The DYOJO Podcast

Thursdays are for The DYOJO Podcast, sharing content for: 

• Construction business owners
• Water and fire damage restoration contractors
• Estimators and project managers
• ​Property Restoration History 

The DYOJO stands for The Do Your Own Job Dojo. Helping contractors shorten their DANG learning curve. 

The DYOJO Podcast for Contractors

• ​​Watch The DYOJO Podcast on YouTube
• Listen to The DYOJO Podcast on Spotify
• Listen to The DYOJO Podcast on Apple


• ​New episodes are released on Thursdays at 12:01am PST​

Latest Episode of The DYOJO Podcast

Helping contractors shorten ​their DANG learning curve. 

This podcast is hosted by contractor, author, and educator, Jon Isaacson, aka The Intentional Restorer. No one can, or should, remove the responsibility to the learning curve each contractor must work through. BUT, the guests and content from The DYOJO WILL help contractors shorten their DANG learning curve. ​

Who will benefit from watching and/or listening to The DYOJO Podcast?

• Insurance claims professionals
• Property restoration contractors
• Construction business owners
• Skilled trades estimators
• Project managers
• Developing leaders
• Aspiring technicians
• Insurance adjusters​

Invest in yourself, Thursdays are for The DYOJO Podcast​

His content has been tremendously helpful to me and so many others in this industry. If you want to learn and gain more insight on what to do and how to do it, read his books and listen to his podcast. His material has taught me so much and helped me grow and become more confident in what we do every day." - John S

I’m thankful for this information and will use what I learned to apply to our daily operations. I share the knowledge and tune into the podcasts at any opportunity I get to immerse myself with more knowledge so I can lessen the DANG learning curve! I highly recommend the books and podcast to anyone in the restoration industry." - Emma Duplantier

Sponsors of The DYOJO Podcast

The Restoration Industry Association Connect and collaborate with your industry peers through the largest non-profit professional trade association dedicated to the unique plight of restoration contractors. Experience the perfect blend of business and pleasure and make plans to join us in West Palm Beach in April, with endless possibilities for advancing your network and growing your business. The Convention & Expo will take place at The Palm Beach County Convention Center conveniently located right next to the Hilton West Palm Beach where RIA has secured a block of discounted hotel rooms for the event.

P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace is the latest book from Jon Isaacson. P2T was written to help young professionals develop the mindsets and habits to thrive in the modern workplace. Employers are handing P2T out to new hires by the DOZENS.

​ARES Restoration is a general contractor based in Puyallup, Washington that specializing in giving you back your home by repairing structures in Pierce County affected by water and fire related damages. 

BECOME A SPONSOR

Guests and Episodes of The DYOJO Podcast

Season 5

117 Xactimate Apologizes to Restorers
116 What Do Customers Know
115 Property Restoration and Insurance Claim Contractors Convention
114 No One Wants to Work
113 Learning from Job Description and Interview Fails
111 A Simple Formula for Better Construction Estimates 
110 Record Breaking Charitable Contractors
109 Billions for Construction Rehabilitation from President Biden
108 Crime & Construction - Contractor Burns Truck to Cover Fraud?

Season 4

107 Cashing in on Insurance Claims
​106 Productivity Part 2 - Accountability & Leadership
​105 Productivity Part 1 - Training & Expectations
​TDP 104 Busy But Bankrupt
​TDP 103 Defensive or Defensible
​TDP 102 Building A Strong Local Construction Brand
​TDP 101 The P Word = Program Work​
TDP 100 Matching Materials for Insurance Claims
​TDP 99 Let us discuss moldy things
​TDP 98 Recap of RJC vs. AISD Part 4
​TDP 97 Gas Stoves & 80's Prisons 
​TDP 96 Moisture Damage Documentation RJC v. AISD Part 3
​TDP 95 A Tale of Two Contractor Litigation Scenarios
​TDP 94 The Roadmap to Expertise
​TDP 93 Contractors behaving badly? RJC vs. AISD part 2
TDP 92 Contractor bankrupted by storm response, RJC vs AISD part 1
TDP 91 What Is A Contractor's Time Worth? The Myth of FREE estimates part 2
TDP 90 Charging For Construction Estimates? The Myth of FREE estimates part 1

The DYOJO Podcast - Season 3 

We launched our second effort at a series with The Xactimate Sessions. 

