DYB Podcast

DYB Podcast

By Steve Burnett (DYB Coach)BusinessEntrepreneurshipManagement
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DYB Podcast episodes

  • How to Get Countless Referrals from “Virtual Lead Partners”

    Employees that don’t work for you, do you have any of these? I am not talking subcontractors.
    I want to share with you my three that I have employees that don’t work for me, but give me a lot of work.

    I am Ron Ramsden and a DYB coach, also a painting contractor up here in beautiful New England.
    Upon the ski slopes today, just finished riding one of these and I was thinking of this, and I wanted to share it.

    So, employees that don’t work for us. We all belong to a lot of networking groups, we find a lot of value there, but we also have other employees, let me show you what I mean.

    Well, I have an insurance agent who is not in my networking group, but this is my insurance agent I have had for 20 years.

    I have so much insured with him, liabilities, the vehicles, Workman’s Comp., our houses and our Umbrella policies and he probably thinks I am insured for, I don’t even know what I am insured for.

    But anyway, they don’t refer me any work, but I give them checks every single month, so I asked to talk to the owner who I knew from about 20 years ago, their agency has grown substantially since back then.

    I met with him, we had a quick coffee, and then he allowed me to share to the rest of his company one breakfast.

    I brought in some donuts, some coffee, and they let me introduce myself and most of them knew me because I am in there a lot anyway, but no one ever refers me.

    So, I asked them if the people who come in with water complain or some water damage, or maybe some smoke damage, who do they refer to?

    And they usually have a self-pro or something like that, one of the big companies, what happens if they are smaller claim? They don’t refer anybody.

    I asked them if they would please refer me, or if they at least think of me and pass on my card and my information, which they have.

    And in the last 6 months, we’ve received 6 different referrals from them and some of them have been substantial after we dug into the proposal a little further.

    Second, my local plumber and electrician; these two guys I see at the coffee shop all the time.

    As you know, some of you who have been following me, I give out pies, these guys were there, and then we struck up a conversation, I asked them… when you guys do all that damage to a wall, cutting in for pipe or electricity, who fixes it?

    They said, not us… And I know you have been in the painting trays for long enough, sometimes they cut holes that aren’t needed because they are searching for something.

    Well, I told these two that they could be in my club 50, I explained to them what that was, where I give them $50 for every successful job that I sold, that they referred me.

    Well, guess what? About a year ago this all started happening, and I have been handing them $50 bills when I see them at the coffee, quite regularly.

    They are so happy when I hand them the $50, you know, the next time they cut a hole in that wall, who are they going to hand a card to and give them all my information?

    They actually now text me with the information of the client who they have just given me the information.

    And then thirdly, we all want our paint rep to give us work, you know, Benjamin Moore, Sherman Williams, we think about it, when we give them all these work and they never refer us to anybody.

    Well, you’ve got to understand that some of these reps have 300 painting clients underneath them, and if they find out that someone needs a house painting or something like that, they can’t always give it to 300 people.

    But if you do something unique in your company, and I am going to give you an example.

    We did some dry ice blasting for a customer, I never knew what dry ice blasting was, but we did some research, which was actually using power ice, dry ice and blasting it to strip paint.

    Well, we shared this with him, we shared the videos with him, we took it, we sent it to him and I did some follow-up with him.

    You know something? Less than 3 months later, I got called for a dry-ice blast from this rep, that they had a problem, they needed someone to take care of it, and I was the first one that they thought about.

    You know, he can’t be handing out this exterior paint for every contractor he has, but if you have something unique that you can show you are a professional at doing, share that with him and he will be thinking about you the next time something comes up.

    Anyways, I hope this helped? I would love for you to share some of the employees that don’t work for you. In this, please make a comment so that other people watching this video, they can see, and maybe they can add to it and they can get some great ideas.

    Anyways, I am Ron Ramsden and I am a DYB coach, also a painting contractor way up here in New England and I am about ready to go back on the slopes.

