Remodeling Mastery By Mark Richardson

If you’re looking to grow your business or carry it through an economic downturn, few things are as valuable as understanding consumer behavior and learning from the experience of other successful remodelers. We’ve got both in this episode of Remodeling Mastery. Don’t miss out! In this episode: (0:55) In This Episode: Questions A lot of times we're moving along so fast and so furious, that we don't spend enough time thinking about things as opposed to doing things. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark explains the importance of asking yourself the right questions. Good questions allow you to reflect on subjects and come up with new ideas and perspectives. Tune in to find out the 7 questions you should be asking yourself to help you focus and work more effectively. (9:34) Thought Leader Interview with Erika Taylor, Director of Content for Professional Remodeler Erika Taylor is the chief of content for one of the top construction and remodeling trade publications in the country. She joins Mark today

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (1:58) In This Episode: Risk How do you think about risk and apply it to your day-to-day process? If you're a builder or remodeler, then it's important for you to be in the wave, not ahead of it and not behind it. Learning how to deal with risk can help you achieve that. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark goes over seven tips about risk to help you integrate risk into your decision-making process and explains how this can help you be more successful. (12:56) Thought Leader Interview with Eric Minkiewicz, President and CEO of Huff ‘N Puff Eric grew his family's business that had under a million in revenue to over 20 million in revenue. He applied the sound business principles from his career in finance and technology to give Huff ‘N Puff the consistency, standards and reliability of a Fortune 500 company. Tune in as he and Mark d

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (0:51) In This Episode: Business Themes to Live By You’re constantly hearing about businesses having to evolve at breakneck speeds to keep up with market changes, but what of the things that should be held constant? Without an overriding framework—a ‘Ten Commandments’ of sorts to keep you rooted in the fundamentals—it can be easy to lose sight of your core values and vision for your company. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark explains why increasingly complex businesses don’t need bigger playbooks, but a better understanding of certain core themes. Tune in to find out what those themes are and how they can help keep your team in sync as you grow. (15:35) Thought Leader Interview with Kermit Baker, Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects and Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (0:51) In This Episode: Business Themes to Live By You’re constantly hearing about businesses having to evolve at breakneck speeds to keep up with market changes, but what of the things that should be held constant? Without an overriding framework—a ‘Ten Commandments’ of sorts to keep you rooted in the fundamentals—it can be easy to lose sight of your core values and vision for your company. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark explains why increasingly complex businesses don’t need bigger playbooks, but a better understanding of certain core themes. Tune in to find out what those themes are and how they can help keep your team in sync as you grow. (15:35) Thought Leader Interview with Kermit Baker, Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects and Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (0:51) In This Episode: Business Themes to Live By You’re constantly hearing about businesses having to evolve at breakneck speeds to keep up with market changes, but what of the things that should be held constant? Without an overriding framework—a ‘Ten Commandments’ of sorts to keep you rooted in the fundamentals—it can be easy to lose sight of your core values and vision for your company. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark explains why increasingly complex businesses don’t need bigger playbooks, but a better understanding of certain core themes. Tune in to find out what those themes are and how they can help keep your team in sync as you grow. (15:35) Thought Leader Interview with Kermit Baker, Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects and Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (0:27) In This Episode: Google Insights Google’s access to millions of American homeowners gives them unparalleled insight into who your consumers are, what they do, what they care about and how things are changing. If you’re a builder or remodeler looking to attract more and better-quality leads, they are a resource you can’t afford to ignore. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark goes over five Google insights that should inform your messaging, your marketing focus, and even your product or service offerings. (17:16) Thought Leader Interview with Larry Green, CEO and Co-founder of System Pavers Larry’s story as a business owner is one of resilience and adaptability. Having started two home improvement companies and carried each through major economic recessions on both sides of the Atlantic, he has a unique understanding of what

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (1:17) In This Episode: Why We Struggle Running a remodeling business isn’t easy. In an industry full of challenges and potential missteps, it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that struggle is just another fact of life. But what happens when conditions are favorable and everyone else seems to be thriving? How do you explain the struggle then? In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark urges businesses to take a closer look at the common denominators between floundering businesses and what you can do to catapult yourself out of the struggle and into success. (13:49) Thought Leader Interview with Michael Anschel, President of Otogawa-Anschel Design+Build Few remodelers understand the value of transparency quite like Michael, whose company is known for their atypical approach to pricing—one that emphasizes what he calls PHAT:

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. In this episode... (1:18) In This Episode: Transparency It’s a quality two-thirds of homeowners look for when researching remodelers, but one many contractors are uncomfortable demonstrating. With customers demanding that transparency be the norm in business, and companies feeling forced to give away their secret sauce, can we find a middle ground that satisfies and delivers value to both? In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark explains the ins and outs of disclosing some information traditionally kept private—think pricing structures, internal processes and profit margins—and why meeting homeowners’ expectations of transparency is to everyone’s ultimate benefit. (12:28) Thought Leader Interview with Brian Gottlieb, CEO of Tundraland Home Improvements If anyone deserves to be called a thought leader, Brian Gottlieb is it. It takes a

Keep your finger on the pulse of your business and that of the larger remodeling industry by tuning in to this episode of Remodeling Mastery, with Mark Richardson and special guest Erika Taylor. Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (1:42) In This Episode: Digital Fitness One inevitable effect of technology revolutionizing the remodeling industry is that digital fitness is now a key aspect of overall business health. No “unfit” brand can expect to thrive in a complex, competitive market in the digital age. But how do you know you’re fit enough to compete? In the same way physical fitness is a function of strength, flexibility, balance, speed, mobility and endurance, digital fitness is a product of multiple factors. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark Richardson uses the analogy of a bike wheel to break down the seven essential “spokes” a business must maintain in orde

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (0:27) In This Episode: Misconceptions Mark wraps his head around a few common misconceptions he sees out in the industry. If you are led by misconceptions and guided by these beliefs, then you might find yourself in some unique challenges...all of which are avoidable, if you just had a good pulse on the industry. Mark walks us through 10 common misconceptions and shares how you can think about these in your own business. (13:03) Thought Leader Interview with Bill Baldwin, CEO and Principal of Hartman Baldwin Business is business, but when you’ve got a $9M entrepreneurial company on one hand and a $21M professionally-managed company on the other, you’re dealing with entirely different beasts. Bill Baldwin has dealt with both, to great success. What did it take for HartmanBaldwin to bust through the entrepreneurial ceiling and become one

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (1:27) In This Episode: How Are You Doing? It’s a question many of us resort to when breaking the ice, one that often just disappears into the background of day-to-day conversations. But when we’re talking shop, knowing how to look at the question, run it through objective filters, and answer it critically is a vital skill. Mark G. Richardson breaks it down in a way that will take you beyond your personal glass-half-full/glass-half-empty biases and help you come to terms with the true state of your business. So… how are you doing? (13:36) Thought Leader Interview with Kermit Baker, Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects If anybody has anything close to a crystal ball into the future of remodeling, it’s Ke

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (1:06) In This Episode: Tailwinds How do you know if your remodeling business’s health is a product of your efforts or of current headwinds and tailwinds in the industry? Are you really going at it with all pistons firing, or are you just along for the ride? These are the questions Mark challenges you to answer in this episode of Remodeling Mastery. Don’t miss out! Your ability to identify and address the macro phenomena affecting your business can spell the difference between making it to your destination and sitting dead in the water. (13:37) Thought Leader Interview with Mark McClanahan, President of Mosby Building Arts Today’s Thought Leader segment is a case study on successful succession planning. Mark McClanahan gives us an inside look at Mosby Building Arts’ secrets to smooth leadership transitions. How do you avoid the all-too-c

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of the 40,000 listeners by subscribing today at www.surefirelocal.com/remodeling-mas…ery-subscribe/ or by searching for Remodeling Mastery on your podcast app of choice. In this episode: (1:09) In This Episode: Disruptive Influences Nothing forces a remodeling business to change (for better or worse) quite like a disruptor. From the big box stores of the 80s and home and garden shows of the 90s, all the way to today’s Google Local Services ads, we’ve seen time and again how disruptors change the game irreversibly and in the most fundamental ways. But more important than knowing what’s behind these far-reaching changes is knowing how to react and adjust to them. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark talks about three disruptive influences displacing established systems in home improvement: time, technology and transparency. (11:24) Thought Leader Interview with Tony Mancini, Publisher and Group Director at SGC Horizon For today’s Thought Leader

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of our 50,000 listeners by subscribing today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (0:52) In This Episode: Are You Stressed Out? This episode of Remodeling Mastery gives us a much-needed look at something all business owners are intimately familiar with: stress. Contractors today experience stress at levels higher and in ways more complex than ever before. Not managed properly, it can suck the joy out of your business and make effective problem solving near impossible. So what’s a business owner to do when things are threatening to spiral out of control? That’s what Mark Richardson is here to talk about. (17:52) Thought Leader Interview with Rick Wuest, President and CEO of Thompson Creek Window Company Mark and Rick take a trip down memory lane to see how Thompson Creek and the larger home improvement industry have changed over the past couple of decades. They go deep into the importance of balancing forward momentum

