Claim OwnershipFloor Academy - Helping flooring, tile and stone contractors own an asset
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© 2024 Floor Academy - Helping flooring, tile and stone contractors own an asset
Description
Floor Academy is a podcast hosted by Kyle Hedin that provides small business information and guidance to flooring, tile and stone contractors on how to build a successful and sustainable business. The podcast aims to help contractors move from owning a job to owning an asset, by providing insights and strategies related to management, entrepreneurship, and networking.
Floor Academy covers a range of topics related to flooring, tile and stone business management, including small business advertising, paid traffic, and organic traffic. The podcast also provides information on promotional marketing, LLC setup, simple small business management, and networking strategies.
The podcast aims to help carpet, tile, stone, hardwood, floating floor, and many more types of contractors develop a deep understanding of business management, including effective networking and entrepreneurship strategies, which are crucial to achieving long-term success in the flooring industry. By discussing various topics related to small business management, such as finance, operations, marketing, sales, human resources, branding, advertising, interviewing, taxes, company structures, and more the podcast provides valuable insights to help flooring, tile and stone contractors become successful business owners by answering the question how do i market my small business.
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Send us a Text Message.What changes about your marketing strategy as your business develops around you. What kind of tactics are required as a startup, survival, successful, scaling, or sustainable entity? More than likely referrals won’t be the only thing keeping you business alive past the survival stage.Justin Shaw of Driven for Growth, returns to the show to help us answer the above questions with practical steps to help you move the needle. He works closely with entrepreneurs in the cont...
Send us a Text Message.How do you grow an installation company to more than just installation? You get into the retail side of things and start selling products. It’s as easy as building a relationship with a local store for a kickback to being as complicated as opening up your own store from ground zero and building it up. There is a middle ground of finding a store that is for sale and buying a client base and some systems and processes to help make your life slightly easier.Donald Perkins ...
Send us a Text Message.How do you choose the right software for your business? Recommendations? Trial and error? Research? There are plenty of ways to attack it but one of the most important things to consider is whether or not it fits your business model. Not all software is created equally nor is it created to function as part of every industry.Tom Strachan is the CEO of Service Buddy, and leads a dedicated team in transforming the way flooring companies manage their operations through tech...
Send us a Text Message.It’s not uncommon for me to hear from the audience or clients that they are technology adverse. With the average age of an installer in the industry being over 50 years old, it’s really no surprise that technology is not a major part of their business model or life. Couple that with the fact that technology and hand skills do not always go together and it’s a modern day recipe for disaster. There are simple and easy to use tools readily available to make your business m...
Send us a Text Message.It’s not easy to grow a business and make it efficient. Many of us struggle to make it happen and it doesn’t help that the trades are full of guys with lots of pride and stubbornness. We often times get the mindset that we have to do everything on our own and that because we know our trade well, that we know how to run our business well. Knowing your trade and knowing how to run a business are two separate skills though and we have to normalize this.Mike Somodean is the...
Send us a Text Message.What is it that you actually sell as an installation contractor? If your answer is installs, you are dead wrong. That is what you do but it is not what you sell. You are selling a solution to a problem that someone has and providing them with value. Think about it, if you had a $100 bill in your hand, what would you trade it for? The value of the proposed trade would need to be worth more than the $100 bill or you wouldn’t make the trade. How can you present value to yo...
Send us a Text Message.Do you ever worry about the tax man coming after you? What about any other government agency? Do you even know who can and what it truly takes to avoid getting in trouble? I’m sure most of us pay our taxes correctly enough to remain under the radar but what about OSHA, or the Department of Labor or the Environmental Protection Agency? I never really thought to personally worry about it, but then it came to my attention I may not need to worry about myself or my team. It...
Send us a Text Message.How many times do you follow up with a potential client before you move on? What kind of follow up system do you have? Does any of it involve education? Did you know that the average buying cycle for flooring is 6 to 12 months? How are you staying in front of your prospects so they will use you when they are finally ready?Chris Frate, owner of Pasquale Floors in Cleveland, OH, has grown his business to have multiple crews offering sand and finish services. Started in 20...
Send us a Text Message.Struggling to manage just the field operations? What’s it like to add on the books, marketing, scheduling, deliveries, and bidding? Wearing all the hats is a difficult task that is only multiplied by the facts that we are not good at everything and we don’t enjoy everything. Did you know that you don’t have to do it all? Did you know that your struggles are not unique and many other owners are just like you?Doug Howard is President of Growth Team Strategies, a consultin...
