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The Best Mold Conference I've Attended

1/31/2022

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My friend, the global restoration watchdog, Pete Consigli, didn’t lie. The AEML Winter Break in January 2022 was FABULOUS. He said, “Be there or be square," and the team delivered on a value packed event.

We had three days of information that was pertinent to mold assessors and remediator‘s, and so much more. Topics included:
  • Water damage
  • Building sciences
  • Risk management
  • Professional development
  • Materials testing
  • Litigation preparation and prevention
  • Local and national resources

A testament to the value that AEML brought to the microbial remediation industry was that the speakers were excited and engaged in the presentations from the other speakers. They often were the ones asking probing questions of each other to get a better understanding of the area of focus being discussed.

If you want to know more about this event, and whet your appetite for 2024 when THE Florida Mold Conference returns:
  • IAQ radio will be doing a wrap-up this Friday on their podcast at 12 PM Eastern time, I encourage you to tune in.
  • Jeff cross with Straight Talk conducted several interviews from the event that they have already published.
  • We will be working to edit and release the content that we recorded while on site.
  • In the meantime you can check out the article that Pete and I co-authored in Cleanfax magazine about bridging the gap between our history and the present.


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Developing a thriving workplace culture

1/24/2022

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As a person in a position of leadership, your mindsets and habits have to be consistently refreshed if you want to develop a thriving workplace culture. It is important to remind yourself that those who are doing well are not smarter or more talented than you; they have more experience than you. Learning from the experiences, aka failures, of others helps you to shorten your dang learning curve for professional development.

  • Coincidentally, this is the tagline for The DYOJO Podcast, and Thursdays are for The DYOJO Podcast. 

As you pursue building a strong culture, don't make it any more difficult than it has to be. If you build a culture that is good to your people, your people will be good to your clients. Word will spread and you should have a great shot at remaining competitive as you work with your team to adapt to ongoing challenges and evolutions in the market. As you build your experiences in your efforts to develop your culture, perhaps this picture will help you develop the right mindset and habits for your journey.

Four Quadrants of Alignment for Workplace Culture

The DYOJO Culture Chart

Developing an Intentional Workplace Culture

If you become discouraged with your progress, remember that the most important component is to be intentional with your process. Success grows experiences, and experience sprouts from failure. When you can learn from the experiences of others, you may be able to shorten your learning curve. The benefits of developing the right mindset and habits to build a thriving workplace culture will show fruit if you stick with it. 

We discuss the four quadrants from the graphic above as well as the process of moving your team towards alignment in greater detail in our article published in Claims Pages as well as our book Be Intentional: Culture. Those in a position of leadership are making the effort to bring their organizational norms, what the team actually does, into alignment with the expectations, or the stated vision and values. 
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Training others to use Xactimate for insurance claims estimating

1/20/2022

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We resume our series, The Xactimate Sessions. We are discussing the mindset and habits that have helped your peers in the insurance claims industry to elevate their scoping, estimating, and project management game. File 006 introduces the audience to Joyce Gabriel, a talented general manager for a full-service restoration company based in Tacoma, WA.

​Listeners will remember when Joyce joined us for podcast episode 52 to discuss some of the powerful tools she has learned for connecting with and interacting with your team. Joyce rejoins the podcast and helps us explore the mindset and habits for effectively training your employees to understand and utilize the Xactimate estimating software.
​
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Xactimate Podcast Discussion

The Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast
File 006: Training Others In Xactimate
Season 3, Episode 75
Guest: Joyce Gabriel, General Manager (Tacoma, WA)

​Our discussion includes appearances by these guests:
  • Raymond Tittmann, TittmannWeix
  • Ben Justesen, Enlightened Restoration Solutions (ERS)
  • Mathew Allen, AdjusterTV
  • Christopher Stanley, IA Path
  • Ed Cross, The Restoration Laywer
  • Gordy Powell, Georgia Clean
  • Robert More, BYLT
  • Eric Sprague, Morning Tech Meeting
  • Larry Wilberton, Blue Collar Nation Podcast
  • Gerrett Stier, GMS Podcast
  • Pete Consigli, The Global Restoration Watchdog

Sponsors of The DYOJO Podcast

  • ​Restoration Industry Association (RIA) - Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Join your fellow intentional restorers at the RIA 2022 International Restoration Convention and Industry Expo, April 11-13 at the Peppermill Casino in Reno, NV. Let them know The DYOJO sent you.
  • Restoration Technical Institute (RTI) provides world-class training. Designed for those who serve the Restoration, Cleaning and Industries related to the Built Environment.
  • Office Services by Brandi, LLC provides unparalleled personalized bookkeeping services to a broad range of clients in many states. Brandi will help tackle the never-ending list to be done in the restoration industry by handling the R&M billings, collections and many other key areas to take the burden off the owners.

​The DYOJO Podcast New episodes of The DYOJO Podcast are released on Thursdays 9am PST via video through YouTube and/or audio is distributed through platforms such as Apple, Spotify, Google, etc. Learn more by visiting our website - YouTube.com/thedyojo
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Questions about program work for restoration contractors

1/19/2022

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We created the Fellowship of Construction Knowledge and Entrepreneurial Development (FoCKED) last year as a means of networking for local restoration contractors and insurance claims professionals based in the Pacific Northwest. We held in person meetings in Puyallup, Washington and had several hearty discussion on issues that contractors and entrepreneurs face daily in the marketplace as well as in their growing organizations.
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Is Program Work Right for Your Restoration Company?

