Why We Refuse The Buy-Today Discount Pitch with Celena Luster, The Window Source of Morgantown

0:00Welcome to Epic Entrepreneurs. I am Cliff McRae with Action Coach Business Growth Partners. Every week, we sit down with business owners, founders, and leaders to uncover the real stories behind building a successful business. The wins, the setbacks, the lessons learned, and the strategies that help them grow. No scripts, no fluff, just honest conversations with entrepreneurs who are in the trenches every single day. Whether you are a business owner yourself, thinking about starting a business, or simply enjoy hearing how successful people think and operate, you are in the right place. Let's jump into today's episode, shall we?

0:58All right, everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs. I am Cliff McRae with Action Coach Business Growth Partners, where we work with local business owners to turn big ideas into real scalable growth. Today, I'm excited to be joined by Selena Luster with Windows Source of Morgantown. Selena, thanks for being here. How are you doing today? I'm doing well, Cliff. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. We're very excited, very, very excited to have you here. So if you don't mind, let's go ahead and jump right into things. Awesome. So as you introduce me, I'm Selena Lester, co-owner of the Window Source of Morgantown.

1:32My husband, Eddie, and I own the business together. And we're proud to say that as of last year, both of our sons have a small ownership stake in our company. We've built this a true family business. So every decision we make is centered around serving homeowners and building something we're proud to pass on. Nice, nice. Now you kind of talked about your personal life there a little bit. Anything else you'd like to share? Any hobbies or anything like that you'd like to get into in the off time? Yeah, in the off time, we spend a lot of time on the boat in the summer. You know, we're in West Virginia, so we don't get to boat all months of the year, but we do as much as we can in the summertime.

2:15We also enjoy riding side by side, so kind of outdoorsy type stuff. And it It also keeps the keeps the boys close. They're 19 and 23. So, you know, having having fun toys like that, they want to join in, too. So, yeah, that's cool when you're that age. Yeah, that's perfect. So, Selena, your website says no gimmicks, no pressure, just honest service. So in a home improvement industry where customers often expect aggressive sales tactics, why was it important for you and Eddie to build the company differently? So, you know, obviously we have had those experiences with the high pressure sales, the gimmicks, the, you know, here's one price, but if you buy today, this is what your price will be.

3:03And we just felt like that, that felt icky to us. And so we really wanted to come in with a different model and allow the homeowners a chance to be educated by us, that not necessarily the cheapest window is the best thing to put in your house and educate them so that they know what the best decision is and that that cheap window from a big box store or a local retail resale store isn't their best option because, you know, windows and doors are a lot of money and we want them to get something that's going to last for years to come. And so we do it a little different. We don't, the base window that our partner Provia provides is called the EcoLite.

3:53And we don't sell that as our basic install. So we do the middle of the road, which is the aspect window, has better energy efficiency, better U-factor, and all of those types of things. So, you know, we don't go out to the customer's house looking for a check in hand on that first sales call. We want the customer to feel like they are in the driver's seat. And we're just simply here to help them through this process, not being pushy, no gimmicks that, you know, hey, buy today and this is what it'll be. We really want to make the customer feel at ease and make a difficult process easier for them.

4:40Okay. Okay. Now, what was the exact moment where you both realized, you know, this family business could become something much bigger than you originally imagined? Gosh, I feel like I'm realizing that on a daily basis, you know, and that's something that we're working on and trying to learn and grow and put new policies into place, new ways that we do things. But really, I think that the turning factor was when our youngest graduated last May and he came to work for us full time. And then we had some record months in 2025 and those have continued into 2026. And so, you know, we've hired two full time people and a part time person in the last year.

5:32So I think that that's when it really hit us that, man, this could really propel our kids into a future that they can take over one day and then we can just be in the backseat, be in the co-pilots for them. So really, this is for our boys and for their future families because before this, we were subcontractors in the area. So we've been subcontractors in Morgantown since 2008. And February of 23 was when we bought into the window source, which is a licensee agreement. So we have a little more control over what we do with our business here versus like a franchise. A franchise is a little more restrictive.

6:25You know, if we want to put, you know, two pickles on, we can put two pickles on, you know, instead of one pickle. So, you know, that really gives us the opportunity to provide the best options for the surrounding area for our clients. So that way they get the best of both worlds. My husband's been doing this for 30 years. So he's installed thousands upon thousands of windows. So he has a really good idea of what windows are good, what windows say they're good, but they're not good. So we bring all of that knowledge and education to our customers. Now, people see, you know, the finished windows, the doors and beautiful transformations, but they don't see, you know, the pressure behind the scenes.

