David Seruya started his first home warranty business in 2005. He was only 25 years old at the time, and after being introduced to the industry by a college friend, he didn’t hesitate to jump straight in and give business leadership and entrepreneurship a try.
Since then, he’s had to go through quite a few ups and downs, including the fact that his first company was closed not long after it was established. Now, however, he’s staying strong with ServicePlus Home Warranty, which was founded in 2016 and has become a trusted service provider for homeowners and homebuyers ever since.
Today, we got to know this CEO a bit by asking a couple of quick interview questions:
Good Morning! Thank you for agreeing to answer a couple of questions for us! To start us off quick, can you please tell our readers a little bit about yourself?
David Seruya: Hello! You’re welcome! And, as for the intro. You can call me David or Dave, either one is fine. I’m the founder and CEO of the ServicePlus home warranty company.
For those that are not familiar with home warranties, it’s very similar to insurance. The only difference is that what we’re protecting are home appliances (i.e., refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, etc.) and home systems (i.e., A/C heating, water heaters, etc.). So, for as long as you’re signed up as one of our clients and protected under one of our home warranty plans, you can get contracted broken home appliances and systems repaired or replaced.
Alright, let’s proceed with our interview questions. Starting with the following: When working on a project are you the type to take things slow or the type to work quickly?
David Seruya: Rather than choosing between slow and quick, I think I prefer the word efficient. In this way, I balance quality and quantity — or, rather, I work productively without cutting any corners. Put it another way, I’m not the type to rush things, but my packed schedule also means that I prefer to get my work done as soon as possible.
Would you consider yourself a mentor?
David Seruya: Although I don’t personally do professional mentorship, I do take care of my juniors and provide them with one-on-one feedback and support.
In this way, I can help them to develop. Which has the double benefit of pushing the development of the company as well.
In what way do you consider yourself a good leader?
David Seruya: I guess, in that I’m approachable? I’m not one to turn my people away. And, as mentioned earlier, I even take the initiative to take people under my wing so that I can help them fly greater heights and distances on their own.
How has your leadership style changed as you got more experience?
David Seruya: In the beginning, I was quite the perfectionist. I ended up harming my first company because of this. Or, to be more specific, I kept inserting myself into every little thing in an effort to make sure that everything was done to my standards.
Now, after learning from my mistakes, I pay closer attention to the people I hire so that I can be at peace knowing that I hired the right people and can hand over tasks without worry.
What would you consider a big failure when being a leader?
David Seruya: Lack of innovation and perseverance. If the leader is not willing to persist and push forward, in my eyes, the results are obvious — they will fail.
As a leader, how do you handle mistakes in the workplace?
David Seruya: If one of my people has made a mistake and it’s under my jurisdiction, then the first thing I will do is talk to them. Over the years, I’m come to learn that most problems can be solved if people are just a little bit more honest with each other.
How do you manage your employees and ensure that they are performing well?
David Seruya: Well, I know better now not to micromanage everything. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t do work behind the scenes to make sure that the environment around the workplace is healthy and stress-free. There are also always one-on-one chats and incentives to offer when an employee is performing especially well.
At your company, what do you consider to be the meaning of success?
David Seruya: At ServicePlus, it’s all in the name. What we consider success is providing our customers with exceptional customer service that improves every single time.
Thank you again for agreeing to this interview! For our last question! What is your main motivation for doing business?
David Seruya: That would be my family, of course. When I was younger, I really admired my father, Ronnie, because he was the type of businessman who would work six to seven days a week while still managing to reserve time to spend with his family. He would even appear or coach at my little league games whenever he had the time, making sure that he was present in my development every step of the way.
This is the type of husband and CEO that I want to be. Not forsaking one or the other, but balancing both in a healthy way.
