Posted by Mark Paskell on Thu, Jul 22, 2010 @ 09:05 PM
Today we spoke with the Mass Department of Safety (DOS) and learned that they will be providing a flier for contractors on The Mass RRP Law for all building departments in the state. These fliers are being made and laminated for distribution and placement at building permit counters. They will be displayed prominently and building departments will be asked to share this information with contractors who come in.
Here is the flyer that will be posted at building departments;
RRP compliance notice to contractors from Mass DOS.pdf
The State of Massachusetts took over the administration and enforcement of the EPA RRP Lead Law on 7/9/2010. There are significant enhancements to the baseline EPA RRP Lead Rule that impact trained contractors. One significant change is the Certified Renovator needs to be on site and in control of the work at all times when the work is in progress. Formerly under the EPA RRP Lead Rule the Certified Renovator could leave after setup of containment and be within a few hours away. The work could then be done by employees who received on the job training described in the EPA Lead manual. In addition, the term Certified Renovator has been changed to Lead Safe Renovator Supervisor. This change along with several others will require persistent vigilance by all contractors who work on pre-1978 properties to insure that they are in compliance. More to come.
Mark the RRP Coach
Posted by Mark Paskell on Sat, Nov 21, 2009 @ 10:56 AM
Contractors and remodelers agree that 2009 has been a challenging year for our country and the residential construction industry. In spite of the current economic environment there are numerous examples of successful remodelers and contractors.
At the recent national NARI business meeting and Remodeling Show in Indianapolis, I met several such companies. These companies have adapted to the new economic environment skillfully. They are focused on working smarter to maximize their time. Some claim that they are not working any harder than before the recession hit. Following are some observations from these winners.
Working Smarter, Not Harder, Maximize Time
1. Identify your niche; insure that consumers want what you are offering. Find a void in the marketplace that your company is uniquely positioned to satisfy and then exploit it fervently.
2. Client type; define the type of clients you want to attract and work for and avoid the ones you do not want. The clients you don't want are time wasters, profit drainers and are not worth the trouble.
3. Your vision and plan; create your long term vision. Build a plan that stages your growth. Review your plan often and adapt to changing conditions.
4. Know your strengths and limitations; hire a team that is highly capable to create a balanced team. You cannot do it all yourself. Hire people that share your outlook, learn to trust them to help you fulfill your vision. Stategically align yourself with professional partners and trades.
5. Clearly share your vision and strategy to build your company with everyone on your team. Don't assume they know what you want by osmosis. Coach them thoroughly and validate that they understand what you expect. Praise for jobs well done often.
6. Deliver service that is REMARKABLE; your satisfied clients will stick to you. They will buy more and refer you to their friends.
7. Passion; make sure that what you are doing is something that you are passionate about. If you think your business is just a job you are probably in the wrong business, maybe you should get a job.
8. Have a life, stay fresh; on purpose make sure you take care of what is most important in life, family, fun, recreation, worship, health, self-development and down time. Sun up to sun down schedules lead to burnout, broken homes, loss of profit and poor health.
9. The right business model that matches successful construction companies; what ever the cost insure that your business model is in line with successful companies in your industry. Traits of a successful model include vision, goals, a business plan, capital, implemented systems, business education, legal compliance, certifications, the right employees, professional trade partners, sales training, effective marketing, use of technology, integrity, leadership, superior service, constant and on going training for all stake holders, coaching, the ability to be resilient and the willingness to embrace change positively.
One remodeler stated "the commitment and time to properly align my business with best practices in the industry was the best decision I ever made for my business. I now have more time for my family and the things that are most important to me. I have discovered that taking care of what's most important first makes me better when I am servicing my clients."
mark the coach
Posted by Mark Paskell on Thu, Jul 02, 2009 @ 08:54 PM
Recently, I spoke with a veteran contractor who was having challenges with his business. There was significant budget slippage on projects and poor communication between his carpenters and customers. These challenges were causing significant culture issues among the employees in the field and the office. The owner found himself putting out fires every day. All departments were playing the blame game pointing fingers at everyone but themselves.
I educated them how come it's not working?
We delved into the situation and learned that the carpenters were great craftsman who were educated on the lead carpenter concept. The premise behind the education was once they were trained in the classroom, they would be first class lead carpenters in the field.
We discovered that after the lead carpenter training, the owner and office personnel were suppose to develop a paperwork system based on the lead carpenter concept. Then they were to help implement the system for the field personnel by providing checklists, pre-construction meeting forms, weekly meeting forms and a binder system. Well that was five years ago and the carpenters are still waiting!
All to often, contractor owners pay for education and rah rah motivation for their employees and then without any more effort, assume that their employees will perform like superstars in the field. Education without application, system development and implementation produces poor results. The money spent on education is wasted if it is not followed by application.
In our contractor coaching programs we start with education then follow up with system development and implementation into the contractor's business while the information is fresh. This reinforcement is vital to the success of the coaching program.