    If you would like to reach me, it’s [email protected], and you can also reach me on Facebook, send me a message and I would love to chat. Have a great day, and hire some non-employees, bye…

    P.S. Here's our FREE Video Testimonial Checklist: https://dybcoach.com/video-testimonial-checklist/

    5 min
  • Implement This So That Employees Know Exactly What Is Required Of Them for a Raise

    Oh no! One of your employees just asked for a raise. Yes, you got to give them more money, at least that’s what they are expecting.

    I am Ron Ramsden, I am a DYB coach, also a painting contractor here in Massachusetts.
    If you have employees, crew members, team players, whatever you call them; they are expecting a raise. You know, being on the job long enough, you know the tail science. You get a text about it, you get a… when you are on a job, “hey, can I talk to you for a moment?” Or you get that phone call when you are giving them directions or you are giving them something else. “Oh, I wanted to ask you something, do you have a minute?” They are not asking if you have any extra sandpaper, they are asking if you will give them more money.

    And if you say no, what happens? Is the person going to work at 75% because they think they are getting over-worked, they are over-producing? They saw you drive up in a new truck so they think that they are paying for that new truck? Of course, they do.

    But, one way to keep everything on the same page so they know when they expect to get a raise is magic two words, called “Job Description”. Every job in your company should have a job description, and this should be shared with your employees, in fact, they should be in your employee manual, and you can update them as you see because technology and other things change, responsibilities change.

    You might change a job that includes two jobs, or some responsibilities from one job. And you take something like the apprentice, you have the job description of an apprentice, whatever it may be, and then it will have certain points for them to hit.

    When they hit these certain points and they have been working, they can accomplish these tasks, well they are up for a raise. Maybe 6 months, maybe a year, and then we also get some employees who enjoy just being that employee and maybe they are just a painter, we want to keep that. If they are not willing to touch all those new points in their job description, or maybe they just want to be a painter.

    But give these people a chance to grow, learn new tasks, and then accelerate and be with the company. There is really no timeframe for us for an employee, if we have a person who has been an apprentice for 6 months or a year, they don’t automatically get a raise. They have to reach different areas in their job description and complete it, work at full capacity for so long, and then they are considered for a new job description.

    But I will tell you something, it does nothing more to motivate someone, to bring them into a coffee meeting, or whatever you are having, they are reviewed and say, okay, listen, you have been working great, you’ve hit every point in your job description and it is time for you to take on a new role. If they decide they don’t want to take on a new role, that’s fine too. I have painters who don’t want the responsibility of being a crew leader, that is perfectly fine, but there is also a pay rate, we have a range of pay in every job description.

    Of course, over time you have to adjust those pay rate changes as the economy changes, but we will have overlap between the apprentice and the painter and then the painter and the crew leader, we have overlaps in pay. Someone could actually max out, a painter could max out, we are going to say $20 an hour is the max for a painter.

    They could be stuck at $20 an hour for quite some time, and unless that pay range goes up, they could be stuck at $20, the only way for them to get extra money is to take on more responsibility, which then leads into the next job description.

    Also, if there is a question on a job or something didn’t get done, we could actually go back to the job description and say whose responsibility was that? if the crew leader, or team leader or whatever you call the leader of the band of painters is not doing their job, you have to come back and say, listen you have to sit down and either reprimand them or just go over the inadequacies of the job, the project.

    And if they say it’s not me, you could actually take out their job description and say, this is part of your job. So, it kind of gets rid of a lot of arguments, it allows people to know who’s in charge, it allows people on the job know who’s responsible for that, and just because they are a paint crew leader doesn’t mean they are not responsible for sanding. As their jobs go up, they are still responsible for all those things below them.

    But, it also takes that argument and that surprise, texts or the phone call, as they pull you aside, when you are on a job and they ask that raise, “hey I need a $2 an hour raise”, you know, “hey, I got an offer for a job somewhere else at $2 an hour extra”, you know. Unfortunately we have to hold our ground in most cases, and bring up the job description and say well, you know, your range is $15 to $20 an hour, you are at $19 right now, you are doing 90% of the things, maybe you can’t squeeze out that dollar for them or that 50 cents.

