PowerTips Unscripted: Recent Episodes
Remodelers Advantage
Are you looking for ways to boost your business? One powerful tool you can use is a showroom. Not only can it help you cultivate leads, but it also gives you complete control over the client experience. On today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Joe Smith highlights some of the key benefits of having a showroom. For one, it allows you to sell products at better margins while ensuring that your clients don’t wander off to other showrooms and vendors.
Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, and you will be held accountable for everything that happens. However, hosting meet and greets at your showroom can help you manage your time better and set the tone for how you operate and manage your processes.
Joe Smith is a partner at Owings Brothers Contracting, located in Sykesville, Maryland. For the past 21 years, he has worked alongside his three brothers across multiple entities. Owings Brothers Contracting comprises an interior design company, two contracting divisions, and a plumbing and electrical division. Joe has served as the president of the MBIA Remodeling and Custom Homes Council three times in the past. He is also a proud father of girls and a grandfather.
Joe, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:
- Why add a showroom to your operation?
- What type of showroom events work best?
- And more… The post How a Showroom Can Help You Close Deals and Control Your Process with Joe Smith – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, host Victoria Downing chats with Jessica Lipson, Vice President of People and Culture at JBL Consulting, about building strong leadership within your remodeling business. Jessica, who brings over 20 years of HR experience, shares her insights on identifying high-potential leaders, developing effective mentorship programs, and fostering non-toxic, inclusive company cultures. […]
The post Developing Your Company’s Future Leaders with Jessica Lipson – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Small business owners spend a lifetime building a company and have one shot at getting their exit right.
Yet waiting to pounce on this unsuspecting group is a legion of financial mercenaries, private equity predators and corporate giants set up to prey on owner’s lack of experience when it comes to mergers and acquisitions.
These financial engineers use sleazy tactics like “strategic pacing,” “re-trading,” and “proprietary deal flow” to dupe owners into selling their life’s work for pennies on the dollar.
Our guest in this episode, John Warrillow, passionately advocates owners reframe how they approach their company from thinking of it as a job to building a transferable and valuable asset.
John is the founder of The Value Builder System, a simple software for building the value of a company used by thousands of businesses worldwide. He is a past Keynote Speaker at our Remodelers Summit and has been a guest here on PowerTips Unscripted in milestone episodes 01 and 100.
Victoria, Mark and John talk more about:
- The selling trends that John foresees with business owners who were hit hard during the pandemic.
- The biggest mistakes John sees owners make when it’s time to sell.
- The evil tricks large corporations and private equity groups use to pray on inexperienced owners.
- How owners let potential buyers know they are interested in selling without looking desperate.
- When owners should tell their employees they are thinking of selling.
- And more… The post How to Build, Accelerate and Harvest the Value of a Company with John Warrillow – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Toyota pioneered the LEAN manufacturing system, and we know — houses aren’t cars. But neither are people, and the LEAN concept of continuous improvement is used by hospitals too.
So even if remodeling isn’t brain surgery, we can learn a lot from how LEAN has been applied in healthcare. You can get some of the best help with your business by looking at how other industries use continuous improvement.
In this episode, Liz Moisan talks to Victoria and Mark about using LEAN principles in healthcare and how it can be applied to remodeling. She says Kaizen or LEAN principles give you a common language for things we already know, creating a foundation to move forward.
Liz is a product innovation specialist at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, and has been a practitioner of the Virginia Mason Production System since 2008. She teaches, facilitates, and works to continually evolve how Kaizen is applied in a health-care setting. She’s married to R/A Roundtables member Matt Moisan.
The hospital employs daily Kaizen, so even the smallest roadblock can be eliminated, as well as higher-level applications. She shares some real-world examples, including cutting down on waiting times for patients (yay!), working with vendors to get what the hospital needs when it needs it, The Five Ss, and how to look at a particular process to improve it, including:
- Where to start
- Staying true to the tools
- Identifying and eliminating waste in processes
- The evolution of continuous improvement
- Breaking the status quo and getting buy-in
- Understanding supply and demand for materials
- Onboarding new employees in LEAN principles
- Training at the management level
- Finding the “rock in your shoe”
- When and why to get help
- And more …
Here are those two books Liz recommends for getting started understanding the Kaizen principles:
- The Toyota Way
- Transforming Healthcare: Virginia Mason Medical Center’s Pursuit of the Perfect Patient Experience The post What Healthcare Can Teach Remodeling about LEAN with Liz Moisan – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The concept behind developing a customer persona is pretty simple – get to know your audience better so that you can build a more meaningful relationship with them, both as a client and a prospect.
The output of that analysis is inevitable company growth and client retention. So how do firms, of all sizes, build meaningful personas to shape the way they go to market?
In this episode, Aimee Pagano talks with Victoria and Mark about the process of building these vital tools and what a remodeling firm can do with them.
Aimee is the Director of Programming at HighRoad Solutions, a smartech data integration company for associations. She has 20 years of marketing and communications experience and her specialties include persona development, content strategy and generation, lead gen, and website development / optimization.
Victoria, Mark and Aimee talk more about:
- What a customer persona is and how remodeling firms would use it.
- What the building blocks are for customer persona development.
- Working without data.
- What you do with the customer personas once you’ve developed them.
- Who should be involved when going through a customer persona exercise.
- And more… The post Building Meaningful Customer Personas with Aimee Pagano – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
For many, determining the compensation for an employee is nothing more than doing a quick Google search, or in our members case, maybe asking their peers what they pay for a particular position. But Tom Miller doesn’t really agree with that methodology. Instead, his company helps businesses apply the best compensation strategies that help recruit great talent.
Tom is the founder and president of The VisionLink Advisory Group, a compensation design firm that services private businesses across North America. Tom and his firm have served over 600 companies across all industries.
In this episode, Tom discusses how to help small businesses apply the best practice compensation strategies that help recruit great talent, encourage the execution of the business plan, and growing a company.
Victoria, Mark and Tom talk more about:
- The starting point for building a great compensation plan in small company.
- The most common mistakes employers make relative to compensation.
- How to build an effective incentive plan in a private business.
- The best way to handle employees who want stock in the company.
- Setting and managing salaries for different employees.
- And more…this The post Creating Great Compensation Programs that Help Grow Your Company with Tom Miller – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode, Jeff Talmadge discusses how he and his team created a point system for his design staff to spread their workload. Each designer is assigned a predetermined number of points, weighted by criteria such as permitting, scope, and complexity of the job. The team tracks points weekly and has found that designers are less stressed, customers are given more accurate timelines, and production can plan their workload better.
Jeff Talmadge is the president of Talmadge Construction, a large, premium design-build firm based in Aptos, CA. Jeff and his team pride themselves on their commitment to customer service, quality workmanship, and a strong team culture.
Jeff’s five words of wisdom – patience, persistence, never give up.
Listen as Jeff, Victoria, and Mark discuss:
- Increasing job satisfaction across the company by managing designer workloads
- Improving customer service by managing expectations with accurate timelines
- And more… The post Gauging Your Designers’ Workload Effectively With Jeff Talmadge – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The Cost-Plus Pricing model seems to go completely against common sense, but it’s a concept that we’re getting more questions about from our membership. One contributing factor is that consumers increasingly demand transparency when purchasing products and services — and homeowners are coming to expect it when undertaking a remodeling project. But so many remodelers don’t understand it. Can Cost Plus be your new pricing model?
Josh Baker, co-founder of BOWA Builders, has been using Cost-Plus Pricing for more than 20 years. In this episode, he talks to Victoria and Mark about its pros and cons, and why it’s a cornerstone of his company’s success.
Josh founded BOWA Builders in McLean, VA, with college friend Larry Weinberg in 1988, serving the Washington, DC, metro market. As the leader of BOWA’s sales and marketing team, Josh helped to quickly grow the company’s revenues from $250,000 to nearly $40 million in just 20 years. As chief revenue officer, Josh’s focus is on growth and managing an energetic, productive sales team. Recognized nationally as an expert in the industry, Josh is quoted regularly in publications, including The Washington Post, Better Homes & Gardens, and Remodeling, and is a frequent speaker at local and national industry meetings.
Cost-Plus Pricing can be a differentiator, but it can also frighten some remodeling business owners — as well as some clients. Josh explains how to present the concept to clients, and what it will take to implement it profitably, as well as:
- What jobs are suited to the Cost-Plus Model
- Weighing the risks and rewards
- The necessity of pinpoint accuracy in estimating
- Why not to apologize for your costs
- The time it takes to do well
- Why you need a sophisticated, expert sales staff to make it work
- And a whole lot more… The post How to Successfully Use Cost-Plus Pricing with Josh Baker – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode, we take a closer look at the sales process. We are always looking for fresh ideas and concepts that apply specifically to remodelers and those in the building community.
Our guest Jan Neiges is adamant that you should be selling to design, NOT designing to sell, and she shares how you can improve your closing ratio, gain more control of the sales cycle and earn a design fee within two hours.
Jan Neiges is a National Kitchen and Bath certified Kitchen Designer and on the nine-member board for NKBA. Jan brings her 20 years of experience as a kitchen and bath designer and her 40 years of sales experience to share the selling process that she has developed.
Victoria, Mark and Jan talk more about:
- Background on how Jan began working on this process.
- Why this process is so important for remodelers to consider.
- What some of the issues are within the industry faces that drives the need for using this process.
- And more… The post Selling to Design, Not Designing to Sell with Jan Neiges – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
One of our core principles is that remodeling companies should make a good net profit, after paying the owners an above-average salary. When the economy’s booming, you can get away with a lot and still hit those goals, sometimes by accident. But the goal is to get those healthy net profits consistently, year after year, even in a downturn.
In this episode, Mike Medford Sr. talks to Victoria and Mark about how to do just that. Before seeing the metrics of the Top Ten Roundtables members a few years ago, Mike says his financials were always in flux. But then he took those figures and made them hard targets.
Mike Medford Sr. has been a home remodeling contractor for over 40 years. In 2007, he partnered with his son, Mike Jr. to form what is now Medford Design Build, with offices in Colleyville and Arlington, TX. Mike Sr. is the former president of Medford Design Build and is currently retired.
Mike challenged himself and his team to hit the new fixed targets. He refined their processes and challenged his team to hit those targets. By the next quarterly meeting, the company’s profits were rising. He talks about how he and his team made it happen, including:
- Creating a profit-centric culture
- How net profits will help you beat the labor shortage
- Focusing your staff on gross profit
- The importance of open books to the process
- Setting up a bonus structure
- Building time in to plan
- And more…
Mike also talks about getting back to the art of contracting and how important that is to your margins.
The post How to Hit Healthy Net Profits in any Economic Climate with Mike Medford Sr. – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
How can designers and production staff improve their success in the remodeling industry? Guest Jeff Borovitz joins Victoria and Mark to talk about the deadly sins that get in the way of reaching your full potential.
Jeff has worked and trained with many members of the Remodelers Advantage Roundtables community and brings that experience in talking about patterns and trends to continue, and avoid.
Since 1991, Jeff has worked with businesses across the globe, helping thousands improve their sales organizations and sales culture. Jeff is now the owner of Sandler Training, a sales and leadership training company that helps business owners increase revenue, shorten sales cycles, and hire better-performing sales teams.
Victoria, Mark and Jeff talk more about:
- The deadly sins to avoid
- The one sin that costs remodelers the most
- The difference between “like” and “trust”
- QSTEP
- Learning how to avoid the deadly sins
- And more… The post The Deadly Sins that Designers & Production Teams Commit with Jeff Borovitz – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As a seasoned business professional, you’ve probably been on both sides of the equation when it comes to giving and getting help. Get advice, give consultation. Gain a mentor, bestow some wisdom. While in these essential moments, we want to help and be helped, that doesn’t always happen.
It helps to know there are differences in the types of support we can give and get — and what they are.
In this episode, Allison Iantosca will discuss those distinctions with Victoria and Mark, and how stopping and thinking about how you ask for or give help will make the results more useful and valuable.
Allison is the president and owner of F.H. Perry Builder, a Boston-area custom remodeling firm focused on building homes and relationships of lasting value.
Though there are nuanced distinctions, coaching, consulting, and mentoring are not the same thing, says Allison. Knowing the differences will make the help given or gotten more relevant and valuable. Figuring it out includes knowing what you want to offer or receive in that moment, including:
- Who needs what, and when
- Concentrating on process in coaching
- Consulting and advising on outcomes
- Using experience in mentoring for a shared outcome
- Coaching your staff
- How to know what help to ask for
- The time periods needed for each
- Asking the right questions to spur the right answers
- And more …
One of the best ways to differentiate between the three main types of help you can give or get is to determine the goal, and what choices need to be made to get there.
The post All Help Is the Same, Isn’t it? with Allison Iantosca – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Guest Andy Haste is among one of Remodelers Advantages most successful members, and he attributes that success to consistency and profitability. But, how does one achieve consistent profits in such an unpredictable, and inconsistent industry such as remodeling?
This episode shares tips, tactics, and techniques to effectively set the goals and budgets to reach, and maintain consistent profit in such an inconsistent industry.
Andy is the president of Riverside Construction in West Lafayette, Indiana, and has been part of the Remodelers Advantage Roundtable community for many years. He has 15 years of experience in the business supplies industry and values the privilege of working alongside homeowners, exploring creative ways to turn their homes into personal living spaces that will be loved for years to come.
Victoria, Mark and Andy talk more about:
- Why remodelers may have problems maintaining consistency
- Embedding a good philosophy with your team
- The challenges that come with maintaining consistency
- And more… The post How to Achieve Consistency in Revenue and Profit with Andy Haste – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Working with just a few Realtors can bring additional jobs to your remodeling company. It’s not about appealing to the masses, but about developing relationships with several realtors who appreciate how you work, your quality, attention to detail, and exceptional client experience.
In this episode, Kathi Fleck discusses working with Realtors with Victoria and Mark, and how to establish and maintain relationships that can get more jobs for your company, help them sell more homes, and take care of your shared clients.
Kathi is co-owner of LoneStar Design Build in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX, area, where she leads a team and their clients through the design-build experience. Kathi has a long-term relationship with Coldwell Banker Real Estate, and other Realtors who send business her way.
Realtors go out of their way to support the seller/ buyer experience, says Kathi. Helping their clients with remodeling and providing referrals is part of their daily routine. As remodelers working with realtors, understand how Realtors work and make them look good as they support their client. It can be challenging, but Kathi says a few simple tricks can pay off with easy referrals, including:
- Finding partners who fit your company and market
- How to make their lives easier
- Getting the right referrals
- Dealing with bad leads
- Avoiding the bid process
- How referrals can go in the other direction
- How much to invest in marketing to Realtors
- The power of free food
- And more …
The best way to start is by contacting real estate offices and setting up a presentation, calling an agent who works in the same neighborhoods you do, and taking advantage of networking groups.
The post Connecting with a Few Good Realtors with Kathi Fleck – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Business processes are absolutely crucial in today’s business landscape. It’s almost impossible to operate a business without them. Today on PowerTips Unscripted, we’re joined by Adi Klevit, Founder of Business Success Consulting, to explore the ROI of implementing systematic processes in your business.
Adi has been helping businesses create, document, and implement processes and procedures for over 30 years. Adi and her team have helped hundreds of fast-growing companies lacking consistency, scale and grow and achieve their goals.
Adi, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:
- What are the main obstacles that businesses run into when they try to document their processes?
- What changes have you seen in companies that have good documentation?
- And more… The post What is the ROI of systematizing your business? with Adi Klevit – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E11 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Our Roundtables members share their financial metrics at every meeting, in what we call the composite report. But there’s one field that’s almost always reported as zero.
It’s the proactive outbound sales call metric. It’s confusing to many, not just as a field on a spreadsheet, but as an activity.
Abe Degnan says this metric is valuable to all remodeling companies, and making those calls builds his own company’s sales pipeline.
In this episode, Abe joins Victoria and Mark to explain the proactive outbound sales call, how to track it, and what it can do for your company.
Abe is president, problem-solver and life changer at Degnan Design Build Remodel in DeForest, WI. He also manages day-to-day business operations — and as a long-time Roundtables member, Abe knows how important it is to measure what is managed.
This statistic isn’t just for replacement companies with a call center, says Abe. A proactive outbound sales call also doesn’t have to be a phone call. It occurs any time you follow up on your sales process in a way that is outside of your established sales routine or is something your client isn’t expecting you to do. Abe talks about what those follow ups can be, and how to track them, including:
- Why sales needs to do it, not marketing
- Sending handwritten note cards
- Calling on cold leads
- Contacting a lead that fell off your radar
- Networking for leads
- The number of activities you should do
- The ROI on the effort
- Who you should reach out to
- Including it in your marketing plan
- How long it can take to convert
- And more …
Making proactive outside sales activities a part of your business can get, and while it’s a marketing activity, it has to be carried out by the sales staff to be effective.
The post Unraveling the Undervalued “Proactive Outbound Sales Call” Metric with Abe Degnan – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Every remodeling business owner wants to add more money to the bottom line. Reducing slippage is the lowest-hanging fruit to pick in your quest.