Follow up plan
If you are considering contractor education for yourself or your employees, protect your investment. Create a follow up plan for the development of a system that will reinforce the education you paid for. The owner needs to lead the charge and insure that the education is transfered to the field. The resulting outcome will be less slippage, better communication between employees and customers, less workplace stress and maybe a good night's rest for the owner!
mark the coach
Posted by Mark Paskell on Wed, Nov 19, 2008 @ 10:26 PM
Many small business owners become trapped thinking that they have to do everything themselves. At times they think that because no one can do it as well as them that it is more effective to do it themselves. If you are a small business owner and don't want to grow this may work ok. However, if you want to grow, the odds are stacked against you if you are a CEO owner wearing most of the hats. We are seeing many contractors who say they want to grow, stubbornly resisting giving up control of tasks that can and should be done by someone other than the CEO. Contractors are not the only profession exhibiting this behavior. It is prevalent in many different types of businesses. In contracting, it is not uncommon to see the CEO running the company, handling the sales, running production, driving nails, making collection calls, and anything else they think that only they can do. This feeling of invincibility that they can do it all is not without grave dangers to the health of the business and the owner. It contributes to poor health, burnout, marital issues, questionable judgment, employee issues, money problems and sometimes heart attacks.
For example the average work week for a CEO is 50-60 hours and for a professional salesperson 55 hours per week. How is it possible for one person to do both effectively? Not to mention the other items the CEO owner handles.
The road to success for contracting companies is clearly available to any who seek it through modeling other successful companies in their industry, research, education and training. The only thing the CEO owner contractor needs to do is decide to run their business in line with established contractor best practices and proven paths already blazed by successful contractors.
If you are a CEO owner of a contracting company wearing too many hats, do you think you are invincible like superman?
Are you too stubborn to let some of the work go?
Do you need the feeling of saving the day and telling yourself no one can do it as well as me?
Do you think it is possible to keep up the pace and be profitable and healthy?
If your answer is yes, I wish you the best.
If no, maybe you are ready to work with a professional residential contractor coach who can show you how to shed the hats you are over qualified to wear!
Does this sound like anybody you know?
Posted by Mark Paskell on Wed, Oct 15, 2008 @ 09:07 PM
As 2008 comes to a close are you working on your business plan for 2009? Have you assessed the results of 2008?
With the recent downturn in economic activity and the pending election, many contractors are experiencing less work than previous years at this time. Many have never witnessed such a dramatic drop off in business so early in the fall. While the economy works itself out this is the perfect time to develop your strategy and business plan for the coming year.
Many contractors are realizing that their lack of planning and training has left them in a precarious position this fall. Now it is more important than ever to know how to sell your services. Across the board, leads have dried up and backlogs of work are not sufficient to carry companies through the end of the year. Droves of workers are being laid off or let go. Hopefully, this will not mean the end of the road for many contractors, only time will tell.
Meanwhile why not spend this time working on your business? Seek out and invest in best practice education and training to prevent this from happening to you again. Some major reasons for failures in our industry are lack of planning, inadequate marketing and lead generation, not aggressively selling, poor cash flow, lack of or inadequate systems, lack of industry specific and business training and owners wearing too many hats.
The industry is rapidly changing. Homeowners are more knowledgeable, savvy, demanding and discerning on who they will hire to work on their home. The Next Level Consumer is expecting service from The Next Level Contractor. If you are not like the contractor they expect, you will have a difficult time getting work. If you are not like the Next Level Contractor, even if they hire you, they will not pay you the amount necessary to run a legal profitable contracting business.
Most contractors have learned that the best customers are homeowners who are professionally educated. These customers tend to provide professional services in their jobs that are supported by processes and systems. These consumers are expecting the same quality of service from their contractors who work on the home. The Next Level Contractor knows this and has adopted the use of best practices and systems to deliver his service. This way the Next Level Contractor can command the price needed to support a professional contracting company.
The Next Level Contractor is an expert in his field. He will use best practices and systems to deliver an outstanding contracting experience. He is now planning for 2009 to make sure that when the economy turns around he will be ready for The Next Level Consumer. He is working marketing plans, website development, sales training and processes, lead carpenter and employee training, home show planning and more.
The Contractor Coaching Partnership teaches contractors how to align themselves so that they can win the business of this consumer.
Are you ready to start your planning for 2009?
Mark
Posted by Mark Paskell on Tue, Oct 14, 2008 @ 11:11 PM
Here we go again. Another recognition for the boys from GoodFellas. The Eastern Mass NARI chapter has featured Joe and Dale and their company the GoodFellas, as the member spotlight company in the October newsletter.
GoodFellas continues to educate and train best practices to their employees insuring that they continue to provide outstanding services to the residential home improvement market.
Great job Joe and Dale.
Mark
The Contractor Coaching Partnership
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
GOODFELLAS CONSTRUCTION MGMT LLC
Several years ago, Dale Shadbegian and Joseph Kupstas shared a "simple" goal -
to deliver a better building and remodeling experience. After meeting another EM
NARI member, they knew that joining NARI was a critical and pivotal step toward
reaching that goal.
"GoodFellas' commitment to education and skill advancement is a great concern
of ours", says Kupstas. "We were also amazed at how professionals in the same
industry can come together and share ideas. After meeting several NARI members,
and attending a membership meeting, we knew we had to get involved."
"We have received a warm welcome from the membership, and are excited to share our ideas with others as
well. The energy of the membership is really directed toward the betterment of the Remodeling Industry, and
not towards the betterment of oneself."
GoodFellas Construction is a full-service custom design/build remodeling firm. The firm has been honored with
several awards including the most recent Qualified Remodeler's "Top 500 Remodelers 2008". Shortly after
joining NARI, Joseph Kupstas achieved his "Certified Remodeler" status as well as several GoodFellas Lead
Carpenters were also certified through NARI's "Certified Lead Carpenter" program this past Spring.