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The Fire Time Podcast episodes
- Kenneth Walker - 5 Steps for a Winning Showroom (Live from the 2026 HPBExpo)
"The purpose of your showroom is to sell the in-home visit."
In this episode, Tim sits down with Kenneth Walker (Owner, Firewalker Sales) at the HPV Expo in New Orleans to break down the five principles of a winning showroom. Kenneth's approach transforms showrooms from overwhelming product dumps into strategic sales tools that actually drive business to customers' homes.
In this episode, Tim and Kenneth cover:
- Why most dealers confuse retail stores with showrooms—and how this confusion kills sales by overwhelming both staff and customers
- The simple but powerful concept of creating "experts, not generalists" by being intentional about product positioning and storytelling
- How good, better, best pricing ladders work when you stop worrying about manufacturers' feelings and start focusing on customer clarity
Don't miss Kenneth's insight about the "coffee table battle"—that critical moment when customers compare options at home—and why having authentic stories about your products is what ultimately wins the sale.
Links from this episode:
WhyFire: https://whyfire.com
Listen to the full Fire Time Podcast "Showroom" Series with Kenneth Walker: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
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Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qHsKjayv91c
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-time-podcast/id1433804268
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vHdzg48bE5qFf0KjMeMej?si=7b6cae3923d348f2
Read The Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine
Subscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribe
Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join53 min - Kurt Rumens - Don't Wait to Get Picked (Live from the 2026 HPBExpo)
"Don't blame the other guy. Take responsibility for it. And I think there's so much that can be done."
In this episode, Tim sits down with Kurt Rumens (President, Travis Industries and founder of Lopi Stoves) at the HPBExpo in New Orleans. Kurt shares the unlikely journey from rock-and-roll drummer turned truck driver to building one of the hearth industry's most beloved companies over the past 39 years.In this episode, Tim and Kurt cover:• How getting rejected by two companies in one day crystallized Kurt's decision to become a stove manufacturer—despite having zero welding or engineering experience• Why hiring people with a "servant's heart" has created Travis Industries' legendary dealer loyalty and family-like culture across generations• Kurt's philosophy that fear of not doing enough drives innovation, from drawing inspiration in the Sistine Chapel to spotting fireplace ideas at P.F. Chang'sDon't miss Kurt's insights on protecting specialty retailers in an Amazon world and why authentic relationships—not marketing studies—remain the foundation of building something that lasts.——Links from this episode:Kurt Rumens Travis Industries Link (https://www.travisindustries.com/)WhyFire Link - https://whyfire.com——Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Fnx_LIjIfwYListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-time-podcast/id1433804268Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vHdzg48bE5qFf0KjMeMej?si=7b6cae3923d348f2Read The Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazineSubscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribeSupport The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join53 min - Stop Quoting. Start Selling (Live from the 2026 HPBExpo)
Welcome to Season 16 of The Fire Time Podcast—and for the first time ever, we're on video. To kick things off, Tim steps in for Gideon Honeycutt at the 2026 HPBExpo to teach a session on breaking free from the quote trap—the costly cycle where salespeople fail to show customers why a product uniquely solves their problem and get reduced to handing out numbers. What follows is a masterclass in three deceptively simple steps that can fundamentally transform how your team sells.
In this episode, Tim covers:
- Why most salespeople accidentally turn their products into commodities—and how a customer intake form flips the script by uncovering the real problem before you ever show a product.
- How adopting a documented company sales process turns your team from clerks flying by the seat of their pants into consultants who guide customers toward a decision with confidence.
- Why establishing a next step with every single quote is the difference between "let me know" and actually closing the sale—and how appropriate pressure is a gift to your customers, not a burden.
Don't miss this no-nonsense kickoff to Season 16 that proves the basics aren't basic at all—because the companies that master these three steps don't just close more sales, they give their customers an experience worth coming back for.
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Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-oBrCc-NWHaFtu_b51D-jpNXu8jJDX2v
To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine
Subscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribe
Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join
WhyFire Fireplace AI Visualizer: https://whyfire.com
1 hr 9 min - Tim Reed - Don't Fall Asleep At the Wheel
On his the way to the 2026 HPBExpo in New Orleans, Tim takes a break from Rapid Reactions to share an audio article from the upcoming 2026 Fire Time Journal, the yearly printed playbook for running a hearth retail business, featuring the best of the industry.