In this episode, Tim Faller talks to Victoria and Mark about reducing slippage in your remodeling company. Slippage occurs when your estimate is lower than the real costs of the job. Reducing it takes a change in mindset throughout the organization.
For 17 years, Tim has worked with hundreds of remodeling companies to improve profits by creating smooth, efficient production systems. As a Senior Consultant and Master of Production for Remodelers Advantage, Tim’s field and business ownership experience is vital to his additional role as facilitator for Owner and Production Manager Roundtables Groups. He’s also a published author, a Member of the Remodeler Hall of Fame, and the recent recipient of the Harold Hammerman “Spirit of Education” Award. Tim is co-host of The Tim Faller Show, a weekly podcast focused on “Improving The Bottom Line Through Production Training.”
The biggest challenge in reducing slippage is getting your whole team involved in the effort. Tim says slippage is too often brushed off with “It is what it is.” That’s where the change in mindset comes in — the attitude should be “It is what we make it.” Slippage is controllable, but it takes a company-wide awareness and work to corral it through realistic and accurate estimating, job scheduling, and building in time to de-bug a job before it starts. He talks about the ways to reduce slippage in your processes, including:
- Finding the slippage
- The perfect planning process
- Building in time, and how much
- Developing a critical eye, not a critical attitude
- Why realistic estimating geared to your team is key
- Why you need long-term, short-range, and daily planning
- Killing schedule creep for better net profit
- Building extra time into the schedule
- Figuring out days-per-job overhead
- Controlling the client
- Doing change orders properly
- And more … The post Kicking Off Slippage Awareness Month with Tim Faller – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on Power Tips Unscripted, Arlin Sorensen, the CEO of Oak Road Consulting joins the show. Understanding the art of creating value within your business is pivotal, especially in the context of planning your exit strategy. It’s all about setting clear goals for your personal wealth and translating that into a business value target that can drive your success. Arlin is here to share invaluable insights on how you can craft a robust value-creation strategy and harmonize it with your long-term financial goals.
Arlin Sorenson is a simple Iowa farm boy who fell in love with technology and has spent the past 40 years in the IT industry. His passion is helping business owners and leaders achieve their definitions of success.
Arlin, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:
- How to create a value-creation strategy
- Legacy/succession planning
- What things can derail value?
- And more… The post Creating Value: A Guide to Maximizing Your Company’s Worth with Arlin Sorensen – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E10 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We talk about the J Curve a lot around here — picture a lower-case J. When you apply change principles to your business — new people, systems, and processes — they can initially send your business on a downward trajectory before soaring with your success. If you want to grow your company, listen carefully!
Our guest today breaks this process down into four stages of development:
- Forming: The getting to know you stage
- Storming: When conflicts arise (the bottom of the J)
- Norming: Common goals are defined, an agreement is reached
- Performing: Working toward a common goal and looking forward
In this episode, Kathy O’Brien talks to Victoria and Mark about how to manage your growth strategies and the importance of being a strong leader in challenging times.
Kathy was the founding CEO of the St. Louis Alzheimer’s Association for over 25 years and then served as Senior Vice President of the National Office in Chicago. She received numerous awards and recognition for her work.
Kathy says those four stages of development apply to making positive growth in professional development, organizational development, and personal development. You go through the stages in every business relationship, personal relationship, and client relationship. She breaks down the stages, and how they present themselves in the remodeling business, including:
- How it plays out with employees
- Why it’s a continuous process
- Getting through the storming stage successfully
- How one person can cause a storm
- Why leadership and core values are important through all the stages
- Making it okay to disagree, and fostering honest dialog
- What to do when you’re still sinking
- And more … The post Positive Growth in Difficult Situations with Kathy O’Brien – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Is your company struggling to attract top-tier employees? Joining us today on PowerTips Unscripted is Erin Longmoon, the founder of Zephyr Connect. Erin will share some valuable insights into how to hire people who align with your company’s culture. She will discuss the strategies and tactics that have played a pivotal role in Zephyr’s 98% placement rate for their Residential Remodeling clients.
Erin Longmoon is the founder of Zephyr Connects. After a number of years as an Interior Designer, then turned business coach, Erin designed Zephyr Connects to solve the grueling hiring challenges of the Residential Remodeling industry. Zephyr is also an RA Preferred Member Benefit Partner.
Erin, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:
- Why hiring for culture fit so important?
- Can we really hire carpenters and laborers for culture fit?
- Interview tips
- And more… The post Tips For Hiring People Who Fit Your Culture with Erin Longmoon – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode, Paul Kowalski shares his experiences in applying LEAN in his business with Victoria and Mark. His company recently implemented the process, and he says the results have already been eye-opening.
Paul owns PK Builders in Charlotte, NC, and is a member of our Remodelers Advantage Roundtables group. PK Builders has a team of eight, including Paul, with four project Managers, an estimator, and a draftsman.
When PK Builders was experiencing growing pains in 2018 — bottlenecks in the design-build process, some cash-flow issues, higher overhead — Paul called in Doug Howard for help. Paul says it was intimidating at first, but soon becomes second nature to look for ways to speed up processes. It started with 16 feet of paper festooned with sticky notes detailing steps in the design process. Hear how they implemented LEAN, including:
- Explaining it to your staff
- Sharing in chunks
- Finding the hiccups
- Why the people closest to the work have the best feedback
- Getting over the intimidation factor
- Timelines and swim lanes
- Not including time for revisions
- Building in collaboration upfront
- Unintended consequences
- And more … The post How LEAN Principles Have Improved My Business with Paul Kowalski – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If everyone in your remodeling business feels like they’re invested in your company — so invested that they think and act like owners — they’ll make better decisions, solve more problems, and make it more profitable.
But how do you get there?
In this episode, our own Steve Wheeler talks to Victoria and Mark about how to get your employees to think and act like owners. It’s a process he started when he had his own remodeling business for 12 years, and then he dove deeper into the subject through his work with R/A.
As Executive Director of Roundtables for Remodelers Advantage, Steve is responsible for helping business owners find the program or product that will help them reach their financial and personal goals.
Getting employees to think and act like owners is one of the biggest challenges for our Roundtables members, and for every remodeler we talk to. Steve developed his approach by trying to get his team to care about his company as much as he did, based on the cycle of accountability and the TOADS steps developed by Linda Galindo in The Accountability Experience. There are actions that can cause real change. He talks about the keys to the process, how to get there, and the benefits, including:
- The power of delegation
- Reducing owner stress
- Transforming through transparency
- Getting beyond the to-do list to higher thinking
- Talking about the big picture
- Enabling decision-making power
- Thinking of employees as renters or owners
- Allowing employees to fail
- And more … The post How to Get Employees to Think and Act Like Owners with Steve Wheeler – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Are you looking for ways to boost your business? One powerful tool you can use is a showroom. Not only can it help you cultivate leads, but it also gives you complete control over the client experience. On today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Joe Smith highlights some of the key benefits of having a showroom. For one, it allows you to sell products at better margins while ensuring that your clients don’t wander off to other showrooms and vendors.
Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, and you will be held accountable for everything that happens. However, hosting meet and greets at your showroom can help you manage your time better and set the tone for how you operate and manage your processes.
Joe Smith is a partner at Owings Brothers Contracting, located in Sykesville, Maryland. For the past 21 years, he has worked alongside his three brothers across multiple entities. Owings Brothers Contracting comprises an interior design company, two contracting divisions, and a plumbing and electrical division. Joe has served as the president of the MBIA Remodeling and Custom Homes Council three times in the past. He is also a proud father of girls and a grandfather.
Joe, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:
- Why add a showroom to your operation?
- What type of showroom events work best?
- And more… The post How a Showroom Can Help You Close Deals and Control Your Process with Joe Smith – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E9 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Employees thrive on feedback.
Then why is it that so few leaders proactively provide it?
The answers, along with simple steps on how to provide timely, respectful, actionable feedback to your employees, are provided in this episode by guest, Tina Clements.
Tina, Vice President of The Retail Performance Company, is a leader, speaker, author, coach, entrepreneur.com contributor & facilitator, leading luxury industries for over 25 years. Her clients confirm, she is a communications expert & her book, The ART of Facilitation and keynote address ‘Yes, You Do Have a Choice’ are testimonials to her talent.
Victoria, Mark and Tina talk more about:
- Why leaders may not give feedback
- The steps to give real, timely, respectful feedback even when it’s difficult
- What to do when an employee may object feedback
- The secrets to giving feedback
- And more… The post How to Give Performance Feedback and Why it’s Critical for Success with Tina Clements – [Best of PowerTips Unscipted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The labor shortage has been a frequent topic on this show, and this episode is going to join the ranks. Guest Andrew Schmidt is here to talk about AMEK’s apprentice and internship program, and the importance of investing in future generations.
Andrew and his twin brother started their business as roofing installers in 1996, and have grown into a leading design-build firm in Minneapolis and St Paul. They have vacillated over the years, from employing and training carpenters to using all subcontractors. Currently, AMEK operates a hybrid model of carpenters and subcontractors when the job dictates it.
Victoria, Mark and Andrew talk more about:
- Hiring the right people
- The training and development process
- Creating an engaged culture
- And more… The post Why It’s Critical to Invest in The Next Generation with Andrew Schmidt – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted features Peg Buehrle as a guest. During the show, she discusses the significance of team development for business growth. The growth of a business depends on the growth of its key leaders and their respective teams. Therefore, it is crucial to have a development plan for each team member. Peg will shed light on how to ensure that this remains a top priority.
Peg is a co-managing partner of ActionCOACH Columbus, the co-author of The Honest Truth about Leadership, and an internationally recognized speaker. She has 17 years of coaching experience and has helped hundreds of businesses grow. Peg is also a Remodelers Advantage consultant and specializes in team development. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, click here: https://remodelersadvantage.com/coaching/
Peg, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:
- Common omissions that business owners have about their teams
- What gets in the way of business owners of actually doing a development plan
- How do you create the discipline to make sure you execute your people plan?
- And more… The post Cultivating Growth: Integrating Employee Development into Your Business Strategy with Peg Buehrle – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E8 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
There is one challenge most remodelers have been facing, and that is the labor shortage.
So, what are you doing to find and attract the best talent? Marketing isn’t only used as a tactic for finding sales leads but also for attracting the best talent, and guest Danielle Russell is here to share how you can use digital marketing to find that talent.
Danielle is the President of Builder Funnel, a digital marketing agency that has been serving remodelers like you for over a decade. She’s here to share some of her top tips that worked for Builder Funnel as it grew alongside its clients and the industry over the past year and a half.
Victoria, Mark, and Danielle talk more about:
- Increasing brand awareness
- Building a culture and reputation
- The “always hiring” mentality
- And more… The post Digital Marketing Tactics for Hiring with Danielle Russell – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Do you know you can increase the effectiveness of your digital marketing with handwritten notes? Jesse Stein joins the show to take us on a deep dive into the world of digital marketing. He discusses how using handwritten notes can help remodelers grow their business, and provides us help with improving our digital marketing.
Jesse has an impressive background as a serial entrepreneur. He’s founded, grown, and sold multiple ventures throughout his career, including SportsMemorabilia.com, a skincare brand, and DietSpotlight.com. Jesse also holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA from UC Santa Barbra. He is currently the CEO and Founder of Audience.co.
Victoria, Mark, and Jesse talk more about:
- Robotic handwritten notes
- Digital marketing strategies for remodelers
- And more… The post Digital Marketing Hacks to Grow Your Business with Jesse Stein – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
An aging skilled workforce is retiring, and there’s a shortage of younger people taking their place. It’s a hot topic among remodeling companies, who are still searching for the right answers to solving their labor shortage.
In this episode, Mischa Fisher, Victoria, and Mark discuss what you can do to bridge the skills gap, and how to change deep-seated perceptions around joining the home-services industry.
Mischa Fisher is the chief economist at ANGI Homeservices, representing the HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List brands. Prior to this role, Mischa was chief economist for Illinois, where he served as the economic policy advisor to the governor; he is also a former legislative director for the United States Congress in Washington, DC, and is currently an instructor in applied quantitative analysis at Northwestern University.
Mischa says the labor shortage starts with s a simple fact of demographics, where an aging workforce is getting ready to retire, and the Millennials and younger Generation Z aren’t in the pipeline to replace them. Compounding that, there’s already a shortage of skilled labor. An internal HomeAdvisor poll showed 65 percent of their members could not fill a position, says Mischa, and it’s getting worse. Mischa shares his insights into what’s causing the labor shortage, and how we can all go about fixing it, plus bonus advice from his dad, including:
- Why talking about it is a great start
- Raising awareness inside and outside the industry
- Best practices to fill your open positions
- How to appeal to Millennials and Gen Z with a rewarding workplace
- The importance of building a real team
- Recognizing generational differences and how to work with them
- How to create a clear pathway to learning
- Recruiting older, experienced people
- Using the student loan crisis to your advantage in recruiting
- Appealing to the entrepreneurial spirit
- Working with industry, government, and educational leaders
- Educating parents about the advantages of learning a skilled trade
- And more … The post Bridging the Skills Gap from an Economist’s Perspective with Mischa Fisher – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Virtual reality creates immersive environments in real time. For remodelers, that means your clients could preview and even “walk-through” their projects to see if they like what they’re seeing.
Guest Chris Katkish says VR can help remodelers streamline their sales and design process, trim the length of the sales cycle, and boost production efficiency by reducing change orders. All of which leads to more sales and more profit.
In this episode, Chris talks to Victoria and Mark about using VR technology to help clients confidently make decisions more quickly in the sales and design process.
Chris is the general manager of InSite Builders and Remodeling in Bethesda, MD. The three owners of InSite have partnered in a company called Limitless Virtual Reality, which enables CAD designs to be viewed in VR.
InSite uses VR as a visualization tool to get concepts across to homeowners. Even if you’re using 3D modeling, they’re still viewed in 2D, and seeing it on screen isn’t the same. VR immersion allows clients to experience the space and see what they’re buying before its built. Chris talks about the ways remodelers can use VR in their businesses, including:
- When to bring VR into the sales process
- Building in the charge for the VR design
- How your 3D model becomes a VR environment
- The equipment you’d need — and how much it may cost
- Real-world examples of how VR speeds up client decisions
- How to use it with Project Managers and Trade Partners
- And more…
Victoria and Mark also spitball ways to use VR in your marketing. The pace of technology is fast — and VR is the newest tool on the scene. If you’ve got ideas or opinions on how VR may affect the remodeling business or your business, let us know in the comments below.
The post Using Virtual Reality to Grow Sales and Profits with Chris Katkish – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Having a business partner can be an enormous advantage if you approach it correctly. Most people underestimate the commitment and work that goes into a partnership. Ensuring that you’re on the same page and share the same vision goes far beyond having a plan on paper.
In this episode, Matt Carlson shares his story with Victoria and Mark, and what he’s learned as the minority partner in his business in making the relationship work.
Matt is the general manager and co-owner of Fox Home Innovations in Manhattan, KS. After 10 years in the business, and nine as an owner he has a unique perspective on the lessons he has learned from growing FHI alongside his business partner Chris Fox.
Matt and Chris met in college, and worked on several projects together there while both where studying entrepreneurship. Matt then joined Chris in his new remodeling company. He started out working in the field, and Chris proposed the partnership idea quickly. It started as a trial run for a year, while he was still considered an employee. They made it official after the trial period. Matt talks about what you need to do to create and maintain a successful partnership, including:
- Making the commitment
- Being open and honest
- Putting egos aside
- How to maintain an equal partnership regardless of ownership stake
- The importance of having open books
- Delegating duties and responsibilities
- Keeping egos out of it
- Resolving conflicts
- Speaking with one voice
- Taking a thoughtful approach to long-term company health
- And more …
If you’re in a partnership, or are considering one, Matt says the biggest thing to remember is to put the business first — above any personal relationship you share.
The post Partnership — Creating a Unified Vision for Your Company’s Future with Matt Carlson – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We’re under an almost constant barrage of information from every angle. As leaders in our business, it’s imperative that our messages are clearly understood. But it’s equally important, if not more so, that we get messages clearly.
In this episode, Jeremy discusses how to make your communication skills better with Victoria and Mark, what it will take, and how it will help your business and your life.
Jeremy is co-owner and vice president of Axis Construction in Wichita Falls, TX, a company he and partner Jeff Miller started 13 years ago. Jeremy holds a master’s degree in human resource management, but he is most thankful for the influence of incredible mentors and friends who have shared their wisdom freely.
Learning to be a better communicator is possible, even if it’s not in your native skillset. Jeremy says the first part, for him, was getting rid of his “head trash.” He had to get rid of limiting beliefs, only hang on to ideas that could be proven true, eliminate his assumptions of what someone else believes, and not let any of those things influence his decisions. He talks about how to get past that and boost your communication and listening skills, including:
- The basic rules of engagement
- Facing fears
- Placing yourself in someone else’s comfort zone
- How to plan your conversations
- Understanding you can’t convince someone else
- Asking questions to get to others’ needs
- Setting goals at the beginning of the conversation
- Communicating with intent
- The four things to do before having a tough conversation
- And more … The post Focusing on Clarity in Communication with Jeremy Steinruck – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Many of your customers will pay more for items that improve the health, comfort, and efficiency of their homes. As one of the few things that pay for themselves over time, green upgrades can also boost your average project revenue and make you stand out in your market.
