success Archives - Page 5 of 7 - PowerTips Unscripted

Best of Powertips: Ep.132: How to Shatterproof Your Business with America’s Legal Coach

July 7, 2022 00:30:00

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 America’s Legal Coach, Scott Reib.

Scott is the owner of ReibLaw, a full-service law firm with over 20 years of Business Law and Estate Planning experience. For the last two decades, Scott has been helping business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, and service providers to “shatterproof” their businesses and succeed in the professional world.

Victoria, Mark and Scott cover:

How Scott became known as America’s Legal Coach.
The difference between a legal coach and a lawyer.
What is meant by a “shatterproof” business.
Why a business would need to be shatterproof.
The biggest legal mistakes Scott sees businesses making.
And more…

Best of Powertips: Double Revenue by Focusing on Less with David Wood

June 30, 2022 00:23:40

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 revenue in less time.

David Wood is the CEO of Focus.CEO and his goal is to create the world’s largest coaching business. He now coaches rock star entrepreneurs to double their revenue faster, overcome Shiny Object Syndrome, and be a more extraordinary entrepreneur and human.

Victoria, Mark and David talk more about:

Why the “Shiny Object Syndrome” is an epidemic among entrepreneurs
Why choosing the right goals and plan is so important
Going from “Shiny Object Syndrome” to peaceful, focused action
The five steps to doubling revenue in less time
And more…

Ep.188: Deep Thoughts with Victoria Downing, Mark Harari, and Jack Handey

June 9, 2022 00:28:04

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 and innovate. Victoria discusses how some remodeler’s think it is unacceptable to make strong profits and how to overcome those limiting beliefs. Jack, well Jack is Jack, and there is nothing more to say about him other than listen.

Mark and Victoria talk more about….

Words matter and have consequences, so think before you speak.
Constantly look to break patterns. Check your assumptions and be careful of “expertise”.
Know your worth and expertise and charge appropriately for it.
And more……

Ep.163: [Unscripted Back-Up] Strategy Isn’t Enough with Brian Gottlieb

October 21, 2021 00:30:45

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 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 CEO of Tundraland Home Improvements, which serves all of Wisconsin. He started his business on a plastic folding table, with just $3,000 in cash. Today, Tundraland employs more than 220 people, and revenues are in excess of $42 million.

He calls Tundraland a training organization — developing an employee to his or her full potential is a key point of the company’s strategy. Brian describes the four ways to define your culture, and how to make it stronger, including:

How building a strong culture is like building a ship
How realizing potential depends on others
Examples of the wrong strategies
And more …

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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.78: The Most Powerful Competitive Advantage with Steve Anderson

August 28, 2019 00:38:27

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 — or turn around a faltering one.

Steve’s an author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He’s worked with tens of thousands of professionals to grow and expand their businesses. Steve has spoken at our Remodeler’s Summit and worked with our Roundtables members in the past.

Your company culture is a combination of priorities and processes, and how your team acts on them, that results in how people feel about your company, inside and out. It can happen by default or by definition, but almost all successful cultures happen by design. He tells you how to look at your culture critically, and the steps to take to improve it, including:

Building on natural laws
Defining your priorities
Designing your culture intentionally
The law of emotion
What the 10 Commandments can teach you about changing your culture
Defining your culture in a written document
Setting expectations
Reinforcing acceptable behavior
Why the customer shouldn’t come first
Using your culture in recruiting and hiring
The culture mistakes you may be making
And more …

There’s a copy of Steve’s first written culture guide in his book, The Culture of Success: 10 Natural Laws for Creating a Place Where Everyone Wants to Work. He invites everyone to use that culture guide to create your own — just click the link and make your purchase.

Ep.74: Pheel the Love — How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies with Tom Burgoyne

July 31, 2019 00:22:35

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 him about the importance of customer service in business — and how it can be the difference between being a good company and being a great one.

Tom has applied what he has learned in costume and talks about how the love people have for the Phanatic can be applied to your everyday working life. He’s also the author of Pheel The Love!: How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies — Phillie Phanatic Style !

Tom was working in sales when he answered a blind ad to become the backup to the original Phanatic. He was the backup for four years before stepping up into the primary role. He realized the power of the character and the love the Phanatic generates and has applied the principles to boosting customer service and your company through love and fun, including:

Being authentic
Deciding to be loving
Noticing opportunities to share the love
Acting on the opportunities
The big smooch — making people feel special
Being optimistic consistently as a company
The Love 15 evaluation
And more …

Tom shares some of his most enduring memories as the Phanatic, including leading the 2008 World Series parade, and hot it gets in the costume, and what the Phanatic and Remodelers Advantage have in common.

