hiring

Hindsight is 2020 with Tim Faller and Steve Wheeler- [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

July 25, 2022 Hiring, Management, Operations, Production, The Tim Faller Show 00:29:48

If you’ve ever wondered what you’d do differently when starting your remodeling business if you only knew then what you know now, you’re not alone. 

Tim and Steve do, too. 

In this episode, the guys talk about what they’ve learned in their time at Remodelers Advantage and from their podcast guests that they wish they knew when they were running their own businesses.

They each identified the five biggest takeaways that make remodeling businesses stronger, more profitable, and built for growth. Learn what they think is important and why, including:

  • The power of job descriptions
  • Being financially transparent
  • Protecting profit through data
  • Making business decisions based on numbers, not feelings
  • Learning to sell, not just take orders
  • Getting to a zero punch list
  • And more …

Best of the Tim Faller Show: Ep. 128: Onboarding New Staff with Chris Beck

July 5, 2022 Hiring, Management 00:46:34

When we discuss the labor shortage, we are often talking about how to find or develop good talent.

What we are now hearing from our Roundtables members is that they are finding people, getting them on the team, and then they fail. In many cases, these aren’t catastrophic failures, but slips in net profit or schedules or proper estimates, etc.  We can write this off to “they misrepresented themselves” during the interviews. Or, we can take a closer look at our own onboarding process to ensure we are setting our new hires up for success, not failure.

To dive deeper on this topic, Tim and Steve welcome Chris Beck to the show to talk about how he and his team at Normandy Remodeling handle the onboarding process.

Chris has been with Normandy Remodeling in Hinsdale, IL for 14 years; eight as Superintendent, two as the Production Manager and four as Director of Production. Normandy has added five Superintendents over the past five years to cover increased production and they are on pace to set another annual Produced Sales record, their 5th year in a row.

Tim, Steve and Chris cover:

  • Definition and background of onboarding.
  • Documentation and checklists.
  • And more…

Ep.198: Becoming a Memorable Leader with Howard Prager

June 27, 2022 Hiring, Management, Operations 00:36:35

Howard Prager joins the show to talk about how memorable leadership can help retain good employees, increase productivity and improve customer service.  He outlines his VIP model of leadership, which is easy to apply, proven effective, and will help create a company with which customers will want to do business and employees will want to work.

Howard Prager is president of Advance Learning Group, the author of the book Make Someone’s Day Becoming a Memorable Leader in Work and Life, speaker, executive coach, and consultant who helps managers become memorable leaders.  He has worked extensively with Fortune 500 companies as well as numerous small businesses and has won multiple professional awards for his work. 

Tim, Steve, and Howard talk more about:

  • Characteristics of a leader
  • Leadership vs. Management
  • And more…..

Ep.194: Encouraging Diversity

May 23, 2022 Hiring, Management, The Tim Faller Show 00:28:27

Join Tim and Steve as they talk to Nicole Warren about embracing and increasing diversity in the trades, and in this case, with women.   Tim makes the case that professionals in the remodeling industry must be more proactive in reaching across traditional boundaries in order to attract high preforming talent.  Nicole is a great example as her strong work ethic has helped her outperform her male colleagues to secure a number of promotions in her career.  Crossroads had the insight to encourage diversity and has reaped the rewards of that with Nicole.

Nicole, along with her father, is a carpenter for Crossroads Contracting  in Londonderry, NH.  She has always liked working with her hands, and once she had a child, she needed family friendly work hours. Becoming a carpenter allows her to work in a fulfilling career, but have the work-life balance she needs for her family. 

Listen as Nicole, Tim, and Steve discuss:

Creating the awareness that there are opportunities for everyone

How to ensure that the wording in communication does not exclude anyone

And more…

Ep.193: Unlimited Vacation Time – [The Tim Faller Show]

May 16, 2022 Hiring, The Tim Faller Show 00:34:46

Join Tim and Steve as they talk to Clark Harris, who recently implemented an unlimited vacation time policy at his company, to see how it is working. Although some might find this idea radical, it fits right into the strong culture that Clark has built within his company. He runs an open book organization, where he shares performance numbers with all team members, fosters an environment of open communication, trust, accountability, responsibility, freedom, and developing an owner’s mindset. 