Listen to Tim's article titled, "Don't Fall Asleep At the Wheel," hear his recap at the end, and pick up your free copy of 2026 The Fire Time Journal at the 2026 HPBExpo this week.
Don't miss the Fire Time After Hours Karaoke Party following the EPBExpo on Friday night. Sign up at: https://www.itsfiretime.com/afterparty
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To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/subscribe
Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join
25 min - *Replay* Clay Dennis - Building a Business That You Can Sell
While we prepare for Season 16 of the podcast, we're taking a break from our Fire Time Magazine Rapid Reaction series to reply a conversation that Tim had with Grant Falco about the first step to build a heartbeat report for your company—the weekly traffic count.
Here are the original show notes:
“I started looking at my company as a retirement plan.” Do you look at your company the same way? Chances are, you probably don’t. But building a business you can sell is all about keeping the end in mind and reverse engineering from there—and this conversation covers how to do that like an expert.
Today, Tim talks with Clay Dennis, a man who titles himself a believer, a coach, and a friend when called. Clay tells Tim about how his business almost literally killed him, how he built his business like a retirement plan, how he eventually sold his business, and how he segments his life into acts.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How you can build a business that works as a retirement plan (this is mandatory if you want certainty in the future).What you should know about the three fates of every business (this will help you decide how you want yours to end).What you should do when a manufacturer’s suggested products aren’t moving (this is a hard truth that only the most dominant businesses embrace).Stop operating your business day by day—focus on the end instead. Building a business that you can sell is essential to finishing life well. Listen today to learn how to craft a better future.
Nearing Home by Billy Graham
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Become a supporter of The Fire Time Network and get access to awesome rewards: https://itsfiretime.com/join
To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine.
59 min - *Replay* Grant Falco - Building the Heartbeat Report (Traffic Count)
While we prepare for Season 16 of the podcast, we're taking a break from our Fire Time Magazine Rapid Reaction series to reply a conversation that Tim had with Grant Falco about the first step to build a heartbeat report for your company—the weekly traffic count.
Here are the original show notes:
Many leaders judge the well-being of their businesses purely based on feel. This works great until it doesn’t—and then you’re left scrambling to figure out where things went wrong. Imagine if, instead, you could have your finger on the pulse of your business so you could prevent problems before they happen.
In today’s episode, Tim and Grant discuss traffic count—the first of the four keystone metrics that make up the heartbeat report. Traffic count (door swings) is the metric that Tim credits for bringing him where he is today.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How you should track traffic in your business (this—once implemented—will give you a ton of information).How tracking traffic will allow you to align your inventory with what customers actually want (this is exciting to see when it starts to happen).Why having a human track traffic is almost always better than a stale metric produced by a computer (this is something that took Tim and Grant a while to understand).Stop judging the well-being of your business entirely on feel. Instead, build a heartbeat report that tracks key metrics and gives you the complete picture. Want to get started? Just press play.
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Become a supporter of The Fire Time Network and get access to awesome rewards: https://itsfiretime.com/join
To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine.
45 min - *Replay* Stan Campbell - Mission, Vision, Core Values, Goals, and Objectives
While we prepare for Season 16 of the podcast, we're taking a break from our Fire Time Magazine Rapid Reaction series to reply a conversation that Tim had with Stan Campbell about the value of building your organization the right way.
Here are the original show notes:
If you walked up to your team and asked them to recite your mission statement, could they do it? If not, here’s the hard truth: Your mission statement stinks, and you need to improve it. If your team doesn’t know why your organization exists, where you’re going, and how they’re expected to behave, then you’re setting them up to fail.
