Scaling Seasonal Success: Inside the Growth of Lang Lighting and Decor

Authentic Business Adventures Podcast

Brandon Lang - Lang Lighting and Decor On a Knowing What People Want: "And people like quick. They want their stuff done yesterday." The evolution of how a business came to be and grow is always interesting. With Brandon Lang, of Lang's Lighting and Decor, he started making elaborate haunted houses for the neighborhood and now runs a successful lighting and decor business. Brandon shares how an epic backyard haunted house for Halloween—built with his brother Dustin, a pile of recycled cardboard, and a garage full of ambition—sparked their passion for decorating and community connection. After their mega-popular haunted house was shut down for safety reasons, the brothers channeled their creative energy into a new business: helping families transform their homes with professional-grade Christmas and landscape lighting. Listen as Brandon pulls back the curtain on launching their company out of their dad’s garage, facing the countless challenges of growth (from tangled bins of holiday lights to wrangling their first employees), and figuring out how to scale quality work without losing the personal touch. If you’ve ever wondered what goes into making neighborhoods dazzle during the holidays—or dreamed of turning your favorite hobby into a full-time pursuit—this episode will leave you inspired, entertained, and maybe ready to up your own lighting game. Enjoy! Visit Brandon at: https://langlightingllc.com/ Podcast Overview: 00:00 Neighborhood Halloween Maze Tradition 05:48 "Haunted House Dream Deferred" 08:00 Haunted House Revival Idea 09:24 Classy Holiday Light Installation 14:25 Festive Neighborhood Light Rivalry 16:00 "Lang Lighting's Commercial Expansion" 20:10 Seasonal Income Solutions Pursuit 23:46 Investing in Quick Product Turnaround 27:54 Streamlining Quoting Efficiency 30:25 Hiring Decision: Seasonal Part-Timer 33:59 Dad Joins Family Business 35:30 Hiring Struggles and Decisions 40:46 Business Growth Through Networking 41:29 "Embrace Strengths and Delegate" 46:50 Training Challenges for New Employees 50:39 Lighting Services Podcast Transcription: Brandon Lang [00:00:00]: Yeah. I think the what's great about the work that we do is like we get to see almost instant gratification. You put lights on the house, you turn it on and boom. James [00:00:11]: You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found On the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com. We are underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie, and today, we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Brandon Lang of Lang Lighting and Decor. So Brandon, how is it going today? Brandon Lang [00:00:37]: Today is going good. Weather's weather's nice. James [00:00:40]: It's a good day for lighting and decor. Brandon Lang [00:00:42]: Yeah. It's always a good day for lighting and decor. James [00:00:44]: Nice. Tell us really quick. How long has Lang Lighting been around? Brandon Lang [00:00:48]: So, we established the company in 2018. Okay. And, it was just me and my brother starting off as a hobby and today, we have three full time employees, two part time and then Dustin and I. James [00:01:04]: Nice. So. How do you get into the lighting business? Brandon Lang [00:01:08]: Wow. James [00:01:09]: I didn't mean to be that extreme but Brandon Lang [00:01:12]: Where to begin? Alright, so, Dustin and I, we started off essentially decorating for the holidays. That was kind of, where the love and the passion came from. James [00:01:24]: Your own houses? Brandon Lang [00:01:25]: Yeah. So, just growing up, dad's house, mom's house, we just had this love of like, most of the time parents would handle the indoor stuff and we were like we're On to just tackle the outdoor stuff. Like Lang Christmas lights, you know,