I was invited to contribute to the September 2021 issue of Construction Business Owner Magazine which was dedicated to estimating in the skilled trades. My topic was about how setting clear objectives for estimators will lead to more consistent outcomes — not only in estimating, but also the production process. Consistently top-performing organizations take a holistic approach and view estimating as one process, among many, that leads to a successful outcome. So, whether you are a business owner, training manager, estimator or trades professional looking to develop this
skill set, the following will provide three key ways to elevate the estimating process.

• Consistent estimating process
• Clarity in communication 
• Accountable production

The Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast 
File 003 - Fake it until you Xactimate it 
The DYOJO Podcast Season 3, Episode 68 
Guest: Nick Sharp, Consulting Specialist at Reets Drying Academy  

If you can't estimate, you become a trainer. Right? Nick Sharp joins us on The DYOJO Podcast to share his experiences from cleaning carpets to learning to fake it until he made it as a reconstruction estimator. Nick shares how his positive mindset and consistent work ethic helped him to progress in his property restoration career. As Nick says, "I never went into anything thinking that I can't do this."   

This week, on The Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast, we sit down to discuss Xactimate with a restorer-turned estimator who transformed into a restoration industry trainer. Nick shares a few tips for aspiring professionals and growth-minded estimators, including:   

1. Don't be under-informed. Know your IICRC S500 (and other industry standards related documents) 
2. Don't limit yourself. Always be adapting.  
3. Don't be stagnant. It's ok to make mistakes. Learn the basics and keep expanding your knowledge base.  
4. Don't be just data input. Understand the items that lead to a thorough and accurate estimate so that you can be profitable.   

PODCAST SPONSOR:

The DYOJO Podcast is sponsored by Advocate Claim Service (ACS), "Where you can find solutions to claims that are causing you anxiety." David Princeton and his team are ready to help you navigate doubtful and disputed insurance claims.   

If you are a business owner, manager, or intentional restorer, you will appreciate Nick's insights as well as this key question, "Why are we teaching estimators the program (IE Xactimate) instead of what is going to be profitable?" We supplement our discussion with Nick with clips and comments from many sources including 

• Ben Justesen of Enlightened Restoration Solutions 
• Brian Austin (File 002), Director of Instructional Design at Verisk 
• IICRC Triple Master Restorer Robert More 
• Jon Isaacson's mediocre appearance on the stellar IAQ Radio Ep 633 (the OG's of restoration podcasting) 
• The Founding Father's of Restoration with Pete "The Global Watchdog" Consigli  

NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT:

As this series develops, Gabriel J. Jones and I are transforming content from The Xactimate Sessions into a book that will release shortly after the podcast episodes are all released. This will be a great compliment to our first book, Be Intentional: Estimating.  Please RSVP your copy today. 

This book is intended for:

• Restoration professionals who seek to grow their career opportunities such as project management and estimating through developing the right mindset and habits around Xactimate.  
• New managers and intentional leaders who are looking for some assistance in guiding their team members to develop in their roles and responsibilities that directly intersect with utilizing Xactimate. 
• Business owners who are working to bring their expectations into alignment with their norms (build a winning culture), especially in the areas of estimating and project management.

DEALS FROM THE DYOJO:

The DYOJO collaboration with DocuSketch offering a $200 discount on the initial hardware package to members of The DYOJO Nation who use the custom code "DS-DYOJO1".   
The DYOJO Podcast, the official home of the DYOJO Nation as so declared by The Global Watchdog, Pete Consigli, exists to help intentional restorers to shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development.

We are doing something different for The DYOJO Podcast Episode 67. This week, Eric "The Tech Whisperer" Sprague and Larry "Pineapple Man" Wilberton, invited Gerrett Stier of GMS Podcast and myself to join them for what they called The Podcast Summit of Blue Collar Nation (BCN).

Blue Collar Nation Podcast + GMS Podcast + The DYOJO Podcast = Restoration Podcastalypse Megazord 2021.

Eric, Larry, and Gerrett were onsite in Charleston, South Carolina for The Experience, where GMS Podcast unveiled their mobile podcasting booth. You can listen to the results of these escapades on Blue Collar Nation Podcast and GMS Podcast. We hope that this Podcastalypse will be the first of many continued video, audio, and physical collaborations. GMS and BCN will be in Las Vegas for The Experience in September 2021, back at it with their live shenanigans. We hope to assemble the team for our first combined live event at Restoration Industry Association (RIA) in Reno on April 13-17, 2022.

Most of you know that following the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) 75th Annual Convention and Expo this year in Florida, Pete "The Global Watchdog" Consigli and I took a road trip further South. We discussed restoration history and meet some amazing people along our journey. We share a clip of Pete bestowing to me something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. We had a lot of fun, ate really well, and shared some great moments together. As Pete says, quoting Jimmy V, "We laughed, we thought, we cried, today was a heck of a day," and we had many heckin good days on the road together.

Michelle Blevins, the new owner of C & R Magazine also dropped by to share her exciting news. We will be releasing more content related to my trip with Pete as well as my conversation with Michelle. This was a fun break from our current series, The Xactimate Sessions. We have released File 001 Learning Xactimate from Scratch (TDP 65) and File 002 Learning to XM8 with all the Resources from Xactimate (TDP 66). More to come from Blue Collar Nation, GMS Podcast, and The DYOJO Podcast. ​