• TDP 89 Pain Points & Profitability: Project Lifecycles - featuring elements from Jon Isaacson's book So, You Want To Be A Project Manager?​
• TDP 88 Dumb business motivational quotes with Josh Zolin, Kelsey Isaacson, Robert More, and MORE 
• TDP 87 I Put Microban On Everything with Cliff Zlotnik
• TDP 86 Pain Points & Profitability: New Client Intake - featuring elements from Jon Isaacson's book So, You Want To Be A Project Manager?
• TDP 85 Knowledge and Skills for Project Management Success - with Dr. Randy Rapp, Cliff Zlotnik, Bob Bonwell, and MORE
• TDP 84 Leadership Skills for Construction Professionals - Denis Beaulieu - TDP 15, David Smith - TDP 12, Mike Kinney - TDP 12, Lex Sisney - TDP 22, and MORE. 
• TDP 83 Asbestos and Mold Testing for Home Repairs - Amy Siedlecki, The Mold Reporters
• TDP 82 The Power & Practice of Questions - Steven Patrick, Level the Playing Field 
• TDP 81 Leveling Up As An Industry - Recap of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Convention April 2022 - Pete Consigli, Gordy Powell, and MORE
• TDP 80 Common Estimating Shortfalls - featuring elements from Jon Isaacson's book How To Suck Less At Estimating
• TDP 79 Xactimate Insurance Claims Negotiations With Adjusters - Xactimate Sessions File 007 with Mathew Allen of Adjuster TV
• TDP 78 Insurance Claims Investigations (Appraisals Part 2) with Roger Howson
• TDP 77 Insurance Claims Pricing Games - Insurance companies utilizing the "new construction pricelist" from Xactimate 
• TDP 76 Behind the Scenes of THE Florida Mold Conference
• TDP 75 Training Others to Use Xactimate - Xactimate Sessions File 006 with Joyce Gabriel 
• TDP 74 Insurance Claims Appraisals (Part 1) with Roger Howson
• TDP 73 Using Mechanics Liens as a Contractor with 
• TDP 72 Employee Engagement Insights from Young Professionals with Pete Consigli and AEML Labs
• TDP 71 Improving as an Xactimate Estimator - Xactimate Sessions File 005 with Ben Justesen of Enlightened Restoration Solutions
• TDP 70 New Ownership at Cleaning & Restoration Magazine with Michelle Blevins 
• TDP 69 Make Your Xactimate Estimates Suck Less - Xactimate Sessions File 004 with Chris Tilkov of Ask AIMe
• TDP 68 Xactimate for Water Damage Estimating - Xactimate Sessions File 003 with Nick Sharp of Reets Drying Academy 
• TDP 67 Starting a Podcast with 3 Podcasters with Gerrett Stier, Eric Sprague, and Larry Wilberton
• TDP 66 Using all the Tools Available from Xactware - Xactimate Sessions File 002 with Verisk 
• TDP 65 Learning Xactimate Estimating from Scratch - Xactimate Sessions File 001 with Greg Power 

Series from The DYOJO Podcast

Benchmarks of Growth, a Six Part Discussion with a broad swath of people in a position of leadership, compiling their insights on various benchmarks of growth. We discussed this challenging topic with dynamic industry leaders from around the country who are all at various stages of their companies growth:

• Lisa Lavender, Berks Fire Water Restorations and Restoration Technical Institute (Reading, PA)
• Gordy Powell, Georgia Clean and Georgia Bio Recovery Association (Atlanta, GA)
• Tammy Birklid, MERIT Construction (Tacoma, WA)
• Whitney Wiseman, Restore Force and RFI Companies (Jupiter, FL)
• O.P. Almarez, Allied Restoration Services (West Covina, CA)
• Andrew Golkin, Paul Davis Restoration and Golkin Enterprises (Manassas, VA)  

The Xactimate Sessions, designed to help remove some of the fears and misconceptions around this prevalent insurance estimating software. Read more HERE or watch the kick off video HERE. 