    What I would also say is, maybe change your raise increments to percentages. Many of my friends, colleagues who are outside the painter’s field… an average, excellent rating on raise is about 3%. You look at that as at a $20 an hour, raise would be 60 cents, that might not be painter’s industry standards, but the outside world, it is done by percentages, not dollar amounts like the painters are.

    Anyways, if you are struggling, giving raises, you are getting hit left and right about, ….I want a raise, I want a raise, I want a raise… one way to curb all that is have job descriptions, we have many job descriptions we would love to share. If you need a job description, just send me a message, or put a comment here. I am more than happy to touch base with you and see how we can help you with some job descriptions.

    I hope this helped a little bit, I am Ron Ramsden, I am a DYB coach, also a painting contractor, helping you get through the world of painting business, I hope you have a great day, bye.

    P.S. Here's 11 Interview Questions for Hiring an All-Star Team: https://dybcoach.com/11-Interview-Questions/

    7 min
  • EP46 Cameron Loughlin: Doubling His Business Without Paying for Leads
    SUMMARY:

    In this episode of the DYB Podcast, Steve shares the mic with Cameron Loughlin; CEO and Founder of Mountain Skyline Painting in Denver, CO. Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Cameron got a degree in Atmospheric Science and previously held a career as a morning-time meteorologist. After becoming jaded by the industry, he then decided to move to Denver to begin his painting business, starting with zero experience and a burning commitment to make it work. Enjoy this episode as both discuss how big a difference systems-thinking played in the business, as well as multiple testimonies to the power of the DYB System.

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    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
    • How the DYB System has completely transformed Cameron’s Business
    • How to build a REAL sales process (instead of paying for leads)
    • How Cameron built a Painting Business with ZERO Experience
    • The importance of a “Go-Giver” Mindset

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    QUOTES:

    “I didn’t know a whole lot about painting. But I knew customer service, and approached the company as a customer service company that happened to do painting.” “If I could describe the early days; I was full of excitement, adrenaline, and fear...following the hustle mentality. Saying ‘I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m going to knock on some doors and see what happens.’” “I think to an extent there’s management involved, but when you have guys who just do things the right way and want to impress, then things go well.” “Every day I have this idea of who I am and where I’m going now that I’m following a system, instead riding a horse and just trying to hang on as it runs as fast as it can.”

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    HIGHLIGHTS:

    [3:16] What does Cameron’s business look like as of now, Q4 of 2018? [12:49] Going back, what did Cameron’s business look like in 2016? [21:37] What were the big mindset shifts Cameron went through after joining DYB? [26:15] Cameron’s advice to contractors stuck in the “Pay for Leads” racket

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    LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    Join DYB

    The Go Giver -- Bob Burg What Does a Great Painting Experience Look Like? -- DYB Blog Post The Obstacle is the Way -- Ryan Holiday Rotary International BNI

    ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

    Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

     --------------

    Connect with Cameron Loughlin on Facebook here

    Connect with Steve on Facebook here

     --------------

    Press and hold to visit the page

    Show Page Notes

     --------------

    Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

    34 min
  • EP45 Tom Lopatosky: How to ‘Deliver Every Time’ & Introduce Your Customer to a Solution to Their Problem
    SUMMARY:

    Today’s guest is Tom Lopatosky, the owner of Lopco Contracting out of Providence, Rhode Island. During college, Tom was presented with the opportunity to run a student painting franchise and grabbed it.

    He was 18-years-old at the time and had to find a way to pay for school.

    Though Tom encountered many difficulties in his first year, he continued to run the franchise every summer and gained more confidence each time.

    Upon graduating with a major in marketing and finance, Tom was faced with making the decision of going to work for someone else or starting a business on his own.

    He chose to be an entrepreneur but ended up on a peculiar path which allowed him to both work on his own business and continue running the franchise.

    Tom discusses how he came to an agreement with the franchiser that enabled this unique situation, which was heavily influenced by Tom’s strong work ethic and desire to always exceed customer expectation. He also shares tips about networking and how he runs his business day-to-day.

