hiring

Ep.114: Building the Next Generation of Trades with Brek Goin

August 3, 2020 Hiring, Management, Operations, The Tim Faller Show 00:43:54

We have covered the challenges associated with labor shortage on this show and we have probably had more than ten guests that are directly associated with solving the issue and increasing the awareness and opportunity in the Skilled trades.

We have included many guests who are getting involved by putting together programs and initiatives, and not just talking about the problem at hand.

In this episode, Tim and Steve speak with someone who is making a difference and has gone about it in way that especially appeals to the new generation of tradespeople, and that is social media.

Brek Goin, is the Founder of Hammr, an online professional network and labor marketplace for the construction industry. Brek grew up working next to his father in construction and over the last three years has built one of the largest building-related communities on social media.

Brek joins Tim and Steve to talk more about his mission to build the next generation of construction.

Websites and social media links mentioned in this episode:
Hammr
Builders of Instagram

This Episode Sponsored by: Wellborn Cabinet

We are excited to have Wellborn Cabinet as a featured sponsor for The Tim Faller Show!

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Ep.113: Hiring Right the First Time with Doug Howard

July 27, 2020 Hiring, Management, The Tim Faller Show 00:39:01

Finding and keeping good “help” can make or break your remodeling business. As a business owner you can recruit and interview candidates, maybe even hire one you think will be a superstar, and 2 weeks later you realize that not only are they a bad “fit,” they are destroying the chemistry and dynamic of your existing team.

In this episode Tim and Steve welcome back Doug Howard to discuss the challenges that remodelers face during the hiring process and ways they can overcome them.

Doug is the Director of Consulting for Remodelers Advantage and since joining R/A in 2017, has worked with hundreds of companies, developing strategic plans, streamlining processes, improving profitability, and navigating growth.

Tim, Steve and Doug talk more about:

  • The single most important thing/action in the hiring process
  • Some of the challenges and obstacles remodelers are experiencing
  • Building your own hiring process at your company
  • Some of the resources available out there
  • And more…

If you want to learn more: Free Webinar - “Building Your A Team”

Don’t miss this one-hour, FREE webinar, hosted by today’s guest, Doug Howard, on Tuesday, July 28, 2020.

This webinar is designed to provide insight and strategies for remodeling company owners and their leadership teams on how to hire more efficiently and effectively. Doug will provide ideas, steps and tools to help create processes for recruiting, hiring and onboarding to meet your company’s needs.

Click Here to reserve your seat >>

This Episode Sponsored by: Wellborn Cabinet

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Ep.104: Inside the Home Builders Institute with Ed Brady

May 25, 2020 Hiring, Operations, The Tim Faller Show, Uncategorized 00:39:07

Meeting the growing need for a qualified workforce in the remodeling and home building industries has evolved into seeing the ideal worker as coming from a range of backgrounds but with a common interest.

In this episode, Tim and Steve welcome Home Builders Institute (HBI) President and CEO, Ed Brady, who explains the breadth of programs offered and the evolution of services HBI is undertaking to match the industry’s varied and changing needs.

Home Builders Institute (HBI), a national nonprofit that trains underserved populations, including veterans, transitioning military, high school students and justice-involved youth and adults for careers in the building industry. Ed currently oversees the operations, products and services for HBI and is a second-generation home builder from Bloomington, Illinois.

In addition, Ed has served 12 years as Independent Director of the Chicago Federal Home Loan Bank, working with leading experts to advance the nation’s housing policy and has also served as a senior officer with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and as the 2016 chairman of its board of directors.

Ep.93: Women in Leadership on Site with Dejah Léger

February 24, 2020 Hiring, Management, Production, The Tim Faller Show 00:32:02

We talk a great deal about ways to beat the labor shortage, including the importance of training and education in keeping good employees. We’ve also discussed how to promote the trades as an attractive career choice. 

There’s a third component — finding the right people. And that may mean changing your thinking about what, or who, you’re looking for.

Dejah Léger came into remodeling with no experience, but was “trained from scratch,” she says. Due to her motivation and ability to learn quickly, she was promoted to lead carpenter within a year.

In this episode, Dejah talks to Tim and Steve about her experiences changing careers to become a carpenter and project manager, the challenges, and why women are a big asset on the job site.

Dejah is a lead carpenter/project manager at Irons Brothers Construction in Shoreline, WA. The first project she led was a major kitchen remodel, and she has continued to lead multiple jobs since then. Her role as the only female lead carpenter in Shoreline is a huge advantage on many levels. It points to the many reasons women should be recruited to be bags-on, even if it means large initial investments in training. 

Dejah’s remodeling career started when one of the company’s owners recruited her at her daughter’s baseball game. Her coworkers trained her on-site, she studied everything she could at night, and Irons Brothers sends their team to training and trade shows. She talks about what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated industry, changing careers, and the advantages it gives her in the field, including:

  • Establishing authority and leading on site
  • Why the labor shortage leveled the playing field for her
  • Communicating with clients 
  • Creating relationships with subs and vendors
  • Finding safety equipment that fits
  • Training on her own
  • The physical aspects of the job
  • Using her graphic design background to understand plans
  • Why to recruit more women
  • And more …

Getting past preconceived notions of what a carpenter or project manager has always been is the first step toward recruiting and retaining good team members — and that includes women.