7:15What has been the most stressful season you've ever had as a business owner? Oh, man, that's a tough one. I would say the most stressful part for me individually, and this isn't, you know, really the business, but the most stressful part for me is the downtime. You know, our business has a lot of seasonality because we live in Morgantown. So, you know, this past winter was a really tough winter for us. And, you know, the worry of, you know, are the jobs going to come in? Am I going to be able to keep my people employed because that's what's most important to me is making sure that my team is provided for and that we don't have to lay anybody off.

8:00So that's probably the most stressful part for me. I like the busy. I function better whenever things are busy, when they're chaotic and crazy. But the most stressful for me is the seasonality of the business because you never know. And for example, this past winter, you know, the weather was so bad, you know, negative temperatures and snow piled up to where we had to cancel work. And, you know, that's putting strain on the customers and rescheduling and not being able to do work for two weeks. And so we had the work, but we weren't able to install it. And so that's just a really trying time for me as an individual business owner, trying to make sure that that our people are taken care of.

8:49And, you know, every year gets a little better and hopefully we'll eventually be to a place where those lows don't seem as low anymore. I agree. I agree. Now, if you could wave a magic wand and instantly fix one part of your business tomorrow, what would it be? This is going to sound silly, but it would be a garage short in the back of our building. So we rent a small 1 ,600 square foot space and we have three people who are in the office daily. And then that 1 ,600 square feet also has to house all of our products that are waiting to get installed, all of our materials. And so currently we only have one man door in the back of the store.

9:39So whenever we have tall doors or extra large windows, it's kind of tricky getting them in and out. Whereas if we had a garage door, they could simply just take them off the truck, put them on a dolly and roll them right in. So that's one thing that I think would really, really help us to continue to grow in the location we're at versus trying to look for a new space. Okay. Now, and this next question is kind of hypothetical, but maybe it's not. Maybe you've done this. But let's say if someone shadowed you for a full day or let's say even a full week, from customer conversations to team coordination to family business decisions, What would surprise them the most about how you all operate your company?

10:27Well, that's a good one. I would say that they would see how connected we all are and how much we do truly work as a team. When you see our install team on site, they appear as an assembly line. Everybody has their job and everybody does their job. And that helps the next person be ready to do their part of the job. And so more than once we've been told, wow, your guys, they just seem like an assembly line. And, you know, that comes with good communication, knowing your skill set and being able to prepare for the next person. And so I think that that would probably be the thing that stood out the most is how well we work as a team.

11:22Now, let's talk about growth without getting too specific. You know, your site mentions over a 15-year specializing in high-quality window and patio door replacements. What year or season felt like the real turning point where things started to scale and grow? I would say last year. I would say last year was a really big year of changes for us and trying to take the steps to provide better, not so much environment, but be able to provide more benefits to our employees that we have. So we were able to partner with an HR company. And now as a small business, we're able to provide dental and vision insurance, short and long-term disability.

12:10We also pay for accident insurance because the nature of our business obviously is dangerous at times. You know, you're dealing with broken glass and sharp objects. And so no one's had to use the accident insurance yet, thank God. But, you know, but it's there. Yes. And, you know, so those things were important to me. And, you know, for retention purposes as well as that way we can, you know, as we're scaling and building, we can look for good candidates and we can offer a good benefits package so that that way working for a local owned and operated business is more desirable than going and working for a corporation.

12:55So I think that that last year was the most defining because we started putting those things in place to help scale as we grow our business. And so, you know, being able to offer those things. And like I said, in 2025, we had some record months. So that was super encouraging. And, you know, just the fact that we brought additional people on. And so, you know, looking for different avenues for income sources, you know, we're looking for builders that are getting their windows at some big box stores. We're looking to be able to supply their windows for them and maybe at least compete with a better product so that that way, you know, that's windows and doors aren't something that people necessarily put a lot of stock into whenever they're building a house.

13:54And so if we can kind of capture some of that market, that can help us scale as well. And a lot of new builds are going up and planning phases are happening in those winter months when we're slow. So those are some things, you know, in the scaling of the business that we're focusing on and working on in 2025 really kind of propelled us in that direction. Now, and besides that and kind of what you talked about there, you know, being able to offer those benefits, is there anything else you can think of that when the source of Morgantown is doing that kind of gives you kind of an unfair advantage over big box stores and high pressure competitors?

