Scaling UP! H2O

The job market is competitive these days, to say the least. If your company has been trying to hire younger water treaters and you haven't had much success in the recruiting process, I have the perfect podcast guest for you to learn from.

Her name is Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang, and she is a college professor turned entrepreneur, education consultant, and career and life coach with more than 15 years of experience in education. For most of her life, Dr. Ai has been teaching and because of her innate ability to inspire Millennials and Generation Z, she is uniquely qualified to educate water treatment hiring managers and business owners on what we need to know before we schedule interviews with individuals from these two generations.

Dr. Ai founded Classroom Without Walls (CWW) in 2017 to normalize learning beyond the four walls of a classroom. CWW created a new model in learning that includes the elements of online learning (classes + digital mentors), certification earning, and in-person enrichment. Dr. Ai is also the host of the two live-streaming shows: Classroom Without Walls which focuses on social media and digital marketing; and What Is School For? which was inspired by Dr. Ai's interview with author and entrepreneur Seth Godin, and aims to discuss, debate, and disrupt education.

Today's interview focuses on how we should attract and recruit Millennials and Generation Z to work at your company so that it is a win-win relationship for you and your new hires.

Bottom line: Dr. Ai is going to share how we can attract and hire the next generation of water treaters.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Goal setting [01:44]

Get to know college professor turned entrepreneur, Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang [09:50]

Preparing yourself for real-life as a student [16:18]

Storytelling and Story-selling [24:21]

Tailoring interviews for the younger generation [27:18]

Preparing students to join the workforce [29:31]

What is the next generation looking for in a job [35:53]

Mentors [38:40]

LinkedIn tips [42:51]

Lightning round questions [47:12]

James' Challenge: "Calculate how much heat energy goes down the drain with boiler blowdown and how much it costs." [58:33]

Quotes:

"Showing up consistently makes a big difference." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"GPA is inversely related to innovation." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"The best way to connect with each other is storytelling." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"If people are not applying, it is time for you to study who you want to attract." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"This is a "Show me" economy. Show me what you created based on your skills." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"When you don't have purpose, you don't have drive." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"When they (applicants) choose your organization they need to know your mission and vision and know that what they will do is important and is part of the bigger picture." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"Instagram and Tiktok: those are the places where young people actually congregate. You need to go where they are as opposed to [telling them where you are]." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"It is very hard to find 1,000 people who are really passionate about what you do, but it is not that hard to find one single person." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"Most kids are allowing social media to use them, as opposed to, they are using social media to serve their own career needs." - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang

"It is okay to realign your goals when you learn new information." - Trace Blackmore

"Your day to day is never going to get any better unless you start making changes; unless you work on the outside of what you consider comfortable." - Trace Blackmore

Connect with Dr. Ai Addyson Zhang:

Live Streaming Shows:

• • • What Is School For? (Goes live on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon every Wednesday at 2PM PST)
    • Classroom Without Walls (Goes live on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon every Friday at 9PM PST)

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://lifeaccelerator.classroomwithoutwalls.ai/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aiaddysonzhang/

Instagram: @aiaddysonzhang

Twitter: @aiaddysonzhang

Facebook Group: @LifeAcceleratorCWW

YouTube: Classroom Without Walls

Links Mentioned:

Do Schools Kill Creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson's Ted Talk

LinkedIn Live

The Rising Tide Mastermind

AWT (Association of Water Technologies)

Studies Mentioned:

50% of Millennials regretted their major in college

The number of questions children and teenagers ask in a day

A Study of Engineering Education - (Mann, C.R., 1918)

Exploring Innovative Entrepreneurship and Its Ties to Higher Educational Experiences - (Mayhew, M.J., et al., 2012)

Books Mentioned:

Why "A" Students Work for "C" Students and "B" Students Work for the Government - Robert T. Kiyosaki

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - Daniel H. Pink

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable - Seth Godin

Your Personality Creates Your Personal Reality - Dr. Joe Dispenza

The Five Minute Journal

Scaling Up Nation, I cannot wait to introduce you to today's guest, Larry Pond. Larry is an expert in Compliance and Quality Assurance at IWC Innovations. Today, Larry and I are going to discuss how to prevent Legionella and other water-borne pathogens by having a good water management plan in place for each of your clients. Larry is a great communicator and my hope is that he inspires you to have the 'water management plan conversation' with your clients today.