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    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
    • How Tom found flexibility from the franchise he worked under.
    • How to get the mindset of “deliver every time.”
    • How to overcome nervousness and meet people at networking events.
    • Marketing tactics that are working for Tom.
    • Believing in something and following it through.

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    QUOTES:

    “Everybody’s conditioned with ‘you have to go to school’…In the grand scheme of things, I can say it was great for putting a foundation in place…But, I learned a lot more just getting out there and running my business on my own…than anyone would have ever been able to teach me in school.”

    “You’ve got to stack the deck. In other words, you need to put the chips so far in your corner that when you ask them something, it’s like they don’t have a choice but to work on something with you.”

    “At Business Network International, if you find the right group, it works better than anything else from a networking standpoint because it’s so structured. If you follow their system, you will get business.”

    “I love to talk about myself. I’ll talk about myself all day, but I have to discipline myself to stay on the line…Find out everything you can about this person. That’s your goal…You want to get them to talk about themselves as much as possible.”

    “If you can, as a business, help your clients out by introducing them to a solution for a problem they have, they’re going to pay you to do it if they have that kind of trust in you. I think that’s a big part of the growth of a business.”

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    HIGHLIGHTS:

    [02:47] How did Tom get started in painting?

    [06:03] What was it like when Tom graduated and decided to start his own business?

    [09:58] Where did Tom’s mindset of exceeding expectations and providing a great customer experience come from?

    [13:27] How did it go when Tom tried negotiating with the franchiser?

    [15:47] What does the mindset of “deliver every time” look like?

    [17:28] What was it like for Tom to run a franchise and start his own business at the same time?

    [19:10] Has Tom found that he’s had to do a lot of reprogramming to grow his business and himself?

    [20:47] Had Tom dove into personal business development early in his entrepreneurial life?

    [22:18] How did Tom generate leads when he was starting to break away from the franchise?

    [26:37] What does Tom’s business look like today?

    [28:17] What is Tom’s system for open networking?

    [36:45] What advertising methods are working for Tom?

    [39:22] How does Tom find employees?

    [42:52] What else is Tom involved in besides the painting business?

    [44:48] What is the administration of Tom’s painting business like?

    [48:09] Where does Tom’s drive come from?

    [53:22] What are some resources that inspire Tom?

    [56:31] What final points would Tom like to make?

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    LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    Join DYB

    Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition

    Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

    Endless Referrals

    No B.S. Business Success

    Magnetic Marketing

    How to Win Friends & Influence People

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

    No B.S. Direct Marketing: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Direct Marketing for Non-Direct Marketing Businesses

    Gary Vaynerchuk

    I Love Marketing

    http://www.lopcocontracting.com/

    https://www.facebook.com/CheerUPAthletics/

    https://www.instagram.com/cheerupathletics/

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_TIHhdcLe_z45bMLTcTuzg

    ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

    Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

     --------------

    Connect with Tom Lopatosky on Facebook here

    Connect with Steve on Facebook here

     --------------

    Press and hold to visit the page

    Show Page Notes

     --------------

    Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

    1 hr
  • EP44 Jim Kaloutas What It's Like Running a $21M Painting Business
    SUMMARY:

    Jim Kaloutas, owner of Kaloutas Painting in New England. Jim immigrated to the USA from Greece with his family at a very young age. His father got a job with Jim’s entrepreneurial uncle as a painter, which exposed Jim to the painting industry early in his life.

    Jim went to college after high school only to drop out after one month of class. He felt that he wasn’t ready for college and didn’t have the discipline necessary, so he returned to what he knew: painting.

    He started the business with his father over thirty years ago, and while they did have sporadic arguments, it was a great partnership.

    Jim learned a lot from his father, but the most crucial thing passed down was his father’s work ethic.

    Jim says that people sometimes compliment him on his own work ethic, but he argues that his does not compare to that of his father’s.

    From startup in 1987, in took ten years to go from $0 to $1,000,000 in revenue, and then ten more years to increase revenue to $10,000,000.

