It is a seat no business owner expects to be in, yet according to the Small Business Administration, 20% of new businesses fail in the first year, 45% fail in the first five years, and 65% in the first decade. Only one-in-four businesses make it 15 years or more.

All that in mind, every business struggles from time to time, or goes through slow periods - even in an industry that is considered "economic proof", like restoration.

Rod Cruce of the Trifecta Growth Institute has helped many restoration companies turn things around. In this episode of Restoration Today, Rod shares:

The landscape of the restoration industry seems to change almost with the tide. Over the last several years, we have seen a major increase in mergers and acquisitions, private equity interest, more pushback and requirements from carriers, more restorers moving away from TPA work, and the list goes on and on.

Among the many changes appears to be an explosion of franchise opportunities specific to restoration. We sat down with Rainbow Restoration President Josh Miller to dig into why franchises are so popular, what potential owners should be looking for in franchises, and what sets Rainbow apart.

Josh and Michelle also dig into the overall importance of education, industry standards, and what Josh sees - as an experienced industry veteran and restorer - on the horizon for our industry.

On January 5, 2022, Kustom US announced the acquisition of Sacramento-based Five Star Restoration.

Now one year into new ownership, we wanted to catch up with Five Star's GM Aaron Provencal to chat about what the transition has been like for him, and the rest of the team. Aaron shares insights on:

Digital marketing is an overwhelming topic for a lot of restorers, especially as algorithms and best practices are constantly evolving and changing. The good news: there are experts to help!

In this episode, Ashlee Southworth and Amanda Stichter from Virtual Vision join Restoration Today to answer questions like:

Watch here, or listen in on your favorite podcast platform!

In C&R's State of the Industry report, restorers agreed software choices - and software onboarding - are ongoing pain points for their companies.

Clean Claims and E3 are two of the platforms looking to ease this pain point by full integration of the two platforms that complement each other well.

Chuck Dewald III, of the Dewald Academy of Drying and creator of E3, and Lane Larsen from Clean Claims share the inspiration behind their platforms, what they do, the value of proper documentation during the claims and restoration process, and the importance of integrations like this.

Garret Gray, CoreLogic's President of Protect (although likely going through a title change soon!), returns to Restoration Today to catch up on all things InsurTech and RestorTech-related. Garret and Michelle discuss:

Watch here, or listen on your favorite podcast platform by searching "Restoration Today."

The Certified Mold Professional (CMP) designation has been available to restorers and cleaners for more than 20 years. For most of that time it was offered through the Restoration Industry Association. But in August, C&R shared news from Wonder Makers Environmental that the designation is going through a rebrand, and getting a refresh!

Today, the Certified Mold Professional (CMP) is sponsored by the National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors (NORMI™). With this new partnership, the CMP will now be known as the NORMI Certified Microbial Professional (NCMP™). Existing Certified Mold Professionals will be able to migrate their certification to NCMP through a simple process.

In this episode of Restoration Today, Wonder Makers CEO and (N)CMP trainer Michael Pinto and NORMI Executive Director Doug Hoffman discuss what this transition means, what will remain the same and what will change with the program, why certifications like this matter, and more!

Welcome to Phil & Michelle’s Happy Hour – a podcast designed to make you smile, and hopefully learn a few things along the way.

A few times a year, Phil Rosebrook Jr. of Business Mentors and Michelle Blevins of C&R Magazine sit down with restoration and cleaning industry leaders and icons to chat about all-things restoration, share stories, and have a few laughs.

In Episode 2, we are joined by Signal Restoration Services co-CEO Mark Davis! Mark has had quite a remarkable journey in the restoration industry, through various companies, acquisitions, explosive growth, and big lessons learned. This year marks a huge milestone, as Signal Restoration Services celebrates its 50th anniversary. Signal is a national emergency restoration services provider, and also owner of the PuroClean franchise system.

Mark gets honest about what he's learned the hard way, as well as the success he's found. Plus, the trio discusses current industry trends, the importance of company culture, the path to strategic growth, and more.

Ahead of the C&R State of the Industry reveal, we sat down with Violand Management Associates GM Tim Hull to discuss overall industry trends, the economy, what might lie ahead, and more.

This conversation explores the belief that the restoration industry is economic-proof. While that is true to a certain degree, businesses can still struggle in a down economy, or when faced with high inflation, high labor costs, and supply chain issues. Tim shares some insights and resources for business continuity planning.

Tim and Michelle also discuss being a profitable business, and running an efficient restoration company.

The FULL State of the Industry report will be released on Tuesday, Dec. 6 - and the results discussed during a free LIVE webinar. Click here to register!

Everyone who starts a business knows profitability is important, but too often contractors treat it as optional. 

This podcast goes along with a recent C&R article titled "The 4 Modes of Profitability for Contractors." It was the first in a series to attempt to help new entrepreneurs, in-progress contractors, and aspiring persons in a position of leadership to better grasp the essential nature of overhead and profit (O&P) within the skilled trades. 

In this episode of Restoration Today, Jon Isaacson, the author of the first article and orchestrator of the entire series, walks through how contractors can help themselves and their team members form better mindsets and habits as they think through the four modes of profitability for contractors.