunity for several years. Sostak knew he possessed the necessary entrepreneurial drive and desire. While he considered a few entrepreneurial business opportunities throughout the years, the timing to pursue one never seemed quite right. Plus, Sostak was enjoying a long, thriving and successful career in corporate sales and marketing.
In 2017, Sostak heard about an opportunity to acquire an established Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise in his hometown of St Louis, Missouri. The circumstances preventing Sostak from making a career change in previous years were now different and it seemed like the right time for him to chase his dream of operating his own business. Sostak states, “Everything came together and fell into place” enabling him to acquire the local Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise.
Outdoor Lighting Perspectives is the largest landscape lighting franchise in the world offering professionally designed, installed and maintained residential and commercial low-voltage landscape lighting systems as well as holiday lighting services. As part of Outdoor Living Brands, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives has locations throughout the United States as well as a few international locations.
Sostak noted, “Outdoor Lighting Perspectives was a good fit for me.” Outdoor Lighting Perspectives blended his personal passion for working in his yard on landscape projects with his business experience and his desire to run his own company. Sostak’s career in Corporate America prepared him well to operate his Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise. For most of his corporate career, he managed a staff, led sales and marketing teams, set goals and objectives, and built client relationships. These skills translated perfectly to running a vibrant Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise.
Acquiring an active business allowed Sostak to build on some of the plans put in place by his predecessor, while also implementing his own ideas and new initiatives. Historically, the territory produced strong numbers for traditional landscaping lighting, which Sostak and his staff continue to grow. In addition, Sostak plans to focus on festive and event lighting, especially the commercial side of holiday lighting, as a means for providing another area of significant revenue growth.
Sostak and Outdoor Lighting Perspectives place a huge emphasis on customer service. Sostak stresses the importance of providing a premium service and a premium product while exceeding customer expectations. He believes this is paramount to success. Sostak instills in his staff a philosophy that he learned from his father when he was young and doing his chores. Sostak’s father taught him that the last ten minutes of a job are critical and matter the most. Upon completing a job, everything needs to be pristine and perfect; how a job is left and how the client feels at the end of the job is what they remember most.
After spending a year and half as an Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchisee, Sostak wishes he took the leap 15 years ago. His advice to anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit is to “jump in feet first if it feels like a good fit.”
About Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
Established in 1995, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives is the nation’s first and largest full-service low voltage outdoor lighting company. With over 150,000 installations across the United States and abroad, the franchise is known for skillful, custom design for the hospitality industry, commercial businesses, and residences. Featured in Lodging Engineer, Lodging, Architectural Digest, Garden Design, House Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, Coastal Living, Country Living, HGTV Magazine and Martha Stewart Living, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives features stunning handcrafted copper and brass LED outdoor lighting fixtures saving clients up to 75% in energy costs with bulb life between 5 to 10 years. As a part of Outdoor Living Brands, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives’s sister brands include Archadeck, Conserva Irrigation, and Renew Crew. Visit OutdoorLightingFranchise.com or OutdoorLights.com to learn more.