Ep.89: Profit-Sharing Strategies with Shawn McCadden

January 27, 2020 Hiring, Management, Operations, Production, The Tim Faller Show 00:33:12

Money isn’t the only way to motivate your team, but profit sharing can boost morale, productivity, and help attract and keep good production employees.

Profit sharing can be engineered into the budget so there will be funds to distribute. As long as you hit the gross-profit margin, you can set up profit sharing, says Shawn McCadden. But you have to be careful and systematic in creating the system.

In this episode, Shawn discusses profit-sharing strategies with Tim and Steve, and how to create and maintain a profit-sharing program that will motivate your field team.

Shawn is president of Remodel My Business Inc. in Brookline, NH, and is a prominent figure in the remodeling industry. He obtained his builder’s license by age 18; founded, operated, and sold a successful employee-managed design/build firm; co-founded the Residential Design/Build Institute; and went on to become director of education for a national bath and kitchen remodeling franchise company. Today he speaks frequently at industry conferences and trade events. As an award-winning columnist, he contributes to industry publications, blogs, and writes a monthly column for Qualified Remodeler magazine. You can learn more at www.shawnmccadden.com.

You must have a sensible financial system already in place to make profit sharing work, says Shawn. There’s no room for guesswork. You also need a way to measure what’s happening on a job in the same way it was estimated for apples-to-apples comparisons. He discusses how to implement a profit sharing plan and the benefits, including: 

  • Starting with best practices
  • The difference between profit sharing and bonuses
  • Considering profit sharing as an overhead expense
  • Training your staff to understand your budget
  • Testing it before you roll it out
  • Setting the goals
  • When — and how often — to distribute the money
  • Documenting your process 
  • Determining who gets how much
  • Being a competitive employer in your market
  • And more …

The labor shortage is only going to get worse, says Shawn, and a profit-sharing program — along with competitive pay, benefits, and time off — will help your company attract and keep the best employees.

You’ve Got Questions, We’ll Find Answers

This topic was suggested by one of our listeners who wanted to know how to begin a profit-sharing program. If you’ve got a question or idea for a topic or guest, send Tim an email at tim@remodelersadvantage.com.

New Dates for Extreme Business Makeover

Due to schedule conflicts we moved the Extreme Business Makeover to March 30 – 31, 2020. We’re still at the BWI Westin in Baltimore and we’ve added Bruce Case as a featured speaker… More content being added and we’ve got 4-5 great tools that you will be leaving with, so take a look at this event and we would love to see you there!
More information + Registration >>

Ep.86: Hindsight is 2020

January 6, 2020 Hiring, Management, Operations, Production, The Tim Faller Show 00:28:49

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 …

Including the five states Tim still has to visit, as well as sincere thanks from everyone at the show for giving us your time, ideas, and feedback. If you’ve got an idea for a topic or guest, drop Tim a line at tim@remodelersadvantage.com.

Early Bird Discount Available for The Extreme Business Makeover on January 28-29 in Baltimore – Save $200 by Registering Before January 22nd

Come learn from Tim Faller and some of the most experienced, well-respected speakers, presenters and panelists in the North American remodeling industry. 

The Extreme Business Makeover is two days of interactive, thought-provoking presentations, break-outs and panel discussions with some of the remodeling industry’s best and brightest. The perfect way to prepare your company for 2020 and beyond! Register Today!

Ep.78: The Four-Day Work Week with Tim Welsh

November 4, 2019 Hiring, Management, Operations, Production, The Tim Faller Show 00:31:15

To make the remodeling business work, there are a few musts — you have to be efficient, you have to have a competitive edge, and a good work-life balance.

Tim Welsh’s company does it in four days a week — at least in the field.

In this episode, Tim discusses the four-day work week with Tim and Steve, including how he came to it, what benefits there are, and how you can do it too.

Tim is the president of Welsh Construction in Lexington, VA. Though he started out wanting to enter the custom furniture business, Tim began his career as a laborer and worked his way up to foreman. He opened his own business 26 years ago, doing everything himself, until his wife joined him. Tim and Janeen have grown the company, added staff, and are in the process of transferring ownership as part of an eight-year transition plan.

The four-day work week started for Tim early on in — though at that time it meant four long days in the field for him, with the fifth day spent in the office or on sales calls. The carpenters working for him got used to being on the job for 10 hours, four days a week. When Tim transitioned out of the field, he kept the four-day schedule for his field staff. “It was in their DNA by that time,” he says. Tim tells you why it works for his company, including:

  • Who works four days, who works all five
  • How it makes start-up and breakdown more efficient
  • What you save from only having four lunch breaks
  • Explaining the schedule to your clients
  • Working with your subcontractors     
  • Getting used to 10-hour days
  • Working in winter darkness
  • How to work Monday holidays into the mix
  • The financial aspect
  • How it helps in hiring and keeping field staff
  • And more …

Tim says this schedule can help smaller contractors to concentrate their efforts in the field, while leaving time for other tasks on the fifth day. For larger firms, with lead carpenters and project managers, he advises rolling it out and trying it. It may work for you.