The Xactimate Sessions will include discussions on the mindset and habits for success with estimating property insurance claims with top notch guests including:

• Greg Power - a project manager/estimator who learned Xactimate rapidly with no prior industry experience. Greg will share some insights on how he approached learning Xactimate which will be helpful to aspiring estimators and training managers alike.
• Chris Tilkov - a former project manager/estimator who used his experience to create Ask Aime, an industry-leading resource for expediting internal estimate reviews.
• Brian Austin - director of instructional design as Verisk, Xactware Division (the parent company for Xactimate). Brian discusses the broad menu of resources available directly from the creators of the program.
• Mathew Allen - an independent adjuster and creator of Adjuster TV, who has a passion for elevating the claims experience through helping adjusters and contractors to educate and empower themselves to thrive.
• Nick Sharp - a former project manager/estimator who is now an instructor at Reets Drying Academy. Nick will dive deeper into some of the elements of estimating specific to mitigation.
• Ben Justesen - is both an active full-service restoration company owner, Just Right Cleaning & Construction (JRCC), as well as an Xactimate trainer through his company Enlightened Restoration Solutions (ERS). Ben shares from his vast experience with mastering the program to write an estimate with "no fluff" that you can defend and be profitable with.
• Joyce Gabriel - a general manager with training responsibilities shares her tips and tricks for helping others to grow as estimators.
• Mathew Allen of AdjusterTV to discuss similar challenges that adjusters face when learning to use claims assessment and estimating tools. 

The DYOJO Podcast - Season 2 (2021)

Season 2 expanded the podcast experiment by attempting to record primarily LIVE, introduced the audience to some of historical figures in the development of the property restoration industry, and launched our efforts to develop a multi-part series of connected content with The Benchmarks of Growth (six episodes).