One of the things I admire most about Larry is his seemingly effortless ability to ask soft questions to his clients so he can set up the right water management plan specifically catered for their facility.

Some of the questions he gently asks his clients are:

• • • Do you have a water management plan?
    • How do you protect your system and people?
    • What risk factors do you have?
    • Are your current measures adequate for these protections?

After asking those questions to his clients (and many more), he then gives them the additional metaphors and stories they need to hear in order to drive home the importance of analyzing their risk factors and preventing outbreaks. If you are a water treater, you are going to love today's episode.

Bottom line: Larry Pond is going to tell us why having a water management plan is important.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

James' Challenge: "Test pH of condensate immediately and then an hour later on the same open sample." [05:50]

Introducing Larry Pond of Innovative Water Consultants [09:03]

Water treatment from an end user's perspectives [10:38]

Having the 'water management plan conversation' with your clients [17:43]

Risk factors [26:28]

The importance of learning [28:58]

Testing positive for Legionella [33:58]

Advice to other water treaters [40:57]

Learning from our mistakes [44:24]

Lighting round questions [48:29]

Quotes:

"The art comes in seeing their perspective, and learning how to gently say that it's screwed up without saying it's screwed up." - Larry Pond

"If their answers are blank stares, that's your opportunity for teaching." - Larry Pond

"A water management plan is key to identifying your risks; to mitigate them through proper control measures" - Larry Pond

"A water management plan is the cheapest, conceivable form of insurance that gets you off the hook." - Larry Pond

"The conversation should be geared towards putting yourself in somebody else's shoes, not just your own. "It's not just a job, it's not just a paycheck. " - Larry Pond

"Complacency is not a path for resolution". - Larry Pond

"When we all do the same things over and over and over and over again, it gets boring. We get complacent. And we almost resent going back to the same accounts because it's boring." - Trace Blackmore

"When we push the limits, we're leaning." - Trace Blackmore

"If you are intimidated by any topic, that is your sign that you need to go out and learn as much as you can about that topic." - Trace Blackmore

"If people are allowed to make mistakes, that is where the true learning is." - Trace Blackmore

"A rising tide raises all ships, but a bigger ship can hold more people." - Trace Blackmore

Connect with Larry Pond:

Email: [email protected]

Website: iwcinnovations.com

Social: @IWCINNOVATIONS

Books Mentioned:

Boiler Water Treatment - Colin Frayne

The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins

Hannibal - Tom Harris

Links Mentioned:

083 The One About Water Management Plans

Centers For Disease Control And Prevention: Toolkit

205 The One To Listen To If You Want To Hear How Rewarding A Career In Water Treatment Can Be

Scaling UP Nation, one of the things I love most about hosting this podcast is the people I've met because I host this podcast. One of the people I've had the pleasure of connecting with because of this podcast is Jed Kosch.

You may have seen Jed Kosch's "Rule of Thumb Thursdays" videos on LinkedIn, but before he started posting helpful articles and videos for water treatment professionals he graduated early from high school, majored in hydrology, worked in college as an environmental scientist and he currently works at Garratt-Callahan.

In today's interview, we're going to discuss how Jed's personal goals have led to a successful career in water treatment and some ways to stay current in an industry that is constantly evolving.