In this episode, Doug Selby talks to Victoria and Mark about how green upgrades can improve your remodeling company’s bottom line.
Doug is a co-founder of Meadowlark Design+Build in Ann Arbor, MI, and recently graduated from the CEO role to to focus on long-term strategy and act as the company’s sustainability director. Doug is a building science expert and helped Meadowlark build a reputation in its community for quality of construction and leadership in ecological housing issues.
Meadowlark was started with an ecological focus from its very beginning. Doug and his business partner, Kirk Brandon, studied primitive living and how to survive off the grid. While they may cost a little bit more upfront, green upgrades pay for themselves over time, he says, and focusing on ecologically conscious remodeling and construction can be a great business decision. He talks about what it means to Meadowlark’s business and clients, including:
- How it helped the company grow during the recession
- Getting media attention naturally
- Losing less, using less, and then producing
- Insulation and systems
- Why solar’s literally the last thing he looks at
- Air-quality issues
- Talking to homeowners about green tactics and methods
- Presenting it the right way
- And more … The post Improving Your Bottom Line with Green Upgrades with Doug Selby – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If you’re going to build something — a building, a company, a team — you owe it to the world to build something great. Identify what makes you exceptional and empower your team to help you build a great business. In this episode, Jason Blenker tells Victoria and Mark about how and why he put...
The post Empower Your Team to Help You Build a Great Business with Jason Blenker – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Most people would consider a company jumping from $1.5 million to $3 million in revenue a growing organization. However, when we look beyond gross sales, those numbers don’t necessarily mean it grew. It could even mean the company is less profitable — and ultimately less successful — than it was before. Michael Hodgin says planning for, and...
The post Tiered Growth: Understanding Metrics and Recognizing Signs to Set Profitable Sales Goals with Michael Hodgin – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Many people believe that innovation comes from a sudden “aha!” moment, but, that is rarely the case. So, guest Ben Bensaou is here to share how to continuously embed innovation into your company using a systematic approach. Ben Bensaou is a professor and former Dean of Executive Education at INSEAD. As an innovation consultant, he has...
The post How to Embed Innovation into Your Remodeling Company with Ben Bensaou – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
A remodeler who fears negotiation, is like a roofer who is afraid of heights. Negotiation skills are necessary for success in the field of remodeling. However, a lot of remodelers are unaware of how to even approach the subject. Guest Jeff Borovitz joins Victoria and Mark in this episode to talk about how to be...
The post The Seven Deadly Sins of Negotiating with Jeff Borovitz – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Iris Harrell discusses the importance of having women in key positions within remodeling companies. They make up half of the US workforce, so there is a sizeable recruitment pool, and they also relate on a deeper level with female customers, who often drive decision-making. Women are multi-taskers, organizers, collaborators,...
The post How To Double The Number Of Top Leaders In Your Remodeling Company: Hire And Train More Women, Featuring Iris Harrell – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The remodeling industry is highly competitive and some may be tempted to break the rules. Although some may do it intentionally, others may start with good intentions, but over time the line between right and wrong becomes blurred. Thomas Croessmann will be joining the show to discuss the consequences of breaking the rules, which in...
The post The Fine Line: The Legal Consequences to Questionable Business Practices with Thomas Croessmann – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E7 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
More and more remodeling and home building contractors realize the value their design services bring to their clients, and it is becoming a profit center for many companies. Guest Dan Baumann is here to share the many reasons why you should be charging a fair price for your design services. Dan is the founder of Chief...
The post Design Services as a Profit Center For Your Business with Dan Baumann – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As an FBI Special Agent and Chief of the FBI Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program, guest Robin Dreeke built relationships and confidential human sources across 22 nationalities during his career. These days, he works with companies of all sizes, helping newly promoted leaders, executives, and teams succeed and grow. In this episode, he shares expert insight...
The post How to Build Authentic Trust with Robin Dreeke – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Steve Barkhouse joins PowerTips Unscripted to discuss how to create a culture of mental health support in the remodeling industry. In the post covid era, Mental health has affected many employees and business owners, so Steve and his team created a framework for dealing with the added stress that comes from covid. This support framework...
The post Building a Culture of Support in Construction with Steve Barkhouse – [Best of PowerTips Unscprited] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Do you remove your shoes when you visit a customer’s home? How do I control others’ first impressions of me? Is it ever appropriate to begin eating before everyone is served? Find the answers to these questions and more when Daniel Post Senning joins the show. Daniel is the great-great-grandson of Emily Post and discusses...
The post An Etiquette and Manners Guide for Remodelers with Daniel Post Senning – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Wayne Ottum joins us to talk about the 9 components of extraordinary leadership and outlines some basic steps to help businesses owners become more effective leaders. Wayne discusses the importance of creating a company vision, building the right culture, and the difference between leadership and management. Wayne is a senior consultant at Remodelers Advantage and...
The post The 9 Components of Extraordinary Leadership with Wayne Ottum – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
High interest rates and other market conditions have caused the remodeling market to contract across many regions, resulting in lack luster lead flow for home remodeling companies. As the U.S. heads into a presidential election year, which has the potential to cause further market erosion, remodelers need to protect their market share. By taking steps...
The post Boost Lead Gen Results with Better Reputation Management with Tanya Bamford – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E6 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on Powertips Unscripted, Dan Hurst joins the show to discuss the handoff from design to production. Dan talks about how to define the minimum standard of completeness and quality for each function or role involved in preparing the handoff packet. Dan also discusses how to use checklists for each role to ensure that quality...
The post Why The Design-to-Production Handoff is Worth Measuring with Dan Hurst – [Best of Powertips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Are you concerned that college tuition fees will deplete your savings? In today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted, we have Brad Baldridge on the show to assist business owners in planning for their children’s college education without sacrificing their retirement funds. Brad discusses how owning a business can impact college finances and whether there are any...
The post How Business Owners Can Tame the High Cost of College with Brad Baldridge – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E5 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Is your company struggling to attract top-tier employees? Joining us today on PowerTips Unscripted is Erin Longmoon, the founder of Zephyr Connect. Erin will share some valuable insights into how to hire people who align with your company’s culture. She will discuss the strategies and tactics that have played a pivotal role in Zephyr’s 98%...
The post Tips For Hiring People Who Fit Your Culture with Erin Longmoon – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E4 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Dave Pollard, Co-Founder & Design Director of Liv Companies outside of Chicago, joins the show to talk more about how his firm utilizes 3D renderings in almost every aspect of their business. Leading LivCo’s design team, Dave’s process quickly takes hand sketches to full-blown renderings and walk-throughs, and they are even leveraging the power of quick video editing to...
The post Harnessing the Power of 3D Visualization with Dave Pollard – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Victoria and Mark are joined by Pete McDowell to discuss succession planning and how business owners can exit their company. According to Pete, there are four primary ways for a business owner to leave their company: selling the company, transferring the company to family or employees, or ESOP. He...
The post Preparing Your Business For Your Departure with Pete McDowell – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E3 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on Powertips Unscripted, Doug Howard joins the show to discuss the importance of demanding success by 2024. There are various external factors, such as uncertainty, economic slowdowns, and slower processes, that are affecting the pre-construction and construction workflow, ultimately impacting profitability. Therefore, owners of remodeling companies need to come up with effective strategies and...
The post Demanding Success for 2024 with Doug Howard – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E2 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
When it comes to the employees who are responsible for onboarding and managing your clients, providing consistent coaching and training to your team is crucial for achieving success. One of the most effective techniques for training your team is through the ‘ride along’ or shadowing method. Although this process can be time-consuming, Jef Forward has...
The post Improve Team Performance with Virtual Ride-Alongs with Jef Forward – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E1 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Sometimes it may feel that kindness is in short supply. That’s why it’s so important to take the initiative to remain vigilant and recognize kindness whenever you can. Guest Chris Stebnitz shares something he does weekly, that results in a huge impact on those around him. Chris is a third-generation remodeling company owner in Elkhorn,...
The post One Small Thing That Makes a Big Impact on Others with Chris Stebnitz – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The most common marketing mistake host Mark Harari sees is a focus on tactic without regard for strategy. It is important to avoid adopting new fad marketing tactics, and start with a strategic foundation. Guest Spencer Powell agrees, and he is here to share how to focus on what matters most to your business so...
The post Focusing on What Matters Most with Spencer Powell – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Lauren Campuzano joins the show to discuss outsourcing 3-Dimensional (3-D) Design. 3-D designs can help remodelers sell their plans, but finding the right talent can take time and effort. Lauren found that 3-D designs were great communication tools within the design department, construction department, and sometimes with clients. Creating 3-D models...
The post Outsourcing 3-Dimensional Design with Lauren Campuzano- [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Thomas Croessman joins the show to discuss the need for small business owners to plan for their company’s transition in their estate plan. While your business might be humming along now, how will it perform if you’re not around? Unfortunately, most small businesses only survive the first generation because of estate...
The post Estate Planning 101 with Thomas Croessman – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As remodeling companies grow, owners face the challenges of deciding when leaders are needed, how to find them, and train them to be good leaders. In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Wayne Ottum discusses these challenges and provides tools and methodologies for facing these challenges head-on. In addition, he talks about how he helps owners...
The post Solving the Challenges of Leadership Development in Remodeling Companies with Wayne Ottum – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Mark and Victoria are joined by Michael Hodgin to discuss using the financial review to pivot to profitability. A complete understanding and review of your company’s financials is a practice that requires a disciplined effort. However, with this practice in place, an owner will be able to use the information from...
The post Using the Financial Review to Pivot to Profitability with Michael Hodgin – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Are you worried about your business being the next victim of a cyberattack? Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Charles Hammett joins the show to give some advice on how to protect your business from cyberattacks. Charles breaks down some of the types of cyberattacks and how remodelers could be affected. He also talks about some of...
The post How Cybercrime WILL Impact Your Remodeling Business with Charles Hammett – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
On this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Jody McLeod joins the show to answer legal questions, including whether companies are set up to withstand a legal challenge. Jody discusses the best way to ensure having a complete personnel file for each employee, including documentation of conversations and key facts, so that you can support yourself and...
The post Will Your Personnel Files Survive a Legal Trial with Jody McLeod – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Sean Castrina joins the program to discuss why everyone should think like an entrepreneur and the importance of developing a strategy for determining what business you want to start. He shares that when he lost his job, he found another one so he could take his time to figure out his next steps. Sean Castrina...
The post Everyone Should Think Like an Entrepreneur with Sean Castrina – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode, Jeff Talmadge discusses how he and his team created a point system for his design staff to spread their workload. Each designer is assigned a predetermined number of points, weighted by criteria such as permitting, scope, and complexity of the job. The team tracks points weekly and has found that designers are less...
The post Gauging Your Designers’ Workload Effectively With Jeff Talmadge – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The post Top 5 Remodeling Sales Secrets You Must Know with Jeff Borovitz – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Have you given any thought to your exit strategy? How are you going to leave your business when you’re ready to retire and enjoy your remaining years? It is never too early to start, and you should really be planning for that day, no matter how many years you have left. There are many options...
The post Preparing a Successful Exit Strategy with Dave Leff – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
A personal vision statement charts your course — in life and in business. If you don’t have one, you might as well be lost at sea when you’re making decisions. For Dave Bryan, his personal vision statement serves as his North Star, allowing him to plot his course through his life. “There are a million...
The post Why You Should Have a Personal Vision Statement with Dave Bryan – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Jobs are won or lost during the design process. With so much on the line, it’s clear that your design department should be running at peak performance. But there are so many ways the process can get derailed. It all depends on how you structure your design department, and what metrics you use to hold...
The post How to Structure and Run a Profitable Design Department with Chris Landis – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
You shouldn’t have to slog through a dry, term-laden textbook to successfully market your business. So in this episode, Co-Host turned guest, Mark Harari takes a deeper dive into his new book, “Lobster on a Cheese Plate,” a practical handbook that shows how to effectively market your business. Or, as the book’s subtitle states, “how to stand...
The post How to Compete Against BIG Competitors and Win with Mark Harari – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Learning the best way to work with purchasing managers can help create great outcomes for both sides of the remodeling business. With over a decade of experience in operations and purchasing for a national homebuilder, Bradley Hartmann has researched and found the importance of having purchasing sales teams devote their time exclusively focused on the...
The post What Dealers Say Behind Your Back with Bradley Hartmann – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The Great Recession gobbled up a whole slew of remodeling companies, but more of them fail during an economic expansion than during a contraction. Growth is great, but it’s risky, and knowing how not to grow will put you ahead of the game. In this hot market, there are so many opportunities, you can get ahead of...
The post How NOT to Grow Your Remodeling Business with Judith Miller – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Reviewing employees in the remodeling world is, at best, a struggle.
It is often an employee’s opportunity to ask for a raise and an employer’s opportunity for frustration.
Tim Faller joins Mark and Victoria to talk about the necessary fundamental shift in the employee review process. Tim makes the transition from podcast host to guest to talk about his efforts towards reworking the employee review process in this episode.
Tim is a senior consultant here at Remodelers Advantage and known throughout the industry as the “Guru of Production.”
Tim is a well-known author and works with remodelers and production teams across the US and Canada. In addition to being the lead facilitator for the R/A Production Manager Roundtables Groups, he is also the Co-host of the popular podcast, The Tim Faller Show.
Victoria, Mark and Tim talk more about:
- The challenges of the “old system”
- The inspiration behind the reworking of the employee review process
- The parts that need reworking
- Objectives and goals of the rework
- Implementing the rework
- And more… The post Employee Reviews: It’s Time for a Change with Tim Faller – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As a society, we spend nearly four hours daily on our smartphones, a 59% increase compared to just two years ago. The total amount of time each person spends in front of all media per day is 12 hours and 21 minutes, up 11% over two years, and the amount of time we spend socializing each day has dropped 18% compared to 2003.
So, if we extrapolate these trends, where will humanity be in just ten short years?
Guest Rob Krecak is on a mission to positively impact the lives of one billion people with his company, Humans First, which aims to show people how technology impacts their mental health, relationships, and productivity at work.
Victoria, Mark, and Rob talk more about:
- How technology impacts us in ways we are unaware of
- Technology’s role in our relationships
- Being more mindful of technology usage
- And more… The post How Technology is Impacting Your Mental Health, Relationships & Productivity at Work with Rob Krecak – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s not about the money, rather the feelings the money can bring.
In this episode, Jay Wheeler dives into the psychology of financial management and investing in order to provide listeners with the potential reasons behind the way they may manage money.
Whether it’s business or personal finances, Jay describes how to better manage your behavior surrounding spending.
Jay is the President of Wheeler Financial and while he provides traditional financial planning and investment advice, he believes the best value that he provides his clients is helping manage their behavior when it comes to money. He also believes that there is a lot that goes into the decisions we make around our finances and that many of those decisions are based on emotions.
Victoria, Mark and Jay talk more about:
- How behavioral finance differs from traditional financial management
- Using behavior and emotions as a guide for choosing investments
- How behavioral finance applies to investing
- And more… The post Behavioral Finance: The Psychology of Financial Management with Jay Wheeler – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The labor shortage has been a frequent topic on this show, and this episode is going to join the ranks. Guest Andrew Schmidt is here to talk about AMEK’s apprentice and internship program, and the importance of investing in future generations.
Andrew and his twin brother started their business as roofing installers in 1996, and have grown into a leading design-build firm in Minneapolis and St Paul. They have vacillated over the years, from employing and training carpenters to using all subcontractors. Currently, AMEK operates a hybrid model of carpenters and subcontractors when the job dictates it.
Victoria, Mark and Andrew talk more about:
- Hiring the right people
- The training and development process
- Creating an engaged culture
- And more… The post Why It’s Critical to Invest in The Next Generation with Andrew Schmidt – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Welcome to another episode of PowerTips Unscripted. This week, we go into the vault for an informative episode. Victoria and Mark talk to guest Andrew Schroeder about using your remodeling experience to grow your business by profitably flipping houses, minimizing the risks and maximizing the benefits, and the challenges of acting as your own client.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional in the remodeling industry or just starting, this episode is for you! Victoria and Mark dig deep with Andrew to uncover all the tips and tricks for success in the lucrative world of house flipping.
Andrew joined the Schroeder Design/Build team in 1999 and became owner in 2011. In addition to running SDB, Andrew volunteers time with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).
Victoria, Mark, and Andrew talk more about:
- Where to invest your time and money to get your best returns
- How to fill your production pipeline without getting new clients
- Determining your profit margins in real estate
- And more… The post How to Make Huge Profits Without Clients with Andrew Schroeder – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Thomas Croessman joins the show to discuss the need for small business owners to plan for their company’s transition in their estate plan. While your business might be humming along now, how will it perform if you’re not around? Unfortunately, most small businesses only survive the first generation because of estate planning and communication failures. Thomas explains Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Trusts, when those documents become effective. He also gives some practical tips to help the transition go smoothly.
Thomas Croessmann is the Managing Partner of Croessmann & Westberg, P.C., a construction law firm in the DC area. The firm is a full-service law firm for construction contractors.