    This year, Jim expects the business to generate over $20,000,000 in revenue.

    Jim shares what each of these stages of growth looked like in his company, as well as what he has learned along the way.

    One of the most important factors that Jim credits his success to is his employees and creating a great company culture that reflects his own values.

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    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
    • The importance of a strong work ethic as an entrepreneur.
    • Jim’s process for investing in himself and his employees.
    • The hiring process Jim uses to hire people with values that align with his.
    • How to keep your business efficient.
    • The method Jim uses to help his employees realize their goals.

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    QUOTES:

    “The wake-up call was when we would do a job and we would actually make less than our employees. We didn’t know any better. We didn’t price it right.”

    “I always believe in investing in myself. It’s where I should spend most of my money… in the past seven to ten years I’ve realized ‘it’s not just me running this company; I should invest in my employees, too.’"

    “Being able to understand my values and start to define them in the early years was very helpful for me to realize [how to grow the business]. Then, it became easier and easier because I attracted people who were similar to me.”

    “’Could I ever become a level five leader?’ Have it not be about 'me'; have it be about the people and the organization. That’s what drives me now. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by the people that I have on my team and watching them grow gives me more fulfillment than the money.”

    “Sometimes when I’m talking to the people that I work in the company, I can almost see their potential a little bit better than they can. I think sometimes they’re drawn to me. I say ‘listen, you have it. You need to start believing in yourself as much as I do.”

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    HIGHLIGHTS:

    [01:42] How did Jim get involved in painting?

    [02:32] When Jim first started, how did he generate leads?

    [04:11] How did Jim and his father continue to grow their business?

    [07:16] What are Jim’s process and habits for investing in himself?

    [10:01] How quickly did Jim’s business grow from startup and what did the different stages of growth look like?

    [14:24] How has culture played a role in Jim’s success?

    [16:59] What does Jim’s company do to make sure they hire people with similar values?

    [18:21] What is the company’s structure and how does it remain efficient?

    [21:46] What are some difficulties in operating a company of this size?

    [23:45] What books have inspired Jim?

    [26:34] When Jim gets his employees to write down their goals, what growth does he see?

    [29:36] What final comments would Jim like to make?

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    LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    Join DYB

    Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't

    Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters–Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work

    Outliers: The Story of Success

    https://www.kaloutas.com/

    [email protected]

    ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

    Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

     --------------

    Connect with Jim Kaloutas on Facebook here

    Connect with Steve on Facebook here

     --------------

    Press and hold to visit the page

    Show Page Notes

     --------------

    Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

    33 min
  • EP43 Sam Reuter: From Going Door To Door To $750K, Profitably
    SUMMARY:

    Our guest today is Sam Reuter. He owns Painter Pro, a painting company based in the Greater Indianapolis Area.

    Sam comes from a family of entrepreneurs, leaning a lot from seeing his father run a successful plumbing business in his childhood.

    Sam started working a summer job when he was 13-years-old, then added a second job when he got his driver’s license.

    He liked to stay busy, which he credits to the work ethic he learned from his entrepreneurial family.

    At 16-years-old, he started to knock on doors to generate customers for a lawn care business he started with his cousin.

    Sam eventually went away to college for civil engineering but returned home after one year.

    At this time, he started doing landscaping again. One day, he was on Craigslist looking for work and found an ad looking for painters.

    He applied and landed the job, but later, a friend’s father offered Sam a job at his lumber company.

    Working under this man, Sam bounced around a few different companies, working up the ladder and eventually going into sales.

    Sam started Painter Pro in 2015 while holding on to this job until 2017, meaning that he often worked 50-60 hours a week while knocking on doors for his own company on the weekends.

    Sam has grown his business exponentially, with both his own entrepreneurial drive and help from DYB.

    Join us as we listen to Sam talk about the hard work that he has put into his business, how he applied skills learned at other jobs to his success, and how he takes care of his subcontractors.

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    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
    • The entrepreneurial traits that helped Sam start his business and find success.
    • The usefulness of grassroots lead generation techniques.
    • Sam’s experience of growing his business with the help of DYB.
    • Building a positive company culture by talking to your employees.
    • How to accept and grow from failure.

