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You’re probably like me and got fed up with working for someone else and decided to take your skillset and start selling your own projects. It’s a whole new ball game compared to just doing the work and one that takes a lot of effort to figure out successfully. From what to charge, how to negotiate, what to look for in clients, and more, learning sales is a completely different animal from the technical side of installation. Many of us never receive formal training or even pick up a book on how to do sales or even understand basic human psychology.

Mark Evans is a growth consultant, and author that accidentally found his way into the world of flooring. Mark has spent the past 10 years working with some of the fastest-growing companies in the United States and Europe including Inc. 5000 award winners, and private equity-backed companies. He's taking the knowledge he's gained over successfully building, launching, and growing 30+ sales teams and companies and applying that to the world of flooring and the multi-family market. He and his company SalesKit are based out of sunny Naples, FL.

Listen in to this weeks episode as Mark and I discuss how consultations and even initial inquiries need to be handled to better assess how you can help a potential client solve their problem, increase your close rate, and build more rapport with future clients. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Floor Academy Podcast and to leave a review.

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I heard a curious thing. Apparently is is a western civilization thing answer the question of "who are you" by listing out your job or something else that you do. Much of the world would start that off by saying I am the son or daughter of so and so. This led me to think about personal identity and especially as a business owner how it can affect us. From wanting to control everything, to advertising everywhere you go, and a company that always needs something, it's hard not to identify as the thing you are always doing. Is that healthy though?

Returning friend of the show, Ron Nash, is a husband, father, botanist, artist, photographer, dog trainer, mentor, teacher, avid reader and, oh yeah, the president of Laticrete North America. There is no shortage of things I have witnessed Ron take on over the years through his social media profiles. Some of it is for personal pleasure and some of it is for work but all of it brings him contentment.

Listen in to this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast while we discuss why there needs to be an off switch on your work identity, how important it is to have something to do besides work, and why you can never stop learning or growing as a human.

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It’s very often that trades people live paycheck to paycheck or believe they have more money than they do and make purchases they really shouldn’t. Those boats, big trucks, and other toys always look so tempting and receiving that deposit check sure can bolster your bank account. That’s not where you should be making decisions from though. Actually knowing your expenses, how much money you really have in an account and holding back some retained earnings can change your life and your company. Everyone needs an F U bank account to bring them peace of mind and to allow them to bid from a place of confidence and authority.

Shane Hubenig has been a flooring installer for over 30 years in British Columbia. His father had a retail shop growing up and he spent time in the union. These days, Shane has his own company where he prefers to find high end residential remodel work. Along with a flooring company he has a couple of rentals and a multimillion dollar paint company with his brother. All of this has been funded by floors and money management.

Tune in to this week’s episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as Shane and I discuss why you need an F U bank account, some money management skills, and a little bit of patience.

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Many of us work for years to build amazing brand recognition in our market. It goes a long way in getting referrals and keeping that word of mouth of marketing a big component of lead generation. What happens when you look to start leveraging your brand though? How can you use your brand to strike up deals with brands from your industry? How can you use your audience to bring attention to other people’s brands while having the other company bring awareness to your brand? What kind of content are you making already that can be used in other places with little to no manipulation of the content to gain new avenues of growing your audience?

Jennifer Farrell is the founder of the award winning design firm Jennifer Farrell Designs. Her work has been featured in numerous publications and she has hosted or been a designer on dozens of television programs. With her experience and brand recognition she was able to develop Calibu Vineyard in partnership with The International Surfaces Event starting in 2021 This partnership had Michelle Swayze, the senior marketing manager at Informa, the owners of Surfaces, working closely with Jennifer to develop brand partnerships that made sense for all of the brands involved. Michelle was able to use her 20 years of experience marketing brands across all channels to develop beneficial relationships amongst all involved to not only raise awareness of the products involved but also the people.

Listen in to this week’s episode as we look at how you can use your brand to generate more awareness about yourself while helping other brands do the same.

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How do you even know if your marketing company is taking care of you properly? What questions should you be asking them? What data are they showing you that means absolutely nothing? How can you know that your dollars spent are getting you a return?

Brittany Murphy is the marketing director at One Thing Marketing. They believe in transparency, education, and honesty, which is something not all companies hold as values. With her experience working with contractors from many fields and helping them build their businesses, she is here to share how you can hire a marketing company and make sure they are actually working for you, instead of just taking a slice of you pie each month.

