The following are a few of the “OG” posts from the Restoration Rebels Group on Facebook. 

NOTE: From the desk of Toby Clem. No AI was used to write this blog. You can reach Toby by filling out the form at the bottom of the page with your comment or question, or by using this link to view his calendar

We recently did an interview series and we titled it "Rebel Sessions". It was a full history on the “Rebels” and what the movement was all about before it was overtaken by memes, complaining, and badgering newcomers. 
The following posts are just a glimpse in time and are still live in the group. 

As many of you know, we started our own community to continue the conversations in productive and focused conversations with those who desired to TAKE ACTION without all the noise. 
There is a growing library of resources, courses, videos, conversation, and community that we invite you to. 

You can watch the unabridged version of...

Brought to you from the desk of Klark Brown (No AI was used in the creation of this blog)

Please share with your team and make sure all of you deploy this technique internally and externally.

Many years ago I decided to focus on helping people solve problems rather than helping solve people’s problems.

These suggestions are some approaches you should find effective:

• Never allow others to think you always have the best answers
  • This will only make them dependent on you.
• Ask questions. Help people to think through the entire process of their problem.
• Become a coach, not a king.
  • A king only gives commands.

A coach brings out the best in others, helping them to reach deep down inside and discover their potential.

• List their solutions on paper. Integrate your ideas with theirs until they have ownership of them.
• Ask them to decide on the best solution to their problem.
• Develop a game plan.
  • Ask them to take ownership and responsibility for the game plan.
• ...

From the desk of Toby Clem (No AI was used in the creation of this blog)

Restoration Businesses share similar challenges no matter the size

I just got back from an amazing week with a company that is growing. They are experiencing some growing pains. They are realizing in real time something Klark has said for a long time, “What got you here, won’t get you there.”

Just want to let you in on a little secret.

$15M problems are bigger (higher impact) than $1M problems. But at their core, the problems are very VERY similar.

Leadership and management are two of the most important components of a successful business, especially when it comes to large teams. These terms are thrown around and often used incorrectly. It's important to understand the terms and learn how to implement them accordingly. 

As companies grow, their problems become more complex and require a different approach to solve them. Recruitment and hiring practices, for example, become...

7 Tips to Hire The BEST Talent

I am going to let you in on a little secret. Your “Now Hiring” Ads suck.

From the Desk of Klark Brown (No AI was used in the creation of this article)

In this blog, I hope to share tips to help you not only get MORE responses to your ads but the best talent in your market. 

You must think like a MARKETER when hiring

This is a critical mindset shift that you need to take immediately. The days of people looking for better jobs are sinking away.
Unfortunately, many are looking for something that doesn’t look like a job at all.

You won’t find anyone more confused and frustrated than us with the perceived work ethos today….but to get what we need, we must accept it and adapt in some way. 

Try these tips: 

 Ask yourself if YOU would work for you?

We can all agree that more and more people want freedom and independence. Who can blame them? I know I do.
But if that isn’t a reality for...

Best Job I Ever Had

You get to choose

From the desk of Klark Brown (no AI tools were used to write this piece)

Sometimes the smallest things give you the biggest ideas. Or they give you a laugh or smile at exactly the moments you need them. 

Will Dunn is a close friend and former employee of mine that lives in the NE suburbs of Atlanta, Ga.

Will has served in the military with several tours in BAD places. He has seen some things.
He was also a police officer for many years. 

Will showed a desire to learn about the disaster recovery industry. I hired, trained, and mentored him.

Will randomly sent me a text one day from Arizona or somewhere he was on a project.
“Best Job I Ever Had”. That’s it. That's all it said.
If I were not such a huge movie fan, I may have taken that in any number of ways.

Brad Pit, Jon Bernthal, and others starred in a movie named [FURY]. 

A hard-hitting group of a tank battalion is pushing through Nazi Germany in WW2.
We can...

By Klark Brown  (no AI used in this writing)

The case where promotions can cause a stall. 

Obvious Growth Potential

There are many ways to grow a disaster restoration company.

Plumbers

Agents

Process Automation

Better Education

All of these are certainly strong components of a plan to scale and grow. I think we can also agree that good, dependable and hard-working people are a requirement!

NOW IF WE COULD ONLY FIND THOSE!!

I received an email from a really good guy from a medium-sized company in Maryland. He told me that he enjoys reading our blog and has even listened to a few podcasts when he has time.

This man is a Reconstruction Manager. He sheepishly asked if he could give me some feedback and suggestions. 

This got my attention. The answer was of course an emphatic YES. 

He told me that while he liked the podcast (and our YouTube Channel), his time is limited and he has to be very intentional with where he puts it.

Can you imagine...

 By Klark Brown  (no AI used in this writing)

 What was once meant to revolutionize might be sending us backward. 

This may be familiar to many of us:

New Restorers: What do I charge for XXXX?

Keyboard Commando’s: Charge ANYTHING you want !!  Add more than you do because the insurance will screw you

Also Keyboard Commando;s: Eff the Insurance. 

Go back to school and learn your numbers….

Charge what Xactimate says….

Why are you in business if you don’t know what to charge?.....

PM me…..I charge tens of thousands to show restorers how to overcome this…..

It’s easy…….

Look familiar?

Un-Social Media

As a very visible presence in such groups, these are my perceptions.  

Have you seen the conversations like the short one above occur across the various forums and groups?
Yea. Me too.
It infuriates me and truly makes me wonder what is wrong with people. What makes people come...

By Klark Brown  (no AI used in this writing)

WHO KNEW STING DEPLOYS ACCOUNTABILITY

Every move you make and every vow you break

Every smile you fake, every claim you stake, I’ll be watching you

Every move you make, every step you take, I’ll be watching you

“What in the absolute HELL do The Police have to do with anything?”

Give me 6 minutes and I’ll share it with you. I think it will be worth it. 

Every Breath You Take (link to the song on YouTube) is by far the most popular song ever written by the British Trio named The Police. The Lead singer/ songwriter is Sting ( birth name Gordon Sumner).
If you want to know how he got the name Sting, reach out to me and I will share that story as well. My useless music knowledge rivals Wikipedia. 

Released in 1983, it shot to the stratosphere of the music charts thanks to the introduction of MTV (yes, they once played music videos). 

The dark and sinister lyrics...

People in this industry avoid real sensitive topics. But we’re not afraid to touch those. 

This is Part 4 of the series where we talk about what it means to be a professional restorer. 

If it’s your first time reading this blog or listening to our podcast,  you can always visit our previous blog posts and podcast episodes and catch up before we start Season 3 at Jan 27th 2023. 

Here are also the links below to the podcast episodes for the three parts that we have already discussed:

S2:E19 Professional Series Part 1 - Technically Qualified

S2:EP20 Professional Series Part 2 - Leadership & Culture

S2:EP21 Professional Series Part 3 - Being Structured

You can also check out this week's episode of Disaster Podcaster:

S2:E22 Professional Series Part 4 - Being the EXAMPLE

When we talk about what makes a professional restorer or professional specialist in any field or trade, it could probably take 47 or more blogs to get everything covered. But for...