Mark:Today on PowerTips Unscripted, we talked to Bjorn Johnson, general manager of TraVek Remodeling and Roofing. Your company’s reputation is everything, but do you know how to build one that stands the test of time? Your audience here to share how their focus on quality, innovation and customer satisfaction has driven their success. We’ll dive into their journey, the challenges they faced, and the secrets behind delivering exceptional service.
 
Mark:And we’ll hear all about it in just a minute.
 
Victoria:All day. Hi, I’m Victoria Downing, and welcome to PowerTips Unscripted, where we talk about tips, tactics and techniques to help you build a strong, profitable remodeling company. And I’m here with my co-host, Mark Harari.
 
Mark:How are you today?
 
Victoria:I’m great. It’s kind of gloomy outside, but I’m feeling pretty sunny here inside our little studio.
 
Mark:And that’s sweet. Yeah, it’s been raining for, like, a week in Baltimore.
 
Victoria:Yeah. So I’m excited about today’s episode, though. It’s a little bit of a of a case study of sorts of a successful company that we’ve known for quite some time.
 
Mark:Yeah, it’s. That’s cool. It’s a good idea.
 
Victoria:Yeah. You know, I’d like to. I always like to have people on as guests who share best practices that, you know, our our listeners can R&D, as we say.
 
Mark:R&D, baby.
 
Victoria:Rip off and duplicate that. So shall we go?
 
Mark:Yeah. Let’s go. Jump in.
 
Victoria:All right. Today I’m delighted to welcome Bjorn Johnson, the general manager of travel Remodeling and Roofing based out of the Phoenix area. Bjorn, thank you for joining us.
 
Bjorn:Yeah. You bet. I’m happy to be here.
 
Victoria:Yeah. You know, you guys, we’ve known you for quite a while. I’ve known your company and several people on your team and, you know, you hire. You have a great reputation in that market, so. But before we get into too much of the brass tacks, give us a little bit of history on TraVek. And when you joined the team.
 
Bjorn:Yeah, absolutely. So we’ve been in this market for quite some time going on on 24 years now. And TraVek started as as a family owned and operated business. And and surprisingly, actually, we were doing fishponds to begin with.
 
Victoria:Really.
 
Bjorn:As we, as we were getting our start. And so, even doing ponds and some landscaping and just kind of evolved into something much, much bigger over the last 24 years. And now we’ve, we’ve built the business that is is profitable and sustainable and is growing and has a great team with a really solid vision and plan.
 
Bjorn:I’ve been here with TraVek for, a little over a year and a half now. I actually came from the tech industry for the last 20 years in my career. And so this was a great transition for me into an awesome industry.
 
Victoria:Would you mind sharing with us, give us a rough idea of what the revenue annual revenue is. Petrovic. And how many employees?
 
Bjorn:Yeah. You bet. So we’re we’re right at around $10 million in revenue. Employee base is is close to 30.
 
Victoria:30 people. All right. Great. So, Bjorn, how is TraVek different from the competitors?
 
Bjorn:That’s a great question. I mean, we we have a phrase here that we communicate to the market where we say we deliver the ultimate trail experience. And if you can imagine it, which you guys can, because you’re in the industry, but somebody who has to go through a process that is stressful and they’re surprises and there’s unknowns.
 
Bjorn:We really try to do our best to mitigate all of that and, and create an experience from the first time that they talk to somebody at our front desk all the way through to when their project is complete, that it is truly the ultimate traffic experience. And it’s different than the stressful situations that they would be in.
 
Bjorn:Or the fear or the unknowns that they experience other places.
 
Victoria:So, you know, I gotta say, I’ve heard so similar claims, so to speak, from other companies. How is TraVek doing creating this ultimate experience? Say, what’s different?
 
Bjorn:Yeah. I think it starts with really dialing in the customer journey and understanding who our customer is. And what that customer journey should be. And, you know, we we took some time to dig in under the hood and to look at, you know, what experience our customers have, in each of those buckets in our customer journey and then putting in systems and processes in place to say, hey, we’re going to be able to replicate this every single time.
 
Bjorn:It’s not going to be a surprise. And no matter where they’re at in that journey, they’re going to get that ultimate traffic experience because we’ve put the legwork in on the front end to make sure that it’s replicable and scalable, and that every customer has a similar positive experience.
 
Mark:Is that something that’s written down? Is it a formal document internally?
 
Bjorn:Absolutely.
 
Mark:Yeah. So yeah.
 
Bjorn:It’s a formal, formal document for sure. So.
 
Mark:So how many employees are you guys talking about right now?
 
Victoria:I only said about 30.
 