Clark, a carpenter by trade, started his company, Innovative Construction, in 2000 and serves the Atlanta, GA metro area.  He initially grew the company slowly until he found Remodelers Advantage, where he said he found the “right way to run a business”. He has grown Innovative Construction into a multi-million dollar business with 17 employees he endearingly refers to as team members. 

Listen as Clark, Tim, and Steve discuss:

  • Using unlimited vacation to attract and retain the BEST talent
  • How responsibility and freedom are interdependent
  • And more…

Remodelers Summit is a remarkable educational event designed specifically for the remodeling community.  This year we will feature:

  • 3 inspirational and entertaining keynotes
  • 4 education tracks with 36 industry leading speakers with strategies to help you grow a better business
  • Networking with Ask Anything sessions
  • 80s party, a happy hour
  • And more…

This year the Remodelers Summit will be held at the beautiful Gaylord National Harbor, near Washington DC.

You do NOT want to miss it!

Click Here

Ep.174: Women in Construction with Jessica Bishop-Smyser

November 29, 2021 Operations, Production, The Tim Faller Show 00:38:59

Since the start of the Tim Faller Show, about 170 episodes ago, one of the goals has been to highlight the role of women in this industry.  Fast forward to today, we now have 5 dedicated, knowledgeable women in our production manager roundtable groups.  In this episode, guest Jessica Bishop-Smyser talks about her role and her journey in an otherwise male-dominated field, in hopes to inspire others. 

Jessica is the operations manager for Silent Rivers Design + Build located in Des Moines and Clive, Iowa. Silent Rivers is known for thinking outside the box, for setting or pushing standards not just in design, or attention to detail but to also be a catalyst for positive change in the industry of remodeling. They are led by a strong female leadership team and believe it is what a person brings to the table, not their gender.

Tim, Steve and Jessica talk more about:

  • Breaking down gender barriers
  • Challenges faced as a woman in a male oriented career
  • Overcoming stereotypes
  • And more…

Training For You & Your Entire Team

Whether you are on-site with us or attending one of our virtual courses, we are dedicated to bringing you fast-paced, in-depth education and training opportunities to further develop your industry knowledge.

We have several courses coming up in the next few months that are perfect for any successful remodeling business owner, or perhaps key staff and team members.

[ CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF UPCOMING MASTERCLASSES ]

Ep.167: Hiring for the Future with Jim Reardon

October 11, 2021 Hiring, Production, The Tim Faller Show 00:31:51

Without a doubt, hiring is a huge challenge in any field, but especially in design build and remodeling. 

A large aspect of that challenge is that instead of consistently working to improve the hiring process, teams often wait too long, and find themselves in a situation where a position needs to be filled immediately.

Host Tim Faller thinks that there are ebbs and flows in the intensity and energy put into the hiring process, and that not enough focus is dedicated to hiring at all times.  

Guest Jim Reardon, Production Manager at Rhode Island Kitchen and Bath joins this episode to talk about a practice of being staffed for an upcoming growth spurt, and how to project that kind of growth. 

Jim has been with the company for 5 years and has been part of the transition from a $3.5M company, to a $7.5M company, producing over 80 projects per year.  He oversees a production office staff and various trade partners all while continuing to grow the business.

Tim, Steve and Jim talk more about:

  • Projecting growth
  • Setting goals
  • Working alongside a consultant
  • And more…

New Project Manager Roundtables Group Forming Now

Due to ongoing demand, we will be taking new members into our 7th Roundtables Group, specifically for Project Managers, in January 2022. Developed and led by our Senior Consultant and “Production Guru,” Tim Faller, this special Roundtables™ Program focuses on all aspects of production management; People Management, Technology, Training & Development, Customer Service and more.

For more information about this great program, click here.

 

Ep.143: From Client to Employee with Meghan Haines

March 22, 2021 Hiring, Management, The Tim Faller Show 00:30:15

The transition from client to employee, does it work?  

