08/06/2026
🎱 EIGHT years.
Some days it feels like we blinked… and other days it feels like we’ve lived 87 lifetimes since we started this crazy adventure. 😅
Today, Hensley Concrete Coatings officially turns 8 years old.
And if you know anything about business, you’ve probably heard of the infamous “7-year itch.” It’s that point where the excitement of starting a business has worn off, burnout starts knocking, and many businesses simply don’t make it. It’s where dreams either fade… or they evolve.
By God’s grace, we made it through.
As we’ve reached this milestone, I’ve found myself reflecting on where this all began.
Truthfully, this isn’t a story we’ve shared publicly very often.
Over the last eight years, we’ve only shared it with our closest friends and family, or with people who’ve asked out of genuine curiosity, “So… how did Hensley Concrete Coatings actually get started?”
But surviving that “7-year itch” made me realize something…
It’s easy for people to see where a business is today. They see the finished floors, the wrapped trucks, the trailers, the employees, and the projects.
What they don’t see are the moments when you wonder if you’re making the biggest mistake of your life.
But today I’m feeling sentimental & it feels like the right time to share the story of how this all began.
If you knew us prior to circa 2018 - you’d know we weren’t seasoned business owners. In fact it had never even crossed our minds to be entrepreneurs.
We were just two young parents with an 8-year-old & a 4-year-old, living in a tiny two-bedroom condo on the northwest side of Ankeny.
We were still getting our bearings because we’d only moved here two years earlier from our small hometowns in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri.
Dennis had spent a couple of years working in the this industry & he loved the work, but what weighed on him was watching customers become frustrated over situations that could have been prevented. Too often he found himself answering difficult phone calls, knowing things could have been handled differently.
Finally, one morning he looked at me and said,
“Hannah… I can’t do it anymore. I’ve got to do this on my own. We’ll figure it out.”
Talk about a sentence that will make your stomach drop. 😅
But … like to good wife I am… 😆
Without question .. With my hand shaking, holding the computer mouse, I bought that LLC on “legal zoom .com” for $50 and said a LOT of prayers.😁😂
And ironically.. that very same day, something unexpected but incredible happened.
A family member of mine reached out and said the company she worked for - Michael Foods in Lenox, Iowa - needed flooring work completed.
Excited - Dennis hopped in the vehicle and drove 2 hours south to meet with them.
The meeting went well & we submitted our proposal.
And then… We waited.
Day after day.
For two weeks.
By Day 14, we had $300 left in our bank account.
I remember waking up frantic and exhausted that morning and saying “Maybe this just isn’t our path. We need to figure something else out.”
But literally in that moment…
Dennis’s phone rang. The project had been approved.
And we heard the words “Head on down for your down payment.”
I’ll never forget that feeling.
That single job became the foundation this company was built on. No bank loans, no capital.
We bought our first truck, first trailer, every tool, every piece of equipment, every ounce of product.
Everything we needed to start this business came from that one opportunity because one company believed in two people who had nothing more than a dream and the determination to work harder than anyone else.
Looking back now… That wasn’t luck.
That was God.
&& The rest, as they say, is history.
Over the last eight years, this business has grown far beyond anything we could have imagined.
And we would be fools if we thought it was just because of us alone.
It’s because of YOU. 🫵🏻
Our customers.
Our employees.
Our friends.
Our families.
Our suppliers.
Our supporters.
Our followers.
Every single one of you has played a part in our story.
You’ve helped us raise our family.
You’ve supported our employees and their families.
You’ve allowed us to build something we’re incredibly proud of.
There truly isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t recognize how blessed we are.
So from the bottom of our hearts…
Thank you. ❤️🖤🤍
Thank you for believing in us before we had much to show.
Thank you for trusting us.
Thank you for every recommendation, every conversation, every like, every comment, every project, and every opportunity.
Eight years later…
We’re still here. Still learning. Still evolving.
Still believing that if you do the job the right way, treat people honestly, and stand behind your work, good things WILL happen.
❤️ Happy 8th Anniversary, Hensley Concrete Coatings.
We couldn’t have done it without ALL of you.