Thomas, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:
- What is an Estate Plan?
- What is Power of Attorney, and when is it used?
- And more… The post Estate Planning 101 with Thomas Croessman – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E15 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Do you know you can increase the effectiveness of your digital marketing with handwritten notes? Jesse Stein joins the show to take us on a deep dive into the world of digital marketing. He discusses how using handwritten notes can help remodelers grow their business, and provides us help with improving our digital marketing.
Jesse has an impressive background as a serial entrepreneur. He’s founded, grown, and sold multiple ventures throughout his career, including SportsMemorabilia.com, a skincare brand, and DietSpotlight.com. Jesse also holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA from UC Santa Barbra. He is currently the CEO and Founder of Audience.co.
Victoria, Mark, and Jesse talk more about:
- Robotic handwritten notes
- Digital marketing strategies for remodelers
- And more… The post Digital Marketing Hacks to Grow Your Business with Jesse Stein – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E14 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Are you worried about your business being the next victim of a cyberattack? Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Charles Hammett joins the show to give some advice on how to protect your business from cyberattacks. Charles breaks down some of the types of cyberattacks and how remodelers could be affected. He also talks about some of the benefits of having cybersecurity and the protection it brings to your business.
For over 25 years, Charles Hammett has managed IT and cyber security initiatives for several businesses throughout the US. He has worked closely at the federal level, building secure data centers and at the public level protecting businesses of all types.
Victoria, Mark, and Charles talk more about:
- Are small businesses at risk?
- How does this impact the remodeling industry?
- How can you protect your business from cyberattacks?
- And more… The post How Cybercrime WILL Impact Your Remodeling Business with Charles Hammett – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E13 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Iris Harrell discusses the importance of having women in key positions within remodeling companies. They make up half of the US workforce, so there is a sizeable recruitment pool, and they also relate on a deeper level with female customers, who often drive decision-making. Women are multi-taskers, organizers, collaborators, and task-oriented, making them assets to any organization.
Iris founded Harrell Design Build, a large, female-led, employee-owned, full-line remodeling company. Harrell has consistently committed to high-quality design and craftsmanship and conscientious customer care since their inception in 1985. They also employ only people who share these ideals, including their reliable, rigorously selected subcontractors, and they are very proud of their commitment to women and diversity in the workplace.
Iris, Victoria, and Mark discuss:
- Women in key positions in your company are a competitive advantage
- Overcoming internal (and inherent) biases
- And more… The post How To Double The Number Of Top Leaders In Your Remodeling Company: Hire And Train More Women, Featuring Iris Harrell – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The Kaizen practice focuses on improving existing, standardized processes by eliminating waste and was first practiced in Japanese businesses after World War II. Kaizen translates to “Change for Good,” and that can mean many great things for your growing remodeling company. The process of constant improvement, with every team member participating, allows your company to constantly raise the bar on its target metrics.
In this episode, Victoria and Mark learn more about the Kaizen practice of process improvement by welcoming Michael Sauri, CEO of TriVista USA, to the show.
Michael and his wife Deborah started TriVistaUSA in 2005 with the goal of providing an outlet for creativity and a Ritz Carlton-level client experience. “Our Thoughtful Design Builds Fine Living,” is their mission statement and their mantra as they bring phenomenal, award-winning design to the Design/Build community in the Washington DC area.
Victoria, Mark and Michael talk more about:
- The background of Kaizen and how TriVista got involved
- Hiring and developing a team within the Kaizen structure
- The differences between Kaizen and other process improvement practices
- And More… The post Using Kaizen to Improve Your Business with Michael Sauri – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Do you remove your shoes when you visit a customer’s home? How do I control others’ first impressions of me? Is it ever appropriate to begin eating before everyone is served? Find the answers to these questions and more when Daniel Post Senning joins the show.
Daniel is the great-great-grandson of Emily Post and discusses the importance of etiquette and how you can use it while interacting with affluent clients who expect a certain standard of conduct. He explains that etiquette is really a combination of manners (language), plus principles (consideration, respect, and honesty), and how they guide behavior and how that behavior impacts others.
Daniel Post Senning is from the Emily Post Institute, which is a fifth-generation family business that promotes etiquette tips and techniques based on consideration, respect, and honesty. Daniel is also an author and co-host of the Awesome Etiquette podcast.
In this informative and fun podcast, Victoria, Mark, and Daniel talk more about:
- Table etiquette for any setting
- Business advice that can help you control customer impressions
- How good etiquette can be great for business
- And more… The post An Etiquette and Manners Guide for Remodelers with Daniel Post Senning – [PowerTips Unscripted S4 E12] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Have you ever heard of SCRUM?
SCRUM is a workflow management technique that accelerates projects, and while it is mostly used by software development teams, its principles and lessons can be applied to all kinds of industries.
Guest Dean Tompkins is here to explain how SCRUM is useful in his remodeling business, and how it can benefit you as well.
Dean Tompkins is the owner and Vice President of Payne and Payne Renovations and Design, a firm that specializes in renovation and design projects in the Greater Cleveland area. Dean was also named president of The Greater Cleveland Home Builders Association in 2019 and is dedicated to providing a full scope of services to his clients.
Victoria, Mark, and Dean talk more about:
- SCRUM
- How SCRUM can be applied to remodeling
- The benefits of working with SCRUM
- And more… The post How SCRUM Can Strengthen Your Design Process with Dean Tompkins – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode, we take a closer look at the sales process. We are always looking for fresh ideas and concepts that apply specifically to remodelers and those in the building community.
Our guest Jen Neige is adamant that you should be selling to design, NOT designing to sell, and she shares how you can improve your closing ratio, gain more control of the sales cycle and earn a design fee within two hours.
Jan Neiges is a National Kitchen and Bath certified Kitchen Designer and on the nine-member board for NKBA. Jan brings her 20 years of experience as a kitchen and bath designer and her 40 years of sales experience to share the selling process that she has developed.
Victoria, Mark and Jan talk more about:
- Background on how Jan began working on this process.
- Why this process is so important for remodelers to consider.
- What some of the issues are within the industry faces that drives the need for using this process.
- And more… The post Selling to Design, Not Designing to Sell with Jan Neiges – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Are you looking for innovative tax strategies to reduce you or your clients’ tax burden?
Or, simply sick of paying more than you need to in taxes? Then tune into this episode to hear vital information that you won’t want to miss! Guest Shauna Wekherlien, CPA provides proven, legal, effective, and easy strategies that any audience member can implement to keep more of their hard-earned money.
Shauna is the founder and business owner of Tax Goddess, a company ranked in the top 1% of all tax strategists in the USA. The team at Tax Goddess is committed to helping clients reduce their tax burden to the bare legal minimum with proven strategies that are guaranteed to save thousands off of tax bills each year.
Victoria, Mark, and Shauna talk more about:
- The difference between a CPA and a Tax Strategist
- The most commonly missed deductions
- The types of business owners that can benefit from a Strategic Tax Coaching Program
- And more… The post The Top 3 Deductions Your CPA Never Told You About with “The Tax Goddess” – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Sales management can be one of the hardest jobs in a company, especially if you are both a player and coach.
Sales managers are constantly focusing on how to improve their business, their team and themselves, and could use some tips along the way.
Guest David Mattson joins Victoria and Mark in this episode to share the best practices to incorporate into succeeding as a sales manager.
David Mattson is the CEO of Sandler Training and also a former speaker for the Remodelers Advantage Roundtables. David has written 5 best selling books on sales management and is also releasing another called, “Scaling Sales Success -16 Principles for Sales Leaders.”
As a distinguished author and CEO, David brings his knowledge of world-class sales, sales management tactics and actionable strategies into this episode.
Victoria, Mark and David talk more about:
- Onboarding salespeople as a small business
- Tips on coaching
- Advice for new sales managers
- What it means to “Tap Into Their Why”
- And more…
Documents Mentioned During this Episode:
- The Onboarder (PDF)
- The Playbook Creator (PDF)
Explore More Sandler Books
The post The Three Most Important Skills in Sales Management with David Mattson – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Current events have created an environment of incredible stress for homeowners across the globe. Remodelers have an opportunity to tap into their dissatisfaction with their home environments by using an empathy-based marketing approach to make an emotional connection.
On this episode of Best of Powertips Unscripted, Tanya Bamford joins Victoria and Mark to share how using the right messaging, imagery, and delivery channels can allow remodelers to present themselves as conduits for creating retreats from stress at home. These tips can help them fill their pipelines with homeowners who are hungry for a reprieve.
Tanya Bamford is the Managing Director of R/A Marketing–a full-service agency providing creative, yet straightforward marketing solutions for remodeling companies across the United States.
This episode will cover:
- What empathy marketing is.
- Practical ways to incorporate empathy into your marketing messages.
- How this is this different than leveraging “pain points.”
- The challenge of making an emotional connection with a stranger and how empathy marketing bridges that gap.
- How remodeling companies can begin to incorporate empathy into their marketing. The post Making powerful emotional connections using empathy-based marketing with Tanya Bamford – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Lane Cooper joins the show to discuss the large project sales process. Price is a process like design. Setting our clients up for a successful pricing process is critical to large remodeling projects moving forward through design into construction. Lane walks us through his pricing process to manage clients’ price expectations.
Lane Cooper is the President and founder of COOPER Design Build in Portland, OR., and is a valued Roundtables member. COOPER Design Build specializes in large remodeling and addition projects.
Victoria, Mark, and Lane talk more about…
- Scope Creep
- Challenges of selling and pricing major additions and whole house remodels
- Determining if the project is suitable for your company
- And more… The post Exploring a Large Project Sales Process with Lane Cooper – [PowerTips Unscripted S4 E11] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As remodeling companies grow, owners face the challenges of deciding when leaders are needed, how to find them, and train them to be good leaders. In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Wayne Ottum discusses these challenges and provides tools and methodologies for facing these challenges head-on. In addition, he talks about how he helps owners create a business that works for them.
Wayne Ottum is a senior consultant at Remodelers Advantage. Wayne has over 30 years of experience, with 15 of those years specializing in the remodeling industry. He helps create clear and compelling paths for owners to meet their goals.
Wayne, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:
- Checklist of leadership skills
- How to know when to develop or hire leaders
- Managers vs. Leaders
- And more… The post Solving the Challenges of Leadership Development in Remodeling Companies with Wayne Ottum – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E10 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Mark and Victoria are joined by Michael Hodgin to discuss using the financial review to pivot to profitability. A complete understanding and review of your company’s financials is a practice that requires a disciplined effort. However, with this practice in place, an owner will be able to use the information from these reviews to pivot when and where necessary to be more profitable year over year. Using his expertise as a former business owner and a business coach, Michael talks about how he examines a company’s financial statements, including what KPIs to review and whom to review the financials with.
Michael was an owner of a successful remodeling company for over 22 years. He has since left and is the owner of Maestro’s Toolbox, where he works with owners of design-build companies across the country to help them build better companies and, therefore, better lives. In addition, Michael has been part of the roundtables as an owner, a facilitator for roundtables meetings, and part of the Remodelers Advantage Business Coaching team.
Victoria, Mark, and Michael talk more about:
- When is it best to review financials
- What should be getting reviewed
- What is the next step after reviewing
- And more… The post Using the Financial Review to Pivot to Profitability with Michael Hodgin – [PowerTips Unscripted S4 E9] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode, Pete Blank shares customer-service strategies from Disney with Victoria and Mark, and discusses how to apply these lessons to your remodeling company to boost your own team’s customer-service performance.
Pete has been developing leaders and improving service levels of organizations for the past 25 years — 13 of those with the Walt Disney Co. and the past 12 in local government. He loves inspiring others with ways to enhance their organizational culture. You can learn more about Pete Blank at his website: www.peteblank.com, or on his LinkedIn page.
Growing up near Disney World in Orlando, FL., Pete says he knew he always wanted to work there. After a few years as a sportscaster in Alabama, Pete went to Florida and began working for Disney. After 13 years, he and his family moved back to Alabama so he could start working in the local government.
Blank said that the biggest challenges to providing outstanding customer service and experiences are speed and expectations. Technology has changed the speed and convenience with which goods and services can be delivered, so you have to align your client’s expectations with what you can actually deliver.
Mark, Victoria, and Pete talk more about:
- The difference between customer service and customer experience
- How social media amplifies all experiences —good and bad
- Making customer service part of your mission
- How emotional connections create relationships
- How to measure your customer-service success
- The power of follow-up surveys
- And more …
Listen Now
The post The Magic of Disney’s Customer-Service Strategies with Pete Blank – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The demand and absence of skilled labor is a huge challenge for remodelers across North America. We hear it from our Roundtables Members as well as from our associates, sponsors and Podcast guests.
In this episode Victoria and Mark explore different ways to tackle the issue, and welcome Dan Hurst to the show to talk about how his firm effectively creates a culture and career path that provides opportunities for his staff to learn and develop new skills.
Dan is the President / General Manager of Hurst Design Build Remodel in Westlake, OH and is actively involved in NARI as well as a Master Certified Remodeler and Certified Lead Carpenter.
Dan, Victoria and Mark talk more about:
- Things you can do to create a culture and provide a path to grow your own skilled workforce
- Why there is a need to develop your own staff vs. hiring
- Creating opportunities for your employees to learn and develop new skills
- What a typical career path might look like
- Managing and helping your staff achieve their career goals
- The fear of investing time and energy into developing someone, only to have them leave The post Fighting the Labor Shortage with In-house Training with Dan Hurst – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Iris Harrell discusses the importance of having women in key positions within remodeling companies. They make up half of the US workforce, so there is a sizeable recruitment pool, and they also relate on a deeper level with female customers, who often drive decision-making. Women are multi-taskers, organizers, collaborators, and task-oriented, making them assets to any organization.
Iris founded Harrell Design Build, a large, female-led, employee-owned, full-line remodeling company. Harrell has consistently committed to high-quality design and craftsmanship and conscientious customer care since their inception in 1985. They also employ only people who share these ideals, including their reliable, rigorously selected subcontractors, and they are very proud of their commitment to women and diversity in the workplace.
Iris, Victoria, and Mark discuss:
- Women in key positions in your company are a competitive advantage
- Overcoming internal (and inherent) biases
- And more…
Listen…
The post How To Double The Number Of Top Leaders In Your Remodeling Comapny: Hire And Train More Women, Featuring Iris Harrell – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E8 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Lauren Campuzano joins the show to discuss outsourcing 3-Dimensional (3-D) Design. 3-D designs can help remodelers sell their plans, but finding the right talent can take time and effort. Lauren found that 3-D designs were great communication tools within the design department, construction department, and sometimes with clients. Creating 3-D models in-house was difficult for Lauren, so she outsourced them.
Lauren is the Principal Designer at New Market Builders LLC. After working within the Design- Build industry, and many years teaching Interior Design at The Art Institute of Philadelphia, Lauren joined her husband, Michael, at New Market Builders to launch and oversee the Design portion of the company.
Victoria, Mark, and Lauren talk more about:
- Online marketplaces to outsource
- Payment terms for the designing
- How long it takes to make the designs
- And more… The post Outsourcing 3-Dimensional Design with Lauren Campuzano- [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E7 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Jeff Borovitz joins the show to discuss the top 5 remodeling sales secrets every business owner must know. In addition, Jeff talks about how sales professionals should establish a clearly defined future with clients and how that helps eliminates surprises during the sales journey. Jeff Borovitz is the President of Sandler Training,...
The post Top 5 Remodeling Sales Secrets You Must Know with Jeff Borovitz – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E6 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
A successful remodeling business isn’t only dependent on tactics or the larger strategy behind them. A company’s culture plays a crucial role in executing any business strategy. In this episode, Brian Gottlieb discusses the key steps needed for a business to implement their desired strategy with Victoria and Mark. Brian Gottlieb is the founder and...
The post Strategy Isn’t Enough with Brian Gottlieb – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
On this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Jody McLeod joins the show to answer legal questions, including whether companies are set up to withstand a legal challenge. Jody discusses the best way to ensure having a complete personnel file for each employee, including documentation of conversations and key facts, so that you can support yourself and...
The post Will Your Personnel Files Survive a Legal Trial with Jody McLeod – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E5 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Everyone would love to have raving fans — and today’s guest knows the feeling. Tom Burgoyne has had a 30-year career as the person behind the Phillie Phanatic — the most popular mascot in sports. In this episode, Tom talks to Victoria and Mark about what the Phanatic has taught him about the importance of...
The post Pheel the Love — How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies, with Tom Burgoyne – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Sean Castrina joins the program to discuss why everyone should think like an entrepreneur and the importance of developing a strategy for determining what business you want to start. He shares that when he lost his job, he found another one so he could take his time to figure out his next steps. Sean Castrina...
The post Everyone Should Think Like an Entrepreneur with Sean Castrina – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E4 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Today on Powertips Unscripted, Dan Hurst joins the show to discuss the handoff from design to production. Dan talks about how to define the minimum standard of completeness and quality for each function or role involved in preparing the handoff packet. Dan also discusses how to use checklists for each role to ensure that quality...