• ​Episode 64 Benchmarks of Growth (6 of 6) Building and Hiring for the Restoration Company that you Want to be with Andrew Golkin (Manasas, VA) Video
• Episode 63 Benchmarks of Growth (5 of 6) The Intention to be Resourceful and Helpful as a Leader and a Team with O.P. Almarez (West Covina, CA) Video
• Episode 62 Benchmarks of Growth (4 of 6) The Importance of a Value Driven Adminstrative Team with Whitney Wiseman (Jupiter, FL) Video
• Episode 61 Building a Career, Growing as a Leader, and Elevating the Skilled Trades with Josh Zolin (Phoenix, AZ) + Lance Peppler, The Business Bookshelf Podcast joins us to discuss his top 5 books for 2021
• Episode 60 The Wild West of Property Restoration History (1970s & 80s) with Cliff Zlotnik, John Downey, Ken Larsen and Pete Consigli with special guest appearance by Ed Cross
• Episode 59 Benchmarks of Growth (3 of 6) Becoming an employer of choice with Tammy Birklid (Tacoma, WA) 
• Episode 58 LIVE You Play to Win the (Program/TPA) Game with Tye Panzone, Regional TPA Manager (Bonney Lake, WA) + David Smith (Eugene, OR) currently recovering from TPA work, talks his experiences with some of the most difficult compliance programs Video
• Episode 57 Benchmarks of Growth (2 of 6): Gordy Powell, Georgia Clean (Atlanta, GA) Video
• Episode 56 LIVE - Phases of Career Growth with Doug Irwin, SVP On Side Restoration (Calgary, Alberta) + Benjamin Riccardi, Ironclad Restoration Marketing talks his new book Video
• Episode 55 Benchmarks of Growth (1 of 6): Lisa Lavender, Berks Fire Water Restorations (Reading, PA) "More is not always more when it comes to growth" Video
• Episode 54 LIVE - Assignment of Benefits (AOB) with Ed Cross and Pete Consigli (Palm Desert, CA) Video / Audio - this was our one year anniversary BIRTHDAY BASH 
• Episode 53 LIVE - Personal and professional financial strategies to CAPitalize on your goals (Seattle, WA - PVJ 011) ​ Video / Audio
• Episode 52 LIVE - Mergers and acquisitions in property restoration with Mark Springer (Bozeman, MT) Video / Audio
• Episode 51 LIVE -  Can old dogs (like you) learn new tricks with David Olson​ (Seattle, WA) Video / Audio
• Episode 50 LIVE -  Is soft skills training worth the time and investment with Larry Wilberton & Eric Sprague​ (Salt Lake City, UT) Video / Audio
• Episode 49 LIVE -  Creating a purpose that is greater than a paycheck with Al Erisman​ (Bellevue, WA) Video / Audio
• Episode 48  LIVE -  Resolving Insurance Claims Disputes with Bill Wilson and David Princeton​ (Nashville, TN) Video / Audio
• Episode 47 LIVE -  The founder of Dri Eaz discusses life before, during, and after property restoration with Claude Blackburn​ (Bellingham, WA) Video / Audio
• Episode 46 LIVE -  Be a Healthy (Water Damage Science) Skeptic with Ken Larsen (Santa Rosa Beach, FL) Video / Audio
• Episode 45 LIVE -  Unleashing creativity for personal and professional development with Danny Morgan PVJ 010 (Reedsport, OR) Video / Audio
• Episode 44 -  Pairing an innovator and an integrator in property restoration with Kevin Hussey (Baton Rouge, LA) Video / Audio

The DYOJO Podcast - Season 1 (2020)

The DYOJO Podcast started as a YouTube experiment titled, "Three Questions With A Pro." Edward Cross, aka The Restoration Lawyer, created the initial introductory video and music. Our guest from Episode 11, Water Damage Daily, introduced us to a platform for funny video clips which we began haphazardly interjecting into our videos. 