We are exploring the idea of opening the discussion to restoration contractors and insurance claims professionals on the West Coast. One area of discussion that doesn't always allow for earnest feedback online, is the topic of program work in the insurance claims world. If you or your team members have asked:
  • Can you make any money being on a third-party administrator vendor list?
  • How would my company even get started with program work? 
  • What are the best practices that will allow me to incorporate or manage preferred vendor work in my organization?
  • Are the horror stories I hear on social media real? 
  • Do you have to sell your soul in order to make the process work? 
  • What are the alternatives to program work?  ​​

Discussing Restoration with Other Contractors

Are you interested in a contractor to contractor roundtable discussion about program, third-party administrator (TPA), and preferred vendor work? Please fill out the survey on the FoCKED webpage to express your interest. If we have enough entries, we will continue our work to set up a moderated discussion in an environment where restoration contractors can ask their peers honest questions about their wins and losses in this realm. ​
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Using 360 Degree Scanning Tools for Insurance Claims Collaboration

1/18/2022

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​Technology is creating opportunities for insurers and contractors to consolidate resources for all parties to a claim. While many claims professionals are familiar with the concept of 360-degree scan and/or photographing technologies, I meet many who do not know how to utilize these resources. My goal with this article is to share how 360 scanning can help expedite claims collaboration. ​

Expedite claims collaboration with technology

In property damage claims, thorough data capture is essential. We know that a picture speaks a thousand words, so what is the value of a 360 capture that can be reviewed by anyone with access? All claims professionals are familiar with the awful feeling when they don’t have the one picture that they need to support a claim-related item. With the tools I mentioned, you can take a screenshot of any area in question that was not previously captured. If an adjuster and a contractor are negotiating a claim, they can both access the scanning resource and discuss claims items with the benefit of a three-dimensional room-by-room review.


Additional Resources from The DYOJO

  • This is an excerpt from an article published in Property Casualty 360 - read the full article HERE
  • Watch our episode of The DYOJO Podcast discussing the use of 360 degree capture tools with insurance claims professionals 
  • Read about thorough data capture and accurate data input from our book So, You Want To Be A Project Manager? 
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Chasing fires as a restoration contractor

1/12/2022

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What is fire damage chasing?

What is fire chasing?​ In its broadest application, fire chasing would apply to any contractor showing up to a fire-damaged structure without being invited. In the extreme opposition to chasing a fire damage loss, the detractors would have you believe that the only ethical approach to such a project would be via the invite of the agent, adjuster, and/or the client. This is laughable at best given that so many of these same people likely would lambast preferred vendor or third-party administrator (TPA) work, which is where the majority of these magical invites come from. 
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Is fire damage chasing good business?

If you turn to the internet for an answer to the question of whether fire damage chasing is ethical or good business practice, you are in for a variety of opinions. Whether you are growing your career or growing your business, you must always remember one key thing – it’s your DANG journey. No one is going to walk it for you. No commenter on social media, no coach, no consultant, no author, and certainly no mediocre podcast host, is going to take the direct hits when you fail or feel the wins as deeply as you do when you succeed.
While it is smart to seek and take in good counsel on any element of business that may be new to you, I think it is important to consider a few universal questions:
  • Is this legal?
  • Is this ethical?
  • Is this the right thing for me?
  • Do I understand the upsides and downsides of pursuing this strategy?
  • Do I have the resources to pursue this and/or can I afford not to try (i.e. am I willing to allow someone else to fill the void)?
  • Who can help me shorten my DANG learning curve on this topic?
  • If I have sought counsel, does my chosen counsel have real experience with executing on the particular aspect of business that I am considering?

The history of fire damage chasing

It’s comical, and lacks historical perspective, for anyone to label fire chasing as ambulance chasing or any other derogatory term. Modern fire fighting as we know it came out of firefighters literally chasing fires and fighting each other for the right to be paid to fight the fire by the insurance company. Let Smithsonian Magazine paint the picture for you,
In a scene from the film Gangs of New York, set in Civil War-era Manhattan, a crowd gathers in the night as a fire breaks out. A volunteer fire department arrives, and then another. Instead of cooperating to extinguish the blaze, the rival fire companies head straight for each other in an all-out brawl as the building burns.
​Providing for your family and growing your business is a battle. No one should look down on another person for trying to do either of these things. In my opinion, fire chasing is not a dirty methodology. Obviously, some people do it in less than reputable ways and it is important for members of the industry to address this. Bad actors are bad for your reputation in a local market and the perception of the industry as a whole.
  • To be fair, the practice of fire chasing is not looked at in a positive light by everyone.
  • To be fair, some home and business owners will curse you out and swear that they will tell everyone on Facebook about your shady practices.
  • To be fair, some fire department personnel and community members will not be receptive to your efforts.

More on the topic of fire damage chasing

This is an excerpt of an article that was published by Cleaning and Restoration (C&R) Magazine, please read the full article for additional information and context.

Additional Resources from The DYOJO 
  • Our article on The Format for Fire Damage Restoration Estimates was the number one read article in Restoration and Remediation (R&R) Magazine
  • The accompanying video was also the most viewed video on R&R Magazine 
  • Check out our latest book, So, You Want To Be A Project Manager? 
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    The DYOJO - helping contractors shorten
    ​their DANG learning curve


    Book #4 - AVAILABLE NOW - How To Suck Less  At Estimating. Habits for better project outcomes. 

    Book #4 - AVAILABLE NOW as a TRAINING COURSE through our friends at Restoration Technical Institute

    Book #3 - So, You Want To Be A Project Manager? is designed to help contractors with the mindset and habits for success in this role. 

    Book #2 - Be Intentional: Culture, is a collaborative publication discussing how the small things enhance or undermine your efforts to build a thriving culture. 

    Book #1 - Be Intentional Estimating, is the 5 star rated book that helps estimators produce more consistent outcomes in the insurance claims process. 

    ​Jon is the host of The DYOJO Podcast, helping the skilled trades to shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. 

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  • HOME
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