The post Why The Design-to-Production Handoff is Worth Measuring appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Steve Barkhouse joins PowerTips Unscripted to discuss how to create a culture of mental health support in the remodeling industry. In the post covid era, Mental health has affected many employees and business owners, so Steve and his team created a framework for dealing with the added stress that comes from covid. This support framework...
The post Building a Culture of Support in Construction with Steve Barkhouse – [Powertips Unscprited] S4 E2 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode, Jeff Talmadge discusses how he and his team created a point system for his design staff to spread their workload. Each designer is assigned a predetermined number of points, weighted by criteria such as permitting, scope, and complexity of the job. The team tracks points weekly and has found that designers are...
The post Gauging Your Designers’ Workload Effectively With Jeff Talmadge-[PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E1 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Leads! Lead! Leads! Business is good, leads are coming in. But are you over-qualifying, under-qualifying, or doing it just right? Chip Doyle’s got research that says 30-60 percent of business is lost because the initial phone call is handled incorrectly. So if you’re not doing it just right, you’re leaving money behind. In this episode,...
The post The Delicate Art of Qualifying Remodeling Leads with Chip Doyle- [Best of Powertips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Hiring is on everybody’s mind these days. But, utilizing the proper tools in the hiring process is key to ensuring you’re creating a great team. Guest Mike DiFabion is here to share over 20 years of experience in the remodeling industry and the tips and tricks to creating a smooth, efficient hiring process. Mike started DiFabion...
The post Helpful Tips on Hiring with Mike DiFabion – [Best of Powertips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Many remodelers dream of one day building a high-volume remodeling company. Others aren’t sure it’s worth the effort. In this episode, we talk to Jake Schloegel about what it takes to grow a high-volume remodeling business. Why build it? Who should be involved? What are the expectations? Jake is the Founder of Schloegel Design Remodel, an...
The post Growing a High Volume Remodeling Business with Jake Schloegel- [Best of Powertips Unscrpited] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As a remodeling business owner, building wealth and financial security is something you want to achieve. Unfortunately, it’s something that many put off because the needs of today are more pressing, especially with the current market. In this episode, Victoria and Mark talk to George Kall about tips and advice on planning for your future...
The post Personal Wealth Building for Business Owners with George Kall-[Best of Powertips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Henna Pryor joins us to talk about digital messaging and sales psychology to help business owners improve their online presence. Henna discusses the 5 biggest mistakes people make when they use digital messaging including not sounding like robots and not being self-centered in our writing. Henna Pryor is an in-demand speaker, executive coach, and workplace...
The post Ep.190: Sales Messaging Mistakes We Must Fix Today appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s easy to be successful in a great economy. You can get away with a lot of bad habits, lack of systems, and high overhead when jobs are large and margins high. But when the economy contracts, job sizes shrink, and margins erode, those bad habits can have a huge affect on the health of...
The post Recession-Proofing Your Company with Dave Edwards- [Best of Powertips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If you’ve ever visited any Disney theme park across the globe, you may think nobody does customer service and experience like Disney. Although the execution is complex, the baseline concepts are quite simple. In this episode, Pete Blank shares customer-service strategies from Disney with Victoria and Mark, and shows you how to apply these lessons...
The post The Magic of Disney’s Customer-Service Strategies with Pete Blank – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Laura DiBenedettoBest Selling Author “The Six Habits are behaviors that we act out every day, minute to minute. These are the habits that define our relationship with ourselves, and our relationship with the world around us.” Remodelers Advantage is dedicated to helping remodeling business owners become more successful, while creating an environment that allows them...
The post Best of Powertips: Ep. 117: The Six Habits That Can Change Your Life with Laura DiBenedetto appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
There are many legal challenges that can appear suddenly for remodelers, builders and business owners. It is imperative to build your business on a foundation that can weather the storm so that, as our guest today puts it, it doesn’t matter. In this episode, we talk more about the process of “shatterproofing” your business with...
The post Best of Powertips: Ep.132: How to Shatterproof Your Business with America’s Legal Coach appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The “Shiny Object Syndrome” can be easy to fall victim to in remodeling. With so many goals of success, there are a lot of “shiny objects” that can distract remodelers from reaching their full potential. How do you avoid them? Guest David Wood joins the show to share the five steps to success and doubling...
The post Best of Powertips: Double Revenue by Focusing on Less with David Wood appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Wayne Ottum joins us to talk about the 9 components of extraordinary leadership and outlines some basic steps to help businesses owners become more effective leaders. Wayne discusses the importance of creating a company vision, building the right culture, and the difference between leadership and management. Wayne is a senior consultant at Remodelers Advantage and...
The post Ep. 189: The 9 Components of Extraordinary Leadership with Wayne Ottum appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Did you know that 81% of business owners want to stop working in their business in the next 10 years? Yet, most business owners are paralyzed and doing nothing about their exit, because the process seems overwhelming to the point that they don’t know where to begin. So, how does one focus on their business...
The post Best of PowerTips: Ep. 158: Creating your Business Exit Roadmap with Ashley Micciche appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Mark and Victoria, with the help of the very funny Jack Handey, discuss a few of the deep thoughts they have recently had, and how the insights they gleaned from them correlate to running a successful business. Mark talks about how cognitive bias can lock you into dangerous patterns, thereby making it hard to simplify...
The post Ep.188: Deep Thoughts with Victoria Downing, Mark Harari, and Jack Handey appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Guest David Grestel joins the show to talk about his new book Building Freedom: A Construction Pro’s Path to Financial Independence. David also discusses topics including being lean and frugal, and having an employee centered company. David Grestel has over 50 years of experience in the construction industry, and is the author of many books...
The post Ep.187: Building Freedom as a Construction Professional appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Guest Dee Ann Turner discusses her experiences at Chick-fil-A human resources to owning her own company and becoming a bestselling author. Dee Ann gives an excellent outline for any business to interview and find extraordinary talent. She also talks about the current day workforce and how to be disciplined in the hiring process. Dee Ann...
The post Ep.186: How To Bet On Talent With Dee Ann Turner appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Special guest Ben Juncker discusses the lessons he learned and actions he took to go from a roofing employee to the owner of a multimillion dollar business and a best-selling author. After being in business for a while and buying out his partner, he realized that profits are more important than revenue and that he...
The post Ep.185: Getting To An 8-Figure Remodeling Business With Ben Juncker appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Guest Jimmy McKinney is here to teach listeners about using technology in unique ways to create a first-class customer experience from CRMs, CoConstruct, Youtube, google suite, and more. He also talks about how technology has evolved over the years, how it can be utilized in business today and its benefits to clients. Jimmy is the...
The post Ep.184: Using Tech to Create a First Class Customer Experience with Jimmy McKinney appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
To help you get ahead, Lowes listens to the pros and their customers to learn what’s next for the industry and how it impacts your business. Enter: Lowes State of the Pro, an industry leading report full of insights that will help pros grow their business thanks to real homeowners and pro intel. Guest Gerardo...
The post Ep.183: Reviewing the Lowe’s State of the Pro Report with Gerardo Soto appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Estimating is a big deal for remodelers. But, for most, this is just another hat on someone’s head. So, when is it time to give this critical role a dedicated position? Guest Clark Harris recently hired an estimator and he’s here to share the what, why and how to hire an estimator. Clark Harris is...
The post Ep.182: Knowing How, When, and Why to Hire an Estimator with Clark Harris appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Company building in the fast paced venture backed technology world has quickly evolved over the past two decades. In countless conversations with remodelers over the past four years since starting RenoFi, guest Justin Goldman has identified a few of the best practices from the startup world that can benefit remodelers. Justin Goldman is RenoFi’s CEO...
The post Ep.181: 3 Key Lessons Remodelers Can Learn From a Serial Tech Founder with Justin Goldman appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Do you feel comfortable when presenting proposals/estimates to clients? Why should clients like the sound of your voice if you don’t? You might know what to say, but do you feel ok saying it? These are all questions that body language and voice coaching expert John Baron is here to answer. John brings actor skills...
The post Ep.180: Can “Voice Training” Skyrocket Your Success? with John Baron appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Overseas conflicts are impacting gas prices while we’re already facing high inflation rates. The cost to run your business has increased at a time when you’re already short-staffed. It’s a challenging environment to be a home services business owner, but demand is high and opportunity is great. Guest Mischa Fisher joins us to talk about...
The post Episode 179: Managing Inflation’s Impact on Your Business with Mischa Fisher appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Join us in looking back on Episode 22 with guest Andrew Schroeder! In this episode, Victoria and Mark talk to guest Andrew Schroeder about how to use your remodeling experience to grow your business by profitably flipping houses, minimizing the risks and maximizing the benefits, and the challenges of acting as your own client. As...
The post Ep.178: How to Make Huge Profits Without Clients with Andrew Schroeder appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Adapted from his popular motivational book, “Getting To ‘Us’,” guest Joe Curcillo expertly guides business leaders through the processes of mission analysis, productivity evaluation and goal prioritization to determine their company’s ultimate path to success. In this episode, he shares the foundational epicenter for unity throughout a company and establishes the blueprint for future goals...
The post Ep.177: The Journey To Your Unifying Vision with Joe Curcillo appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Jeff Borovitz has trained hundreds of remodeling sales people, designers and owners to help them increase sales and margins. So, we have asked him to join us here to share his top ten sales tips with our listeners. Jeff is a franchise owner of Sandler Training and the Remodelers Advantage Sandler Sales Trainer. He has...
The post Ep.176: Top 10 Sales Tips for Remodelers with Jeff Borovitz appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted, we are featuring one of our more popular episodes. If you have topic ideas for an episode or a guest we should be interviewing, send an email to victoria@remodelersadvantage.com. Enjoy! The Kaizen practice focuses on improving existing, standardized processes by eliminating waste and was first practiced in Japanese businesses...
The post Ep.175: Using Kaizen to Improve Your Business with Michael Sauri [Unscripted Back-Up] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As an FBI Special Agent and Chief of the FBI Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program, guest Robin Dreeke built relationships and confidential human sources across 22 nationalities during his career. These days, he works with companies of all sizes, helping newly promoted leaders, executives, and teams succeed and grow. In this episode, he shares expert insight...
The post Ep.174: How to Build Authentic Trust with Robin Dreeke appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted, we are featuring one of our more popular episodes. If you have topic ideas for an episode or a guest we should be interviewing, send an email to victoria@remodelersadvantage.com. Enjoy! Guest Andy Haste is among one of Remodelers Advantages most successful members, and he attributes that success to...
The post Ep.173: [Unscripted Back-Up] How to Achieve Consistency in Revenue and Profit with Andy Haste appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As a society, we are now spending close to four hours per day on our smartphones, a 59% increase compared to just two years ago. The total amount of time that each person spends in front of all media per day is 12 hours and 21 minutes, which is up 11% over two years, and...
The post Ep.172: How Technology is Impacting Your Mental Health, Relationships & Productivity at Work with Rob Krecak appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
More and more remodeling and home building contractors realize the value their design services bring to their clients, and it is becoming a profit center for many companies. Guest Dan Baumann is here to share the many reasons why you should be charging a fair price for your design services. Dan is the founder of...
The post Ep.171: Design Services as a Profit Center For Your Business with Dan Baumann appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Hiring is on everybody’s mind these days. But, utilizing the proper tools in the hiring process is key to ensuring you’re creating a great team. Guest Mike DiFabion is here to share over 20 years of experience in the remodeling industry and the tips and tricks to creating a smooth, efficient hiring process. Mike started...
The post Ep.170: Helpful Tips on Hiring with Mike DiFabion appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The U.S. home and remodeling market continues to be influenced by a variety of housing and lifestyle changes, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. As this year comes to a close and we begin to prepare for 2022, we can learn and grow from these patterns. Guest Abbe Will is here to share some pandemic-induced...
The post Ep.169: Opportunities and Challenges for Residential Remodeling in 2022 with Abbe Will appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Many people believe that innovation comes from a sudden “aha!” moment, but, that is rarely the case. So, guest Ben Bensaou is here to share how to continuously embed innovation into your company using a systematic approach. Ben Bensaou is a professor and former Dean of Executive Education at INSEAD. As an innovation consultant, he...
The post Ep.168: How to Embed Innovation into Your Remodeling Company with Ben Bensaou appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In a field filled with uncertainty, remodeling teams may find themselves asking an abundance of questions on a regular basis. And, in many cases, there are questions that haven’t even come to mind yet! So, guest Michael Anschel is here to provide insight into topics that you may not have known you needed. Michael is...
The post Ep.167: Answers to Questions You Didn’t Know You Had with Michael Anschel appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The labor shortage has been a frequent topic on this show, and this episode is going to join the ranks. Guest Andrew Schmidt is here to talk about AMEK’s apprentice and internship program, and the importance of investing in future generations. Andrew and his twin brother started their business as roofing installers in 1996, and...
The post Ep.166: Why It’s Critical to Invest in The Next Generation with Andrew Schmidt appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Are you looking for innovative tax strategies to reduce you or your clients’ tax burden? Or, simply sick of paying more than you need to in taxes? Then tune into this episode to hear vital information that you won’t want to miss! Guest Shauna Wekherlien, CPA provides proven, legal, effective, and easy strategies that any...
The post Ep.165: The Top 3 Deductions Your CPA Never Told You About with “The Tax Goddess” appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The most common marketing mistake host Mark Harari sees is a focus on tactic without regard for strategy. It is important to avoid adopting new fad marketing tactics, and start with a strategic foundation. Guest Spencer Powell agrees, and he is here to share how to focus on what matters most to your business so...
The post Ep.164: Focusing on What Matters Most with Spencer Powell appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As we begin to reflect on 2021, we are taking a look back at some of our more popular episodes. Check out this episode and listen to the importance of executing a strong business strategy as you begin to make plans for 2022! A successful remodeling business isn’t only dependent on tactics or the larger...
The post Ep.163: [Unscripted Back-Up] Strategy Isn’t Enough with Brian Gottlieb appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
There is one challenge most remodelers have been facing since long before the pandemic, and that is the labor shortage. So, what are you doing to find and attract the best talent? Marketing isn’t only used as a tactic for finding sales leads, but also attracting the best talent, and guest Danielle Russell is here...
The post Ep.162: Digital Marketing Tactics for Hiring with Danielle Russell appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Accurately estimating a project is critical to profit, and one of the most challenging components of that estimate is labor. Can you estimate labor simply and accurately? Are you spending too much time estimating labor for each job? Guest Chad Vincent thinks so. Tune into this episode to hear all about his new method towards...
The post Ep.161: A Secret Shortcut to Estimating Labor with Chad Vincent appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Our lives have been turned upside down due to the pandemic, especially in the construction industry. Dealing with supply chain issues, a critical shortage of labor (especially craftsmen), and lingering concerns about COVID-19, many are stuck wondering how to get through it all. However, all of this has also helped provide perspective about moving forward. ...
The post Ep.160: Surviving Post-Pandemic: How Do You Find Balance in Your World? with Bob Logan appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Sometimes it may feel that kindness is in short supply. That’s why it’s so important to take the initiative to remain vigilant and recognize kindness whenever you can. Guest Chris Stebnitz shares something he does weekly, that results in a huge impact on those around him. Chris is a third-generation remodeling company owner in Elkhorn,...
The post Ep.159: One Small Thing That Makes a Big Impact on Others with Chris Stebnitz appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Did you know that 81% of business owners want to stop working in their business in the next 10 years? Yet, most business owners are paralyzed and doing nothing about their exit, because the process seems overwhelming to the point that they don’t know where to begin. So, how does one focus on their business...
The post Ep.158: Creating Your Business Exit Roadmap with Ashley Micciche appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Guest Andy Haste is among one of Remodelers Advantages most successful members, and he attributes that success to consistency and profitability. But, how does one achieve consistent profits in such an unpredictable, and inconsistent industry such as remodeling? This episode shares tips, tactics, and techniques to effectively set the goals and budgets to reach, and...
The post Ep.157: How to Achieve Consistency in Revenue and Profit with Andy Haste appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
While Cost Plus Remodeling isn’t for everyone, it can be an enjoyable and profitable way of doing business. If it is done well, it can be very rewarding and reduce the uncertainty of a market. Guest David Crane joins this episode to share why cost plus remodeling has proven to be successful for his business...
The post Ep.156: Making Money in Cost Plus Remodeling with David Crane appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Remodelers everywhere are plagued by problems getting the products they need to do their work. That anguish is shared by the building materials dealers, and so many others in the industry. Why have we run short of so many products? What problems need to be solved for us to get out of this dilemma, and...
The post Ep.155: When Will the Product Shortages End? with Craig Webb appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
So, you’ve been thinking of starting a podcast for your business. While it is one of the best reasons to gain notoriety and establish value for your community of clients, starting a podcast doesn’t mean it will bring success all on its own. Guest John Corcoran is here to share his tips and tricks for...
The post Ep.154: How to Make Podcasts Your Most Valuable Marketing Tactic with John Corcoran appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Have you ever heard of SCRUM? SCRUM is a workflow management technique that accelerates projects, and while it is mostly used by software development teams, its principles and lessons can be applied to all kinds of industries. Guest Dean Tompkins is here to explain how SCRUM is useful in his remodeling business, and how it...