Bjorn:We’re around 30.
 
Mark:Yeah. So, so that’s something that’s part of their training, obviously, and something that is a part of our employee handbook or.
 
Bjorn:Yeah. So it’s it’s both it’s manuals. It’s handbooks, it’s SOPs. And then of course, you know, onboarding for role specific. You know, we take somebody through that, that journey. We like to think of our customers not only as external, but, you know, our employees, our customers as well. And so when we say providing that ultimate terrific experience that starts with the employee when they onboard and understanding what that journey is for them and how they can then communicate that over to the customer in whichever part of the customer journey that they’re involved in.
 
Bjorn:From day one, when they start with train back data.
 
Victoria:Now, you’ve only been there a year and a half or so, but were you involved in the development of this journey and this experience?
 
Bjorn:Yeah, one, one really nice thing and one of the things that attracted me to travel so much is the foundation that TraVek had before I came on board was really, really solid. I’m, I’m a process guy. I’m a I’m a data guy. I like to, to understand how the data can drive really, sound decisions from a strategy standpoint.
 
Bjorn:So coming on board, it was so refreshing to be able to see that there was a foundation in place. And, you know, part of my role as the integrator in the business was to be able to say, okay, we’ve got these things on paper, we’ve got these things written down. Now, how do we truly get buy in and truly integrate these processes and these systems throughout the organization to where we can replicate that experience for every customer?
 
Victoria:So how did you do that? How did you get buy in from. I mean, it’s a lot of people to be convincing. And did you lose anybody?
 
Bjorn:Yeah, I mean I think it starts at the lowest level. You know, we’ve met as a leadership team and talk through, okay, is this really what’s best for TraVek and are these are the policies and these are the processes, and are these the systems that we want that are going to be the biggest magnitude of impact for our employees?
 
Bjorn:And then from that point, you know, we take it down to the lowest level and we get buy in at the very lowest level to say, hey, this is what success looks like for you and your role. If you do these things, we have happy customers. We’ve got repeat business, we’ve got referrals. But there’s always fallout, right?
 
Bjorn:When when you look at performance and accountability and you ask someone to do something that’s systematized, there’s going to be some kickback. If there’s some people that have done things one way for so long.
 
Victoria:Right, right. In 24 years, a lot of history. I’m sure you had a lot of people that had been there for many, many years.
 
Bjorn:Absolutely.
 
Victoria:So as the general manager in the integrator, the onboarding is very important getting that buy in. What other challenges did you face in trying to create this experience?
 
Bjorn:Yeah, I think, the biggest thing when when you think about outside of buy in is, is really landing on what is the right system, what is the right process. And, and from a sales standpoint, my, my background being VP of sales and VP of marketing for different, global companies in the tech industry, I recognized very quickly that having a roadmap in place, is just the first step, right?
 
Bjorn:And then proving that out to make sure that roadmaps, actually the right roadmap, based off of historical data and things like that is a really important step. And so that was that’s part of the obstacle is to say, okay, we we think this is great, but let’s get some feedback from third parties and from our customers. And from the market to understand, is this really the right system or process?
 
Mark:So you guys, do you, do you consider, separate divisions, the remodeling and versus the, roofing?
 
Bjorn:We do. Yeah. So they’re they’re completely separate verticals and divisions. Yeah.
 
Mark:It is. I would assume there’s two journeys, two different processes for for each. Right.
 
Bjorn:You nailed it. Yeah. There’s some crossover. Right. But the journey is very different. Yeah.
 
Mark:Yeah, yeah.
 
Victoria:So you’re talking about some of the challenges and looking at historic info when you put this into place, how long do you give it before you start digging in to see if it’s working?
 
Bjorn:Well, I, I’m big on starting as you mean to go on. So doing the legwork beforehand and doing the research and putting feelers out there before you roll something out and just, you know, for lack of better terms, throw something against the wall and hope it sticks. We we did a good job of, really doing that research before rolling it out, because the last thing you want with your teams is something new every month that you’re just trying.
 
Victoria:Flavor of the week, right?
 
Bjorn:Yeah. Then it looks like from a leadership standpoint that you don’t know what the heck you’re doing.
 
Victoria:Right? So also you have these employees that have been there a long time, but you also had top of the pyramid people who had been there for a long time, I imagine family business and all that. Yeah. How did you deal with pushback and a change from the top from the head of the organization?
 
Mark:
 
Bjorn:I love that question.
 
Mark:
 
Bjorn:You know, anytime there’s a changing of the guard, if you will, there’s going to be those that are a little nervous about it. And so just having that open communication as far as expectations and vision, I think is, was really, really important. We’ve got an amazing leadership team. And Vaughn, who, you know, it’s such a great job of really creating a culture of learning and forward thinking and openness and and putting Trey back first in all things.
 
