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It's one of the largest hurdles in small business. How do you build past yourself? How do you get that second crew up and running and trust them when you can't be there? Where do you find them? What needs to be in place to hold them accountable? Kara Allen is part owner of Spiegel's Flooring in Sandy Lake, PA since 2020, alongside her husband, Jason, who is the lead installer.  While Kara runs the showroom, is the designer and project manager, Jason is out doing the consults and measurements and doing the installations. They have reached capacity of what the two of them can handle and need to find a way to expand the business to continue to grow it beyond what they are capable of. Listen in as Kara and I discuss how they can ready their business for more growth. How they can look to hire qualified individuals that will fit their values, what types of systems and paperwork they need in place to manage additional crews and figuring out the best way to pay the crews. Should they be subcontractors or employees? Check out our sponsors Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event Kronus Soft Check out our website and store Support the show

The internet will have you believe that if you hustle hard enough that you can accomplish anything. You can build a great business, you can have multiple successful side hustles, and plenty of time for your family as well. This attitude is super toxic and leads to a mindset that stops you from actually growing. If you work 16 hours a day or even 20 hours a day, then you can get 80 to 100 hours in a five day week. I'll even give you 7 days because you are a hustler, so that gets you 112 to 140 hours a week. If I can work my 10 hours 5 days a week and hire 4 people to each work 8 hours a day 5 days a week, then I am sitting at 50 hours for myself and 150 hours for the employees for a total of 200 hours per week. I may have made slightly less because I am paying out salaries but I would even dispute that. I've leveraged the time I have available to do higher per dollar transactions and multiplied my time by delegating. Cody Cox is stepping up at Cox Tile which was founded by his father. After going to college to be a physical therapist he rethought what he wanted to do before grad school and jumped into the family business. This has led to him learning all of the tasks in the business and spending time in each department so that he earned the respect of everyone around him and wasn't just another SOB (Son Of A Boss). He's made a lot of changes within in the company and how it gets handled but he has also had to trust the team that was in place to execute those changes. It was always easy to do and even his own father was hesitant. Listen in to this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast to learn why Cody will not out work you but that he will out delegate you to get where he wants to go. Check out our sponsors Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event Kronus Soft Check out our website and store Support the show

Going from owner operator to employer is a tough transition. It’s not easy to learn how to lead a team or to be able to communicate well with them. Most of us came from a system where we were not trained very well by our “leaders” and thus did not get the experience to manage a team properly. This leads to micromanagement and trust issues when you delegate out tasks. Even worse it leads us to believe that it’s not worth it to hire anyone and that we are better off just remaining as a one man show or possibly just having a helper that we never plan to fully train. There is a better way though and you can escape the grind of having to be a part of your business everyday. Dennis DiCarlo is the owner of Kronus Software and Carpet To Go Flooring. Having started a flooring retail store, it wasn’t long before Dennis realized he couldn’t be in all places at the same time or even be capable of handling the workflow that he was developing. Bringing on staff was inevitable, however it didn’t go how he planned at first and was left doubling back constantly to button up tasks or to make sure it was done right the first time. This was not letting him or his team meet their full potential. Dennis learned that he needed to become a better leader and started investing in himself as well as technology to get him where he wanted go. This week on Floor Academy Podcast Dennis and I will discuss what the standard shortcomings are when you are new to management, some simple changes you can make to how you delegate out tasks and communicate, and lastly how technology can provide you a system of accountability. Check out our sponsors Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event Kronus Soft Check out our website and store Support the show

A common excuse to not having a bookkeeper for a business is that there is worry about their access to your accounts. There is for sure a legitimate concern here but they can be mitigated by how you set the employee or outside contractor up. What are the ways you can control access? How do you need to monitor what they are doing? What do you need to understand about bookkeeping to hold them accountable? Erin Albrecht of J&R Tile returns to the show to discuss how she had over 100k embezzled from her company. What happened? How did they get away with it? The employee was vetted and trained by her expert accountant mother. Erin’s and many others worst fear came true when it never should have happened. Listen in to this week’s episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as we discuss what happened, how to prevent it, and why you can’t let a setback keep you trapped in a perpetual state of worry. Check out our sponsors Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event Kronus Soft Check out our website and store Support the show