• ​Episode 43 -  Communicating and connecting opportunities for growth to candidates with Alex Blagojevic (Vancouver, Canada)  Video / Audio
• Episode 42 - Empowering your employees to create a positive customer experience with Jeremy Watkin (San Diego, CA) Video / Audio
• Episode 41 - An imperfect plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow with Mark Springer (Billings, MT) Video / Audio
• Episode 40 - The Docusketchers with Chris Phillipsen, Alex Blagojevic, Kevin Hussey and Jeff Turner Video / Audio
• Episode 39 - Thriving not just surviving with Shannon Tymosko, aka Lady Voltz - Kickass Careers (Toronto, Canada) Video / Audio
• Episode 38 - I'll show you how to do it with Chris Stanley (Lumberton, North Carolina) Video / Audio
• Episode 37 - Pro vs. Joe 009 - Lessons learned the hard way with Andy McCabe (Bend, OR) - Video / Audio
• Episode 36 - "Go learn it" and 20 years of business startup lessons with Lisa Lavender (Reading, PA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 35 - Pro vs. Joe 008 - David Princeton returns to dispel some rumors and set the facts straight about COVID claims (Muskego, WI) - Video / Audio
• Episode 34 - Idan Shpizear shares how growing your business starts with developing yourself (Los Angeles, CA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 33 - How unleashing creativity can cause your profits to soar with Stephen Harrington (Tacoma, WA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 32 - Pro vs. Joe 007 - with Bryan Close and David Princeton (Advocate Claim Service) solutions for home and business owners with coverage issues (Muskego, WI) - Video / Audio
• Episode 31 - Developing a better people process leads to better outcomes for all with Megan Biever and Kelsey Isaacson of Step Up 2 Success (Bellevue & Puyallup, WA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 30 - Achieving your dreams by developing a financial strategy with Terrilski Davis (Tacoma, WA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 29 - The long process of regulation for an industry association with Gordy Powell (Atlanta, GA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 28 - Do we care about price more than our customers with John Downey (Columbus, OH) - Video / Audio
• Episode 27 - Pro vs. Joe 006 - Creating value when working with property managers (Tacoma, WA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 26 - Playing nice in the insurance claims sandbox (rather than making it a litter box) with Ed Fogle (Baltimore, MD) - Video / Audio
• Episode 25 - Fear and loathing in social media with Michelle Blevins (Detroit, MI) - Video / Audio
• Episode 24 - FOMO your sales and your approach to adaptation with Pro vs. Joe 005 (Tacoma, WA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 23 - Uncovering the dark truths of working with adjusters with Kirk Matthews (Salem, OR) - Video / Audio
• Episode 22 - Growing your business without compromising your values with Lex Sisney (Santa Barbara, CA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 21 - Pro vs. Joe 004 - Motivating your team with vision (Tacoma, WA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 20 - Crisis leads to opportunity with Rachel Stewart (Mesa, AZ) - Video / Audio
• Episode 19 - Leading yourself first so that you can better lead others with Skylar Lewis (Temecula, CA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 18 - The growing pains of a young business - Pro vs. Joe 003 (Tacoma, WA) - Video / Audio
• Episode 17 - Train to obtain with Eric "The Tech Whisperer" Sprague of MorningTechMeeting.com (Salt Lake City, UT) - Video / Audio
• Episode 16 - Doing Good in Your Hood with a panel of guests including Tammy Birklid (Merit Construction), Bryan Reynolds (Anthem Coffee), Rick Dancer (Rick Dancer Media), Gerrett Stier (GMS Podcast) and William Mendoza (Rockland Firewater) - Video / Audio
• Episode 15 - No risk = No reward with Denis Beaulieu of Alliance Environmental (Thousand Oaks, CA) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 14 - Pro vs. Joe 002 - Powering up with good relationships with Bryan Close (Tacoma, WA) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 13 - Taking care of your partners with William Mendoza of Rockland Restoration (Bellflower, CA) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 12 - Leadership motivation from real leaders who lead with Mike Kinney of Coppertop Construction (Eugene, OR) and David Smith who is currently recovering from a career in property restoration (Eugene, OR) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 11 - Humor and using Instagram for your business with Water Damage Daily (@waterdamagedaily) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 10 - Pro vs. Joe 001 - Branding fails and networking  *New Segment with Bryan Close of All American Real Estate Services (Tacoma, WA) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 9 - Silica sand and the power of humility with Mark Whatley of Actionable Insights (San Diego, CA) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 8 - Extending the life of your restoration equipment with Elan Pasmanick of Born to Repair (San Diego, CA) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 7 - Elevating your mold remediation game with Amy Siedlecki of The Mold Reporters (Portland, OR) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 6 - Communication with insurance carriers with Raymond Tittmann of Tittmann Weix (Los Angeles, CA) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 5 - Innovation is the new normal with Andrew McCabe of Claims Delegates (Bend, OR) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 4 - Facing Adversity as an entrepreneur with Rick Dancer of Rick Dancer Media (Springfield, OR) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 3 - Property restoration law and advocacy with Ed "The Restoration Lawyer" Cross of Edward H Cross & Associates - Video / Audio 
• Episode 2 - Emergency management preparedness and planning with Edward Colson of Ready Northwest (Portland, OR) - Video / Audio 
• Episode 1 - Insurance claims advocacy with David Princeton of Advocate Claim Serivce (WI) - Video / Audio ​