Send us a Text Message.Have you heard bad stories about useless business coaches who don’t produce results? Does the idea of hiring one just completely turn you off? I can’t blame you, not one bit. There are a lot of coaches out there but many of them are really just cheerleaders. They pump you up emotionally but don’t ever provide any tools to truly change the business. What is it that you are actually buying and what is that you are actually wanting? Does your business even need help?Justin...
Send us a Text Message.I hear stories from retail store owners all the time on how potential subs come in and ask if they are hiring and then the follow up is how much do you pay. This is a horrible approach in my opinion as you are your own business and need to be telling them what you expect. Besides the pay portion though, what about asking what struggles they have with their current subs or what their most common callback complaints are? Can you find a unique niche to solve for the retail...
Send us a Text Message.Where do you even begin starting a business? Many of us just end up out on our own after we learn the skillset thinking that’s all we need. It’s not the case and business knowledge is not the first thing we often seek. This is a major problem for small business owners in general but is easily fixable.Paul Wilke, is the owner of Masterpiece Floors in Corona, CA. With years of experience under his belt as a sand and finish craftsman, as well as, being an owner/operator as...
Send us a Text Message.We have all seen the jack of all trades guys, or the guy that offer carpet, hardwood, tile, sheet goods, etc. How about the guys and gals that are doing residential one week and commercial the next. Sure it can all be done but each thing is technically a different model and they all require knowing the ins and outs of each so that you can properly run your business as efficiently as possible. If they are being run as one in the same, it can lead to cash flow problems, s...
Send us a Text Message.In most cases the sales persons handles the sales of a project. What happens if the installer can upsell a design floor while working on the project? What about the occasional neighbor asking for a bid? Can the installer cash in and get a small commission for their efforts on top of their labor pay? I say yes, and think we need to look at how manage our businesses differently.Jerry Levinson, former owner of Carpets of Arizona and now business coach, disagrees with my ab...
Send us a Text Message.The economy ebbs and flows which means our businesses do as well. Some are better at planning ahead than others. For those that may be struggling to find work right now with an economy with rampant inflation and the lower income levels and middle class starting to feel the squeeze, we need to get creative to find clients. It’s not the same as it was just 3 years ago where as long as you had a phone number and a pulse you could land a project. How do you find a way to se...
Send us a Text Message.Where do you actually make money? I used to think it was in the field. That was where I did the work that produced the revenue for the company. Therefore you make your money in the field. I learned that was a lie. Revenue is produced in the field but made behind the desk. When you truly know your numbers and study your business to know your costs, then you can create efficiencies to earn more and keep more. Weston Zimmerman, a former landscaper/hardscaper and now CEO of...
Send us a Text Message.Where do you find employees? How do you recruit? How do you retain them? All great questions that are consistently asked. Most of the time we are finding guys and gals from current employees, online posts, or the fact that the neighbor kid needs some work. This works to a point but it doesn’t help us grow a mainstream presence or grow a larger reach for our industry.Jim Tsigos of Tsigos Construction in Delran, NJ has been in construction for 24 years. No stranger to hir...
Send us a Text Message.Traditionally in the trades, boys will follow in their father’s footsteps and pick up the family business. This is a timeless tale. Only in modern society has it begun to change where kids run off with their own ideas of what they want to become and accomplish. It’s not so bad overall, but how can we create the next generation of flooring professionals while still giving freedom of choice?Dennis DiCarlo has built up a strong retail business and is now looking to expand ...
Send us a Text Message.Starting a business is rough. Just because you know how to do something does not mean you know how to sell it. From there is only gets more complicated as you have to learn how to market yourself, what to charge, how to manage a schedule, and so much more. Everyone is told there is no money in construction unless you go out on your own and yet no one is telling you how to do it. Natalie Hall, owns and operates Artistry in Tile in Hudson, WI. From the age of 12 she ...
Send us a Text Message.What’s the difference between being a painter, welder, plumber, framer, flooring installer, tile setter, or stone mason? What’s the difference between the country you live in compared to others around the world? Do you really think that your individual location, clientele opportunities, education opportunities and other conditions have that big of an effect on what you can accomplish? Tom Cockerill is the co-owner of Cockerill & Co with his wife Sarah. They own and ...
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so, I'm an apprentice in Missouri, thr problem that I've run into is journeymen that think I'm out to take their jobs. I buy a tool or 2 a week and every Friday I ask hey what do I need to pick up or what should I get, and for thr longest time I was told oh don't worry your fine. I'd ask a question and would be told don't worry you don't need to know that yet. when I'd ask a question