401K’s. Medical benefits. Paid time off. Sometimes the corporate world seems better than this self employed life. All of these things are accessible as small business owners though. You can do an IRA, get benefits and build in paid time off to your rates. There are other things we can do as well to build generational wealth and set ourselves for retirement. Whether it be growing our business to have systems to run without us, investing in properties, or fining other creative ways to use your profits, there are paths to help you live more comfortably. Anthony Oliver of Oliver’s Tile in Woodland, CA has been at it since he graduated high school and his uncle’s brought him on board in ’99. Now he has brought his son in to his company to build something special that is not only for him but for his son’s future as well. Beyond building a tile company Anthony has used the money he has made in the trade to work in other areas of his live as well, mostly with property investments. Join Anthony and I on this week’s episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as we discuss how you can use our lucrative trade to not only set yourself up but generations to come in your family. Check out our sponsors Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event Kronus Soft Check out our website and store Support the show

You’re probably like me and got fed up with working for someone else and decided to take your skillset and start selling your own projects. It’s a whole new ball game compared to just doing the work and one that takes a lot of effort to figure out successfully. From what to charge, how to negotiate, what to look for in clients, and more, learning sales is a completely different animal from the technical side of installation. Many of us never receive formal training or even pick up a book on how to do sales or even understand basic human psychology. Mark Evans is a growth consultant, and author that accidentally found his way into the world of flooring. Mark has spent the past 10 years working with some of the fastest-growing companies in the United States and Europe including Inc. 5000 award winners, and private equity-backed companies. He's taking the knowledge he's gained over successfully building, launching, and growing 30+ sales teams and companies and applying that to the world of flooring and the multi-family market. He and his company SalesKit are based out of sunny Naples, FL. Listen in to this weeks episode as Mark and I discuss how consultations and even initial inquiries need to be handled to better assess how you can help a potential client solve their problem, increase your close rate, and build more rapport with future clients. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Floor Academy Podcast and to leave a review. Mark's White Paper for Floor Academy Check out our sponsors Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event Kronus Soft Check out our website and store Support the show

I heard a curious thing. Apparently is is a western civilization thing answer the question of "who are you" by listing out your job or something else that you do. Much of the world would start that off by saying I am the son or daughter of so and so. This led me to think about personal identity and especially as a business owner how it can affect us. From wanting to control everything, to advertising everywhere you go, and a company that always needs something, it's hard not to identify as the thing you are always doing. Is that healthy though? Returning friend of the show, Ron Nash, is a husband, father, botanist, artist, photographer, dog trainer, mentor, teacher, avid reader and, oh yeah, the president of Laticrete North America. There is no shortage of things I have witnessed Ron take on over the years through his social media profiles. Some of it is for personal pleasure and some of it is for work but all of it brings him contentment. Listen in to this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast while we discuss why there needs to be an off switch on your work identity, how important it is to have something to do besides work, and why you can never stop learning or growing as a human. Check out our sponsors Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event Kronus Soft Check out our website and store Support the show

It’s very often that trades people live paycheck to paycheck or believe they have more money than they do and make purchases they really shouldn’t. Those boats, big trucks, and other toys always look so tempting and receiving that deposit check sure can bolster your bank account. That’s not where you should be making decisions from though. Actually knowing your expenses, how much money you really have in an account and holding back some retained earnings can change your life and your company. Everyone needs an F U bank account to bring them peace of mind and to allow them to bid from a place of confidence and authority. Shane Hubenig has been a flooring installer for over 30 years in British Columbia. His father had a retail shop growing up and he spent time in the union. These days, Shane has his own company where he prefers to find high end residential remodel work. Along with a flooring company he has a couple of rentals and a multimillion dollar paint company with his brother. All of this has been funded by floors and money management. Tune in to this week’s episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as Shane and I discuss why you need an F U bank account, some money management skills, and a little bit of patience. Check out our sponsors Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event Kronus Soft Check out our website and store Support the show