The post Ep.153: How SCRUM Can Strengthen Your Design Process with Dean Tompkins appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
A remodeler who fears negotiation, is like a roofer who is afraid of heights. Negotiation skills are necessary for success in the field of remodeling. However, a lot of remodelers are unaware of how to even approach the subject. Guest Jeff Borovitz joins Victoria and Mark in this episode to talk about how to be...
The post Ep.152: The Seven Deadly Sins of Negotiating with Jeff Borovitz appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Successful communication with new or potential customers can make or break a company’s image. Alongside communication, ensuring that any preconceived notions or assumptions are put aside when working with a new customer can be crucial in securing their business. Victoria and Mark both share experiences with remodeling and trade companies that left them bringing their...
The post Ep.151: What Were They Thinking? with Victoria Downing and Mark Harari appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s not about the money, rather the feelings the money can bring. In this episode, Jay Wheeler dives into the psychology of financial management and investing in order to provide listeners with the potential reasons behind the way they may manage money. Whether it’s business or personal finances, Jay describes how to better manage your...
The post Ep.150: Behavioral Finance: The Psychology of Financial Management with Jay Wheeler appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Employees thrive on feedback. Then why is it that so few leaders proactively provide it? The answers, along with simple steps on how to provide timely, respectful, actionable feedback to your employees, are provided in this episode by guest, Tina Clements. Tina, Vice President of The Retail Performance Company, is a leader, speaker, author, coach,...
The post Ep.149: How to Give Performance Feedback and Why it’s Critical for Success with Tina Clements appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
You shouldn’t have to slog through a dry, term-laden textbook to successfully market your business. So in this episode, Co-Host turned guest, Mark Harari takes a deeper dive into his new book, “Lobster on a Cheese Plate,” a practical handbook that shows how to effectively market your business. Or, as the book’s subtitle states, “how...
The post Ep.148: How to Compete Against BIG Competitors and Win with Mark Harari appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
What are renovation loans? And how can they help the burden of new home ownership? Guest David Perrotti talks about using renovation loans to get deferred maintenance or dated kitchens and bathrooms remodeled prior to moving into a new home, to make for a smooth transition. David is the President and Founder of Fine Home...
The post Ep.147: All About Government Renovation Loans with David Perrotti appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Reviewing employees in the remodeling world is, at best, a struggle. It is often an employee’s opportunity to ask for a raise and an employer’s opportunity for frustration. Tim Faller joins Mark and Victoria to talk about the necessary fundamental shift in the employee review process. Tim makes the transition from podcast host to guest...
The post Ep.146: Employee Reviews: It’s Time for a Change with Tim Faller appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s easy to fall victim to the “Shiny Object Syndrome” in remodeling. With so many goals of success, there are a lot of “shiny objects” that can distract remodelers from reaching their full potential. How do you avoid them? Guest David Wood of Focus.CEO joins Victoria and Mark in this episode to share the five...
The post Ep.145: Double Revenue by Focusing on Less with David Wood appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Sales management can be one of the hardest jobs in a company, especially if you are both a player and coach. Sales managers are constantly focusing on how to improve their business, their team and themselves, and could use some tips along the way. Guest David Mattson joins Victoria and Mark in this episode to...
The post Ep.144: The Three Most Important Skills in Sales Management with David Mattson appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
How can designers and production staff improve their success in the remodeling industry? Guest Jeff Borovitz joins Victoria and Mark to talk about the deadly sins that get in the way of reaching your full potential. Jeff has worked and trained with many members of the Remodelers Advantage Roundtables community and brings that experience in...
The post Ep.143: The Deadly Sins that Designers & Production Teams Commit with Jeff Borovitz appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode, guest Alan Hanbury of Hanbury Builders Inc. discusses three common areas where remodeling contractors are underperforming because they believe their gut rather than facts. Alan also talks about referral marketing, the effects of job costing done half-heartedly, and hiring when taking net profitability into account. Alan is president of House of Hanbury...
The post Ep.142: Common Remodeler Mistakes that are Hitting Your Bottom Line with Alan Hanbury appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
For many remodelers, digital marketing is the “voodoo” magic. With so many options, where do you begin? Well, Spencer Powell has the answer. In this episode, Spencer dives into his new book, The Remodeler Marketing Blueprint. He talks about everything that you need to know about being found online, successfully. Spencer is the CEO of...
The post Ep.141: The Remodeler Marketing Blueprint with Spencer Powell appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Learning the best way to work with purchasing managers can help create great outcomes for both sides of the remodeling business. With over a decade of experience in operations and purchasing for a national homebuilder, Bradley Hartmann has researched and found the importance of having purchasing sales teams devote their time exclusively focused on the...
The post Ep.140: What Dealers Say Behind Your Back with Bradley Hartmann appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
For many, determining the compensation for an employee is nothing more than doing a quick google search, or in our members case, maybe asking their peers what they pay a particular position. But Tom Miller doesn’t really agree with that methodology. Instead, his company helps businesses apply the best compensation strategies that help recruit great...
The post Ep.139: Creating Great Compensation Programs that Help Grow Your Company with Tom Miller appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Effective communication is measured by outcomes. Communication without an outcome is like traveling without a destination. The communication techniques used in selling are frequently more disastrous than helpful. In this episode, Dave Yoho will expound upon several powerful communication techniques that have a psychological background, and have been proven to lead individuals to the outcome(s)...
The post Ep.138: Focusing Your Communication Style on Customer Satisfaction with Dave Yoho appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In this episode, we take a closer look at the sales process. We are always looking for fresh ideas and concepts that apply specifically to remodelers and those in the building community. Our guest Jen Neige is adamant that you should be selling to design, NOT designing to sell, and she shares how you can...
The post Ep.137: Selling to Design, Not Designing to Sell with Jan Neiges appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Small business owners spend a lifetime building a company and have one shot at getting their exit right. Yet waiting to pounce on this unsuspecting group is a legion of financial mercenaries, private equity predators and corporate giants set up to prey on owner’s lack of experience when it comes to mergers and acquisitions. These...
The post Ep.136: How to Build, Accelerate and Harvest the Value of a Company with John Warrillow appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Networking has been called the number one rule of business success. That’s fine for those outgoing high-personality types like Victoria, but what is the less-than-sociable remodeler supposed to do? Our guest for this episode, Matthew Pollard, has written a new book in The Introverts Edge series that addresses just that. He shares some of the...
The post Ep.135: The Introverts Guide to Networking with Matthew Pollard appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Have you given any thought to your exit strategy? How are you going to leave your business when you’re ready to retire and enjoy your remaining years? It is never too early to start, and you should really be planning for that day, no matter how many years you have left. There are many options...
The post Ep.134: Preparing a Successful Exit Strategy with Dave Leff appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Dave Pollard, Co-Founder & Design Director of Liv Companies outside of Chicago, joins the show to talk more about how his firm utilizes 3D renderings in almost every aspect of their business. Leading LivCo’s design team, Dave’s process quickly takes hand sketches to full-blown renderings and walk-throughs, and they are even leveraging the power of...
The post Ep.133: Harnessing the Power of 3D Visualization with Dave Pollard appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
There are many legal challenges that can appear suddenly for remodelers, builders and business owners. Frivolous lawsuits, “Jekyll & Hyde” clients, predatory creditors, employment claims… you name it, it’s out there. It is imperative to build your business on a foundation that can weather the storm so that, as our guest today puts it, it...
The post Ep.132: How to Shatterproof Your Business with America’s Legal Coach appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Increasing efficiency is one of the easiest ways to increase your company’s profitability, and LEAN process improvement is an extremely popular direction to take for successful remodelers and builders out there. We have discussed LEAN concepts in past episodes, including Episode 10 when we had Doug Howard on to talk about the LEAN consulting work...
The post Ep.131: All About LEAN and Value Stream Mapping with Dean Tompkins appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
What will accounting and administration departments look like in five years? With advancements in technology and the shift towards an outsourced “gig economy,” the change is coming and the decisions you make now are critical to preparing for that change. To look further into how the world of accounting and office administration is changing we...
The post Ep.130: The Rise of the Controller with Jackie Shaw appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The latest statistics on fraud should be a wake-up call for every small business owner. According to a survey by HISCOX, a specialty insurance company, 80 percent of embezzlements occurred at small businesses and 30 percent involved a loss of more than $500,000. With more work is being done remotely, including paying vendors and processing...
The post Ep.129: Are Your Employees Stealing From You? With Vicki Suiter appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As a remodeling business owner, you have likely heard of demographics and you have probably looked at it solely in the context of marketing and lead generation. But, the power of demographics lies much deeper than that, and in this episode, Ken Gronbach will share the subtle yet profound effect of shifting demography in the...
The post Ep.128: Demography is Destiny with Kenneth Gronbach appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Working remotely, working on-site with clients and adhering to CDC restrictions, an upcoming election, social unrest and an economy that is slowly starting to recover. Everyone is adjusting to the new world of work, and it sounds as though making those adjustments will continue into 2021. How can you help your team connect and engage...
The post Ep.127: Engaging Employees in the New Normal with Rick Bowers appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As remodeling business owners, many of us do long-term planning, but is there a detailed strategic plan for the coming year? In this episode, we talk about the benefits of an off-site planning retreat to chart your course for the coming year with Robert & Evelyn Lenton, co-owners of Lenton Company, Inc. in Palmdale, CA....
The post Ep.126: Off-site Planning for the Coming Year with Robert & Evelyn Lenton appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The concept behind developing a customer persona is pretty simple – get to know your audience better so that you can build a more meaningful relationship with them, both as a client and a prospect. The output of that analysis is inevitable company growth and client retention. So how do firms, of all sizes, build...
The post Ep.125: Building Meaningful Customer Personas with Aimee Pagano appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Conferences, blog posts, podcasts, webinars, roundtables peer groups, consulting, coaching… information is everywhere. But, just because you’re opening yourself up to these opportunities to learn, it doesn’t mean anything will ever change. The hard part is what comes after you get the information. John Lessick joins Victoria and Mark to discuss how to take what...
The post Ep.124: Applying What You Have Learned with John Lessick appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Human Resources Compliance is a massive undertaking and as small business owners, most of us can’t afford to hire a full-time HR person. So what do we do? We either add it to the ever-growing list of “hats” we wear as an owner, or give it a staff member who is not trained or up...
The post Ep.123: Ever-changing Compliance and How it Impacts Your Small Business with Stuart Jackson appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Many remodelers dream of one day building a high volume remodeling company. Others aren’t sure it’s worth the effort. In this episode, we talk to Jake Schloegel about what it takes to grow a high volume remodeling business. Why build it? Who should be involved? What are the expectations? Jake is the Founder of Schloegel...
The post Ep.122: Growing a High Volume Remodeling Business with Jake Schloegel appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Seemingly everywhere you turn these days, you hear the phrase “survive and thrive” as it relates to your business. But it takes more than a catch-phrase and a couple of tips to make it a reality. In this episode, we talk to Wayne Ottum about how to get focused, get real, and get moving to...
The post Ep.121: Creating Your Own Economic Recovery with Wayne Ottum appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As a remodeling business owner, building wealth and financial security is something everyone wants to achieve. Unfortunately, it’s something that many of us put off because the needs of today are more pressing, especially with the current market. In this episode, Victoria and Mark talk to George Kall about tips and advice on planning for...
The post Ep.120: Personal Wealth Building for Business Owners with George Kall appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
“The high cost of replacing employees means it’s important to find ways to retain the best performers, and studies show that transparency from the top can be a solution, boosting employee engagement and motivation. One way to achieve that transparency is to show employees the company’s numbers and teach them the business. Why not get...
The post Ep.119: Creating Rapid Financial Results and Lasting Cultural Change with Steve Baker appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Because of the success of our podcasts (PowerTips Unscripted and The Tim Faller Show) we are often asked by our Roundtables members and contacts in the industry about the power of podcasting. Clearly we are advocates of this medium and today we talk more about how you as a business owner can build your brand...
The post Ep.118: How to Use Podcasting to Further Your Brand and Fuel Your Pipeline with Phil Pelucha appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
“The Six Habits are behaviors that we act out every day, minute to minute. These are the habits that define our relationship with ourselves, and our relationship with the world around us.” Laura DiBenedetto Best Selling Author As you have likely heard us say, Remodelers Advantage is dedicated to helping remodeling business owners become more...
The post Ep.117: The Six Habits That Can Change Your Life with Laura DiBenedetto appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If you have more than one salesperson, then odds are you have a round-robin policy of lead assignment. But that could be doing your sales team and your marketing department a disservice. Susan Raisanen joins the show today to share how tracking and assigning leads, based on sales strengths, can make a difference in performance...
The post Ep.116: Getting the Biggest Bang Out of Your Marketing with Susan Raisanen appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As a business owner, you have undoubtedly read plenty of books and maybe even taken a course or two on sales and how to sell to homeowners. However, most have avoided or over-looked strengthening their public speaking skills. In this episode, Victoria and Mark explore the correlation between more persuasive public speaking skills contributing to...
The post Ep.115: Using Public Speaking Skills to Master Any Sales Pitch with Brenden Kumarasamy appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Goals are critical to success in business—they focus attention and give your team a clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve. But oftentimes, the goal is all we see. And looking at nothing but the end goal can overwhelm and lead to failure. Fortunately, the 1988 film Bull Durham holds the secret to achieving...
The post Ep.114: What Bull Durham Teaches Us About Achieving Goals appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The demand and absence of skilled labor is a huge challenge for remodelers across North America. We hear it from our Roundtables Members as well as from our associates, sponsors and Podcast guests. In this episode Victoria and Mark explore different ways to tackle the issue, and welcome Dan Hurst to the show to talk...
The post Ep.113: Fighting the Labor Shortage with In-house Training with Dan Hurst appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We are all so busy running our businesses that we often don’t realize that there are other potential revenue-generating investments that align with our present and future business needs. Chris Landis thinks you should consider helping businesses that lease their office space as an added revenue stream. In this episode, Victoria, Mark and Chris talk...
The post Ep.112: Discovering New Revenue Streams With Chris Landis appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We have covered the dangers of stress and anxiety for you and your business a few times; most recently on Episode 108, where we touch on ways to battle and reduce it, including mindful meditation. To explore this topic further, Victoria and Mark welcome Peter Feinmann, President of Feinmann, Inc, a design build company in...
The post Ep.111: Using Mindful Meditation to Deal with Clients and Employees with Peter Feinmann appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Current events have created an environment of incredible stress for homeowners across the globe. Remodelers have an opportunity to tap into their dissatisfaction with their home environments by using an empathy-based marketing approach to make an emotional connection. Tanya Bamford joins Victoria and Mark to share how using the right messaging, imagery, and delivery channels...
The post Ep.110: Making powerful emotional connections using empathy-based marketing with Tanya Bamford appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Email is the default communication tool in business, there’s no denying that. But there is good reason to expand beyond email for your internal team communication. Victoria and Mark welcome Jason Langkammerer to the show, as they discuss how taking that step can enhance your teamwork, reduce the “noise” of email, and strengthen your company...
The post Ep.109: How Getting Off Email Can Dramatically Improve Your Internal Communication appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
How stressed are you? Pandemics, demonstrations, economy, health… It’s not uncommon to feel stressed during these uncertain times. According to a study by the University of Cincinnati, many people feel anxiety around the Covid-19 virus, but even more are concerned about the financial impact that the pandemic has had or may have on them and...
The post Ep.108: How to Cope with Stress appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We’ve all had a gut instinct at one time or another. But do you trust your gut? Do you often rely on your intuition when making decisions? How do you know when you should follow your gut, even if the data suggests another approach? In this episode, Victoria and Mark discuss what intuition is and...
The post Ep.107: How to Know When to Trust Your Gut appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Are you resistant to change? Do you believe that because something has always worked for you, it’s “obviously” the best way to do it? Have you ever said, “we’ve always done it this way,” as an argument against change? If so, then you are playing a dangerous game of chicken with your company, because these...
The post Ep.106: Six Words That Will Destroy Your Business (and what to do about it) appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The world is rapidly changing, and many of the old rules no longer apply. It is imperative that we change how we sell our services to stay ahead of the change curve. Today’s guest, Jeff Borovitz with Sandler Training, has been on thousands of face-to-face sales calls and has dialed the phone over 100,000 times...
The post Ep.105: Break all the Rules and Close More Deals with Jeff Borovitz of Sandler Training appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Editor’s note: We’re all working from our homes, away from the friendly confines of the office and its podcasting studio. So we dug into the virtual vault to bring you this episode. We’re in an uncertain time for many remodelers, so here’s some advice that will help you weather any business climate. One of our...
The post Ep.104: [Unscripted Back-Up] How to Hit Healthy Net Profits in any Economic Climate with Mike Medford Sr. appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We talk about the J Curve a lot around here — picture a lower-case J. When you apply change principles to your business — new people, systems, and processes — they can initially send your business on a downward trajectory before soaring with your success. If you want to grow your company, listen carefully! Our...
The post Ep.103: Positive Growth in Difficult Situations with Kathy O’Brien appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
One of the strongest ways to differentiate your business in your market is to have a niche. Wright Marshall’s company, Revival Construction, has always focused on one highly specific niche and is constantly refining its team and systems to be the leader in that segment. In this episode, Wright will share his approach with Victoria...
