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...

We are putting the finishing touches on an Accelerate program for emerging leaders. 

We did this last year with incredible success. But lets be honest. It was the first one. While we had incredible results, and responses, we had equally incredible feedback. Using the experience and feedback… we’re almost ready to roll out v2. 

This Accelerate program could also be for new/young owners in the restoration industry who are looking for some solid concepts to help them get a jump start on growth and education, or meet some other industry peers. 

As we talk to owners and leaders in the restoration industry we are often connected with emerging leaders. They often want to know how they can become more connected in the industry, how they can contribute to making the industry better, and how they can bring more value to the organizations they represent above and beyond.

Read on to find out what we are doing to facilitate the growth and connection they want!

As we...

As you celebrate Independence Day on the Fourth of July, it’s a good time to celebrate independence in business. This freedom is a primary reason why entrepreneurs take the leap of faith to build their own business.

“For all entrepreneurs, starting a business is the route to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’ no matter how risky,” Martin Zwilling says in a story for Business Insider. He calls it “the American dream.”

The following are some areas of freedom that business owners can enjoy when they start their own business. Notice I said “can”. Not all do… that's why Restoration Advisers exists. We exist to help business owners find the freedoms they dreamed of from the start so that they can have a greater impact on their family and community. 

Some of the elements of today's blog are from an investing website called Business to Community.

Freedom to be happy

Happy is a word that more of us could use in our...

Once you’ve identified the key systems that make your business money, it’s now time to extract them.

But here’s where many business owners get tripped up... they try to create all the systems themselves! And once they’ve been created, then they feel an overwhelming pressure to perform all of the systems themselves. 

As a business owner, you’ll never be free from the day to day operations if you’re always deciding to involve yourself in them.

This is a pivotal decision point where businesses can either remain in the stationary stage and continue to decline, or start systemising the right way so they can move to the scalable and saleable stages.

I had a breakthrough moment with a client this week who has been working hard on breaking free from doing things the way he’s always been doing them. 

His words to me (in a troubled tone) were, “It's almost like I don’t care anymore.” 

On the surface that sounds...

I HATE MEETINGS

I like my time. And I mean I like it ALOT

As I’ve aged (gotten older), I have probably learned to value it more than money. Yes. For sure I have. 

With time I can spend with family, listen to music, watch a movie, or create something for work.

Money really doesn’t help me with those things.
 

This topic is going to cause some chair shifting and weird looks.
But I bet many will go back to their team and take a look at how this might help.
 

I hate meetings (mostly). Not all are created equal.
Like most, I want them to be specific, inclusive, and results oriented.

Meetings that should be emails, get a really nasty snarl from me.

My mind brought up this topic mostly around what I call WIP meetings.
Work In Progress. 

Generally, these are the meetings where all PM’s, office, owners, The Pope, Johnny Depp, and Mr. Rogers all gather crackers, coffee, Diet Coke, and their cell phones (silenced by being placed face down on the table) in...

We turned this one over to the APA. 

Guess where it went from there?! 

Here is the scenario.
Comment at the end and let us know what you think! 

1. Invoice for complete (agreed upon) services. 
2. Packout from fire.
3. Liberty Mutual.
4. QuickBooks invoice sent to insured.
5. Liberty RECREATED the invoice, with contractor logo and all, with lowered unit rates.

Can you imagine the STONES?

Of Course their reasoning is inaccurate, but that's beside the point.

We posted a letter on Facebook and tagged the company that the adjuster was referring to.
We thought we’d share it here… but we’d love to hear your perspective.
Be sure to drop us a comment below. 

“Greetings Liberty Mutual Insurance, I'd like to extend my knowledge base and services to you and your organization.

I will actually do this once at NO FEE, as I think the overall Net Gain will help and impact endless parties.

From a factual standpoint, I'd like to clear up...

Let's be honest, safety isn't always something we think of when we get that call for an emergency service lead. 
Sure, on some level, it's always there. 

But being that far back in our minds is not a recipe for success. Safety is a MINDSET. 

After over 20 years in this industry working across the US and in 11 other countries, I would like to think I have seen it all. But that would be reckless and exactly where people start to see cracks. 

I say cracks because that's exactly how you should look at your culture. NO ONE ever has a 100% safe environment. 

So we have these small (or large) tears where the accidents always occur. 
These small cracks are quite harmless when we are smaller and have a tiny team. Then you are likely on almost all jobs and spot things very quickly. 

It's when you build a large structure, more weight, more conditions on a foundation, that the weakness starts to become more exposed, and sometimes in an alarming or devastating...