Many of us work for years to build amazing brand recognition in our market. It goes a long way in getting referrals and keeping that word of mouth of marketing a big component of lead generation. What happens when you look to start leveraging your brand though? How can you use your brand to strike up deals with brands from your industry? How can you use your audience to bring attention to other people’s brands while having the other company bring awareness to your brand? What kind of content are you making already that can be used in other places with little to no manipulation of the content to gain new avenues of growing your audience? Jennifer Farrell is the founder of the award winning design firm Jennifer Farrell Designs. Her work has been featured in numerous publications and she has hosted or been a designer on dozens of television programs. With her experience and brand recognition she was able to develop Calibu Vineyard in partnership with The International Surfaces Event starting in 2021 This partnership had Michelle Swayze, the senior marketing manager at Informa, the owners of Surfaces, working closely with Jennifer to develop brand partnerships that made sense for all of the brands involved. Michelle was able to use her 20 years of experience marketing brands across all channels to develop beneficial relationships amongst all involved to not only raise awareness of the products involved but also the people. Listen in to this week’s episode as we look at how you can use your brand to generate more awareness about yourself while helping other brands do the same. Check out our sponsors Kronus Soft Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event IQ Power Tools Check out our website and store Support the show

How do you even know if your marketing company is taking care of you properly? What questions should you be asking them? What data are they showing you that means absolutely nothing? How can you know that your dollars spent are getting you a return? Brittany Murphy is the marketing director at One Thing Marketing. They believe in transparency, education, and honesty, which is something not all companies hold as values. With her experience working with contractors from many fields and helping them build their businesses, she is here to share how you can hire a marketing company and make sure they are actually working for you, instead of just taking a slice of you pie each month. Listen in to this week’s episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as Brittany and I discuss how you can be on top of your marketing game and start growing your business instead of taking a shotgun approach and hoping it works. Check out our sponsors Kronus Soft Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event IQ Power Tools Check out our website and store Support the show

It has been two years since we heard from Chuck Meyers in the metro Detroit, Michigan area. The first time he joined us, he didn't know he was going broke working for the retailers at the rates he was. He used Floor Academy's Business Budgeting calculator spreadsheet, got to know his actual numbers and present the store he subbed through some real data. They raised the rates for not only him but all of the guys across the board. Now two years later, we check in on Chuck and Meyers Flooring. He is nothing but chiseled steel and sex appeal suplexing yard flamingos. Knowing his numbers has empowered him to find more of his own work, build his brand, hire employees, and start building a business instead of just owning a job. Listen in to this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as we check in after two years and see how things have changed, what's been working to grow Chuck's business, and where he is headed to next. Check out our sponsors Kronus Soft Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event IQ Power Tools Check out our website and store Support the show

It's easy to get caught up in doing a project and to forget about protecting yourself. Whether that means putting on a mask to reduce dust intake, wearing your knee pads all the time, or even getting the proper tool for the job when another "will do", we only get one body and need to make it count.  Andrew Lewis of 2 Ezy Tiling in Victoria, Australia has been in the tile industry for nearly 20 years. Starting an apprenticeship after grade 12 and 4 years later he was out on his own being his own boss.  With so much experience he is no stranger to knowing he needs to take care of himself with the right investments in to his health which can easily affect his wealth.  Join Andrew and I on this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as we discuss some simple ways to keep yourself healthy, be more efficient, and put more money in your pocket at the end of the day. Check out our sponsors Kronus Soft Johns Manville The International Surfaces Event IQ Power Tools Check out our website and store Support the show