Nasir Acikgoz of Nova Hardscapes Is Making Products That Last Forever

From episode: EP47: Experience the Journey to success with Nova Hardscapes - Pebbles, Pavers and More

Willie: A lot of Garden Centers that are able to buy rock, or to sell rock, that they can buy from, it's the normal, you know, 6 different rocks and that's what it is. So when you're a landscaper you're thinking about designing something and You're limited to that. Unless you go online and you might see something that inspires you, but where do you find it?

Nasir: Yes,

Willie: You know, so that's why I'm glad that you're here today because you know, There's people like you out there that feel the need to bring in something for the higher quality, You know, of higher quality and that product that will last forever.

Nasir: Yes,

Willie: And just the different thing, that the sky's the limit, when it comes to just everything.

Nasir; Sky's the limit what I'm you know

Eddie: It's a unique touch too

Willie: What I love what I love about you is you're not just buying it from a distributor ,you are the manufacturer, You are the importer, and you are the Distributer. You are the man.

Nasir: Thank you

Willie: You're the guy that if I was in the rock space, I would want to have you as my contact because all I got to do is call you and That's it. And if let's say let's say with the pandemic, I'm sure you went through this, I went through this and I was able to help out a lot of my clients. You had clients: "Hey, man, are we gonna be okay with this rock?" You know the war going on over there in Ukraine or whatever. "Hey, look, we're only going to have so much left of this, Do you want it?" I'm gonna hold it for you. Boom. We'll send it over direct.

Nasir: Yeah,

Willie: You know your good customers those guys have really come through for you,

Nasir: Yes,

Willie: You were able to do so much and foresee the future because you have all these contacts around the world. How powerful! You know! What power moves... I'm sure you guys were able to make some power moves Just with all the product and, a, I want all this, and give me this, and give me that. I'm sure that went down. You know.

Nasir: The thing is, you mentioned it. During the pandemic the shipping rates, that was the biggest challenge. They went way up.

Willie: Some times by 4 right?

Nasir: Sometimes by 4, and then some of them by 8.

Willie: Wow. So you're paying twenty, thirty grand a container together,

Nasir: You know some countries, Yes. Imagine I'm bringing pebbles and I'm selling it at a certain amount per bag or per ton and And a nursery calls me or the distributor calls us and Says: look are you gonna be able to bring it? Because the pandemic and the shipping rates we already know, because they already bring other products too so they already know the problem. I'm like, look, I'm gonna take the risk. I'm gonna bring it. I'm a businessman. I have to have the product Yes, and I remember even one of the nursery owners told me, Nasir I think you should wait until it cools down. I said to him..

Willie: you would have still been waiting!?

Nasir: Yeah, and I told him I can't wait. I have to bring it. I'm a supplier for you, I'm a Manufacturer for all these clients that I had, but I'm gonna give him an option. Look. I have it available, The price is four or five times more, You know, but it's here.

Willie: Yeah, you wanna make it work.

Nasir: Yes, you know what happened? The containers, they were not even coming. They weren't they weren't even here yet. And customer would say "Nasir, I need ten pallets. Nasir, I need five pallets." Nasir!. I'm like, look, are you sure? This is the price, and even the person that told me that you know, "Nasir you gotta wait" Are you sure? because this is the price.. I want you to know, just so you know, because sometimes you know, it lands and they start on.. "Nasir, I thought it was the last price", you know, they try to you know, get a better price from you... It's in the nature of the business.

Willie: Yeah, of course.

Nasir: I couldn't keep anything in stock.