14:35Well, one of the biggest things, we support our customers long after the last windows installed. So a lot of places you have to go direct to the manufacturer whenever you get into that warranty period. So after like the first year usually is what it is for most manufacturers. And they'll have to deal directly with the company, which is not the best solution. but that's how the system was set up, right? So we're partnered with Provia. We do have other manufacturers that we have access to as well, but those aren't the windows that we feel the most confident in. But with Provia, we're able to go in their system.

15:22We're able to handle all of the customers' warranty concerns. If they have an issue, they talk directly to us. We work with the manufacturer on their behalf to get the warranty issues taken care of. And so I think that's one of the biggest things that in this area specifically that people aren't doing, that people, you know, these companies are selling customers' windows and doors. And then when it gets to the warranty period, they say, well, here's an 800 number you have to call. And with us, That's not what you get. You get the full deal. We're here through the end of the process and with any warranty concerns that may arise over years to come.

16:07I love that. I love that. Now, what would you say has been the hardest leadership lesson you've had to learn while working with family, installers, office support and customers all at the same time?

16:22Well, the hardest thing working with family is your brain never shuts off, right? And so we'll say, okay, no business talk. Yeah, no business talk. Whether it's the weekend or we're out side-by-side riding or on the boat. And so we've gotten better at it, but we will inevitably start a conversation. And then one of us will be like, hey, we're not supposed to be talking about work. And so trying to, the home work life balance is a lot more difficult, in my opinion, whenever you work with family and you live with family, because both of our boys still live at home. Actually, Tyler is moving out.

17:13He got an apartment. So his actual, he gets the keys tomorrow. So, but, but we've all, we all four live together. So, you know, you see each other after work and then, you know, we've got half of us that are in the office and the other half are in the field. So my husband and our youngest son, Owen, are in the field. And then myself and our oldest son, Tyler are in the office and in the sales field. So, you know, my oldest son and I kind of get all of our work talk out during the day. And then my husband and our youngest son get all of their work talk out during the day. But we haven't seen the other, you know, we haven't seen the other part of the team all day.

17:56And then you get home and you're like, hey, da-da-da-da-da-da. And I'm like, you know what? This is not work time now. We need to talk about this tomorrow. And so, trying to keep those boundaries is difficult, but I think the more that we learn and grow, the easier that becomes. And just reminding each other, hey, this is not work time. This is home time. And really trying to put those boundaries in place. I mean, for our own sanity too, right? Because if we just did work 24-7, 365, that would lead to burnout pretty quickly. Oh, yeah, for sure. Now, what would you say separates a great installer or team member from someone who simply knows how to put in a window?

18:43Someone who cares. Someone who cares, who has a good work ethic. Someone who has high communication skills. Because that is not something in this industry that you find a lot. You know, and we thrive on communication here, communicating with each other, communicating with our customers. So we really are looking for people that are locally owned and operated, licensed and insured, the ability to communicate. you know, what we would like to see is for whether we hire the people to be on our payroll, or they want to be a 1099 subcontractor for us, we like to see, you know, you're responding to us within the same day.

19:39Because if we're asking you a question, that means that there's a customer behind it. And I would like a response the same day. And that's very hard to come by. So, you know, I think your, you know, run of the mill, you know, install a window, collect the money, see a never is something that I see a lot of in this area. And that is not what we're looking for. We're looking for people who have the same care and commitment to customers that we do. And so that's been another really challenging thing for us because currently as it stands right now, we only have one crew that consists of my husband, our youngest son, and a guy who's worked for us for 16 years.

20:28So, you know, that makes wait times longer, right? So when we only have one crew, there's only so much one three-man crew can get done. So as it stands now, anything we're selling now won't be installed until September unless we get somebody on board to help share the load. But at the same time, we won't accept just any contractor. We want to see their business license, their contractor's license, their insurance. We want to see what their customers are saying on Google. And that's the partnerships that we are looking for. And if we have to continue going at it the way we are with long extended lead times, then that's what we have to do because we have to do what is right to keep the same level of commitment to our customers.

21:24There's no sacrificing that portion, right? Right, exactly. If you sacrifice that portion, then the whole thing goes away. Great. Okay. Now, have you ever had to make a tough call, like, let's say, maybe changing a process, turning down work, or addressing a quality issue that ended up being the right move for the customer in the company? Yes, this happened within the last six months. And, you know, we've had a customer that was extremely challenging. The house is an older home and no longer square. Not many of them are. So there were a couple items that, you know, that the customer, there wasn't necessarily anything wrong or incorrect with the install.

22:22We actually brought Provia, the rep from Provia out to look at the install and make sure that it was done properly, which they did confirm. but the customer still had the problem of the door closing. The door, the way the house is and the way the gravity is, the door would creep closed. And so we did our best. We went back out there, we did some modifications to the top hinge of the door so that that way it would hold that door back tighter. And the other issue is that these signet doors, that's the top of the line for Provia, are extremely heavy. So it mimics that of like a solid wood core door.