Bottom line: Jed Kosch is going to share how an early passion for hydrology turned into a successful career in water treatment.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

The importance of investing [2:00]

Jed Kosch's water treatment career journey [10:00]

Wins and goals [15:30]

Day to day and staying current [18:40]

Problem solving and challenges [21:14]

Importance of learning and mentors [26:30]

Rule of Thumb Thursdays [29:01]

Industry integrity [35:35]

Lighting Round Questions [38:19]

James' Challenge: "Learn how steam traps operate." [42:50]

Quotes:

"If you don't know how to steer, you'll never know if you've reached your destination." - Trace Blackmore

"How are you investing in your day-to-day life?" - Trace Blackmore

"I want to positively impact other people as much as I can in a positive way." - Jed Kosch

"I'm always looking for new and better ways to improve our craft." - Jed Kosch

"Be curious." - Jed Kosch

"A LinkedIn article takes me about four to six hours to write." - Jed Kosch

"Keep your moral integrity and stay truthful to yourself." - Jed Kosch

"Become obnoxiously passionate about whatever craft you are pursuing." - Jed Kosch

"Leadership is giving people a small piece to help them get to the next level." - Jed Kosch

Connect with Jed Kosch:

Phone: (920) 809 -9710

Email: [email protected]

Website: garrattcallahan.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jedkosch

Links Mentioned:

Episode 128: Pinks and Blues: Tonnage X3

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Submit a Show Idea

Books Mentioned:

Financial Peace University - Dave Ramsey

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- Stephen Covey

How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie

The Go-Giver - John David Mann

Levels of the Game - John McPhee

The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History - Boris Johnson

The Secret - Rhonda Byrne

Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell

Any long-time listener will know that Rory Vaden's book "Procrastinate on Purpose" changed my life. I am a BIG fan of his books and talks and I know I'm not his only fan because millions of people watched his TEDx talk titled "Multiply your time by asking 4 questions about the stuff on your to-do list."

Rory is a professional speaker, author, and entrepreneur who has a childlike curiosity with regard to what makes people successful and influential, which allows him to kick to the curb old thought models and create entirely new ways of looking at how we spend our time. This curiosity and inner drive Rory generously shares with the world allows others to unlock their untapped potential and accomplish what they were put on the earth to do. He is electrifyingly passionate, has high EQ, and is always looking to make things better.

If you feel that there are never enough hours in the day and that you cannot afford to hire someone to take those exhausting tasks off of your plate, then I encourage you to listen to today's episode with an open mind because, if you act on what he teaches us today, it has the potential to change everything in your life for the better.

Bottom line: Rory Vaden is going to teach you how to multiply your time. Yes, you read that right, I said "Multiply."

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Illustrations:

Rory mentions these two illustrations below during his interview.

Timestamps:

Get to know one of my favorite speakers and authors, Rory Vaden [6:30]

Rory's professional journey from Toastmasters to Brand Builders Group [10:18]

How to multiply your time [19:00]

The 30 X Rule [29:00]

What to delegate [35:00]

The emotion behind how you spend your time [45:24]

Lightning round questions [54:00]

James' Challenge: "Perform a dissolved oxygen study on boiler deaerator and feedwater." [1:02:20]

The 6 F's: Faith, Fun, Fitness, Family, Faculty, Finances [1:04:00]

Quotes:

"You multiply your time by giving yourself the emotional permission to spend time on things today that create more time tomorrow." - Rory Vaden

"It is literally possible to multiply your time." - Rory Vaden

"Time management is much more emotional than we realize." - Rory Vaden

"The next level of results requires the next level of thinking, always." - Rory Vaden

"Ask yourself: What are the things I can do today so I can make tomorrow better, faster, and more efficient?" - Rory Vaden

"Mom guilt is a real thing." - Rory Vaden

"I am a fan of outsourcing everything." - Rory Vaden

"You should be willing to spend at least thirty times the amount of time it takes you to do a task once when training someone else to do that task for you. So if a task takes you 5 minutes every day, you should be willing to spend 150 minutes (30x) training someone else to do that one task." - Rory Vaden

Connect with Rory Vaden:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.roryvaden.com/media