The post Ep.102: Developing a Sustainable Niche to Support Your Passion with Wright Marshall appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Leads! Lead! Leads! Business is good, leads are coming in. But are you over-qualifying, under-qualifying, or doing it just right? Chip Doyle’s got research that says 30-60 percent of business is lost because the initial phone call is handled incorrectly. So if you’re not doing it just right, you’re leaving money behind. In this episode,...
The post Ep.101: The Delicate Art of Qualifying Remodeling Leads with Chip Doyle appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s our 100th episode, and to mark the occasion, we’re welcoming back our first guest ever to talk about how to leave your business behind happily. On average, 75 percent of founders who exit their company have regrets within one year of leaving, and only five percent are actually happy with the net proceeds of...
The post Ep.100: The Drivers that Make for a Successful Exit with John Warrillow appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Being able to adapt and lead through a crisis — personal or business — is a critical skill for any business owner. After their best year ever in 2018, Jef and Monica Forward were gearing up for an even stronger 2019. Everything was on course until two key players were diagnosed with cancer. One of...
The post Ep.99: Adapting and Leading Through a Health Crisis with Jef and Monica Forward appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Jobs are won or lost during the design process. With so much on the line, it’s clear that your design department should be running at peak performance. But there are so many ways the process can get derailed. It all depends on how you structure your design department, and what metrics you use to hold...
The post Ep.98: How to Structure and Run a Profitable Design Department with Chris Landis appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If you’ve ever visited any Disney theme park across the globe, you may think nobody does customer service and experience like Disney. Although the execution is complex, the baseline concepts are quite simple. In this episode, Pete Blank shares customer-service strategies from Disney with Victoria and Mark, and shows you how to apply these lessons...
The post Ep.97: The Magic of Disney’s Customer-Service Strategies with Pete Blank appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Most people would consider a company jumping from $1.5 million to $3 million in revenue a growing organization. However, when we look beyond gross sales, those numbers don’t necessarily mean it grew. It could even mean the company is less profitable — and ultimately less successful — than it was before. Michael Hodgin says planning...
The post Ep.96: Tiered Growth: Understanding Metrics and Recognizing Signs to Set Profitable Sales Goals with Michael Hodgin appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Honesty is truly the best policy when it comes to your website and social media presence. In a sharing economy, your prospects want to know everything about your company before they even pick up the phone. We’re breaking down why transparency online is important, and how it can lead to more jobs. In this episode,...
The post Ep.95: Being Honest Online with Taylor Rennick appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Many of your customers will pay more for items that improve the health, comfort, and efficiency of their homes. As one of the few things that pay for themselves over time, green upgrades can also boost your average project revenue and make you stand out in your market. In this episode, Doug Selby talks to...
The post Ep.94: Improving Your Bottom Line with Green Upgrades with Doug Selby appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As 2019 draws to a close, we’re taking a look back at some of our more popular episodes, and this episode explains how LEAN principles really work in a remodeling company. Perfect for any company looking to improve their business in 2020. In this episode, Paul Kowalski shares his experiences in applying LEAN in his...
The post Ep.93: [Unscripted Back-Up] How LEAN Principles Have Improved My Business with Paul Kowalski appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
No matter how well your remodeling company is doing, how well organized you are, life can get hectic at times. You work through it all, but this can leave you vulnerable to burnout. Which can lead to an avalanche of problems. In this episode, Marian Faller discusses burnout with Victoria and Mark, sharing its causes,...
The post Ep.92: The Dangers of Burnout and How To Promote Individual Resiliency with Marian Faller appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As we wrap up 2019, we’re looking back at some of our more popular episodes and this one was a huge hit. For our 50th episode in January, we gathered a panel of industry experts and took questions from the audience at the Extreme Business Makeover event. It capped off an intense two days of...
The post EP.91: [Unscripted Back-up] Expert Panel at Extreme Business Makeover Shares Insight appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
You may have thought that the design-build business model is a recent phenomenon. But years ago, all builders practiced design-build, but something happened along the way to create separate industries. In this episode, David Supple takes Victoria and Mark on a deep dive into the history of the design-build model, the truths about it, and...
The post Ep.90: Inside the Design-Build Movement with David Supple appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We’re under an almost-constant barrage of information from every angle. As leaders in our business, it’s imperative that our messages are clearly understood. But it’s equally important, if not more so, that we get messages clearly. Looking ahead to 2020, Jeremy Steinruck is focusing on clarity in communication and cutting through the white noise. In...
The post Ep.89: Focusing on Clarity in Communication with Jeremy Steinruck appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As a seasoned business professional, you’ve probably been on both sides of the equation when it comes to giving and getting help. Get advice, give consultation. Gain a mentor, bestow some wisdom. While in these essential moments, we want to help and be helped, that doesn’t always happen. It helps to know there are differences...
The post Ep.88: All Help Is the Same, Isn’t it? with Allison Iantosca appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Having a business partner can be an enormous advantage if you approach it correctly. Most people underestimate the commitment and work that goes into a partnership. Ensuring that you’re on the same page and share the same vision goes far beyond having a plan on paper. In this episode, Matt Carlson shares his story with...
The post Ep.87: Partnership — Creating a Unified Vision for your Company’s Future with Matt Carlson appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Working with just a few Realtors can bring additional jobs to your remodeling company. It’s not about appealing to the masses, but about developing relationships with several realtors who appreciate how you work, your quality, attention to detail, and exceptional client experience. In this episode, Kathi Fleck discusses working with Realtors with Victoria and Mark,...
The post Ep.86: Connecting with a Few Good Realtors with Kathi Fleck appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Our Roundtables members share their financial metrics at every meeting, in what we call the composite report. But there’s one field that’s almost always reported as zero. It’s the proactive outbound sales call metric. It’s confusing to many, not just as a field on a spreadsheet, but as an activity. Abe Degnan says this metric...
The post Ep.85: Unraveling the Undervalued “Proactive Outbound Sales Call” Metric with Abe Degnan appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s that time of year — it’s time to put together your company’s marketing plan for next year. If you don’t know where to start or what your plan should include, Mark’s here to help. In this episode, Mark is on a one-man mission to get your strategic marketing plan into shape. First thing to...
The post Ep.84: Crafting a Strategic Marketing Plan with Mark Harari appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
There’s not much that’s more frustrating than missing out on business opportunities close to home. Understanding the numbers that surround your business’s trade area is critical to determining what may be flying under your radar. Through analytics, you can interpret those numbers and take advantage of what they tell you. In this episode, Nick Ogle...
The post Ep.83: Using Trade Area Analytics to Grow Your Business with Nick Ogle appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We’re just back from the 2019 Remodelers Excellence Week, Remodelers Summit, and Roundtables meetings, and our opening video was about thinking like a child, and allowing yourself to fail so that you can learn from what went wrong. It’s all a part of evolving as a business, as a person, and the art of growth....
The post Ep.82: What Can Be Learned from Success with Wayne Rivers appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
All remodelers have a sales department. All remodelers have a production department. But few officially recognize a human resources department. Alex Raisanan used her experience to build an HR department for TraVek, a remodeling company in Scottsdale, AZ. Through skill and creativity, the department was able to build its team by 123 percent in a...
The post Ep.81: The Department Your Company Doesn’t Have, but Should with Alex Raisanen appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
An aging skilled workforce is retiring, and there’s a shortage of younger people taking their place. It’s a hot topic among remodeling companies, who are still searching for the right answers to solving their labor shortage. In this episode, Mischa Fisher, Victoria, and Mark discuss what you can do to bridge the skills gap, and...
The post Ep.80: Bridging the Skills Gap from an Economist’s Perspective with Mischa Fisher appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Caring for our veterans should be a national priority when they come back home. The Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) program offers grants to service members and veterans who have certain severe service-connected disabilities. The grants assist with building, remodeling, or purchasing an adapted home, but the program needs remodelers and builders to make it work....
The post Ep.79: Helping Veterans Remodel with SAH Grants with Jay Latona appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In a low-unemployment economy, recruiting and retaining the best talent is a continuous effort. You need a powerful competitive advantage — one that’s nearly impossible for anyone else to copy. It’s your company culture. In this episode, Steve Anderson tells Victoria and Mark why that is, and how you can develop a successful culture —...
The post Ep.78: The Most Powerful Competitive Advantage with Steve Anderson appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s easy to be successful in a great economy. You can get away with a lot of bad habits, lack of systems, and high overhead when jobs are large and margins high. But when the economy contracts, job sizes shrink, and margins erode, those bad habits can have a huge affect on the health of...
The post Ep.77: Recession-Proofing Your Company with Dave Edwards appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s time for another Unscripted Back-Up. It’s a chance to revisit some of our best and most informative episodes. They’re jam-packed with information you can use — so if you missed it the first time around, here’s your chance to catch up. This is one of our most popular episodes, and digs in to a...
The post Ep.76: [Unscripted Back-Up] Managing Your Customers with Chip Doyle appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s incredibly busy in the remodeling world at the moment — leads are pouring in, proposals are flying out, and jobs are being scheduled like crazy. We’re seeing businesses with 30 percent growth, year over year. Yet there’s a silent killer lurking beneath all the fevered growth: insufficient cash flow. In this episode, Mark’s flying...
The post Ep.75: Cash Flow: The Silent Killer appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Everyone would love to have raving fans — and today’s guest is the most popular mascot in sports. Tom Burgoyne has had a 30-year career as the best friend of the Phillie Phanatic — the most popular mascot in sports. In this episode, Tom talks to Victoria and Mark about what the Phanatic has taught...
The post Ep.74: Pheel the Love — How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies with Tom Burgoyne appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Victoria and Mark are just back from their own peer group meeting, and were inspired by what they learned. In particular, they were excited by something they heard from another member, Wayne Rivers. Wayne has a video blog, and we’re picking up one of his episodes about leadership. He says leaders tolerate bad behaviors in...
The post Ep.73: A Leader’s Inactions Are Just as Important as Actions with Wayne Rivers appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
It’s time for another Unscripted Back-Up. It’s a chance to revisit some of our best and most informative episodes. They’re jam-packed with information you can use — so if you missed it the first time around, here’s your chance to catch up. Growing your remodeling company is filled with pitfalls and challenges that can prevent...
The post Ep.72: [Unscripted Back-Up] Building a Successful, Profitable Remodeling Company with Brandon Bailey appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
A successful remodeling business isn’t only dependent on tactics or the larger strategy behind them. A company’s culture plays a crucial role in executing any business strategy. In this episode, Brian Gottlieb discusses the key steps needed for a business to implement their desired strategy with Victoria and Mark. Brian Gottlieb is the founder and...
The post Ep.71: Strategy Isn’t Enough with Brian Gottlieb appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
So many things go into a successful remodeling project — the design, the materials, the actual build — but what’s really the most important part? It’s your client. Remodeling a home can change your clients’ lives. Robert Kauffman says the secret to a successful remodel is working upfront to get to know your clients to...
The post Ep.70: The Most Important Part of a Remodeling Project with Robert Kauffman appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Physics and chemistry affect the interior of every home, every day. Performance testing can enable remodelers to predict and prevent health, safety, and comfort issues, earn more for your work, and predict and prevent callbacks, claims, and lawsuits. As a remodeler, you have two choices. You can test for and design performance controls into your...
The post Ep.69: How to Protect and Grow your Business with Performance Testing with Corbett Lunsford appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Most remodelers wear many hats, and sales management is only one of them. So you have to handle sales functions on a part-time basis. As you grow and add salespeople, overseeing that department becomes yet another job duty. In this episode, Chip Doyle discusses how to successfully manage the sales department on a part-time basis...
The post Ep.68: Managing Your Sales while Wearing Many Hats with Chip Doyle appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Here at Remodelers Advantage we set aside the month of June to focus on an issue that plagues most service-based businesses, but can be a critical metric in looking at the success of a remodeling firm. This is our third annyal “Slippage Awareness Month” and this year you’ll see content submissions from our consulting, sales, and production...
The post Ep.67: Kicking Off Slippage Awareness Month with Tim Faller appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If everyone in your remodeling business feels like they’re invested in your company — so invested that they think and act like owners — they’ll make better decisions, solve more problems, and make it more profitable. But how do you get there? In this episode, our own Steve Wheeler talks to Victoria and Mark about...
The post Ep.66: How to Get Employees to Think and Act Like Owners with Steve Wheeler appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
There’s an overlooked opportunity for you to shine in your marketing. For some of you, this opportunity only comes once a year. For others (like many of our Roundtables members) it comes nine or 10 times a year. Regardless of how often the opportunity presents itself, odds are you’re squandering it. It’s your “out of...
The post Ep.65: How to Turn Your Travel into an Epic Marketing Opportunity appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Toyota pioneered the LEAN manufacturing system, and we know — houses aren’t cars. But neither are people, and the LEAN concept of continuous improvement is used by hospitals too. So even if remodeling isn’t brain surgery, we can learn a lot from how LEAN has been applied in healthcare. You can get some of the...
The post Ep.64: What Healthcare Can Teach Remodeling about LEAN with Liz Moisan appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Research proves referred clients cost less to acquire, are easier to close, and are more valuable to your business over time. So why don’t more companies ask for them? In this episode, Tanya Bamford joins Victoria and Mark to share ways to help you fire up your referral engine, and get more business without spinning...
The post Ep.63: How To Fire Up Your Referral Engine with Tanya Bamford appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We’re introducing a new feature — the Unscripted Back-Up. It’s a chance to revisit some of our best and most informative episodes. They’re jam-packed with information you can use — so if you missed it the first time around, here’s your chance to catch up. In this episode, we revisit the good, bad, and downright...
The post Ep.62: [Unscripted Back-Up] Employment Law: The Good, Bad and Downright Scary, with Jen Cornell appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Systems and processes rarely scale when your business grows. So you have to go back and create new ones that will — at least for now. Your design process is no different. When hiring a new or additional designer, it may be time to revamp your process in preparation for that new team member. In...
The post Ep.61: How I Revamped My Design Process with Chris Fox appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Your reputation is your most valuable business asset — but don’t think for a minute that doing high-quality work and providing top-notch service is enough to make and keep it spotless. The Internet has made it all too easy for people to publicly tarnish your good name — quickly. Take the initiative, and manage your...
The post Ep.60: How to Manage Your Online Reputation Using Google Reviews with Russell Fuller appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If you’re going to build something — a building, a company, a team — you owe it to the world to build something great. Identify what makes you exceptional and empower your team to help you build a great business. In this episode, Jason Blenker tells Victoria and Mark about how and why he put...
The post Ep.59: Empower Your Team to Help You Build a Great Business with Jason Blenker appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We’ve talked about LEAN before on the show with our own experts, but you may wonder what it looks like in the real world. Today we’ll hear about using LEAN in the remodeling business from an award-winning design-build company that focuses on residential remodeling. In this episode, Paul Kowalski shares his experiences in applying LEAN...
The post Ep.58: How LEAN Principles Have Improved My Business with Paul Kowalski appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We’re big believers in the power of blogging to generate interest and business. Today we’re talking to someone in the trenches who’s also a believer, because it’s helped him in growing his business, gaining credibility, elevating customer loyalty, and — most importantly — generating cost-effective, exclusive leads. In this episode, Mike Foti discusses his business...
The post Ep.57: How to Capture Cost-Effective, Exclusive Leads by Blogging with Mike Foti appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
When it comes to performance reviews, the times, they are a-changin’. Though some managers and employees might still like a good old-fashioned numeric ranking, most prefer to take charge of their destinies — working with together to set goals and spur professional development. Allison Iantosca talks to Victoria and Mark about why we all need...
The post Ep.56: The Secret to Successful Employee Reviews with Allison Iantosca appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In an extremely meta podcast today, we talk about podcasting — and the top reasons you should start your own. We were prompted by an email from a Roundtables member asking why and how to do it. Podcasting is growing by leaps and bounds — 51% of the population has listened to a podcast. Of those...
The post Ep.55: Why and How to Start Your Own Podcast appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Regional remodeling companies are desperate for more good labor. Regional carpentry programs are constantly on the lookout for good jobs for their students. How do you bring these groups together effectively? In this episode, Paul Eldrenkamp talks to Victoria and Mark about the program he and his local NARI chapter have developed to bring students...
The post Ep.54: Solving the Labor Shortage with Paul Eldrenkamp appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
There are five stages of company growth, according to Judith Miller, one of our consultants and facilitators. Transitioning from Stage 3 to Stage 4 is one of the more complex. It takes a substantial shift in the owner’s responsibilities and skill sets. It can result in a much higher job satisfaction level, financial return, and...
The post Ep.53: Growing a Company from Stage 3 to Stage 4 with Jef Forward appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Most entrepreneurs want to build a bigger company, but understand that many of their existing processes don’t scale. You go back to the drawing board and make some changes. But the sad truth is that it’s not just systems, but people, who fall behind, dragging the business with them. In this episode, Mark’s flying solo,...
The post Ep.52: Changing of the Guard: The Unfortunate Side Effect of Growth appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
We’re getting esoteric today — applying a sports concept to business. Not too long ago, Mark read an article and shared it with Victoria about fixing something that’s broken in basketball — the intentional fouls at the end of the game to stop the clock. Nick Elam is a Mensa member and basketball superfan, who...
