The client intake process also initiates the data collection process. The gathering, interpretation, and application of solid data is critical to helping an entrepreneur make good business decisions. If you want to be profitable as an organization you must manage the project lifecycle sequences. We begin this discussion on The DYOJO Podcast Episode 89 as well as a series of articles on overhead and profit that myself, Ben Justesen, Anthony Nelson, and Ed Cross will be releasing for the in-print version of C&R Magazine. ​

Contractor's often discuss whether they should be charging for estimates. Some of the options include:

• Offering free inspections and estimates as a marketing tool 
• Charging for inspections and estimates to cover expenses 
• Getting a contract signed prior to inspection and estimation 
• Using a letter of intent (LOI) to screen clients prior to scheduling an inspection 

We talk rather frequently with contractors about this concept of the Letter of Intent or LOI. We will introduce this resource during Episode 89 and will go into further detail in the following episode. 
​

We have observed or participated in many companies that don't make it unfortunately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 20% of small businesses fail within the first year and 30% after the second. You feel it right? You're in an all out battle for survival. You want to move from survival mode to scraping-by. At the end of your first year you get hit with this tax debt and renewals for indirect (aka overhead) costs such as your licensing, bonding, and insurance. You realize that to even scrape by as a business, you must charge more than you were charging. You're gonna have to think differently about how you're charging for labor, materials, equipment, overhead, and profit. ​

The DYOJO Podcast is designed to help you shorten your DANG learning curve. Going back to those statistics we talked about, which will be in the series of articles with C&R magazine. The mindset used to be that if you can make it past year three, you're probably going to be fine. But the statistics show that  if you make it to the fifth year you're in the 50/50 club. 50% of the companies that started at a similar time are likely no longer going to be in business. And then if you push through to year 10, you're in the exclusive 70/30 club. Sadly, only 30% of entrepreneurs make it to the decade mark. Every year is a fight.

That's why we say you're moving from survival to scraping by, to having a fighting chance, and to competing. My latest book, How To Suck Less At Estimating, was written to pick away at some of those faulty foundations that regularly lead to profit sucking estimating habits. In doing this I'll try to break out those mindsets that are particularly helpful for the categories of professionals listed above which are (1) the aspiring professional, (2) the estimator, (3) the new manager,  and (4) the business owner. By the end of this book and the course that soon will be coming with Restoration Technical Institute (RTI) you will have at least six elements that every estimator needs in their tool bag for success. 

This video is a snip of what will become The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 88. With our guests, Josh Zolin and Kelsey Isaacson.  The video also introduces the article that will be released in Cleanfax Magazine titled Goals, Effort and Results, Developing Your Team. Josh wrote the skilled trades advocacy book, Blue is the New White and hosts a weekly podcast by the same name. 

This thought-provoking question that Mr. Zolin dropped during our discussion has caused me to think through our understanding and implementation of EFFORT versus RESULTS in our local contracting company, ARES Restoration based in Puyallup, Washington. Josh continues, "This was a big mindset shift for me. Look, it's a good indication of character. But that's about where it ends."

In preparing for this podcast episode, which you can view on YouTube or listen to on Spotify, I did some research. I found an article called The Effort Effect from Stanford magazine. In addition to our discussion with Mr. Zolin, we're going to be talking about the research efforts of a professor of psychology, Carol Dweck. We will also review several quotes from other business minds on the topic of effort versus results including this one from Mark Cuban whom you may recognize from the television show Shark Tank. ​

Gathering pennies is a reference to a rather old video and article (see above) title The Five Phases of Business Startup. Distinctives of Business Startup Phase One include:

• The clients that we are drawing to our business likely are pennies
• Our resources are similarly in pennies
• Our focus is exposure - we must get our name out there so that people even know that we exist
• When we consider investing resources we want to pursue the lowest cost, because we have the lowest resources, yet we want to find the highest exposure
• We are looking for opportunities that we can get out in the community for low cost or even free

In this first phase of business, the entrepreneur is asking, "Where can we get our name out there with fairly low cost and high exposure?" Often, these opportunities are in the various networking meetings that not everybody likes going to.  

For The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 88 we consider this question from Josh Zolin and review several others, such as the one above from Tony Buzan, with Kelsey Isaacson, a successful realtor in Pierce County, Washington. It is important for people in a position of leadership to question whether what they believe, practice and reward is leading their team down the right path to achieving their shared goals. Dweck's research uncovered many interesting insights about goals, performance, and achievement which we will discuss in this episode and dive deeper into for the Cleanfax article. As people in a position of leadership, it is important to take a step back and determine, with brutal honesty, whether we are developing the right mindset and habits for success; both for ourselves as well as for our teams. 