Bjorn:And so, again, that made my job coming in as general manager really, really easy with a solid leadership team. Obviously there’s some adjustments that get made. Yeah, I’m that happens. But you know, just that mentality that had already been created made it relatively seamless to be able to roll new things out, have strong initiatives and, and, just turn the dial a little bit on things that would move the needle.
 
Victoria:So sort of a personal question for me and, you know, being in the positions you were in and these global organizations, what attracted you to what, even at 10 million, would people would consider a small business?
 
Bjorn:Yeah. I the biggest thing for me is really I had an opportunity to kind of step, step back, take a step back in my career. I had been involved in a couple of startups, and that put me in a, a really great position to exit some of those companies and then think about, well, what do I want to do and where do I want to be?
 
Bjorn:And I’ve been in tech for a long time, which is pretty grueling, very, very high paced. There’s sprints on an ongoing basis. And so when I found TraVek and I recognized where they were at, from a growth standpoint, the foundation that that they had, even though for, you know, most perspectives, 10 to 15 million is still a small business.
 
Bjorn:I saw tons of opportunity there, with a really strong company that had a strong foundation. And, you know, from a visionary standpoint, I was excited about where Max headed and where I could potentially take him then.
 
Mark:So that’s a that’s another awesome thing about having the reputation and this good foundation you attract really good talent.
 
Victoria:So this again, another little slightly off topic question, but a lot of our members and leaders of companies with which we work are getting to the point where they want to transition themselves. And many of them are looking to bring on a general manager. What advice would you give some of those companies if they are considering making that move?
 
Bjorn:I would say the set up is is really important. Those that have owned businesses or been in CEO positions, they recognize this internal struggle of letting go, and, you know, it’s your baby and, and you’ve taken it so far and it’s, it can be very, very difficult to turn some of that power over to someone else or give the autonomy to a general manager or somebody in a key leadership position.
 
Bjorn:The ability to really cripple your business if it’s done wrong. And so I think there’s fear there. You know, the biggest advice that I would give, and this is something that that Vaughn and I do on an ongoing basis, you know, we’ve got weekly touch touchpoint meetings together. And again, he’s an amazing mentor and an amazing leader.
 
Bjorn:But one thing that he does really well is he allows me to communicate the vision for where I want to integrate the business. He asks questions, he stays curious. He doesn’t jump right in to just give his piece and tell me what to do, but instead he understands what I’m trying to do. And then he approaches it as more of a mentor and more of a leader to really guide where he thinks the vision should go, but at the end of the day, leaves that control on that power.
 
Bjorn:And as general manager, stand to make those difficult decisions because as a CEO or president of a company or owner of a company, you’re turning that over for a reason. And it’s because you either want to take a step back or you need the business to go to the next level. And so getting out of your own way, I think, is probably one of the most important things that somebody can do in that, in that role.
 
Mark:That’s awesome. More.
 
Victoria:Yeah, that was very, very well said, I must say.
 
Mark:Very good. Well, Darren, how about if I pepper you with six questions. Let’s do it for the lightning round.
 
Bjorn:Yeah. And now here’s the reminders. Advantage lightning round.
 
Victoria:It’s a.
 
Mark:All right. Here we go. Six questions and 60s. What’s your favorite business book and why.
 
Bjorn:And favorite business book is secrets of Question based selling. I think questions are the key to a strong sales conversation.
 
Mark:So, you know, my sales pitch is coming soon. If you weren’t a general manager, what do you think you’d be doing?
 
Bjorn:I would, most likely be a firefighter. I fought wildland fires for a while when I was younger, and I really enjoyed that. And so, I’d probably probably look at something like that.
 
Mark:What are you not very good at?
 
Bjorn:I’m not very good at, organizing myself in a way that I don’t, take all the responsibility. So I think delegation is, is something that I can definitely work on. I’m a control freak to a certain extent, and so I can get better at sharing that to other people.
 
Mark:Great iPhone or Android?
 
Bjorn:Absolutely. IPhone.
 
Mark:What’s the last thing you binge watched?
 
Bjorn:Last thing I binge watched? Wow, I don’t even I can’t remember the last time I just saw that I’m binge watched something, to be honest with you.
 
Mark:Name a thing you refuse to share.
 
Bjorn:My, my time with my family.
 
Mark:There you go.
 
Bjorn:I that I hold pretty precious.
 
Mark:Oh, so that’s great.
 