Ep.75: Promoting the Young Guy with Ryan Murphy

October 14, 2019 Hiring, Management, Technology, The Tim Faller Show 00:33:55

Finding good employees and managers can be difficult — there just aren’t that many qualified workers out there. Hiring somebody young without much training is an investment, but it can pay off in the long run. If you find the right person.

Ryan Murphy is one of those people. He didn’t know anything about construction until he started working in the field when he was 19. Six years later, he’s a project manager.

In this episode, Ryan talks to Tim and Steve about his experience and growth, and how your company can find great workers and train them to move up within your organization.

Ryan is a project manager at Elite Construction Services Inc. in Santa Cruz, CA. He joined Elite three years ago as a carpenter after gaining two years of experience elsewhere. He worked his way from apprentice to journeyman after his first year. Six months later, Ryan began training to become a project manager, while still doing some carpentry as needed. 

You have to have a constant and consistent conversation with everyone you meet to find the right people, he says. Talk to family, friends, and clients even before you have an opening. Ryan talks about his experiences in getting hired, his training on the job, and how you can promote people from within, including:

  • What to look for
  • Using a visual workbook
  • When to let workers go on their own
  • How to train for growth
  • Providing a safety net
  • How to teach the office tasks
  • Teaching people to answer their own questions
  • Using technology to run jobs better
  • And more …

The biggest key to finding and keeping young workers is making them feel like they have a real future in the industry, and especially within your company, Ryan says.

Ep.73: Getting Young People into the Trades with a High School Summer Work Program with Stuart Feldt

September 30, 2019 Hiring, Operations, The Tim Faller Show 00:32:46

We’re big advocates of getting young people into the building trades. Getting kids and their parents to understand that working in remodeling and construction can provide a great career is the first step. 

Stuart Feldt has an internship program for high school students at his company, giving them hands-on experience during their summer vacations.

In this episode, Stuart discusses the program with Tim and Steve, where he finds the kids, and how you can start a similar initiative.

Stuart founded his company, W.S. Feldt, in 1993 as a sole proprietor in Mountlake Terrace, WA. The company specializes in remodels of all types, with an occasional custom home build. This is the company’s second year of employing high school students.

Working with high school students means taking some extra time while teaching them the proper skills, and how to do them safely. But it’s an important step to ensure there will be a steady stream of skilled tradespeople coming into the industry. Stuart talks about how he started the program, and what you can do to run your own initiative, including:

  • The legal issues
  • The skills to teach, and how
  • Finding the right work for them to do
  • Being flexible
  • Accepting there will be some extra costs and inefficiencies
  • How to handle the job costs
  • The benefits of turning your team into teachers
  • The possibility of turning it into a non-profit
  • Reaching out to educators for help
  • Giving an overview of the business
  • And more …

A high-school outreach and internship program is one way to beat the labor shortage by providing a pipeline for your company.

Ep.72: The Labor Shortage from a Small-Town Perspective with Wally Staples

September 23, 2019 Hiring, Management, Operations, Production, The Tim Faller Show 00:34:42

While driving through Maine earlier this year, Tim started wondering how a client of his there deals with the labor shortage in his small town. So he called and asked, and found out that while there are different challenges, what he does to attract and retain his people can be done in any size labor market.

In this episode, Wally J. Staples talks to Tim and Steve about how his company combats the labor crisis outside of the major metropolitan areas, where there just aren’t as many people to choose from.

Wally is the owner and president of Wally J Staples Builders Inc., of Brunswick, ME, founded the company in 1993 when he was in his early 20s. A carpenter by trade, Wally worked in the field building new homes and completing renovations until 2001, when he hired his first lead carpenter, who’s still with WJSB today. This allowed Wally to work on growing the company, and now they have five full-time, in-house carpentry crews, and have completed more than 3,500 projects. 

Brunswick has a population of about 20,000, and is somewhat of a retirement community. It’s located between two major employers —  L.L. Bean and s big shipbuilder. There’s also a strong sense of independence — many carpenters and tradespeople would rather work for themselves. Wally talks about the things you need to do to attract and keep good people in a smaller market, including:

  • How to help people adjust to new roles
  • The benefit of offering benefits — especially paid time off
  • Providing a profit-sharing program for retirement plans, and keeping it in focus
  • Talking about the importance of your safety record regarding profits
  • What not to care about in hiring, like tattoos or age
  • Getting the word out about job openings
  • Appealing to the self-employed 
  • The power of branding in recruiting
  • Why training helps keep employees
  • The zero-question job binder
  • Developing good job descriptions and processes
  • And more …

Including the company party featuring a contortionist. Wally’s tips and tactics aren’t limited to succeeding in a small market — his insights can help any company, in any market.