​Please join us on Thursday as we help you shorten your DANG learning curve! 

For the upcoming Episode 88 of The DYOJO Podcast, we have a conversation with a returning guest who shared a thought-provoking question that I believe all leadership teams should consider, “Which is more important, effort or results?” ​

Josh Zolin is an advocate for helping young people recognize opportunities for gainful employment and career development within the skilled trades. This passion is the impetus behind his book and podcast, both by the same name, Blue is the New White. As prominent as Josh has become as an author, podcast host, and speaker, he is also the owner of the rapidly growing WCE in Phoenix, Arizona where he is implementing the leadership challenge that he shared. 

This teaser video gives you a glimpse of our discussion on the intersection between goals, effort, and results as you develop your team. Be sure to check out the article Goals, Effort, and Results: Developing Your Team by Jon Isaacson and published in Cleanfax Magazine.

In this content clip:
0:00 Josh Zolin drops a thought-provoking bomb
1:30 Psychology professor Carol Dweck weighs in
2:14 Kelsey Isaacson squares up with Mark Cuban
3:17 Pennies for your business growth
4:25 Join us for the 3rd Annual SOCKTember Competition
5:55 Curse words and question marks

​

Thursdays are for The DYOJO Podcast - helping you shorten your DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. 

This content is sponsored by the new best-selling book, How To Suck Less At Estimating: Habits For Better Project Outcomes by Jon Isaacson. ​

​Join us for a LIVE discussion and Q&A regarding career and leadership development in the skilled trades

This event will be curated by:

Josh Zolin, renowned author, speaker, contractor, and podcast host of "Blue Is The New White" 

See more - blueisthenewwhite.com

Jon Isaacson, medicore author, contractor, and podcast host of "The DYOJO Podcast"

See more - thedyojo.com 

​The Plan Thus Far:

Idiots At The Helm: A Discussion About Career Development & Leadership Growth In The Skilled Trades 

Our hosts will discuss the questions below for about 45 minutes. They will keep the Zoom chat room open, and try to check on that periodically. At the end of the planned discussion, we will leave about 15 minutes for Q&A direct from the chat room or people that email and comment prior - iz@thedyojo.com 

Questions for our hosts:

1. Can you be an idiot and still be successful? You don’t need to be the smartest or richest to make it, what are some of the things that have helped you develop your own career?
2. Idiots copying idiots. Why are so many people in a position of leadership hesitant to recognize the talent within their own organization? What have been some of the ways you have worked to make this a priority in your company
3. Idiotic content factories. What are some of the platitudes that bug you the most in business and leadership circles? What habits have been helpful for you in trying to ensure you Stay hungry in developing your mindset and habits
4. If someone is listening to this as an aspiring professional, someone wanting to grow their career, what would you say to them?
5. What would you say to the new manager who is stepping into their first leadership role?
6. What would you say to the general manager or owner who’s trying to navigate these tumultuous waters?
7. Plugs and promotions 
8. LIVE Q&A with the Zoom audience  

Jon Isaacson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: TDP Presents: Idiots @ The Helm (LIVE on Zoom)
Time: Jul 7, 2022 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 847 6912 3891
Passcode: 540430
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Then episode 84 of The DYOJO Podcast is for you. We will discuss many of the mindsets and habits that will help you lay a strong foundation for career growth and help you navigate the open seas of leadership development. We will discuss how to think outside of the box as well as some tips to structure your approach to management that will help you gain personal and professional ground on your goals.

​Topics include:

• Thinking outside of the box for hiring, promotion, and retention of employees


• The importance of clarity and consistency in designing the structure of your organization for growth


• How you can better control your day and the other elements you can control in the midst of external chaos


• Better understanding the process and importance of organizational structure

The old-new may hold the key to help you unleash better mindset and habits for the coming year. 

​Our kitchen was remodeled by a well-intentioned prior homeowner. To date, I’ve been able to remedy many of the functional discrepancies, such as shaving down the sink cabinet to bring our farmhouse sink to level with our solid surface countertops. But at least weekly, some of the shortfalls in quality instigate conversations about our future plans. 

​Thankfully my wife and I are [mostly] on the same page with regard to pragmatism, as we both understand in the current market an overhaul of our kitchen will not net a return that offsets the expense. I couldn’t wait to share my revelation with my wife and family. The re-org idea had been chirping in my ear for several days, and slaying the dragon of kitchen dissatisfaction in this simple way was all the more rewarding.  

Read MORE in the article The Old New published by Restoration and Remediation (R&R) Magazine.