The post Ep.51: Deploying the Elam Ending in Your Business appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
For our 50th episode, we gathered a panel of industry experts and took questions from the audience at the Extreme Business Makeover in Baltimore at the the end of January 2019. It capped off an intense two days of learning, sharing, and networking among the remodelers attending and our Remodelers Advantage team. In this episode,...
The post Ep.50: LIVE from the Extreme Business Makeover in Baltimore appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
You’re not running a successful company unless you have a good work/life balance. But there’s only one way to sustainably grow your company without sacrificing your life, and that’s by having a strong leadership team. Steve Barkhouse stops by to give Victoria and Mark a crash course in how and why you should have a...
The post Ep.49: How, Who, and Why to Build a Leadership Team with Steve Barkhouse appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
One of our core principles is that remodeling companies should make a good net profit, after paying the owners an above-average salary. When the economy’s booming, you can get away with a lot and still hit those goals, sometimes by accident. But the goal is to get those healthy net profits consistently, year after year,...
The post Ep.48: How to Hit Healthy Net Profits in any Economic Climate with Mike Medford Sr. appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Reviews are the lifeblood of any remodeling company. But are you getting the best social proof of your company’s performance from your clients? Social proof is simply getting credit for what you’re already doing, says Josh Kelly. But it can spur your company to massive growth when done right. In this episode, Josh talks to...
The post Ep.47: How Social Proof Can Ignite Massive Growth with Josh Kelly appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Your accounting is a vital part of your business. You’ve spent valuable time hiring a new accounting staff member. Now what? Too often, owners think the new hire will be able to sit down and get to work with no introduction to processes and policies of the business. This can be a costly mistake. Accounting...
The post Ep.46: Onboarding the Most Vital Roles in Your Company with Jackie Shaw appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
You know all about the labor shortage, you’re living with it every day. But there are tools that can help you find the right person for the right job — and help you keep them in your company. Remodelers Advantage has been using a personality assessment tool called DISC for years, and we love it....
The post Ep.45: Using Tools to Find the Best Talent with Rick Bowers appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Most remodelers start as the sole salesperson for their companies. Stepping out of that role is arguably one of the hardest things you can do — but you have to if you’re going to grow your company. Hiring, training, and managing a sales team is a challenge. Normandy Design Build Remodeling has a sales staff...
The post Ep.44: Building a Remodeling Sales Team with Andy Wells appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As remodelers, public relations is often an overlooked part of your marketing mix. We spend so much time and money on online marketing, PR is an afterthought. But with the web’s insatiable need for content, placing projects to get publicity should be a part of your strategy. In this episode, Roundtables member Jim Zack tells...
The post Ep.43: The Power of Public Relations with Jim Zack appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As companies experience growth, there are tipping points where changes need to be made. One of those points is when you realize you need additional management for the organization. Many remodelers are considering adding a General Manager, but are unsure how it will work in practice. The Cleary Company of Columbus, OH, reached this tipping...
The post Ep.42: How and When To Hire a General Manager with Aaron Enfinger appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Virtual reality creates immersive environments in real time. For remodelers, that means your clients could preview and even “walk-through” their projects to see if they like what they’re seeing. Guest Chris Katkish says VR can help remodelers streamline their sales and design process, trim the length of the sales cycle, and boost production efficiency by...
The post Ep.41: Using Virtual Reality to Grow Sales and Profits with Chris Katkish appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Your website could be the first time a prospective client encounters your remodeling business. What they find there may get you the job or send them off into the ether, never to be seen again. In this episode, Victoria grills our own Mark Harari on how to make a remodeler’s website into a lead-generating machine....
The post Ep.40: Website Best Practices with Mark Harari appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The Great Recession gobbled up a whole slew of remodeling companies, but more of them fail during an economic expansion than during a contraction. Growth is great, but it’s risky, and knowing how not to grow will put you ahead of the game. In this hot market, there are so many opportunities, you can get...
The post Ep.39: How NOT to Grow Your Remodeling Business with Judith Miller appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
So many remodelers can’t reach their production potential because of the labor shortage. With the unemployment rate at a 20-year low, the struggle to find and retain good people is curbing business growth for small-business owners, across industries. In this episode, Natalie Putnam tells Victoria and Mark about the hiring and retention strategies that have...
The post Ep.38: Learning from the Trucking Industry To Solve Your Labor Shortage with Natalie Putnam appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Most work requires more than one person to get it done. Effective communication is essential to the enterprise. Everyone has to learn the skills to communicate effectively. One key is concentrating on what brings you success — in work, with your spouse or partner, and in the rest of your life. Build on that. In...
The post Ep.37: The Art of Effective Communication with Paul Winans appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
One of the most powerful sales tools your remodeling company has often lies fallow on your website — your project photo galleries. With a little creativity, those photos can be transformed into compelling client success stories. This will boost your organic search rankings, super-charge lead generation, and result in more sales. The power of storytelling,...
The post Ep.36: How to Make Your Photo Gallery a Lead-Generating Powerhouse with Tanya Bamford appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
A personal vision statement charts your course — in life and in business. If you don’t have one, you might as well be lost at sea when you’re making decisions. For Dave Bryan, his personal vision statement serves as his North Star, allowing him to plot his course through his life. “There are a million...
The post Ep.35: Why You Should Have a Personal Vision Statement with Dave Bryan appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Marketing is getting more complicated, and search engine optimization can seem like voodoo or black magic. The SEO landscape is always changing, as Google adjusts its algorithms every day. The goal remains the same, though — growing your organic traffic online to rank higher in the search listings, so you get found by the people...
The post Ep.34: The Evolution of SEO with Spencer Powell appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
To many remodelers, a project works like a relay race, depending on good handoffs of the baton. The sales-to production-handoff is critical, and if you drop the baton, the race is over. But there are ways to make it less of a hard handoff and more of a continuum, says Bruce Case. Bruce joins Victoria...
The post Ep.33: The Sales-to-Production Handoff with Bruce Case appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If you’re curious as to where the remodeling industry is going and the key opportunities for the future, Rick Strachan of Hanley Wood has your answers. In this episode, Rick breaks it all down with Victoria and Mark, telling you what will drive growth, and how to face the coming challenges. You’ll get the big...
The post Ep.32: Industry Insights with Rick Strachan appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The Cost-Plus Pricing model seems to go completely against common sense, but it’s a concept that we’re getting more questions about from our membership. One contributing factor is that consumers increasingly demand transparency when purchasing products and services — and homeowners are coming to expect it when undertaking a remodeling project. But so many remodelers...
The post Ep.31: How to Successfully Use Cost-Plus Pricing with Josh Baker appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Business plans, marketing plans, any plan serves as a map to a goal. Your financial plan is no different. You need to set your goal, write it down, and commit to it. Our Roundtables members do this regularly for their businesses. But too many people get anxious when it comes to looking at their personal...
The post Ep.30: How to Create a Financial Plan with Sacha Millstone appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Success in the remodeling industry is all by the book for Jeremy Martin. That goes for the 50 books he reads per year, and the systems and business processes he institutes and uses at his company. And most importantly, those two factors culminate in “The Book” — the three-ring binder filled with details and documentation...
The post Ep.29: How to Build an Award-Winning Company with Jeremy Martin appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Technology is critical to boosting efficiency and ensuring scalability for remodelers and builders, but tech isn’t the answer to everything. It’s hard to know where to start, and what problems tech can solve for you. Too often, you purchase an expensive program, people don’t use it, and it gets shelved. In this episode, Victoria and Mark...
The post Ep.28: The Dos and Don’ts of Implementing Technology with Donny Wyatt appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Growing your company requires thinking big, developing innovative strategies, and taking risks. If you do it right, the results can be huge. Todd Jackson did it right, and quadrupled his revenue. In this episode, Victoria and Mark talk to Todd about how he achieved that success, and the details and work behind the big numbers....
The post Ep.27: How I Quadrupled My Revenue with Todd Jackson appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
With so many new media and communication outlets, it’s hard to know what channels to use for your own marketing. But that also means there are opportunities — and getting your message out to an audience is easier than ever. Taking the plunge into media can change your business. In Episode 26, Victoria and Mark...
The post Ep.26: How the Media Business Can Transform Your Remodeling Company with James Carey appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
The thought of showing your financials to your employees may be unsettling. We’ve known remodelers who are so leery of sharing their numbers, their field crews don’t even know their project budgets. But it doesn’t have to be that way, says Ken Kirsch, a proponent and practitioner of Open Book Management. In this episode, Ken...
The post Ep.25: Open Book Management with Ken Kirsch appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
One of the toughest things for remodelers and builders to do is work with architects or designers and still stay profitable. It can be done, says Kyle Lissack — but it’s a specific business model, and it doesn’t depend on bids, but on the strong partnerships. In this episode, Victoria and Mark find out how...
The post Ep.24: How to Build Strong Partnerships with Architects with Kyle Lissack appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
As a business owner, it seems like you manage everyone — your staff, your crews, your kids, your pets. But if you — and especially your designers — aren’t managing your customers, says Chip Doyle, you’re wasting time and losing out on potential profits. In this episode, Victoria, Mark and Chip discuss how to break...
The post Ep. 23: Managing Your Customers with Chip Doyle appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Many remodeling companies buy an office, rent it to themselves, and hold it — and that’s where their real estate investment stops. Andrew Schroeder, a second-generation remodeler and Remodeler’s Advantage member, takes real estate investment farther. In episode 22, Victoria and Mark talk to Andrew about how to use your remodeling experience to grow your...
The post Ep. 22: How to Make Huge Profits Without Clients with Andrew Schroeder appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Stepping outside the world of remodeling for a moment and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome a an entrepreneur, author, speaker and a visionary to Episode 21 of PowerTips Unscripted. Ari Weinzweig is a founder and co-owner of Zingerman’s– an amazing company that started as a single location deli 36 years ago and has...
The post Ep.21: How Powerful Beliefs Can Transform Your Business with Ari Weinzweig appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Kaizen means (literally) “Change for Good,” and that can mean REALLY good things for your growing remodeling company. This process of constant improvement, with every team member participating, allows your company to constantly raise the bar on its target metrics. In Episode 20, Victoria and Mark learn more about the Kaizen practice of process improvement...
The post Ep.20: Constantly Improving Your Business Using Kaizen with Michael Sauri appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
When it comes to compensating remodeling sales professionals, there are so many different models or plans; each with its own set of incentives and sales performance metrics. But have you ever considered the effect that your sales compensation plan has on company culture? We work so hard to create and maintain the right culture fit...
The post Ep.19: Sales Compensation Plans & Impact on Company Culture with Ciro Giammona appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In Episode 18, Victoria and Mark Harari welcome author and industry adviser Mark Richardson and talk more about the changes that have impacted the remodeling industry and how companies today need to either adapt or risk becoming irrelevant. Mark Richardson is the Former President and Co-Chairman of Case Design/Remodeling, a Senior Fellow at Harvard and...
The post Ep.18: Adapt or Become Irrelevant with Mark Richardson appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, roughly 90% of U.S. businesses are family-owned and the Remodeling industry is well represented by closely-held firms, typically started by a founder and then handed down through multiple generations. Family-owned businesses often run into obstacles and challenges, usually driven by “soft issues” such as communication, emotions, past...
The post Ep.17: Building a Sustainable Family Business with Wayne Rivers appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Can you define a good Leader vs. a good Manager? Are they the same, similar or completely different? How can having a strong leadership team affect the success or your business? In Episode 16 Victoria and Mark welcome Bob Gallagher to the show to discuss how building the leadership team at Sun Design Remodeling Specialists...
The post Ep.16: Keys to Developing an Impactful Leadership Team with Bob Gallagher appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Building a strong team can be a challenge to any business owner and creating a culture where employees feel trusted and empowered can be even more difficult. In Episode 15, Victoria and Mark speak with Geoff Graham, Founder and CEO of GuildQuality, an award-winning firm based in Atlanta, GA. More than 2,500 home builders, remodelers...
The post Ep.15: Creating a Culture of Empowerment with Geoff Graham appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In episode 14, Victoria and Mark change gears and welcome a well-known author, professor and CEO, Peter DiGiammarino, to the show. Peter grew up in the Boston area and after attending University of Massachusetts and then MIT, he served in executive leadership roles for more than 30 years. Peter is an adjunct professor in the...
The post Ep.14: Exploring the Seven Truths with Peter DiGiammarino appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Business partnerships are a foundation that so many of our R/A Roundtables Members have built their remodeling businesses on… Whether it’s a family or a group of professionals coming together to form a business, each has its own story along the way. In episode 13 we take a closer look at a scenario where one...
The post Ep.13: Buying Out Your Business Partner with Rick Goldstein appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Building a business can be both a challenging and fulfilling adventure; Hard work, long hours, doing the little things behind the scenes to help grow the business, etc. Many remodelers out there have not only built strong and profitable businesses, they have done so with the help of family, often spanning multiple generations. Episode 12...
The post Ep.12: Growing a Strong, Successful Family-owned Remodeling Business with Dolores Davis appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If you are like most business owners, you don’t think about Employment Law until you’re faced with a complaint or potential lawsuit from a current or former employee. It’s inevitable… As you add employees and grow your company, the likelihood of facing a legal employment issue will increase as well. When it comes to hiring,...
The post Ep.11: Employment Law: The Good, Bad and Downright Scary, with Jen Cornell appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If there is one take-away from more than 30 years of working with R/A members, it is this: Successful remodeling companies are constantly looking for ways to improve themselves and subsequently are able to achieve a higher net profit. In our 10th episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Victoria and Mark welcome back Doug Howard, Director of...
The post Ep.10: Higher Profits Through LEAN Process Improvements with Doug Howard appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Online reviews can be the “Lifeblood” of any remodeling company’s business and marketing strategy and in Episode 9, Victoria and Mark speak with Bryan Sebring a very successful remodeler who has mastered the art of collecting online reviews from his satisfied clients. Bryan is the Owner of Sebring Design Build in Naperville, IL and has...
The post Ep.09: Seven Steps to Earning Positive Online Reviews with Bryan Sebring appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
If you are going to have a podcast about the remodeling industry, it’s a no-brainer to have Tim Faller on your guest list, and I suspect he will be a frequent contributor to PowerTips Unscripted. For the past 17 years, Tim has worked with remodeling companies, large and small, to help improve profits by creating...
The post Ep.08: Zero Punch List Production with Tim Faller appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
When it comes to succession planning and determining an exit strategy from your remodeling business there are plenty of options to consider. Many of our Roundtables members have either sold or handed their businesses off to the next generation, for example… but all of them will tell you that making that determination early in your...
The post Ep.07: Is an ESOP Right For Your Remodeling Business? appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Lights, Camera, Action! Getting the brand exposure of a TV pilot, aired on a national media channel like HGTV, can seem like every remodeler’s dream… But is it? What’s involved? Is it disruptive to your business? Do you get leads from it? Is it as exciting as it sounds? In Episode 6, Victoria and Mark...
The post Ep.06: Behind the Scenes of an HGTV Pilot with John Huffman appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
So many of our Roundtables members have discovered that in order to grow your remodeling business and get to “the next level” it takes focus, hard work, determination and the willingness to look for outside resources when you realize you need help. Brandon Bailey is a fantastic example of a successful remodeler who took the...
The post Ep.05: Building a Successful, Profitable Remodeling Company with Brandon Bailey appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
There are few organizations that can impact a US based remodeling business like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)… Maybe the IRS, but that’s another episode. In Episode 4 of PowerTips Unscripted, Victoria and Mark speak with Ben Johnson about OSHA regulations, enforcement and how they can have a huge impact if not handled...
The post Ep.04: OSHA Regulations You Need to Be Aware of as a Remodeling Business Owner with Ben Johnson appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Episode 3 takes a deep dive into the financial challenges that remodeling business owners face on a daily basis. Victoria and Mark welcome Doug Howard, Remodelers Advantage Director of Consulting to the PowerTips Unscripted studio. Doug Howard is an entrepreneur, government official and small business consultant with more than 25 years of experience in leading...
The post Ep.03: Top Financial Challenges Faced by Today’s Remodeling Business Owner with Doug Howard appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
In our second episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Victoria and Mark spend some time with Philip Anderson, a long-time Remodelers Advantage member and well-respected industry leader. Philip Anderson is the President of HDR Remodeling, a successful Design + Build firm that he founded over 30 years ago in the Berkeley / Oakland / East Bay Area...
The post Ep.02: Building an Effective Emergency Succession Plan with Philip Anderson appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
For our first episode, we’re thrilled to have John Warrillow as our inaugural guest. John is the author of Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, and in this episode he shares tips on how you can build a high-value company. Even if you’re not thinking about selling today, you can’t afford...
The post Ep. 01: How to Create a Valuable, Sellable Company with John Warrillow appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.
Surely you can’t be serious. Remodelers Advantage is launching a podcast? Yeah, you betcha. And as a prelude to our first episode, we’ve recorded “Episode Zero – Beginnings” to not only introduce you to your hosts — Victoria Downing and Mark Harari — but also to give you a taste of what you can expect when you put...
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