In today’s episode, Tim sits down with his mentor, Stan Campbell, to define and discuss the essential elements of any healthy business: mission, vision, core values, goals, and objectives. During the conversation, Tim explains how Stan helped him and his team develop each of these elements so that they could always have clarity on what the company is and where it’s going.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How core values—when done right—will pump up your team (this makes winning organizations).How an outsider’s critique of your organization will change everything (this will allow you to truly see eye-to-eye with your team).How you should delegate tasks (this isn’t offloading things you don’t want to do onto others' plates).The landscape is littered with organizations that never made it past their leaders' capacities. If you truly care about your business, you should be okay with leaving behind a legacy that doesn’t include you. Making things less about you as a leader and giving your team the authority to talk back will pay dividends. Listen today to get started.
Hiring Stan is the best money Tim has ever spent. Bring him in to critique your organization by emailing him here: [email protected].
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Become a supporter of The Fire Time Network and get access to awesome rewards: https://itsfiretime.com/join
To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine.
59 min - Tim Reed - The Journey: Part 2 (FTM Rapid Reaction)
While we prepare Season 16 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to an article he just wrote titled, "The Journey: Part 2" (released in the February 2026 issue of The Fire Time Magazine).
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To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/subscribe
Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join
49 min - Ryan Przybylski - 5 Building Blocks of a Strong Company Culture (FTM Rapid Reaction)
While we prepare Season 16 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to an article by Ryan Przybylski titled, "5 Building Blocks of a Strong Company Culture" (released in the February 2025 issue of The Fire Time Magazine).
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To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine
Read The Fire Time Magazine Reader Edition online: https://magazine.itsfiretime.com
Download The Fire Time Magazine app to get full access to the magazine (for free): https://www.itsfiretime.com/app
Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime
26 min - Kim Davis - Value First, Discounts Second (FTM Rapid Reaction)
While we prepare Season 16 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to an article by Kim Davis titled, " Value First, Discounts Second" (released in the November 2025 issue of The Fire Time Magazine).
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To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine
Read The Fire Time Magazine Reader Edition online: https://magazine.itsfiretime.com
Download The Fire Time Magazine app to get full access to the magazine (for free): https://www.itsfiretime.com/app
Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime
28 min
About The Fire Time Podcast
From the publisher's feed
Are you tired of presentations that are only half relevant to your business? Many speakers are not practitioners of their material, simply teachers—not so with The Fire Time Podcast. This podcast is…
for the hearth industry and by the hearth industry. Host Tim Reed has over a decade of experience in the hearth industry, making conversations with guests relevant and extremely practical. In Season One, Tim speaks with twelve hearth industry leaders and provides content relevant to any position, whether on the retail or manufacturing side. Hearth companies everywhere are lost because the landscape of business has changed dramatically in the last ten years. They are trying hard, but they just don’t know what to do. The Fire Time Podcast equips hearth companies to win by sharing ideas and innovation from the best minds in our industry. This podcast will give you the tools to move the needle in your company and win in the changing landscape. This podcast is the first of its kind—specific to the business that you work in every day and simple enough to teach you what’s needed to succeed. Do not miss out on The Fire Time Podcast, available for Apple and Droid devices or at www.itsfiretime.com/podcast. The simple and repeatable steps provided will empower you to grow the bottom line of your company and inspire the team that you lead. ABOUT: Tim Reed is the Retail Sales Leader at Fireside Home Solutions in the Pacific Northwest where he helps his team members make it so stupidly easy to buy from them that there is no excuse not to. Starting as individual salesperson in an empty warehouse, he has grown Fireside’s Retail division by millions (after cutting his marketing budget by 90%). Tim has been invited all over the country to teach companies how to market effectively to their customers and sell more than ever before. His YouTube videos, sales blog, and “Fire Time Podcast” have become a resource for the industry and are actively helping thousands of people rethink their paradigms so that they can grow their businesses in the changing landscape. Tim learned “just enough to be dangerous” about sales, marketing, web development, and leadership from years of playing guitar in a failing punk band—which he swears has uniquely qualified him for his job today. Now considered one of the most innovative minds and compelling communicators in the industry, Tim uses his platform to serve others, helping them create clear messages that are wildly compelling to their audiences. Tim lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Jessica, two children, Olivia and Luke, and his 90 pound Golden Retriever, Walter. He still plays guitar in a failing punk band. CONTACT: [email protected] | www.itsfiretime.com
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