Remodeling Mastery By Mark Richardson

Remodeling Mastery is a podcast series that allows you to take a little bit of a time out and think about think about the business not just do it. Each week, host Mark Richardson talks through topics that are thought provoking and some that are more in the trenches techniques and details. Today, Mark talks on the topic of what your job is today. If a business doesn’t change and adapt, it’ll slowly become irrelevant. Your job today is very different than it was in the past. It’s more complex. As you reflect on this, there are factors that Mark highlights that define what your job today is really about and how you can excel as a remodeling business.

This week's subject focuses on the state of overwhelm many remodelers feel in the industry. More homeowners are beginning to remodel their homes than in past years and this has placed an added stress on remodelers. This burden of overwhelm causes many remodelers' effectiveness to slip. Listen as Mark Richardson, talks through 5 big weights to stress and how you as a remodeler can work to overcome each: 1. Planning correctly 2. Balancing reactive vs proactive time 3. Controlling the process 4. Focusing on the right clients 5. Monitoring and adjusting accordingly

Technology has revolutionized the remodeling industry, and that has created new challenges for remodeling contractors. Sometimes, technology replaces the personal communications remodelers have with their clients. Leading to many cases where remodelers have become like strangers to their clients, which wasn't the case ten years ago. Technology has also sped up the process and given more control to the client. Remodelers should embrace technology...but at a steady pace. There should be a balance between high touch and high tech techniques during client engagement. You have to ask yourself, "What is the best way to communicate with my clients?" Because at the end of the day, people will buy from your business because of your spirit and brand, more so than just the end product. Today, having a web presence isn't like having a billboard. It's about having a dialogue and a conversation with your clients, especially when it comes to mobile and mobile interactions. The generations who are remodeling their homes t

In Remodeling Mastery, Mark Richardson takes on different topics and insights in the remodeling industry to help you improve and grow your business. Today's episode focuses on the topic of how remodeling contractors can create a world class client experience. This is extremely important and can make all the difference. Knowing the keys to achieving a really good experience for the client during the construction phase of the project can be thought of as a checklist. Mark talks on his 10 keys to a world class client experience in-depth in today's episode. If you'd like to subscribe to the series and never miss out on a new episode, visit https://www.surefiresocial.com/remodelingmasterysubscribe/

It's time you took your business to the next level. In today's episode, Mark Richardson takes you through the steps to growing your business with three key ingredients for success.

Ever wonder how you can improve on your own skills and expertise to be more successful in business? 90% of those in the remodeling industry are extremely efficient with the product aspect and the day-to-day grind of the business. But, where most tend to struggle is when they take a step back to look at themselves in the mirror. They ask questions like, "How can I scale the business for sustained growth?" or "How can I grow and become a better leader?" Well, you're in luck! Mark Richardson tackles this challenge of remodeling yourself by providing you with the 3 levels to remodeling yourself and how you can improve. Just remember, no matter what you decide to do, you need to plan!

Today's topics centers on managing and controlling growth. It's been said that if a business is not growing, it's dying. But, it's how you think about and how you manage growth that is what's critical, not just growth itself. Listen as Mark Richardson delves into the inner workings of properly controlling your growth at the right pace with a few major themes.

In a continuation of last week’s Remodeling Mastery episode – Themes of Success, Mark Richardson now shifts the focus to threats that exist that endanger success. The Seven Threats to Your Business: 1. Leadership 2. Alignment 3. Planning for the short, medium and long-term 4. Doing business with the wrong clients 5. Chasing the shiny objects mentality 6. Understanding, not managing a balanced pipeline 7. Mastering the labor and company culture The Three Threats to Your Business in 2016: 1. Presidential Elections that have implications of introducing unpredictability starting around September time frame. 2. Controlling the client and managing expectations and the process. 3. Mastering time and improving your time management skills Can you guess which the greatest threat to success is? Before you listen to Mark speak, take your guess in the comments section! There are thriving opportunities for remodeling contractors, it’s just a matter of identifying the threats to your success and knowing how to overcome

What does success look like to you? How do you be successful? How can you become more successful? As a columnist for Professional Remodeler Magazine and a recognized speaker, Mark Richardson knows a thing or two about being successful in the remodeling industry. Listen as Mark gives you the basis for growing a successful business in the form of 6 success themes. Theme 1 – Success is a verb, not a noun. Theme 2 – The concept of “I am a verb” Theme 3 – Be a student of success Theme 4 – The road to failure is paved by good intentions Theme 5 – 80% of remodeling success is a science, not an art Theme 6 – Understand the cadence and pace of growth The more you believe success is a science, the more you can craft a formula to achieve your goals.

"Roughly 50% of businesses out there in the remodeling industry have a family dynamic." - Mark Richardson Having a family business can be a wonderful thing, however, there are particular challenges that arise. The majority of businesses fail due to three basic principles: a lack of focus; failure to commit; and limited capital (i.e. time & money). Listen as Mark Richardson, host of Remodeling Mastery, outlines how family businesses can operate with limiting the amount of risk they take on in order to achieve a high level of success.

If you don't make mistakes, you aren't growing. The key to success however, is not making any mistakes, but minimizing the amount of mistakes you do make. In the first episode of 2016, this week in Remodeling Mastery, Mark Richardson discusses the top 10 mistakes he sees remodeling businesses and remodeling leaders make.

The calendar year may be nearing its end, but that doesn't mean it's too late to plan for the new year. It's up to you whether or not 2016 is the best year your remodeling business has to date or if it will be a less than stellar year. The choice is up to you! Remember, it's never too late to begin planning.