Social: roryvadenblog.com

Books Mentioned:

Procrastinate on Purpose - Rory Vaden

Take the Stairs - Rory Vaden

Financial Peace University - Dave Ramsey

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind -T. Harv Eker

The Go-Giver - John David Mann

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership - John C. Maxwell

The Greatest Salesman In the World -Og Mandino

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni

What To Say When You Talk To Your Self - Dr. Shad Helmstetter

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey

The Case for Christ - Lee Strobel

Links Mentioned:

Episode 175 - Time Management

Rory Vaden's TEDx Talk

Toastmasters International

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Events:

AWT Business Webinar: Using a SWOT Analysis to Advance Your Business – @ 11AM ET November 18

International Conference on Wastewater Treatment Processes and Water Quality – January 28 to 29

Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show – February 21 to 24

The Hang Networking Event- @6pm 1.13.22

As water treaters, there are always new things being added to our plates, and there are only so many hours in the day to get them all done. It is a tension that nearly every water treater faces. However, there are ways to get more time back in your work day as long as you have the right solutions, so I asked one of the most Internet Of Things (IoT) connected people I know to be a guest on today's show, Laith Charles, to share how he uses IoT to his company time and money.

For those of you who were not at AWT's convention this year, Laith Charles was awarded AWT's Rising Star Award, "The Rising Star Award recognizes the contributions and efforts of the next generation of water treatment professionals. The nominee will possess a demonstrated passion for their work in the industrial water treatment field and will have contributed to the advancement of the AWT mission." Laith is a business owner, technology lover, and has found better ways of doing things because of his willingness to embrace new technology.

Bottom line: Laith Charles is going to share ways to get hours back in your work day as a water treatment professional by leveraging The Internet Of Things (IoT).

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

James' Challenge: "Using proper safety precautions while sampling, run boiler water tests on a sample collected with a sample cooler and an uncooled sampled for the same boiler." [5:50]

Introducing returning guest, business owner, and the 2021 winner of the Rising Star Award: Laith Charles [10:38]

Laith's lessons learned from The Rising Tide Mastermind [14:35]

AWT's 2021 Convention [27:22]

Laith's AWT presentation on The Internet Of Things (IoT) Augmented Industrial Water Treatment [33:00]

Internet Of Things low hanging fruit water treaters can start using today [43:27]

Customer success stories [51:00]

Lightning round questions [1:04:00]

Quotes:

"I define The Internet Of Things (IoT) as something connected to the Internet." - Laith Charles

"Technology isn't replacing YOU, but it can alert you so you are not blindsided when you visit a client." - Laith Charles

"How can I do the same work with the same headcount resources?" - Laith Charles

"Hiring and getting the right headcount is hard in today's market." - Laith Charles

"Everyone looks at price/performance; data allows you to show clients historically what you have done for them and how you have saved them money." - Laith Charles

"Almost half of controllers sold are equipped to be online capable." - Laith Charles

"Data security is a concern, so consult with a cyber security expert who knows best business practices." - Laith Charles

"Get the data, centralize it, and synergize it into a platform to leverage it." - Laith Charles

"All of today's problems could be solved by more education." - Laith Charles

Connect with Laith Charles:

Phone: 941-301-1309

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMuigehZdcquaY14QtGm

Links Mentioned:

Episode 62 with Laith Charles

The Rising Tide Mastermind

AWT (Association of Water Technologies)

Books Mentioned:

Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time - by Rory Vaden

Resources

(IoT) Augmented Industrial Water Treatment Paper

(IoT) Augmented Industrial Water Treatment Presentation

Scaling UP! Nation, if this is new information to you, hang in there, and if this is old news, I know you're still going to learn something today. China has reduced its export of Phosphonates by 90% now through 2022 and water treaters everywhere need to be aware of what options are available to you so we can continue providing top-notch service to our clients.

