organizational development Archives - Page 4 of 6

Everyone Should Think Like an Entrepreneur with Sean Castrina – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E4

October 27, 2022 00:23:44

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 is the Founder of The Weekend MBA, host of The 10 Minute Entrepreneur Podcast (a top 10 entrepreneurship podcast), an author of 4 bestselling books, and a serial entrepreneur.

Sean, Victoria and Mark discuss:

Critical components of building a successful business
The top reasons why most entrepreneurs fail
Why you must constantly look for new revenue streams

Click here to listen

Using Kaizen to Improve Your Business with Michael Sauri [Best of PowerTips Unscripted]

October 20, 2022 00:35:02

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 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…

Gauging Your Designers’ Workload Effectively With Jeff Talmadge-[PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E1

September 29, 2022 00:21:24

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…

Growing a High Volume Remodeling Business with Jake Schloegel- [Best of Powertips Unscrpited]

September 1, 2022 00:24:49

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 award-winning Design/Build firm in Kansas City. He started in 1980 as a one-person company and has grown it, with the help of his team, to an operation exceeding $14 million in revenue annually. The company is now managed by Jake’s son, Charlie Schlegel, and his business partner, Chris Peterson.

Jake has been a facilitator and instructor for Remodelers Advantage for years and is very active in the remodeling community, having served as president of NARI from 1990 through 1992.

Victoria, Mark, and Jake talk more about:

Jake’s business and what prepared him for growth.
Who helped Jake in building the company?
The key components necessary for sustainable growth.
Why Jake wanted to achieve high volume.
What Jake would do differently if he could have some do-overs.

Best of PowerTips: Creating your Business Exit Roadmap with Ashley Micciche

June 16, 2022 00:28:59

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 while planning an exit? Guest Ashley Micciche has the answer.

Ashley Micciche is the co-owner and CEO of True North Retirement Advisors in Clackamas, Oregon. She specializes in designing, building, and implementing custom-designed exit plans to help her business owner clients secure their final and most important business decision – the exit from their business.

Victoria and Ashley talk more about:

Understanding how to pick an ideal successor
Determining post-exit financial needs
Establishing a target departure date
And more…

Click Here to Access the Business Valuation Tool

Finish Big, by Bo Burlingham, is the book Victoria referenced during the show.

Are You Ready for Remodelers Summit '22?

This highly celebrated event is the remodeling industry’s premier educational conference, and it sells out EVERY YEAR!

Join over 700 high performing remodeling professionals and experience the Power of Summit, including:

3 Distinguished Keynotes
40 Visionary Speakers
36 High-octane Workshops
28 Industry Leading Success Partners
A Legendary Welcome Party. This Year it Will Have an 80s Theme!
And Much, Much More…

Ep.185: Getting To An 8-Figure Remodeling Business With Ben Juncker

May 19, 2022 00:24:49

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 needed to start looking at his business at the macro level. He started focusing proper staffing and creating processes, which led to meaningful growth.

Ben started his company, Craftsman’s Choice, in 1998 and became a James Hardie siding contractor in 2000. Since that time Craftsman’s Choice has grown continuously to become one of the nation’s top James Hardie Remodelers, completing over 175 jobs per year. They have won James Hardie’s prestigious President’s Club award every year since its inception in 2015.

Ben, Victoria, and Mark discuss the importance of:

Knowing what is happening on job sites
Building accountability into all processes and systems
Leveraging technology, specifically Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools
And more…

Ep.103: Positive Growth in Difficult Situations with Kathy O’Brien

March 11, 2020 0:25:42

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 now volunteers as a mentor/consultant to 5stone Construction in St. Louis, MO, helping with business growth strategies — she first got to know the company as a client. She was so impressed with the quality of the work and the people, she has worked with 5stone for the last several years, developing systems and processes, determining annual goals and individual employee performance indicators, hiring to get “the right people on the bus,” and managing fast growth over the last four years.

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 …

If you’re finding yourself stuck in the storming stage, Kathy says there’s great value in having support with other leaders, by networking or in peer groups. She also recommends three books to read to boost your leadership skills:

Ep.98: How to Structure and Run a Profitable Design Department with Chris Landis

February 5, 2020 00:27:50

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 them accountable.