How do you develop and mature your remodeling business? This is the question Mark Richardsons proposes in this episode of Remodeling Mastery. He sees 7 key attributes of more mature businesses: 1) A clear sense of purpose – they know what they are about, i.e. mission statement and core values that are clearly communicated to the team. 2) The sweet spot – they know what their core project is that really defines what their business is about. Which project is your bread and butter that your team excels at? 3) Hungry and not desperate – They do the right things, the smart things at the right pace. Desperate businesses make a lot of mistakes and often seek out the wrong client that won’t allow them to grow and make a profit. 4) Balance – short, medium and long-term strategy and goals are well balanced - positioning for the future. The more mature businesses have a very nice balance perspective. 5) Ability to predict – They watch the market conditions, look back at history and use that skill to predict futur

This week’s episode to Remodeling Mastery by Mark Richardson is focused all on planning for 2016. Specifically, how to plan, prepare, and think about the New Year. How you plan is what distinguishes a great remodeling business from simply a good one. As we reach the end of 2015, common logic takes us to a place where we step back and think about the business as a whole. As you think about what your plan for 2016, Mark addresses 7 big themes he’s seen so far within the Remodeling industry. Theme 1 – Work on your business vs. in your business Theme 2 – If you fail to plan, plan to fail Theme 3 – Change or Become Irrelevant Theme 4 – Defining Success Theme 5 – How Fit is Your Business? Theme 6 – Aggressive but Realistic Theme 7 – Creating Alignment

Today, Mark Richardson, host of Remodeling Mastery, discusses the subject of questions. There will always be times where you don't know the answers, but the key to success lies in knowing the right questions to ask to get to those unknown, much-needed answers. The following questions are meant to help guide you as you take your business to the next level. What is your motivation? What is the business's motivation? What is the core purpose of the business? What role do you have to play in that core purpose? What do you want the business to be and feel like in 3 to 5 years from now? What would you like to see your business look like in 3 to 5 years from now? Do you really want a business or do you want a practice? This is a hot debate in the remodeling industry! As an owner, what do you love doing? Is it in line with your business? What is your exit strategy? Do you even have one?

In honor of this week being Thanksgiving, Mark Richardson takes a pause from his traditional teachings to bring a holiday message – one of reflection and inspiration. This episode of Remodeling Mastery is about taking the time for reflection. It’s time to reflect on where your business is heading. Where do you want to see your business go? When you take this step back, breathe in what the business is all about, you’ll be able to visualize if your business is currently constructed for future success, or if you should make adjustments in 2016. This reflection should bring you a new found inspiration. The ability to make a meaningful, real impact in the lives of your clients when you work on their homes is one that should not be taken lightly. You should take gratitude in the fact that you are helping others. What are you thankful for this year? Happy Thanksgiving!

In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark teaches you to learn how to talk to talk on the various business models that are seen in the remodeling industry. All remodeling businesses are not created equal in the sense that business models, clients, project types, and the level of risk can all be different. Listen to this episode as Mark goes into great detail on how to define your business in terms of vertical and scale. You can also view the blog post for more information as well: www.surefiresocial.com/blog/remodeling-mastery-business-models-in-the-remodeling-industry

In this week's episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark Richardson drills down into the core question: What is Mastery? This question of what is mastery is something that we all know what it feels and looks like when we see it, but articulating it is another matter altogether. How do you go about improving? How do you take your game to the next level? Mark Richardson offers 4 levels to achieve the highest level of mastery, coined by Vince Lombardi Jr.: Level 1 - Unconsciously incompetent: You don't know what you need to know. You are just becoming aware. Level 2 - Consciously incompetent: Don't necessarily have the mastery but you are really working on it to improve. You know how to do it but not how to do it well. Level 3 - Unconsciously competent: You can do something, but you really have to work on it. You have the added stress of having to work really hard to achieve. Level 4 - Consciously competent: You don't have to think about it. You are automatically capable of doing whatever it may be that needs to

Today, Mark discusses the topic of growth and, in particular, how should you define growth. It's one that can be a very subjective question. The big question you have to answer is how do YOU define growth? And how do you incorporate that thinking into every activity that you do? Among all the ways you can define growth that Mark mentions in this episode, some include: 1) Top line growth - how do you raise the top line? 2) Increased market share - most remodeling businesses have a small part of the market share, but it's market share that get's you through the tough times 3) Portfolio blend - the types of services and products that you offer - are you balanced? 4) Your team - growing your team and bringing on different talents and skill sets to enhance the overall team 5) Profitability - not quite about top line growth but can look at efficiency and processes and getting more clients through sales 6) Client experience - do you offer a red carpet experience? Whatever your motivations are for being in busine

What does a healthy business look like to you? It's not always an easy thing to measure when applied to a business. Can you tell a fit business from an unfit one? Mark has 10 criteria to help. How does your business rank? 1. Do you know your core numbers? 2. Do you have and know the processes & systems in place? 3. Do you have the right leadership in place? 4. Do you have a fundamentally strong team? 5. Do you offer quality & a well-defined product? 6. Do you earn a profit? 7. Do you have a lot of stress within the business? 8. Do you have a formidable reputation and manage it? 9. Do you have a plan for the future? 10. Do you have strategic partnerships & alliances? Having a fit business is one of the core fundamentals to becoming a successful. Check out Mark Richardson's book "Fit to Grow" that goes into greater depth on this topic!