This is Part 1 of a series taken from the our new E-Course "show notes"
 45 Days to build a STRONG restoration company. 

Let's go back to the beginning and take a journey. 

Or maybe you are at the beginning and are wondering which direction to take.

Walk with me for a bit. 

As we start this journey together, it is important that we remember that we are…. well, at the beginning.
All successful efforts and endeavors start with a clear vision and goals. Not only for ourselves, but as we build a team to help us, the importance of this omni present vision will be among the most critical assets you have. 

Do you ever just not know where to start or how to do what MUST be done? You ask yourself if this is all worth it. 

Today our focus will be on never ever having a feeling that you are unclear and you show up at your office and not know what to do or what to do next.
This clarity and confidence will help you in marketing, team building and honestly, keeping your energy and will power up. It will lower at times….that's natural….but the goal is to shrink that lull and give you the ability to bounce back fully focused. 

So let’s get started. 

Make sure that coffee is strong and warm !!

If you are brand new…..worked at a bank or even another restoration company before and you decided “hey….i could do this on my own”, you need to know why. Say it out loud

• I want more freedom

• I can do it better

• I didn’t see enough future where I was

• I have worked for others forever and have recently truly thought I could easily do it on my own.

Maybe you are currently in year 3 of starting your company and realize that there was A LOT more to this and the struggles have shown to be overwhelming. 

Then it is possible you have owned your company for 12 years and feel the success has been there but for some reason there is this incredible realization that things have just changed. 

No matter where you are in any of these categories, you have an opportunity to build or rebuild a service company that your community and region are BEGGING FOR. 

But you have to spend time designing (yes, like an architect) what your company will look like. I mean from absolute front to back. 

• Name
• Colors
• How you want the customer to view and more importantly, review you.

What are our goals?

After coaching and mentoring 100’s of business owners and clients, I am slightly amazed at the sheer number of them that seem to risk so much to enter into a business with limited research and soul searching. 

Maybe you started the business because you have an enormous heart and capacity to help people. This is a very important benchmark for what I feel it takes to be successful. 

Some have been in construction for what seems like their entire life, and they have seen  the incredible profit margins that these mitigation guys brag about. 

Some entrepreneurs are looking at opening a restoration company because it seems “recession proof”

Any and all of these may be true and all can be drivers to success. 

But let’s take a close look at your ability to do this. While confidence is powerful, it also comes with blinders and has more times than not let people into decisions that they later paid dearly for or at least were surprised by.

Do you know where your strengths and weaknesses are for not only this specific trade...but in business management itself.

Do you have competency in restoration or building construction?
What experiences have you had in building a team to build your company instead of inheriting another J.O.B.?

Are you looking for more life/ work balance?

Here are some questions I always challenge others with:

1. Does your community NEED your service?
2. Is there a shortage of quality restoration companies in your region?
3. What will make you so incredibly magnetic over others?
• Can you make that a reality?
4. What is the timeline you expect for success?
5. What is success? 
• Revenue?
• Profit?
• Fleet size?
• Passive Income
• More time off?

Have you sat with down (maybe with a trusted friend or even a professional consultant) and built a business plan? 

Where does your ability stop being an asset and become a liability?

Can you design a sales process?

Can you create a culture that nurtures people to build with you?

Will you exceed the standards of the industry or simply meet them?

What will a GREAT DAY/WEEK look like? 

What will be a HUGE failure? Are you ready for those?

Should you have a partner?

These are a lot of questions, but I ask them because I see people facing them daily. Simply having these questions and maybe issues does not mean you will fail….it will mean you are aware of them and are ready to tackle them. 

Based on your experience and goals, is a franchise the option for you?

Franchises can be incredibly helpful. I know 100’s of GREAT and successful companies that are part of a franchise system. 

But as with anything...there are risks and additional costs. Some visible and some invisible.
Franchises often have a security of having a system already in place. There may also be a sense of community and resource sharing.

Other questions that you should ask to help design your launch are:

• How fast do you expect to grow?
• How lean can you run this thing to preserve cash?
• Am you full clear on the unique cash flow potentials?
• Do you have enough contacts NOW that could contribute to your early success? 

Things will be tight in the beginning.

Very Tight. 

Asking yourself these and many other questions will force you to open your eyes, have honest conversations and possibly head off any unknowns.
Avoiding failure is more about keeping my energy high.
You will fail. 

You will have losses. 

Things WILL Happen that you didn’t prepare for. 

But the more of these you see coming, the better your odds will be for overcoming and even avoiding them. 

Alternatively, the upside and amazing feeling that you have the opportunity to experience will dwarf the failures and keep you grinding and striving for more. You will be inspired to keep pushing higher and climbing even higher mountains. 

So sit down and work through your WHY. Even better, sit with a trusted peer that is in the same boat or even better, has been through this. While they cannot tell you what your why is, they can ask questions and help have a conversation of discovery to help you clearly define yours. 

At the end of the day, making money is just never good enough.

You need a much larger internal goal. 

Stay tuned. 

This is part of a series that we are putting together to help restorers build a stronger business.

If you want to get immediate access to our growing community and get on board with our signature E-Course that will be launching in January, Check out our 45 Days to build a stronger restoration business.