23:16So it's going to be a lot heavier than the most run-of-the-mill doors that are in homeowners' houses. So we fight that battle as well. And this customer was not necessarily nice about this. And she and her husband had come into the store and asking, what are you going to do? And I said, you know, I'm really sorry that this has happened. And, you know, we've done our best. It's the issue is taken care of. And she says, well, now I have all these windows, these other windows that I want to get done with you. And I told her that I didn't think that that would be the best fit for them or for us. Because at this point, they had already lost trust in us and our ability to do a good job.

24:20So going into another project with a customer that already has that mindset would be very difficult for us to overcome. And I said, you know, I just really don't think that that's in your best interest for us to do another job for you. And we did do one window for her and then the door. So I gave her the name of another local company that does sell and install Provia products exclusively. And she was thankful for that and said, I really appreciate your honesty. And she actually had tears in her eyes as she was leaving. But But I feel like that was the best decision for not only us as the business, but also for the customer.

25:17because if you've already lost your faith in somebody being able to do a good job, the chances that that faith is going to be rebuilt with another project are slim to none because most likely they're going to be looking for, you know, anything that we're doing wrong, you know, or that they perceive that we're doing wrong. And then it just becomes, you know, this whole ball of tension between us and the customer. And, you know, then my installers, you know, they're going to install and they already know that this customer, you know, had an issue and spoke poorly about them. So then they're going to be nervous.

26:05And when we're nervous, we make mistakes, right? So it's hard to walk away from a job, but it's also necessary at times. Yeah, for you and for the customer. Exactly. Yeah, for both sides. I love that story. That was awesome. All right. So, well, you know, not awesome, but you know what I mean? It was a good story. But yeah, let's go ahead and head to what's called the quick fry round. So how this works is I'm going to give you one word and then I just want you to give me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear each word in regards to running your business. Then kind of give me like a small paragraph on why you chose that.

26:44Okay. All right. First word is family. My whole life. They, they're the reason why I get up in the morning and do this. And I do it even when it's hard is they're just my whole life. faith number one without my faith

27:14sorry I'm trying not to cry

27:18without my faith I wouldn't be able to do any of it without God at the forefront we wouldn't be able to do any of this and that's the most important to me legacy boys my boys they're they're they're what we're doing this for they're what the blood sweat and tears of this business is for hiring madness

27:54it's just difficult to find to find what we're looking for when it comes to a contractor or or somebody to work as a W2 employee. And, you know, I say madness because we simply, you know, we thought we had a new door installer and there was a discrepancy in measurements. And I said, well, I said, we order the product based on your measurements. And if they're not correct, then you're responsible for these doors. And the contractor said, well, then we can't do the job because we can't be responsible for the doors. And so to me, that sounds like madness. Craftsmanship. Important. And I think the craftsmanship is the most important thing.

28:58I think that there are a lot of things to do. There are a lot of ways to do things and doing them right every time is important. There's a lot of people in this area that do quote unquote everything. And my husband has been very adamant in the fact that, you know, he's only going to do windows and doors and siding. And I think that that goes a long way in our business. And I think that that's hugely because he's learned the craft over the 30 years and he knows most of the situations that he's going to run into on a daily basis. So that's been the driving force that continues to game business is his ability to take this old window and put this beautiful trim around it.

30:03And it allows somebody to see, wow, somebody does still care. And so craftsmanship, I wish I would have said care or caring because that would have been better because those go hand in hand, right? Growth. Growth. Inevitable. And I say inevitable because if we continue to provide customers with the same level of care and concern and the same finished product, I feel like the growth of our business is inevitable because we're doing something that most contractors aren't. Leadership. Relationships. And the reason why I say that is businesses are built on relationships. And if you don't have good relationships with the people that you work with, how can you expect to have good relationships with your customers?

31:09So I think that leadership and relationships go hand in hand. And around here, people will always matter more than the transaction to us. So whether you're coming in here to buy one window or you're coming in here to buy 20 windows, you're getting the same level of care and concern. And so that's something that I try to model in my leadership role so that it has the trickle down effect so that everybody else that is under me sees that and they strive to do the same thing and build those relationships. I love that. All right, perfect. So I appreciate you getting through that quickfire round. So, you know, with all this talk of AI and automation, self-automation, everything and changing customer expectations, where do you think the window and door replacement industry will be in the next 10 to 15 years from now?