Disaster recovery. That's what we do.

Mitigation = prevention

Restoration is a broad term.

We are a very niche specialty more akin to emergency management than construction.

I've said for years...the professionals (technicians) should be a very high caliber. Not sub $20 per hour people.
I think $30 is too low for what they NEED TO BE.

Why do you think we see such a struggle at the hiring at the tech level. No one wants to do all that work plus the documentation for $19 per hour.

Our bill rates should technically be up close to $100 per hour.

But we have allowed an insurance industry dictate our value.

They don't care how a job is performed. If they did, half their vendors would never be allowed in a structure.

They want to pay the least.

Everyone knows but they don't know what to do about it.

An emergency services technician, that doesn't need a supervisor (think medical equipment, AT&T, automobile And other should be making $60,000'plus. That's a good living wage.

For that, a...

Let's talk onboarding.

In 2016, I met a guy named Andy McCabe.

He was making videos on LinkedIn. I liked what he was saying but I really was drawn to his desire to stand up and talk about things no one else was, and things that most avoided from fear.

We spoke for a while and developed a MOVEMENT called Restoration 2.0.

A reboot

A newer version

An update

An exit from the Matrix.

The carriers were getting more brazen and stronger with their tactics outlined in Delay, Deny, Defend.

A profit driven system applied to the claims process.

Carrier relationships that built incredible companies were no longer as strong and many had deteriorated with the expansion of the MRP's and growth of TPA's.

Quality and Customer service had been removed as KPI's and replaced with Claims Ratios, claims shrink and lowering of overhead by limiting site visits ( pushing the documentation onto the contractor).

Frustration was building.

Franchising was exploding (MRP's) and the quality of work in the industry...

So, I wrote this to explain to all my non disaster and restoration industry friends how our business model has been jammed.  When I say jammed....I mean a force so large and with endless funds....that small and medium businesses feel powerless. 

Feel free to use the "problem" in your marketing, on boarding, or defense. 
Please. I implore you. Join in with being part of the solution that I've included in this blog. 

A homeowner (or business) has a fire or flood.

They have insurance (and plenty of coverage).

A contractor is contacted to perform emergency services (2 am).

Insured makes a claim with their trusting insurance (premiums paid for 13 years, always on time).

The first thing that happens is they look for evidence to deny the claim. That's effort 1.

Then when it seems to be a covered issue, they have a list of vendors that have agreed to be their preferred. This only means that they have agreed to rates and sometimes omission of charges...

A Tale of Two Contractors

Our experience last summer is a sobering reminder that each small business owner and manager should look down the road and muse, "What will each customer be saying about me when we are finished?"

If you own your own small business, or are thinking of starting one, here's something to remember: There is nothing as damaging as a very disappointed customer.

Take me, for instance. Last summer my wife and I hired a young, inexperienced restoration contractor after a quick google search when we had a pipe burst in our upstairs bathroom over the kitchen. We had just purchased a country house on 60 acres and the young contractor seemed like a nice enough fellow, so I hired him on the spot. Our renovation project was off and running -- or so I thought.

My lack of due diligence instantly qualified me for The Bonehead Decision Hall of Fame. I didn't grasp that this guy had been a great carpet cleaner and had recently gone into business for himself as an unproven...

 The title should be 12 signs that you are a great employee. That is of course if we weren’t rebels and we listened to what all marketing professionals say about positioning your content from the affirmative.

We are rebels at heart.

You know this by now. 

Back to normal programming.

Most people will try to show you why you are a good employee. But in the work that we do, where we speak to lots of restoration contractors on the daily, and all we hear about is how hard it is to find GOOD people. 

So we saw this graphic and thought we’d be the bad guys and tell everyone out there who consumes our content about what they are doing wrong, and signs that you should look for to see how can self identify issues. 

Lets jump in:

1 You are not punctual

• This isn’t about showing up for the morning meetings every day. This is about managing your time well. Its about answering the call in the middle of the night, and getting on scene ASAP so you can lock...

There is an old radio host named Dr Laura. She was a counselor of sorts. A radio talk show version of Dr Phil perhaps?
She ended every call for advice with, “Now go do the right thing”.

The phrase was brought up many times last week. 

We were in the Atlanta area last week for the Reets Next Level 2022 event. Wow. What a great event! Great turn out. Definitely a 5 star experience, despite some warm nights for those that had to stay when the power was out due to a storm. The hotel covered well thanks to some good negotiations from the Reets team on behalf of the attendees. 

At the event they discussed 2 primary topics on the first day. 

1. Simplify - focus on what you need to do to be successful… and ignore the rest. Multitasking is a fallacy. 
2. Profit is absolutely critical. 

The second day, a LOT of time was spent on the subject of: 

• Get PAID for the job you SHOULD DO! 

We talked a lot about OSHA regulations. Safety of your team,...

In a secluded area of Fort Lauderdale, FL - a coastal town with generational wealth building by the minute - there is a luxurious complex where Bentleys are daily drivers, and sit under carports. 

All of America’s rich and famous have been there, and many have a mansion on the water for their yachts to be parked behind. The cost of merely owning the yachts is so stinking high it would make maggots gag. The cost of real estate in that luxurious spot probably attracts vultures in human form if you are picking up what I’m laying down. 

I managed to stay there and work a large loss in one of the luxurious complexes where the “stinking high” costs are chump change to those living in the area. 

I can’t imagine living that way, but dammit, I wouldn’t mind trying! I must admit, while I cant say its my cup of tea - I prefer mountains and countryside - I can definitely say that I was blown away by the luxurious...

Anyone asking how to find new employees or get more business should take a close look at their relationships in the community that they operate their business.

While there are many lanes for marketing your restoration business, and all are very important, almost none can be counted on to be as predictable and resilient as having a very strong network that you built with service and trust.

These are your cheerleaders and when the weather is not ideal, when google changes, when FB ads are not working…..these relationships will provide.

They also have a way of multiplying pretty quickly.

When you are doing things well and serving others, your network splinters off and you continue to be introduced to others.

When you put yourself out there in groups, panels, committees and other involvement, you show the kind of character that people feel trusting enough to be an advocate for.

Make sure you are being smart with your time and investments. Some groups will gladly take and...

The great Albert Einstein has been repeatedly attributed as saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results”.

While we refuse to call anyone insane, we do repeatedly see an industry that does the same thing over and over.

Over and over they plead for a different outcome. 

We have conversations with restoration professionals every day.
It's what we do.
And when I say professional, I emphatically say these people are some of the technically brightest people on the planet in their discipline.
They know how to dry very well. They know how to mitigate impressively.
They started their business because they want to help people. Empathy for others is off the charts. 

Empathy is what gets them in difficult situations. 

They feel the clients pressure so much that they assume the burden of the situation. They cannot separate out what the clients (insured…NOT the insurance company) burden is, and what...

If you happen to be at all aware of the talent development organization of a major league baseball team, the term Farm Team will not be unfamiliar.

But let’s catch those up that might not be clear on principle. 

Branch Rickey was famous for developing and bringing Jackie Robinson to the Majors. But you can read here on how he further strengthened his team(the Cardinals) with a training and growth culture

You have heard, “ No one is self-made”? Well, that is true in sports as well. Infants are not born to slam dunk or run the fastest 100 meters.

That said, MLB baseball players often leave college and enter the “Farm Team” system. This is the start of the journey. 

Some of course fast track and get the majors much quicker. Some never leave the farm. This is what it’s for. See how a player performs over a longer span of time and how they take coaching. Do they improve? Have bad habits? Get along with teammates. 

We can all attest the...