At Any Age

The 50s

In the Back Yard

Fred Sanguiliano held a variety of positions in the not-for-profit world over 20 years, including the high-profile position as CEO of Volunteer Florida. It was rewarding, but by 2003 he began to tire of the frequent travel. His two high-school-age daughters would be on their own within a few years, and he didn't want to miss those last few years together as a family. "I felt that it was time for a change."

Sanguiliano's next move was unexpected, though. He opened KeyStone Design, which designs and builds outdoor patios, pool decks, outdoor kitchens and walls using pavers.
The idea came when he and his wife, a social worker, hired a company to do some work on their back yard with pavers. "It looked beautiful," he says, but Sanguiliano knew that it wasn't done correctly and tried to fix it himself. His hobbies were landscaping and woodworking and he came from a family of builders, so Sanguiliano, now 53, wasn't a stranger to getting his hands dirty.

Sanguiliano still wasn't happy with the job until he attended a class by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute in West Palm Beach. From that point, he was hooked and continued to learn everything he could about the design and engineering of pavers.

Sanguiliano took his time getting started, reasearching the industry and putting together a business plan. Using money he had in savings, he left Volunteer Florida and launched the business, doing all the work on his own at first and renting equipment to save money. "I lost weight. I got in shape," he jokes. Still, the serious side was that the financial transition wasn't easy. He says, "I began to pay myself a salary from the beginning, but it wasn't much."

To market the business, Sanguiliano went to Tallahassee Nurseries and talked with their landscape designers about his services. From the start, he emphasized quality and artistic design rather than a bargain price. "I began to get qualified leads from them," he says, adding, "We've never been without work."

The difficult period for Sanguiliano came after a year in business. He was hiring workers, buying equipment, still didn't really know what to charge and how to manage cash flow. He turned to Chris Workman at the Florida A&M University Small Business Development Center for advice. "He gave me reassurance that what I was going through was normal," says Sanguiliano.

Then Workman got down to business, discussing a line of credit and KeyStone Design's prices. Says Sanguiliano, "We hadn't been recouping all our costs."

After three years in business, Sanguiliano is satisfied with his progress. Projects in 2007 will total an estimated $1.5 million, he says, and he is adding benefits for his workers. Starting a business at age 50 was a definite advantage for him. "I've already had a successful career," says Sanguiliano. "I can focus more on having fun."

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