Desmond Tse didn’t plan on the trades, but once he found them, he never looked back. What started with no experience and a simple “yes” to helping a friend turned into a career defined by building people as much as projects. From training teenagers on siding crews to helping them launch businesses of their own, Desmond has made it his mission to equip the next generation of tradespeople — and prove that doing good work means leaving others stronger than when they started.
Desmond joined us on the Good Contractor Podcast to share about how he found his way into the trades, why he invests in young and inexperienced workers, and the legacy he’s building by equipping the next generation to succeed.
Falling Into the Trades
Desmond Tse wasn’t born with a hammer in his hand. In fact, he laughs when he looks back at how it all started.
“Unlike most contractors, I did not grow up in a handy home. I didn’t even own a hammer until after I got married.”
His first real step into construction wasn’t some carefully planned career move. He found siding almost by accident when a friend asked him to help with a project, armed only with his willingness to say yes. No experience, no background, just a commitment to learn. His first siding job was guided by a Home Depot pamphlet, not years of training.
That job opened the door to something much bigger. The trades weren’t just a way to make ends meet. They gave Desmond purpose, progress, and the pride of building something with his own hands. Siding wasn’t a last resort or a backup plan but a choice. Or as he likes to say, maybe the trades chose him.
Building Crews by Choice
As Desmond’s reputation grew, so did the demand for his work. He needed help, but instead of chasing seasoned pros, he went in another direction.
“Instead of hiring experienced guys, I’d hire young guys and get their friends, and I’d basically dangle a carrot in front of them. I’d say, ‘I make this much. You have the potential to make this much because this isn’t hourly work. I’ll pay you piecework as long as you give me the quality I want and do it my way.’ And so, I had a lot of young guys that I could train.”
He wasn’t just building crews. He was building futures. He taught skills, sure, but he also set people up for success. Sometimes that meant fronting the cost of a trailer interest-free. At other times, it meant offering bonuses for the hardest parts of a job like chimneys, bump-outs, or Dutch gables. His crews stayed motivated because they knew they were working toward something bigger.
And it worked. Several of those young workers went on to start their own siding companies. In fact, many of them now run businesses bigger than Desmond’s ever was, where they can provide and support their families, employ crews, and carry forward the same opportunities Desmond once gave them. For Desmond, seeing that kind of success story was the real reward.
Saying Yes
So what’s the ‘secret sauce’ if experience isn’t a requirement to start? If there’s a pattern in Desmond’s story, it’s simple. He said yes.
Yes to siding a house without knowing what a gable was. Yes to running jobs with little more than a $10 ladder rack he found at a yard sale. Yes to training teenagers with no experience, just grit.
Saying yes didn’t just get jobs done, but it gave people opportunities. Piece by piece, job by job, he wasn’t just building houses. He was building people.
More Than a Paycheck
For Desmond, the trades have always been about more than hitting deadlines. They’re about people. He cared about his crews on and off the job.
“I do not want you running from your taxes. You’re getting this lump sum of money — you need to be putting 30 – 40% aside. One guy wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do it, so I set up a trust account and held it back. When tax time came, he got it back like his own mini refund.”
That’s not the kind of thing you see in a contract. That’s the kind of thing you do when you want people to succeed long after the job is done.
A Legacy That Lasts
Desmond didn’t plan on the trades, but once he found them, he never looked back. He proved that grit and a good attitude matter just as much as years of experience.
It’s not about staying on top. It’s about lifting others up.
His legacy isn’t just the siding jobs you can see driving through a neighborhood. It’s the people who came out stronger because he gave them a chance. And that’s the kind of impact that lasts.
Do Good Work
By giving young, inexperienced workers a chance, Desmond turned job sites into training grounds and crews into lifelong friends. The trades became a path to independence, confidence, and opportunity.
This is what it means to do good work. Not just finishing the project in front of you, but investing in the people beside you. Desmond’s story shows that the trades aren’t only about the work on the jobsite but about creating opportunities and helping others grow into leaders. That’s the difference between simply building crews and building futures. Doing good work means leaving people stronger than when they started, shaping both lives and homes, and passing on a legacy that lasts.