Listen in to this week’s episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as Brittany and I discuss how you can be on top of your marketing game and start growing your business instead of taking a shotgun approach and hoping it works.

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It has been two years since we heard from Chuck Meyers in the metro Detroit, Michigan area. The first time he joined us, he didn't know he was going broke working for the retailers at the rates he was. He used Floor Academy's Business Budgeting calculator spreadsheet, got to know his actual numbers and present the store he subbed through some real data. They raised the rates for not only him but all of the guys across the board.

Now two years later, we check in on Chuck and Meyers Flooring. He is nothing but chiseled steel and sex appeal suplexing yard flamingos. Knowing his numbers has empowered him to find more of his own work, build his brand, hire employees, and start building a business instead of just owning a job.

Listen in to this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as we check in after two years and see how things have changed, what's been working to grow Chuck's business, and where he is headed to next.

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It's easy to get caught up in doing a project and to forget about protecting yourself. Whether that means putting on a mask to reduce dust intake, wearing your knee pads all the time, or even getting the proper tool for the job when another "will do", we only get one body and need to make it count. 

Andrew Lewis of 2 Ezy Tiling in Victoria, Australia has been in the tile industry for nearly 20 years. Starting an apprenticeship after grade 12 and 4 years later he was out on his own being his own boss.  With so much experience he is no stranger to knowing he needs to take care of himself with the right investments in to his health which can easily affect his wealth. 

Join Andrew and I on this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as we discuss some simple ways to keep yourself healthy, be more efficient, and put more money in your pocket at the end of the day.

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The American dream is to make a name for yourself and to be able to take care of yourself and your family above a reasonable means. We have celebrities from all walks of life that we put in a limelight because they are making that dream happen. The advent of social media and short form media has brought on an entirely new segment of these celebrities that come and go as quickly as you can watch their videos. So...what is it that we really want? What is actually important and how do we get it?

Kevin Vogel, has been in the flooring industry for over 30 years. Working for carpet mills in his early days as a regional manager, he moved his way up the corporate ladder by playing the game correctly. Switching between companies and market segments always paid off as his skillset grew. There was even a family in there that got attention. Perhaps the world knew Kevin's timing and Covid intersected with him starting what he has called his sabbatical. Maybe it was a mid life crisis though. What happens when you step back from chasing a title, dollar amount, that shiny thing, or whatever material possession you have your eyes set on, and actually assess who you are, what you are, and where you want to go?

Listen in to this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as Kevin and I discuss what stories we are telling ourselves. Life can be very rewarding when you have the right perspective and goals, but sometimes we let outside influences get in the way. Find your way along with us.

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A large issue many contractors have is scheduling. That task does not get any easier the more you grow. In fact, it generally becomes more complicated and troublesome. There are ways to manage it though, and to make the bumps in the road become less of a hurdle and more along the lines of speed bump.

Dirk Sullivan, is the owner of Hawthorne Tile in Portland, OR. No stranger to our industry or how it is run, he has been leading his company for over 20 years. Having grown it to a multimillion dollar company and working with a LOT of general contractors as a small part of a much larger project, Dirk knows what it takes to maintain a schedule. That was of course until Covid, and there seems to have been a shift in how projects take place.

Listen in to this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as Dirk and I discuss how he views that the landscape has shifted in scheduling projects, but also what ideas we can come up with to keep his pipeline flowing smoothly.

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When I first started Illustrious Hardwoods I made a guess to myself that it would take me 3 to 5 years to be able to develop a good work of mouth referral system for my business. I knew that I wasn’t going to blow up and be the most popular option in the community overnight. I also knew I was not going to reach that many people at first. If I averaged one project a week, that would only be 150 people in 3 years. If each of those people have a 10 person reach, then that is only 1500 people. My numbers did turn out that way and about 3.5 years in, the effort dedicated to being present online and having 1000 plus followers on my Facebook page plus having a reach from clients of 1500 plus people was making the phone ring more and more consistently. Knowing what I know now though, I think I could do it a little faster.

Kyle Hobby owns Southern Hobby’s in Plantation, FL. With 14 years in the tile trade and having moved the business once before, Kyle is no stranger to establishing himself in a market. We got in to a conversation online about charging for estimates and didn’t quite see eye to eye on the approach of how to make sure you get paid for your time, even if you are in a new market.

Listen in as we have a battle of the Kyles this week on the Floor Academy Podcast while discussing how best to establish a new business in a market.

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