Tom also has a podcast called Phillies Backstage with Brazer and Burgoyne. And you can check out his page on LinkedIn.

Ep.72: [Unscripted Back-Up] Building a Successful, Profitable Remodeling Company with Brandon Bailey

July 17, 2019 00:27:19

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 you from getting to the next level successfully. So many of our Roundtables members say it takes hard work, yes, but also a concentrated focus and a willingness to look for help from outside your organization when you need it.

In this episode, Victoria and Mark talk to Brandon Bailey, who’s a textbook example of a successful remodeler who made the right moves after deciding to significantly grow his business.

Brandon is an owner of Bailey Remodeling & Construction, a design build company in Louisville, KY. After starting his business in 2005, Brandon was where many of our members were when they were starting out — producing good, reputable work but spinning their wheels with long hours, no systems in place, and no predictable revenue model. Sound familiar?

In 2009, Brandon and his business partner, Jon Steimel, set out to significantly change and grow their business. They’ve done a fantastic job, their awards include being named the 2017 Remodeler of the Year by the Building Industry Association in Louisville.They won two project awards from BIA in 2019. They are now have 10 team members and are looking for more.

Brandon talks about how the company has managed its growth, things to look out for, and what it has meant for the business and his life, including:

The specific challenges when growing
Finding outside resources to help his business
What it was like working with a business coach and peer group
Which KPIs to keep an eye on
Growing his team beyond the two partners
Building a sales system
Establishing a consistent and predictable revenue model
Increasing net profit
What his business and day-to-day life is like now
And more …

Brandon’s story will sound familiar to so many remodelers, and the steps he has taken to build a more successful, profitable remodeling company can be guide your own journey.

Join Remodeling’s Top One Percent

Brandon is a fantastic example of a business owner who took advantage of the Power of Roundtables. Our program is a world-class peer advisory service that brings together smart, motivated remodeling professionals, just like you, to help one another grow.

Want to learn how you can participate in this experienced braintrust? Learn More Here >>

Ep.71: Strategy Isn’t Enough with Brian Gottlieb

July 10, 2019 00:30:01

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.

He defines strategy as an integrated set of choices an organization makes to position against the competition, add value to their customers, and add value to the company. Brian’s “a-ha” moment came last summer, when he understood that when a community is at its full potential, we’re all in a better place; and when an organization is at its full potential, we’re all in a better place. He calls Tundraland a training organization — developing an employee to his or her full potential is a key point of the company’s strategy. Brian describes the four ways to define your culture, and how to make it stronger, including:

How building a strong culture is like building a ship
How realizing potential depends on others
Why Brian doesn’t have drawers in his office
Examples of the wrong strategies
Knowing how to add value for you customers
Why you shouldn’t hire people like you
Finding the root causes of your weaknesses
Why throwing dollars at a problem doesn’t work
The differences between vision and a road map
Why firing someone should never be a surprise
And more …

Including how Brian sees his role in his organization, what he does, and what it means to the culture of his organization.

See Brian Speak at the Annual Remodeler’s Summit

We’re thrilled that Brian will be joining us for two sessions at the 2019 Remodeler’s Summit, Sept. 24-25, in Orlando:

To learn more the Summit event and our line-up of other great speakers, go to Remodelerssummit.com!

Ep.56: The Secret to Successful Employee Reviews with Allison Iantosca

March 20, 2019 0:37:13

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 performance reviews and using them to create an engaged and developmental relationship with your employees.

Allison is the second-generation owner of 40-year-old F.H. Perry Builder, a Boston-area custom remodeling firm focused on building homes and relationships of lasting value.

What happens on the inside of your organization reflects on what happens outside — with your clients and Trade Partners, says Alison. Taking care of your team’s experiences is a strategic step to making the client experience better. She leads you through the most important parts of a successful review process, including:

How often you should do reviews
Learning to love the process
Having the appreciation conversation first
Meeting people where they are
Making changes make sense to the employee
The power of open-ended questions on an evaluation form
Giving your team time to think about it all
Getting to the big picture
Handling the tough conversations
Tools that can help support your team’s growth
And so much more …

There can be so much anxiety and fear about performance reviews, but there doesn’t need to be. By presenting them as opportunities for growth and positive change, you can create a better culture and a stronger company.

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