Remodeling companies are missing a great opportunity for job training by limiting it to the work site. Yes, there does have to be on-site training to learn a skill, but it might take longer because everything is being taught on the job. Here are some ideas to make the most of training your field staff
When it comes to beating the labor shortage, retaining good people is more important than ever. There are plenty of job openings and other great companies to work for. We talk a lot about wages, benefits, and company culture as reasons people stay or go. Especially in a small business, sometimes it comes down to
I love to catch fish. I didn’t say I love to fish. There’s a difference. I love to put fish in the cooler so I can use them for food or bait. True fisherman love the activity of fishing. If they catch some fish, that’s good, but a day fishing with no catch is still
Almost every organization, at one time or another, talks about their workforce as a team. It sounds friendlier, and puts less emphasis on differences in roles and jobs. But not every company works as a team, getting better results, and lessening friction. It’s more than a feel-good term, and if your remodeling company isn’t running
Many remodeling companies do a handoff process shortly before a project starts. If you don’t, here are the basics. Sales, Design and Production meet to go over the job. The purpose is to get the Production staff acquainted with the job and free up Sales and Design to focus on more sales. The meeting can
Every week we ask our PowerTips Unscripted guests to name their favorite business book, and the choices can be surprising — either because they’re new to us or because they’re old favorites that are worth reading again. Mike Medford Sr., Medford Design Build The Power of Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent Peale Mike’s pick is
Company culture — we talk about it frequently in our Podcasts, PowerTips Blog posts and in the Roundtables meetings with our members. It’s an important factor in attracting new employees, and in keeping your existing staff happy and productive. A good company culture encourages growth, and in this business environment, many remodelers are taking on
It’s that time of year again — when we look back to see what worked and what didn’t for your business, the good decisions made and others you’d change. Did this year bring the success you’ve been building toward or was it a challenging year that fell short of your goals? But it’s also time to look forward. To figure out and
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
Is this the scenario for your production meetings? People file into the room in about the same order each week. They sit in the same chairs or lean against the wall in the same place. They sit quietly while you “discuss” information that you think they will appreciate. Then you discuss each job and what
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
Selema Lawson-Jack joins the show and discusses how she found a technology fix to solve an inventory management issue but expanded its capabilities to create efficiencies across the organization and generate revenue simultaneously. She talks about how Sortly, the affordable app she implemented, operates and how she integrated it into the organization successfully. Selema worked
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 Locus of Control is a concept that highlights one’s ability to control the outcomes and events in their lives. When applied in a business, The Locus of Control can increase productivity, and breed ownership and support. The Tim Faller Show welcomes back guest Jef Forward, to share his experiences surrounding the locus of control
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