Hauslane CEO and co-founder Calvin Ruan with his labor of love

Working hard to create an ‘overnight’ success

By Calvin Ruan, CEO/co-founder, Hauslane

As an entrepreneur, you learn to love the grind.

Day after day, week after week, it starts as something that you tolerate while working toward your goals, and then grows into something that you actually enjoy as you see those goals realized.

It’s exciting to see a new venture gain momentum, and it’s fulfilling when you know that you’re improving the lives of others along the way.

As the co-founder of Hauslane, a manufacturer of powerful range hoods at attractive price points, I gave myself no choice but to embrace the grind. When my colleagues and I began developing the Hauslane brand, I was a dedicated real estate investor with a prestigious firm that hired me right after graduating from UC Berkeley. I was responsible for acquiring, renovating and disposing real estate properties in various markets. I worked diligently in this role Monday through Friday, and I was often on the road or in the air, crisscrossing the Pacific Coast every few days.

Success Doesn’t Come Overnight … but Parenthood Does

After putting in a full workweek, I then rolled up my sleeves on the weekends to build Hauslane alongside a close friend and one of my family members. This involved a lot of manual labor in our warehouse, as well as developing relationships with dozens of cabinet dealers to position our range hoods in their showrooms. I was also the direct contact for customer service issues, so I got to hear firsthand from customers who shared information that we then used to improve our products over time.

After two years of pushing boundaries and working every weekend, we finally felt that we were getting somewhere and transforming a side gig into something more substantial.

Related: Hauslane Partners with BrandSource

This is also when my wife and I learned we were expecting our first child, which shifted my perspective about what is truly sustainable. Seven-day workweeks with intense dedication to two full-time jobs didn’t seem to be the answer, and it was time to go all-in with only one.

When my son was born, my wife and I recognized it as a turning point both personally and professionally, and we decided that Hauslane was where I should focus my full attention. We were finally confident in the new brand’s business model, and revenue was looking good. Thus, I made the tough decision to leave my real estate investment role, which I still loved, and to invest all of my time, effort and capital into Hauslane.

It turned out to be an investment that compounded every day, much like the joy of becoming a first-time parent.

Calvin Ruan is CEO and co-founder of BrandSource vendor partner Hauslane, which he calls “the world’s friendliest range hood company” after transforming the century-old kitchen ventilation business with an easy, fun and informative purchase process. For more information visit the BrandSource Backroom or call (800) 929-0168.

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