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    QUOTES:

    “I loved the people I worked with; that was a good environment. But, [the company’s] culture… if there was an issue, they’d always want to find out first who made the mistake… It was “who messed up, who made the mistake” and not “how can we fix this?”

    “I looked online and I found some articles on running a painting business and I had done that myself before. I thought “low overhead, low startup” like everyone does, and thought “this can’t be that hard.” Boy, did I not know.”

    “We didn’t really have much a website until this year. So, our lead generation wasn’t from SEO or anything like that. It was really just networking, and that was our main source of revenue.”

    “The plan has worked so far. I’m very happy with it. A lot of it is from working with DYB, with the insane amount of knowledge I’ve gained.”

    “Once you hit 18, it doesn’t matter what your parents were, who influenced you, it’s you. It’s your life now. You don’t get to play the card of “I had a rough life.” That doesn’t do anything for anybody; it just makes it harder on you. The sooner you realize that, you’re going to experience a lot more happiness in your life.”

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    HIGHLIGHTS:

    [01:54] When did Sam first start working? Did he always have an entrepreneurial spirit?

    [10:48] Why did Sam leave his job?

    [13:42] How did Sam get started with his business? What was his initial lead generation process?

    [20:34] What sales number is Sam on track to hit this year?

    [22:45] What was it like for Sam to work with DYB?

    [24:23] Where did Sam’s entrepreneurial drive come from?

    [27:33] What was the paradigm shift that helped Sam reach this level?

    [28:46] What software has made the biggest change in Sam’s business?

    [29:42] What does Sam to do elevate the culture of his company?

    [31:09] Are there any books that made a big impact on Sam?

    [33:22] What final thoughts does Sam have for this episode?

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    LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    Join DYB

    ClickWiz

    The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field

    Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself

    Secret Service: Hidden Systems That Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service

    https://painterpro.com/

    [email protected]

    https://www.facebook.com/PainterProIndiana/

    ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

    Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

     --------------

    Connect with Sam Reuter on Facebook here

    Connect with Steve on Facebook here

     --------------

    Press and hold to visit the page

    Show Page Notes

     --------------

    Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

    37 min
  • EP42: Business Runs in the Family — Rick Holtz of HJ Holtz & Sons
    SUMMARY:

    In this episode of DYB, Steve shares the mic with Rick Holtz; Owner & Operator of HJ Holtz & Sons in Richmond, Virginia. As a multi-generational family business, HJ Holtz & Sons started in the early 1900’s by Rick’s grandfather.

    As Rick grew up, he eventually inherited the business and ran with it. As HJ Holtz & Sons grew, however, there were multiple snags Rick ran into.

    Enjoy this episode as both dissect ways to prevent others from tripping up while transitioning from small family business to a large business.

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    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

    -How to start thinking bigger about your company

    -How to keep a grip on your business as it continues to grow

    -How to take the first steps toward finding reliable people to run your business for you.

    -How Rick executed the transition from Family Business to “Real” Business

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    QUOTES:

    “2008 was when I decided I needed help. I needed somebody to be objective, to hold me accountable...somebody who wasn’t emotionally tied to this family business.” “Something I didn’t realize was that this company was my dad’s model. I was trying to run a very large company as if it was a small company.” “Being more deliberate with different parts of the company...finding people who could be owners of those parts of the company was a huge shift.” “Once you get to a certain level, you can’t survive and lead a healthy lifestyle without learning how to rely on other people.” “I’m a big proponent of hiring within. If you have a structure to progress people into higher leadership positions, then I think that’s a great thing.”

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    HIGHLIGHTS:

    [1:40] How was HJ Holtz & Sons started?

    [9:40] At what point did the business expand once Rick increased his involvement?

    [17:21] How has Rick’s culture shifted from 2008 to now?

    [22:10] What KPIs are Rick measuring internally?

    [25:38] What type of work does HJ Holtz & Sons take on?

