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...

Simple.
Black and white.
Binary business.

Seems like it is shaping up to be the theme for Restoration Advisers in 2023.

We fly solo.
We walk alone.
A lot of naysayers.

What they are missing is the simplicity of what we talk about.
We preach doing things RIGHT.
Right for you.
Right for your people.
Right for your business.
We don’t need to follow a script that everyone else says we should follow.
You don’t either.
The challenge is figuring out what the right thing is for you, your people, and your business.

 We use an 8 step process so your business can have an identity.

1
What do you stand for? Meaning. What is at the core of everything you do?
3-5 things.
In the business world people like to use the words “core values”.

2
What is it that you want to be known for when all of this is in the past?
Either when you die. Or when your business shuts down.
What do you want people to know you and your business for?
In the business world… It's known as a mission...

 Hard Times Make Great Leaders

Fatigue and Burnout from Fighting to Get Paid by the Insurance Companies?

I want to talk about something that I believe many of you will resonate with and relate to. 

I speak to a lot of people in restoration and remediation with small and big companies. And a prevalent theme that I'm seeing is fatigue from the fight of trying to get paid by the insurance companies.

Unless you have been in hibernation for the last decade, I’m sure you’ve noticed that the insurance processes and procedures have become harder over time. It’s like year after year and job after job, the same thing happens and it’s causing a lot of people to get tired and burn out. 

Check out this weeks episode of Disaster Podcaster 

Video Version

Audio Version

Take Time to Rest and Work on Things

Every year, I take one week and go to a pretty remote area of Montana. It's a humble place.

I go there with the pure intention of disconnecting...

 If you were offered a reset button for your business, would you press it?

We’ve been doing solo podcasts for a while on the Disaster Podcaster. Much easier, far less complex recording process. 

We did a podcast with Andy McCabe recently to talk about the Restoration Rebel movement, how it got started and where it is today. 

As we post-produced it we realized that there were some audio issues. Nothing that most people would pick up on, but significant enough that we felt that they needed to be addressed to get future podcasts to an acceptable standard in our books. 

We adjusted knobs. We turned dials. We slid sliders. To no avail. 

Then Klark yanked the XLR chord out of channel 4 and plugged it into channel 1. Shazam. 

All was well. 

The audio was seemingly perfect. 

All we needed was to change channels. 

We needed to try something new. 

To Reset. 

The irony of the situation was that the podcast that revealed the issue to...

Missed Opportunities or Knowledge

You just might owe hundreds of clients an apology.

Apologies are a very hard thing for people to wrap their heads around because ego and pride get in the way.

Stay with me here for a moment.

You must first start out by knowing that my article here is a resource to improve.
As pretty much an optimist, I believe the overwhelming population of the world, and in this case, the roofing industry means to do the best they can for their client.

But this elusive thing called education just always dances around.

If you are currently in or have even been in the roofing industry for any period of time, it is quite likely that you have missed a few opportunities to truly deliver for your client. Again…not the intention (let’s hope), but from knowledge.

If this does not pertain to you, reach around and pat yourself on the back because you are up at the ninja level.

As a 20-year veteran and very knowledgeable MITIGATION expert, I have seen...

Professional Performers Don’t Require Immediate Compensation

 “Did you think you could have the good without the evil? Did you think you could have the joy without the sorrow?” – David Grayson, professor and author

Most people are fully engaged in microwave thinking – a deep belief that compensation should immediately follow any effort. Champions are different. They believe every effort performed with good intentions yields some form of compensation at some point. People become champions by perfecting their competencies until other people label them ‘champion.’ In most cases, this label took years of hard work and sacrifice to achieve, with little or no apparent compensation along the way.

Many of the great ones were ridiculed and criticized for investing so many hours in the development of their core competency. Not swayed by amateur opinion, they pushed forward aggressively. This delayed gratification set the stage for all future battle...

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...

 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...

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...