Our Story
After barely graduating from high school and being in no position to think about college, I needed a job, mostly to afford an apartment with my girlfriend. During that time of my life, I worked a bunch of different jobs; at a call center and in several restaurants. Out of all of them, the best job I had was working as an assistant to a house painter named Charlie. Charlie is an owner-operator, running an important business in our community, and a great guy to work for. He paid me a good wage, treated me with respect, and taught me valuable painting skills and other stuff I still use today.
Fast forward to 2020, many years and jobs later, my now wife and I bought a house – at the beginning of a global pandemic. I saw and worked with a bunch of different small business people who, like Charlie, were all providing important services we needed and doing it under stressful and uncertain circumstances. During the following couple of years, we had a son and needed all sorts of other services, from photographers and landscapers to roofers and electricians.
But for most of them, managing their process for getting jobs stressed them out. Getting from the first conversation about a project to having a date on the calendar for the work to start could be difficult and time-consuming for them and us. They were juggling calls, texts, and driving all over town to make sure they got the job.
As different things came up and we worked with all sorts of businesses, I thought a lot about the people who helped us, their work, and their impact on our lives. And it also made me remember working for Charlie; it was hard work, but it was also rewarding to do a job that positively affected people’s everyday lives.
Now a software engineer, marketer, and business person, there had to be better, less stressful ways to handle all the steps from estimate or quote to completing a project. Those thoughts and ideas eventually evolved into Quote Cactus.
Our company mission is to build simple, easy-to-use tools for small service businesses that take the stress out of getting new customers and taking care of projects for them. It frees up time and energy for them to focus on doing a great job, growing their business, and providing work for the next generation of skilled trade and craftspeople.
— Mike D, Founder
