Speedi Rooter Plumbing & Drain owner Paul Ramirez joins Jet Bunditwong to share how teenage fatherhood, hardship, faith, mentorship, and years of learning the plumbing trade shaped his path to business ownership. Paul discusses integrity, stewardship, becoming debt-free, and building a company with purpose. Learn more at https://speedirooter.com.
Transcript note: This transcript was lightly formatted for readability. Speakers are Jet Bunditwong and Paul Ramirez.
Jet Bunditwong: Hi and welcome to The Personal Side of Business where every business has a story. I'm your host, Jet Bunditwong. Today my guest is Paul Ramirez. We're going to hear about his inspiring journey through his business, Speedy Rooter Plumbing and Drain here in San Diego since 2018. He's going to tell us about his story of early hardships, his work ethic, and his entrepreneurial spirit. Welcome to the podcast.
Paul Ramirez: Good morning.
Jet Bunditwong: Morning. So tell us, how did we get here?
Paul Ramirez: Well my early life, just a quick synopsis of it, I grew up with very little and was raised by a hardworking mother. I became a father at 15 and entered the restaurant industry to support my family. That experience built a strong work ethic that has stayed with me ever since.
Paul Ramirez: Being raised by a single mom with four boys meant we had to work constantly. My grandparents and my mother really instilled that work ethic in me.
Paul Ramirez: Eventually I was introduced to plumbing by an older mentor. He showed me some of the basics of plumbing and pool plumbing, and after about a year I asked him one day if you could actually make money doing plumbing.
Paul Ramirez: He told me yes, absolutely—if you learn the trade the right way and do the job properly.
Paul Ramirez: That conversation pushed me to pursue the trade seriously. At the time I was working in restaurants and I knew the only way to move up in that world was to become an executive chef, which wasn’t the path I wanted.
Paul Ramirez: Shortly after that, a friend told me that a company called Speedy Rooter Sewer and Drain was hiring. I applied and the owner gave me a chance to work for him.
Paul Ramirez: Once I started working there, I loved it. It wasn’t just about the money—it was about the fact that you weren’t stuck in one place. You moved from job to job solving different problems every day.
Jet Bunditwong: It fulfilled a lot of different checklists for you—moving around, meeting people, and making good money.
Paul Ramirez: Exactly. My supervisor Leo and another technician named Bill trained me. They showed me how to locate sewer lines, dig them up, and clean drains.
Paul Ramirez: For about five years I focused mostly on drain work. I wasn’t doing major plumbing yet, but I was learning the foundation of the trade.
Jet Bunditwong: During those first five years, was there a point where you realized you might start your own company?
Paul Ramirez: Yes. After about three years I started to realize how much money my work was generating for the company. I thought to myself, if they can do this, maybe I can too.
Paul Ramirez: That led me to eventually launch my first plumbing company called Gold Coast Sewer and Drain in the early 1990s.
Paul Ramirez: Running that company was tough because I quickly realized that owning a business is about much more than just doing the trade work.
Paul Ramirez: You have to manage expenses, purchase equipment, maintain vehicles, handle insurance, understand liability, and deal with the legal aspects of operating a company.
Paul Ramirez: At that time nobody had taught me how to manage money or run a business, so it was a lot of trial and error.
Jet Bunditwong: Did you have mentors helping you learn the business side of things?
Paul Ramirez: Not really on the business side. But on the trade side I could call my former supervisor Leo and ask him questions if I ran into something difficult.
Paul Ramirez: Most of the time though I tried to figure things out on my own.
Jet Bunditwong: How long did it take before you started feeling comfortable running the business?
Paul Ramirez: Honestly it took several years. I’d say somewhere between five and eight years before I started understanding the administrative side—things like paperwork, liability, and planning to hire employees.
Paul Ramirez: Then I went through a divorce and decided to sell the business and move away.
Jet Bunditwong: So that was both a life change and a business change at the same time.
Paul Ramirez: Exactly. I moved to Denver and started working for plumbing companies there while also helping a friend with a DJ franchise business.
Paul Ramirez: Over time I worked for several different plumbing companies. Each one taught me something new about how businesses operate—things like scheduling technicians, managing parts inventory, and running service teams.
Paul Ramirez: At the time it felt chaotic, but looking back those experiences taught me a lot.
Jet Bunditwong: Eventually you made your way back to California.
Paul Ramirez: Yes. My kids were here and I felt like it was time to come home.
Paul Ramirez: After trying a few different ventures—including running a cleaning business with over 20 employees—I realized plumbing was still the industry where I thrived the most.
Paul Ramirez: During COVID I made two important decisions. I earned my GED and I studied for my California contractor’s license.
Paul Ramirez: I passed the contractor’s exam on my first try, which allowed me to officially launch Speedy Rooter Plumbing.
Jet Bunditwong: What sets your company apart from other plumbing companies?
Paul Ramirez: Honesty and integrity. If we can do the job, we do it. If we can’t, we’re honest about it.
Paul Ramirez: My wife and I also follow Dave Ramsey’s financial principles, which helped us run the company with very little debt.
Paul Ramirez: Being financially disciplined allows us to take care of our employees and grow the business in a healthy way.
Jet Bunditwong: What advice would you give someone entering the trades today?
Paul Ramirez: Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Learn the systems that already work.
Paul Ramirez: Be prepared to lose people along the journey. Some employees or friends won’t stay through every stage of your business.
Paul Ramirez: And most importantly, embrace the journey and learn from your failures.
Paul Ramirez: Do something you truly love doing and build a legacy for your family.
Jet Bunditwong: Paul, if people want to find you and Speedy Rooter, where can they reach you?
Paul Ramirez: We’re based in Chula Vista, California and serve the San Diego area. You can reach Speedy Rooter Plumbing and Drain at 619-320-1428.
Jet Bunditwong: Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Paul Ramirez: Thank you for having me.