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    LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    Join DYB

    The E Myth Revisited -- Michael Gerber Built to Last -- Jim Collins Ownership Thinking -- Brad Hams Quickbooks Online TSheets Group.me

    ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

    Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

    -------------- Connect with Rick Holtz on Facebook here

    Connect with Steve on Facebook here

    --------------

    Press and hold to visit the page

    Show Page Notes

    --------------

    Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

    35 min
  • EP41 Ray Rahni: Computer Engineer from Iran to Successful Painting Company
    EP41 Ray Rahni: Computer Engineer from Iran to Successful Painting Company SUMMARY:

    In this episode of DYB, Steve shares the mic with Ray Rahni, Owner & Operator of Paint Track in New York.

    Originating from Iran, Ray Rahni moved to the United States in the early 2000’s to attend college in his early 20’s.

    While attending college, he would often paint on weekends and through every summer.

    After receiving his degree in computer science, however, he quickly realized that he hated working in a cubicle coding all day.

    Ray resolved to starting & growing Paint Track into a huge commercial success.

    -------------------

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

    -How to establish core values for your company.

    -Starting & growing your painting client base organically.

    -The importance of developing a company culture.

    -The best books Ray has ever read.

    -------------------

    QUOTES:

    “The 8-year war (in Iran) was rough, but it helped build my character.”

    “Just because you have a big job, doesn’t mean they’re always profitable.”

    “I enjoy helping people feel good about their homes.”

    “You need to know how to build a business more than knowing how to sling a brush.”

    “I would encourage all painters out there to reach out to other painting companies and contractors. You’d feel like they’re competitors, but they’re really not. We can all learn from each other, and there’s plenty of work out there.”

    -------------------

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    [4:15] Where is Ray originally from?

    [8:32] Why did Ray start his painting business?

    [11:15] How did Ray survive the Great Recession?

    [13:14] Where does Ray’s drive come from?

    [14:57] What’s the biggest paradigm shift Ray has had?

    -------------------

    LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    Join DYB

    Prequalifying Prospects (DYB Free Download)

    E Myth Revisited -- Michael Gerber

    Traction -- Gino Wickman

    Outliers -- Malcolm Gladwell

    Trello

    T Sheets

    CONTACT:

    [email protected]

    ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

    Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

     --------------

    Connect with Ray Rahni on Facebook here

    Connect with Steve on Facebook here

     --------------

    Press and hold to visit the page

    Show Page Notes

     --------------

    Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

    28 min
  • EP41 Ray Rahni: Computer Engineer from Iran to Successful Painting Company
    EP41 Ray Rahni: Computer Engineer from Iran to Successful Painting Company SUMMARY:

    In this episode of DYB, Steve shares the mic with Ray Rhani, Owner & Operator of Paint Track in New York.

    Originating from Iran, Ray Rhani moved to the United States in the early 2000’s to attend college in his early 20’s.

    While attending college, he would often paint on weekends and through every summer.

    After receiving his degree in computer science, however, he quickly realized that he hated working in a cubicle coding all day.

    Ray resolved to starting & growing Paint Track into a huge commercial success.

    -------------------

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

    -How to establish core values for your company.

    -Starting & growing your painting client base organically.

    -The importance of developing a company culture.

    -The best books Ray has ever read.

    -------------------

    QUOTES:

    “The 8-year war (in Iran) was rough, but it helped build my character.”

    “Just because you have a big job, doesn’t mean they’re always profitable.”

    “I enjoy helping people feel good about their homes.”

    “You need to know how to build a business more than knowing how to sling a brush.”

    “I would encourage all painters out there to reach out to other painting companies and contractors. You’d feel like they’re competitors, but they’re really not. We can all learn from each other, and there’s plenty of work out there.”

    -------------------

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    [4:15] Where is Ray originally from?

    [8:32] Why did Ray start his painting business?

    [11:15] How did Ray survive the Great Recession?

    [13:14] Where does Ray’s drive come from?

    [14:57] What’s the biggest paradigm shift Ray has had?

