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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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
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 implementing, tiered advances are a better strategy for deliberate, healthy growth.
In this episode, Michael discusses his tiered increase growth strategy with Victoria and Mark. For healthy growth, he says you have to set and meet certain goals for sales, job costs, systems and performance before taking the next step.
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.
Micheal says that your company’s gross sales should bump up to the next milestone only once your teams have mastered sales, pre-construction, and production systems at their current revenue level. That puts a company in a stronger position to handle the inevitable increase in workload. He talks about how to accomplish healthy, tiered growth for you remodeling company, including:
The infrastructure milestones to hit
Taking deliberate steps
The importance of setting goals
Focusing on hitting those goals
Proving your success
Nailing down all your job costs
Managing slippage
Building the foundation for growth
The metrics that tell you that you’re ready for the next step
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 helped some of the world’s leading companies build innovation into their corporate DNA. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard Business School, and a research fellow at Wharton.
Victoria, Mark and Ben talk more about:
The types of companies that benefit most from this approach
Who is responsible for innovation in a company
Shifting from a supplier-side view to a customer-side view
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 an efficient negotiator and how to avoid the seven deadly sins of negotiation that stand in the way of success.
Jeff is a franchise owner of Sandler Training and the Remodelers Advantage Sandler Sales Trainer. He has advised, trained and coached small and medium-sized companies as well as large enterprise companies on developing stronger sales teams, closing more sales and leading organizational change.
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
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 Experts Academy, a resource-packed treasure trove of information that provides ongoing training, support, and content for contractors and designers involved in the sales and development of plans for residential and light commercial buildings.
Victoria, Mark and Dan talk more about:
Compensation for design services
Why some contractors may not charge for these services
How design services can save clients money on their projects