I couldn't think of a better person to talk to in this Pinks and Blues episode about Phosphonate replacement options than my trusted friend and Radical Polymers co-founder, Michael Standish. Thank you for coming back on the show, Mike!

For those of you who don't know him, Mike has over 28 years of experience in polymer additive design and development. Before forming Radical Polymers, Mike served in technical and business leadership roles within global, publicly-traded chemical companies and is responsible for the development and patenting of industry-leading polymers for use in the water treatment, oilfield, and detergent industries. He has authored and presented numerous industry papers for the Association of Water Technologies (AWT), Cooling Technology Institute (CTI), National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), and the American Chemical Society (ACS). Mike has served on the Board of Directors of AWT and holds a BS in Chemistry and Masters in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

One of the things I admire most about Mike is that he has a way of taking extremely technical and complicated topics and explaining them in ways that everyone can understand. Trust me, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Bottom line: Mike Standish is going to share what he is observing in the marketplace, provide his insights, and offer suggestions so your water treatment company can make the best decisions for today's unprecedented times.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client,

-Trace

Timestamps:

Happy Halloween and what is happening with the P4 supply from China [0:30]

What are you observing with the raw materials supply chain? [6:17]

How should a water treatment company weather this perfect supply chain storm? [8:30]

Understanding your Phosphonate Replacements options [9:45]

Staging down the level of Phosphonate and pairing with Polymers for a hybrid approach [14:14]

Moving from Phosphonate to Polymers: oxidizer awareness [20:30]

What advice do you have for someone who just heard that there is a supply chain crisis? [23:00]

Learnings from the molybdate issue, fifteen years ago [24:00]

Closing thoughts with Trace [26:00]

James' Challenge: "Calculate boiler efficiency." [29:43]

Quotes:

"Work very closely with your vendors to forecast and look at alternative chemistries." - Michael Standish

"Don't make substitutions blindly." - Michael Standish

"Polymers aren't your only weapon. You have Ph control and limiting cycles too." - Michael Standish

"Nearly all polymers in North America are produced by Western suppliers." - Michael Standish

"Demand is up. Supply chains have been disrupted. There is a severe constraint on ocean transit causing logistics issues. It is the perfect storm." - Michael Standish

"The very good news is that it will require us to make adjustments but we can still treat water effectively. And there is a big opportunity for the independent water community." - Michael Standish

"Always be prepared for alternatives." - Michael Standish

"No one ever said water treatment was easy." - Trace Blackmore

Connect with Michael Standish :

Phone: 423.316.9877

Email: [email protected]

Website: radicalpolymers.com

LinkedIn: in/mike-standish

Links Mentioned:

014 The One with Mike Standish

166 The One Where We Celebrate Halloween

221 Raw Materials Supply Chain Update Roundtable

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Articles:

Developing Realistic, Representative Laboratory Test Methods for Profiling

In Search Of Synergy

Today is a special treat because today I have a friend and trusted colleague, Janet E. Stout PhD, president of Special Pathogens Laboratory and research associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

An infectious disease microbiologist, Dr. Stout is recognized worldwide for seminal discoveries and pioneering research in Legionella. Her expertise includes prevention and control strategies for Legionnaires' disease in building water systems.

Dr. Stout's more than thirty years of research is published in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals. She also has authored textbook chapters on Legionella and Legionnaires' disease, including the Legionella chapter in the APIC Text.

An advocate for prevention, Dr. Stout assisted in developing the first Legionella prevention guideline (1993) in the United States, which continues to serve as a model for national and global health agencies and organizations. Additionally, she serves on the ASHRAE Legionella standard committee for Legionella Guideline 12 and the SPC 188 committee for ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2015 Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems, the first U.S. standard for Legionella risk management.

She is the first instructor of the ASSE 12080 Legionella water Safety and Management Specialist Certification training, and TODAY she has agreed to come on the show and share some key updates that our entire industry should be aware of.

