Fourth generation mason Matt DiBara mixed his first bag of concrete at age 9 and went on to spend most of his childhood learning the trade, eventually placing second in the national SkillsUSA masonry competition.
From there, he branched out to attend the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where he earned a degree in Construction Management and Environmental Design.
After graduating, Matt took over his family’s construction business and relocated to Los Angeles, where he went on to be mentored by the likes of marketing guru Jay Abraham and business tycoon Mike Agugilaro of CEO Warrior fame.
Since then, he has built up DiBara Masonry to become the leading masonry and concrete company in the county, working on some of the most prestigious and well-known celebrity homes in the city, in addition to restoring a number of Hollywood’s most famous cultural landmarks.
Matt’s true passion, however, rests in educating homeowners by empowering them with in-depth industry insight, much of which can be found in his book The Undercover Contractor: How To Not Get F**ked By Contractors and his recent podcast, The Undercover Contractor Podcast.
DiBara recently received a Quality and Craftsmanship Award from Congressman J. Luis Correa for his outstanding quality and restoration practices as well as a Certificate of Special Recognition from Congresswoman Michelle Steel in honor of his commitment to using his expertise for the betterment of his community.
Matt DiBara’s Entrepreneurial Journey from Celebrity Contractor to Construction Consultant
Matt DiBara’s wakeup call came in the form of losing nearly $1 million. The DiBara Masonry CEO and CEO of The Contractor Consultants had run a successful masonry company for years, carrying on the family business in sunny Los Angeles, but a serious hiring problem rained on his progress.
But before his wakeup call, before his success gained by risk and dedication, and before his perfected recipe of diversification, there were two men: Michael Larusso and Matteo DiBara.
The Beginning
DiBara’s career in masonry was one passed down from three generations before him, beginning with his great grandfathers, Larusso and Matteo, who emigrated in the early 1900s to the United States from Italy. The family business grew on great reputations and strong values, something DiBara credits much of his own success today.
“When my great grandfathers came to America, there was a saying that was passed down my family,” says DiBara. “It was, ‘An honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay, never try and retire off one customer, and, most importantly, treat customers like your neighbor.’”
The mix of humility and dedication to craftsmanship carried on through the fourth generation of DiBara Masonry, except this time, this DiBara had an itch for something more.
A New Generation
Entrepreneurship runs through DiBara’s veins, so it comes as no surprise that this current day CEO began on the jobsite at the ripe old age of 9 and ran jobs by high school. When DiBara was set to leave his home of Worcester, Mass., he decided to take DiBara Masonry with him all the way across the country to Los Angeles.
Like many entrepreneurs, DiBara found himself starting from scratch with nothing but his expertise, dedication, and passion.
How was he to build clientele in a place he’d never worked before? DiBara says it’s about over delivery and remembering what his grandfathers did—treat everyone like a neighbor.
“I came to California and I tried to over deliver on every job, every estimate, with the best work, and I’d even take people’s trash out,” DiBara recalls.
And with staying true to his word, and going the extra mile, those satisfied customers turned into positive reviews, which turned into referrals. Everyone needs to be compelled to leave a positive review on their experience for a real reputation to build.
His Big Break
Confidence to solve problems became DiBara’s entryway into celebrity work. Living in Los Angeles and just 26 at the time, DiBara dreamt of working on celebrity homes. One day, a noticed leak in a pool pushed DiBara to really test his confidence.
Approaching a prominent celebrity, he boldly stated, “You have a leak.” Skeptical due to his youthful appearance and the multitude of previous failed attempts, the celebrity responded, “I’ve had five companies come out; there’s no way I have a leak.” Unfazed, DiBara proposed a solution, saying, “Here’s what we’ll do.
I will hire the leak detection company at my own expense, paying three thousand dollars for a comprehensive evaluation. If there is indeed a leak, I request reimbursement and the opportunity to fix it by undertaking all the necessary work.”
Spoiler alert: There was a leak. DiBara had his big Hollywood break.
Running a Multimillion-Dollar Business—Then Losing $1 Million
DiBara’s greatest challenge in business and his greatest wakeup call was in 2018 when close to a million dollars were lost to a challenge facing the entire construction industry: a shortage of labor.
From that challenge grew a new opportunity: The Contractor Consultants.
Matt DiBara felt embarrassed to walk into his own company, vowing to never experience that feeling again. It was a turning point for him. He immediately called his accountant, asking,
“What was the most amount of money I could spend without harming the business?”
The accountant provided a figure, which Matt promptly deposited into a bank account. He embarked on a relentless pursuit of knowledge, enrolling in courses, devouring books, attending seminars, and traveling across the country.
Matt left no stone unturned, exploring every avenue that showed potential. He also went all out in hiring recruiters, taking an assertive approach to address the labor shortage.
The Greatest Lesson: Diversification
Along the way, DiBara found himself debating on wanting to expand business, along with a newfound passion of all things hiring and recruiting, but didn’t know his next step. He sought a mentor—something he recommends to other entrepreneurs stuck in their next step.
DiBara reached out to a local association, which put him in contact with Damien Lang, a fellow mason who turned into a businessman with multiple successful masonry manufacturing companies. DiBara learned a career-changing lesson he shares with others: “You can get different types of fulfillments from different businesses, and you can run multiple companies.”
Growing DiBara Masonry even more would take the great existing company culture and turn it into financial reports, and DiBara now wanted to help other contractors fix their hiring and retention challenges.
Now, it was clear he could do both, finding fulfillment in each and great success in both. While still running a leading masonry company in Los Angeles, DiBara now helps contractors across the country learn the best practices for filling their skilled labor gaps so they don’t have to experience the same wakeup call he did.
If you would like to get in touch with Matt DiBara or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page