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of the 48,000 listeners by subscribing today at https://www.surefirelocal.com/remodeling-mastery-subscribe/ or by searching for Remodeling Mastery on your podcast app of choice. (1:28) In This Episode: Time is Not on Your Side Mark talks about the biggest disruptor for a business, discussing how time between the moment a prospect connects with you to the point they decide to actually do a project is growing, no thanks to time-starved busy clients to a proliferation of choices that can also overwhelm. In this episode, he also outlines what he believes businesses can do to offset the effects of time, helping spur growth by knowing your numbers, tweaking processes, categorizing prospects, and creating urgencies. (12:40) Thought Leader Interview With Eric Minkiewicz, President and CEO of Huff ‘N Puff Eric starts off with how Huff ‘N Puff got its name, giving listeners a quick rundown of the company’s history and talking about his career experience lea

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of the 50,000 listeners by subscribing today by searching for Remodeling Mastery on your podcast app of choice. (1:21) In This Episode: The 10 Commandments of the Successful Business What does it take to be a successful business? Definitions of success will vary, but to Mark, it’s having as many of the puzzle pieces as possible. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, he shares 10 of these “puzzle pieces” gleaned through his writing and observations of the marketplace to help you take your business to the next level. (12:02) Thought Leader Interview With Andy Wells, President and CEO of Normandy Remodeling Mark turns to Andy for insights that business owners can use to guide them in reaching the scale that Normandy Remodeling has achieved over the years working with more than 5,000 design-build projects in Chicago ranging in cost from $50,000 to $1,000,000. Andy also offers a look at his roots and the career path he took until he became a part of th

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of the 50,000 listeners by subscribing today by searching for Remodeling Mastery on your podcast app of choice. (2:06) In This Episode: Why Should You Make Cash Flow a Priority? Few players in the remodeling space are strangers to the cash crunch. It’s practically built into the business: cash flow goes up and down due to seasonality, remodeling trends and changes in the greater economy, among other factors. But one thing that separates successful businesses from those that lose track of their goals is their commitment to making cash flow a priority. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark delves into the hows and whys of cash flow: why it matters so much, how much cash you should have on hand, ways to improve your cash flow, and more. (14:57) Thought Leader Interview with Tom Kelly, President and CEO of the Neil Kelly Corporation Mark picks Tom’s brain on some of the things that made Neil Kelly the nationally recognized, multi-award-winning com

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of the 48,000 listeners by subscribing today at https://www.surefirelocal.com/remodeling-mastery-subscribe/ or by searching for Remodeling Mastery on your podcast app of choice. (1:45) In This Episode: How Do You Look at Things When It Comes to Your Business? A recent Reuters poll of economists says there is a 25% chance of a recession later this year or early into 2020. What does this mean for the home services vertical? According to Mark, it is critical that businesses learn how to look at forecasts like this—more so, in fact, than simply seeking outright answers from an expert. Tune in to hear his seven tips on processing and responding to growing concerns over a future recession. “You don’t have to abandon [your] priorities and goals just because you have to change how you get there.” —Mark G. Richardson. (13:06) Thought Leader Interview with Josh Kelly, Former Marketing Director for Parker & Sons and Founding Member of RevuKangaroo Josh talks

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of the 45,000 listeners by subscribing today at https://www.surefirelocal.com/remodeling-mastery-subscribe/ or by searching for Remodeling Mastery on your podcast app of choice. (0:30) In This Episode: Do You Scream Value? One of the biggest mistakes a business can make is to assume everyone sees the value in you and your product or service. You may offer value, but are you actually communicating it to your customer? Ultimately, it is the perception of value that opens doors to brand recognition, stronger sales and customer loyalty. That’s why it’s more important than ever that your business screams value. In this episode, Mark offers a seven-point checklist that will help you do just that. “People buy when the value is greater than the price.” —Sales Adage (14:34) What’s Happening? with Kermit Baker, Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects and Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University Kermit is back

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become one of the 40,000 listeners by subscribing today at https://www.surefirelocal.com/remodeling-mastery-subscribe/ or by searching for Remodeling Mastery on your podcast app of choice. (0:29) Episode: Hope for the Best but Prepare for the Worst Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst is a simple adage that Mark believes all business owners and remodelers should be thinking about. In this episode, Mark talks through some of the storm clouds and issues facing the home contracting industry in 2019 and how they could affect your bottom line. The key, according to Mark, is to prepare and focus on making Q1 and Q2 of 2019 the best it can be. He offers a few proven tips for how you can do just that, such as focusing on sales training, being conservative with your forecasts and invest more in marketing to drive better leads. (8:25) What’s Happening with Erika Taylor, Director of Content at Professional Remodeler Erika joins Mark to share what she sees hap