Bottom line: Dr. Janet E. Stout is on a mission to end Legionnaires' disease by using science and education to prevent future outbreaks.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

James' Challenge: "Perform condensate survey throughout a facility." [2:02]

Re-introducing my friend and trusted colleague, Legionella Expert, the accomplished Dr. Janet E. Stout [6:00]

Why join a peer to peer groups for business solutions and professional growth [13:30]

ASHRAE 188 updates [18:40]

Legislation regulation for Legionella updates [23:22]

12080 Certification [29:55]

CDC updates [31:20]

Understanding "Percent Positivity" [34:30]

The Joint Commission updates [36:37]

What does a CWT need to know? [40:20]

Staying on top of industry changes [43:15]

Standard 514 [45:05]

Talking to our clients about changes [47:00]

How to stay in the know about local and state changes? [50:33]

Lightning round questions [54:00]

Quotes:

"I'm on a mission to end Legionnaires' disease." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"It frustrates me that someone has to die in order for changes to be made." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"Change is coming. Some through standards and guidance, and some by regulatory authorities and joint commission." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"We need to raise the bar so that everybody is at the same level of basic understanding of Legionella and Legionnaires disease water management." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"We advance because we say to ourselves 'There are things we don't know' and we seek out the knowledge for those that do and thereby get better at our jobs." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

"A water treatment professional needs to be an educator of their client." - Dr. Janet E. Stout

Connect with Janet Stout PhD:

Phone: 412.281.5335

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.specialpathogenslab.com

Links Mentioned:

Episode 121 with Dr. Janet Stout

Standard 188-2021 -- Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems (ANSI Approved)

Special Pathogens Laboratory - Education

Puzzled By Legionella Wednesday webinar series

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Submit a Show Idea

AWT (Association of Water Technologies)

Events:

The Hang Networking Event- @6pm 11.11.21

Michael Warady's Business Webinar -@11am 10.29.21

Smart Water Utilities, Europe (Netherlands) -1.26.22-1.27.22

Books Mentioned:

Puzzled By Legionella - Janet E Stout PhD

From Good To Great - Jim Collins

Traction - Gino Wickman

If you've been having supply chain issues, you are not alone.

But you don't have to solve your supply chain issues on your own.

On October 14, 2021, I hosted a Raw Materials Supply Chain Update Roundtable with Mike Standish of Radical Polymers, Jill Cavano of Scranton Associates, John Zibrita of Zibex, and Gary Garcia of Masters Company- these individuals let us know what they are seeing in the marketplace and shared what we need to do so we can make the right decisions right now.

Our industry is better when we don't work in isolation and instead lean into trusted peers. Thank you to everyone who hosted the Roundtable and to everyone who attended.

We posted the video recording from the Zoom Roundtable conversation to our YouTube channel. If you're like me and like to put a voice with a name, visit ScalingUpH2o.com/Update.

Be sure to listen to the Scaling UP! H2O podcast every week to hear about opportunities to connect with other professionals, grow, and learn about the water treatment industry.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace Blackmore

Upcoming Events:

The Hang Networking Event- @6pm November 11

Business Webinar with Michael Warady - @11am October 29

Connect with the roundtable speakers:

Jill Cavano of Scranton Associates: [email protected]

Mike Standish of Radical Polymers: [email protected]

Gary Garcia of Masters Company: [email protected]

John Zibrita of Zibex: [email protected]

Links Mentioned:

The Rising Tide Mastermind

As the fourth quarter of 2021 draws to a close, what are the things you are evaluating to make sure that Q4 ends well and that 2022 is going to be a more profitable year for you and your company? If you have ever wondered: how much money should the company have in the bank, why are we taking on more clients but not making a profit, or why are we spending more money on the company but not seeing the payoff, then today's episode is for you.