In this episode, Chris Landis discusses about how to build and run an efficient design department with Victoria and Mark.

Chris is a partner (with his brother Ethan) in Landis Architects/Builders in Washington, DC, and is a longtime Roundtables member. He’s a registered architect in four states (MD, DC, VA, NY). Chris graduated from Vassar College, and earned his M.A. in architecture from Columbia Architecture School. Chris is a member of the American Institute of Architects, and has 28 years of experience in residential architecture. He is a current member of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board and past president of the DC Metro area chapter of NARI.

Chris has a design department of nine people after 30 years in the business. When the company got to the point of having three designers, Chris hired a manager for that department to ensure that the work was standardized and high quality. He talks about how to set up your own design department for success and create a quicker process, including:

The metrics to gauge success
The designer’s role in his company
Recruiting and hiring for the department
Working back from net profit
When to hire a design manager
His three-phase process
How he charges for them
Figuring out a healthy close ratio
Taking on a design-only project
Why to conduct a feasibility study — sometimes
Working with design sub-contractors
And more …

Design can be a profit center, not a loss-leader, and you have to know how much you should be charging for it — even if you don’t.

MasterClass: Design Process

You can learn how other successful companies manage their design business, and you’ll go home with new ideas to exceed your clients’ expectations and boosting profits on every job. We’ll be holding our next class here in Baltimore, May 18-19. You can find more details and register here: Building An Effective Design Process.

Ep.92: The Dangers of Burnout and How To Promote Individual Resiliency with Marian Faller

December 11, 2019 00:29:07

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 signs to look for in yourself and others, and how you can promote resiliency within your company.

Marian is a psychotherapist, and owns Cornerstone Consulting and Cornerstone Counseling in Westerly, RI. She also serves as a consultant for individuals, families, and companies wanting to address mental health concerns. She also happens to be married to our own Tim Faller.

Burnout happens gradually, says Marian, and so gradually that you may not notice it until it’s too late. People experiencing burnout can be irritable, miss days of work, and can even get to the point of clinical depression. Burnout can affect individuals as well as entire organizations. Marian talks about what to know to keep yourself and your employees mentally healthy, including:

The signs and symptoms of burnout
How physical health can cause burnout
How burnout can spread from one individual
Why ignoring the causes of burnout won’t make it go away
The genetic and chemical components of mental health
What folic acid has to do with it
Promoting resilience in yourself and others
Focusing on what went right vs. what went wrong
What we can learn from Winnie the Pooh and Cleopatra
Modeling good habits and behaviors
Setting the right tone
Using hardships to promote resiliency
And more …

Knowing the signs and symptoms of burnout — and how to help yourself and others through it — can make a big difference in your own happiness and your team’s job satisfaction.

Ep.90: Inside the Design-Build Movement with David Supple

November 27, 2019 00:27:26

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 why it’s been around as long as buildings have.

David is the founder and CEO of New England Design & Construction in Boston. He’s grown NEDC to be a leader in design-build excellence, winning more than 30 awards and being written about in more than 30 publications over the past 14 years. In addition to expanding the company, David has started the DesignBuild Movement, a forum with the purpose of educating the public on this topic with the end goal of creating better buildings.

David has had a fascination with creating buildings since his art history teacher in high school showed the class slides of landmarks in Europe like Notre Dame Cathedral and the Sistine Chapel. He decided he wanted to build those types of spaces, and was steered into architecture. He graduated from college with an architecture degree, and started practicing. Then, he says, he realized he didn’t know what he was doing. So he went to work as a carpenter to get a foundation in actual building before he opened NEDC. David talks about the history of architects and builders, and how the industry got to where we are now, including:

What an architect used to be
The historical apprenticeship process
How the industry separated into architects and builders
What social status had to do with it
Why design-build almost went away
The efficiencies of design-build as a process
How to position design-build with consumers
Design-build vs. design-bid-build
And more …

It’s a fascinating look at the history of building, architecture, and remodeling, and will make you better prepared to discuss what design build really means. To learn more about the DesignBuild Movement, check out the pages on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

organizational development