    -------------------

    LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    Join DYB

    Prequalifying Prospects (DYB Free Download)

    E Myth Revisited -- Michael Gerber

    Traction -- Gino Wickman

    Outliers -- Malcolm Gladwell

    Trello

    T Sheets

    CONTACT:

    [email protected]

    ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

    Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

     --------------

    Connect with Ray Rahni on Facebook here

    Connect with Steve on Facebook here

     --------------

    Press and hold to visit the page

    Show Page Notes

     --------------

    Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

    28 min
  • EP40 Mike Katounas: Family Confrontation, Combating Cancer with Faith, while Succeeding in Business
    EP40 Mike Katounas: Family Confrontation, Combating Cancer with Faith, while Succeeding in Business

     

    SUMMARY:

    Today we sit down with Mike Katounas. He is the owner/operator of Home Works Painting in northern Virginia, just outside of DC.

    Mike’s father was a painting contractor and therefore, Mike gained a lot of experience painting. However, when Mike was younger, he had absolutely no interest in being involved in painting long-term.

    After completing a master’s degree in health education, Mike looked at job prospects and was not impressed at the pay those jobs offered or what they entailed.

    He then received an offer from his father to go back and work for him and eventually take over the business.

    Mike accepted, but ten days into working with his father again, he got fired.

    After multiple more hardships, Mike eventually decided he wanted to become an entrepreneur by starting his own painting company.

    However, the tough times were not over, as Mike was diagnosed with cancer a few years after starting his business.

    Mike tells us the story of his business from the beginning to where it is today.

    It has gone through an abundance of changes due to Mike’s battle with cancer, the recession, and Mike’s realization that his company’s culture had to change.

    ----------------

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
    • How important it is to persevere
    • Mike battling cancer while balancing his business
    • Marriage advice for people who run a business and their spouses
    • Dealing with “hitting a wall” and assessing your company’s culture
    • When to decline a job, including getting past approval addiction

    ----------------

     

    QUOTES:

    “The best advice I got was from a roofing contractor that I met in my first year of business…He said, “do whatever you have to do to survive [a recession], because if you come out on the other side, you will be a lot stronger and a lot better.’”

    “When you’re actually wrestling with the idea of ‘you may not be around a year from now, or months from now,’ you start getting a perspective of what’s important and what’s not.

    “It just felt like an ‘every man for himself’ kind of culture…I decided I was going to change that and really try to change everything we were doing to make it a place that I wanted to be at and create a team environment.”

    “My first ten years of business, I was running based on what my dad taught me. A lot of it worked, but it wasn’t going to help me scale and last for a long time.”

    “Never stop learning. No matter how old you get or how long you’ve been doing this, the moment you think you’ve got it figured out is the moment you’re moving backwards.”

    ----------------

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    [03:53] How did Mike get started in this business?

    [14:14] What were Mike’s thoughts and feelings when his father did a total 180 and started helping him out?

    [22:47] Mike gets told he has cancer yet doesn’t freak out?

    [32:10] What does it look like with four employees and the leads starting to come again?

    [44:15] What did the future look like after growth began? Catching us up to today, is Mike still making the same amount of revenue he was around 2011?

    [49:48] What are some things Mike did to make the shift to a better company culture?

    [54:45] What does Mike think the biggest paradigm shift has been for him?

    [1:01:22] What has made the biggest change in Mike’s business?

    [1:12:23] Is there a final point that Mike would like to make?

    ----------------

    LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    Join DYB

    Traction

    Crucial Conversations

    Necessary Endings

    QuickBooks

    TSheets

    MailChimp

    PipelineDeals

    Smartsheet

    Basecamp

    Yesware

    Estimate Rocket

    Wunderlist

    Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

    [email protected]

    ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

    Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

     --------------

    Connect with Mike Katounas on Facebook here

    Connect with Steve on Facebook here

     --------------

    Press and hold to visit the page

    Show Page Notes

     --------------

    Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

    1 hr 4 min

About DYB Podcast

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DYB Podcast is a weekly podcast produced by DYBCoach and hosted by Steve Burnett. He interviews successful entrepreneurs revealing their stories and strategies on how they grew their successful…