Today's guest is Russ Stephens, co-founder of the Association of Professional Builders, a leading business coaching company dedicated to improving the residential construction industry for both builders and consumers. Since 2014 he has been helping builders double the size of their businesses through profitable growth. The Association Of Professional Builders excels in providing cutting-edge systems, world-class support, and sales & marketing training to the construction industry. And Russ knows how to do this because he uses data to make the right decisions to increase profits.

Bottom line: Russ is going to give you the data your company needs to be looking at to make the right decisions.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

Get to know Russ Stephens, the man who moved to Australia and grew an entire industry's profits with data [6:00]

Understand the true financials as a business owner [11:40]

What are the core numbers we need to be looking at [15:13]

The most important thing to look at to scale [22:10]

How much money should a business have in the bank [25:00]

What formula should a business use to budget for marketing [27:37]

The importance of KPIs and SOPS [29:32]

Understanding today's consumers to generate more business [31:20]

Lightning round questions [37:15]

James' Challenge: " Ask your customer what you can do better." [47:08]

Quotes:

"Margins are linked to marketing." - Russ Stephens

"The backbone to any good company is SOPs or Standard Operating Procedures." - Russ Stephens

"As a business owner, you cannot be a micromanager. You need to only look for the gaps in the system and address them." - Russ Stephens

"The internet turned the sales process on its head over a decade ago. Consumers are more educated than any generation in history, so we need to become the online provider of information. We need to educate the consumer before we sell to them." - Russ Stephens

Connect with Russ Stephens:

Phone: +61450519613

Email: [email protected]

Website: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com

LinkedIn: in/russstephens

Links Mentioned:

scalinguph2o.com/audible

Industrial Water Week 2022 starts Oct 3rd

Episode 204 on being profitable

Episode 101 with Colin Frayne

Episode 102 with Colin Frayne

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Books Mentioned:

Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time by Rory Vaden

Powered By Change by Nicholas Brealey

Influence by Robert B. Cialdini

Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

My name is Trace Blackmore and I've had the honor of celebrating Industrial Water Week with you each day this week! Each year that we celebrate Industrial Water Week, it gets better. Today is all about the fact we all have a career in industrial water treatment. Think about all of the jobs you could have had that are not this job, and how lucky are you that you chose a career in industrial water treatment?

Nation, I hope this job is more than a job to you. I hope you love it, I hope you respect it, I hope you make it better every chance you get.

As this week wraps up, please consider this: Are you priming the pump for the next generation of water treaters? And if you are not, consider how rewarding that might be.

At the end of the day, I think the only thing that matters is our relationships, so how are yours? Are you being mentored by someone in water treatment? Are you mentoring someone in water treatment?

Take some time this week and thank someone who coached and mentored you along the way as you grew in your career in water treatment.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.

-Trace

Timestamps:

My water treatment career journey [0:01]

Your career in industrial water treatment is a craft [7:25]

Jim Lauria and Adam Tank share why you must share your career in water treatment story with others [9:00]

James' Mini Challenge: post a selfie of yourself along with a story about how you got into industrial water treatment and why you would recommend it to others. [11:00]

Shawn McGrade talks about why he chose water treatment as a career [12:15]

Tom Hardy shares what he learned about what makes a good water treater [16:25]

Doctor H2O [18:13]

Closing out Industrial Water Week with James McDonald [28:05]

Coaching and mentoring to improve our entire industry [30:00]

Quotes:

"Water treatment is a craft, an activity involving skill." - Trace Blackmore

"We have the best jobs in the world." - Trace Blackmore

"I take pride in how I do water treatment." - Trace Blackmore

"When you tell your story on water, you focus on the global good of water." - Adam Tank

"How do we pass on our love, our passion, and our knowledge to the next generation of industrial water treatment professionals?" - James McDonald

Links Mentioned:

Industrial Water Week

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Episode 213 Coaching with Bill Eckstrom

Episode 188 with Shawn McGrade

Episode 163 2020 Careers

Episode 54 2019 Careers with Tom Hardy

Episode 181 Water Geeks Jim Lauria and Adam Tank