Victoria:This this is wonderful person. I really appreciate your insights. And not only sharing the info about travel and its journey, but yours too. And and what? You know, what other people would think about when they’re thinking about that transition or taking that next step. But before I let you go, first of all, you have your own podcast, don’t you?
 
Bjorn:We do. Yeah.
 
Victoria:So how do people find out about that?
 
Bjorn:So simple to find out. We’re on YouTube. We’re on all of the streaming channels, but you can go to our website or our social media. Our podcast is called Before the Hammer Strikes. It’s everything a homeowner or a business owner needs to know before they send somebody out to their home or before they go into that contract period with, with a remodel journey.
 
Victoria:Okay. Before the hammer strikes. Thank you for that. Now, before I let you go, I would love for you to share your five words of wisdom with our listening audience and tell us why they resonate with you.
 
Bjorn:Yeah. You bet. So five words of wisdom is focus on your can column. And, that’s important to me because, you know, I give a sales training to my people, about what you can control, what you can’t control. And those that are successful focus only on the things they can control, and they don’t leave time for all the things that they can’t control anyway.
 
Bjorn:And so, if somebody can just stay strong at focusing on their can column, then they’ll be successful no matter what they do.
 
Victoria:Great philosophy. Thank you very much. This has been a lot of fun. I appreciate you being on it was was great.
 
Bjorn:Yeah. You bet. Thanks for having.
 
Victoria:Me. You best beard. Thank you. Your. Well, that was pretty interesting, wasn’t it?
 
Mark:It’s always interesting.
 
Victoria:You know.
 
Mark:Podcasts are very interesting to me. Yeah.
 
Victoria:And just hearing somebody’s perspective and somebody who comes from outside the industry, he’s putting things into place that we read about so often. The customer journey, the the experience, they’re doing it, which is great.
 
Mark:You you have to understand, you know, it’s all about the customer journey, the empathy and knowing what they’re experiencing so you can improve your process is to make it better for them. And that’s what makes you a leader in the industry, and that’s what builds your reputation at the end of the day. Right. I mean, I just can’t imagine the work that went into it for, for two different verticals, too, because, you know, you feel like this is a lot of work.
 
Victoria:You know, you know, okay. So you’re saying that now. And he said they did their work up front. They did a deep dive. They did a lot of things before they tried to put this into place. As a marketing pro yourself, what is what are some of the things that people need to do to find and identify that buyer persona?
 
Mark:You got a it’s a lot of research. I mean, you start with your team internally, right? Get get find out what everybody’s doing, what what what are their connections and interactions with the clients. It takes a lot of not just testimonials and asking for feedback in that way, but surveying the clients, you know, asking them for constant feedback, not just at the end of the project, all the way through, getting getting feedback on multiple touchpoints as you go is going to help you dial that in, as opposed to wait until the end, especially if you’re running longer project six months, you’re not going to remember the good things or the bad things over a
 
Mark:5 or 6 month period, and that’s juicy information that you can build into your process every, every, unless you have it dialed in like TraVek does. It’s not always going to be the same exact journey. It’s not going to be the same experience for every client. You know, it depends on which project manager, which, you know, which crew is out there.
 
Mark:And that’s what you want to eliminate, really. Because then you can have what did he call it, the TraVek back. Just.
 
Victoria:The trainer.
 
Mark:Actually. The ultimate tree.
 
Victoria:That’s experience. Right?
 
Mark:If you’re going to step out there in the world and have, a phrase like that, you know, a quote, not a slogan, a slogan. Thank you.
 
Victoria:Yes. You’re going to be able to deliver.
 
Mark:You got to deliver on that, right? I mean, so, yeah, it’s it was great stuff. And I also just love the fact that their ultimate experience and their, their reputation drew somebody from an entirely different industry. Right, who obviously is highly skilled, highly talented, and is definitely a star player on the team. Oh yeah. And he sought them out.
 
Victoria:Yep, yep.
 
Mark:So so it goes beyond that. It’s just helps your company. Overall I loved I loved when he said, you know our employees are our customers as well. Yes, absolutely. Do you ever think about that. You know you have to worry about your employees journeys professionally through the company and what’s their day to day. And it helps with some of the stuff you talked about at summit with employee burnout, right.
 
Mark:And things like that. So all of this is I mean, it’s just far reaching, right?
 
Victoria:Right. Helping them build a dynamo company. So yeah, that’s great. Good stuff.
 
Mark:I like that word dynamo. I, I well, we want to thank Bjorn for sharing his insights on the TraVek, the ultimate TraVek experience. And we want to thank you for listening week in and week out. I am Mark Harari.
 
Victoria:And I’m Victoria Downing. See you next time.