Meghan Haines joins Tim and Steve in this episode to talk about the dynamic from being a client to now an employee and why it may or may not work. 

Having the knowledge and experience of a client in the remodeling industry is helpful in the transition to becoming an employee and brings a point of view that some employees may not have.  Meghan talks about the surprises and potential roadblocks in the transition and how she has made it work.

Meghan Haines is the Production Coordinator for Hercules Design Build, a remodeling company in the St. Louis area. Meghan has been with Hercules for a little over a year and a half; However, before joining the company, she was a client for three remodeling projects in her own home.

Tim, Steve and Meghan talk more about:

  • Customer relations
  • The benefits of bringing experience into remodeling from different fields 
  • Advice for contractors interested in hiring
  • And more…

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Ep.119: Moving from Carpenter to Owner with Brad Sawler

September 21, 2020 Management, Operations, Production, The Tim Faller Show 00:34:26

Today’s topic came from a subscriber who contacted Tim asking about making the transition from a single owner-operator to building a team and assuming the role of “Boss.”

Some remodelers just want to do the work themselves and stay small. They enjoy wearing all the “hats,” resigning themselves to the fact that they don’t have the energy or desire to take the next step.

This episode focuses on the transition and growth needed to take the next step. No better example than our guest, Brad Sawler, owner of Oxland Builders in Stratham, NH.

Brad Sawler, started Oxland Builders in 2003 with a partner intent on building high-end spec homes. As the company grew, Brad found himself being pulled away from the field more and more often. The time had come for him to take off his tool belt and focus on growing the business.

Since 2016, Brad has focused on sales, estimating and marketing. The company has grown to a field staff of 7 with plans to hire more personnel in 2021.

Tim, Steve and Brad cover:

  • The transition from working in the field and being hand-on to more of a supervisor role.
  • The determination that growth and hiring a staff was necessary.
  • What the hardest hurdles were and what the easiest tasks were to hand off.
  • Learning to trust others in the front office.
  • Changes in project process and documentation.
  • Changes in pricing, labor hours, etc.
  • Establishing a training system with the team.

This Episode Sponsored by: Builder Funnel​

We are excited to have Builder Funnel joining us as a featured sponsor for The Tim Faller Show. Spencer Powell and his team at Builder Funnel have been huge supporters of R/A and the remodeling community for years and it is great to have on board as a featured sponsor… Welcome, Builder Funnel!

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Ep.118: What Makes a Good Boss with Aaron Enfinger and Les Anderson

September 14, 2020 Management, Operations 00:34:05

In this episode, we take a look at what it takes to be a good boss from an employee’s perspective, but also from the supervisor side as well, as both of our guests have risen through the ranks to become leaders of their respective businesses.

Our first guest, Aaron Enfinger, came up through the ranks and is now General Manager of the company he works for. And our second guest, Les Anderson, has been with his boss for almost as long as the company has been in business, in a market where there are many great remodeling companies.

Aaron is the General Manager at The Cleary Company, a Remodel-Design-Build firm in Columbus, Ohio. As The Cleary Company was growing steadily, it became evident in early 2017 that additional oversight and management was needed in the other areas of the organization. The role of General Manager was created, and Aaron was promoted to the role to help fill this void.

Les is a Field Supervisor Sylvestre Remodeling & Design. Les has over 42 years of construction experience, including 36 years in residential remodeling. He has been with Sylvestre for over 34 years, and a field supervisor for twenty years.

Tim, Steve, Aaron and Les talk more about:

  • The most important thing a business owner can do to be a great boss
  • As a supervisor, what you do to try to do to create a great work place
  • What is it about your boss that makes you want to stay
  • What the “deal breaker” is for many employees
  • And more…

This Episode Sponsored by: Builder Funnel

We are excited to have Builder Funnel joining us as a featured sponsor for The Tim Faller Show. Spencer Powell and his team at Builder Funnel have been huge supporters of R/A and the remodeling community for years and it is great to have on board as a featured sponsor… Welcome, Builder Funnel!
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