Time for Hobbies!
When I started my business, I made the choice to give up some of the hobbies I enjoyed to make more time for my business to flourish. I've most recently started to pursue those forgotten hobbies - and it's reminded me of what a journey life can be! Going forward, I am going to make more of an effort to pursue my passions outside of work, hoping to create a little more balance in life. What about you? How are you making time for hobbies in 2025 (and beyond)?🌟 Facing Failure Head-On: An Honest Talk About Business Mistakes 🌟
Hey Business Owners, Have you faced business challenges you’re not sure how to overcome? Wondering how to avoid common pitfalls or bounce back stronger from failure? Failure is part of every business owner's journey—but it doesn’t have to define your future. Hi, I’m David Moerman, owner of Home Service Business Coach and Revive Services, and from January 15–21, I’ll be hosting this month’s Ask An Expert session. With 16 years of experience in the home service industry, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. But those mistakes have helped me build thriving businesses, coach 330+ entrepreneurs, and generate over $6 million in revenue in the home service industry. Post your stories and ask your toughest questions—I’m ready to help! Let’s tackle failure head-on and turn it into a stepping stone for growth.💪 If you missed my session at Jobber Blueprint: Live, "Bouncing Back From Business Failures," check out upcoming events here: jobber.com/events.Jobber Summit is BACK for its 5th year! 🎉
Registration is open for Jobber Summit, the ultimate professional development event for home service pros on March 5, 2025! 👉 Claim your spot now! Here’s what you can expect: Proven advice from industry leaders Build connections with live networking Attend when it works best for you All online and completely free 👉 Claim your spot now! What are you most excited about for Jobber Summit!?1 more crew isn't going to build your Empire
Its a new year --- My guess is you're thinking about expanding by adding more crews... yes? It's a good goal but not the right one. This approach leads to increased headaches, higher costs, and more frustration. "If I could just find the perfect employee I'd be golden" - I hear it almost every day. If you're serious about winning without piling on loads of risk, franchising is the way. The Pitfalls of Adding More Crews Adding more crews means more equipment, more training, and more management. You're multiplying your responsibilities and expenses. Coordinating multiple teams can become a logistical nightmare, and maintaining consistent service quality across the board is a constant challenge. Plus, all the financial risk falls on you! Franchising: The Smarter Path to National Expansion Franchising lets you grow your brand by partnering with independent entrepreneurs who invest their own money to operate under your name. This strategy allows you to break into new markets without draining your own resources. Why Franchising Works Shared Risk: Franchisees put their own skin in the game, sharing the financial burden and reducing your exposure. Driven Operators: Franchisees are highly motivated to succeed because they own their slice of the business. This often leads to better performance compared to hired managers. Rapid Market Entry: Franchising enables you to enter multiple markets at once, leveraging local knowledge and connections for faster growth. Cost Efficiency: A larger franchise network can lead to bulk purchasing and shared marketing efforts, boosting profitability for everyone involved. Making Franchising Work for You To successfully franchise your business: Prove Your Model: Ensure your business is profitable and can be replicated. Train Thoroughly: Provide comprehensive training to maintain consistent quality across all locations. Offer Ongoing Support: Be there for your franchisees with marketing, operations, and management assistance. Protect Your Brand: Implement strict quality control to maintain your brand's reputation. In short, adding more crews might seem like a path to growth, but it's fraught with challenges and risks. Franchising offers a smarter, more efficient way to expand nationally without overextending yourself. By partnering with motivated franchisees, you can build a national presence and achieve the growth you're aiming for. Think bigger this year. Franchise your business to build an empire. I've done it myself. You can do it too!Is Your Home Improvement Business Making a Difference?
As home improvement professionals, we do more than just repair or upgrade homes—we get an opportunity to shape the communities we work in. Every job, every project, and every decision is a chance to make a difference. Hiring local workers? Partnering with local suppliers? Volunteering your time and skills for community projects? That’s how you turn a business into a force for good. Building a well-run business creates stability, fosters trust, and sets an example for the entire community. When your business operates with integrity and efficiency, it inspires pride, strengthens local connections, and drives positive change beyond the bottom line. So, here’s the question: How are you using your business to create meaningful change in your community?Business Coach and/or Mentors..
Has anyone here worked with a business coach or mentor? I'm curious about the experience and whether you think it's worth the investment. Did it help you grow professionally or achieve specific goals? Any tips for finding the right one, or things to look out for? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Opportunity strikes?
I live in a rapid growing area. New construction and gentrification are in high gear. Raw building materials are in high demand. I have an opportunity to be a representative for a wall material that is 1/3 cost of the leading manufacturer. My options are: Ship Direct to customer: Maintain a showroom with adequate stock Truck Load. 1-3 a Month Profit margins are based on the three options. I have zero infrastructure to handle, receive, store, ship this material. I think I can find the resources rather quickly. I would love to provide a cheaper solution to my region and still make money. Anyone become a rep for materials? Is so, at what of the three levels proposed? Which is the most profitable? Ship to client? Showroom/storage? Showroom Storage and 1-3 Trailers a month?
Business books
Anyone care to share recommendations for good business books. I have a couple Markup and profit a contractor's guide - Mike Stone (without a doubt the best book on contractor financial math and lots of other good stuff) Profitable Sales a contractor's guide - same author as above: (really comprehensive books on construction and construction related sales) Playing to win - A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin: the best book on business strategy I've ever read, goes from high level concepts right down to nuts and bolts of creating a strategy with a team effectively. One of the authors is the CEO of Proctor and Gamble who oversaw their rise to the absolute market juggernaut it is today. Unfortunately most of the examples involve mega-corporations as this is the experience of the authors but the concepts are just as applicable to small business and everything in between The 7 Power contractor - Al Levy: also really great book with a lot of practical advise. Breaks down the 7-powers of an effective contractor, best practices within each of them and how to put it all into action. Clockwork - Mike Michalowicz: great book on the practical side of business operations, how to develop your business to be able to operate without you Essential reading for contractors, the order above is just how I wrote them down. In my opinion, the order of reading/study would be 1,4,2,5,3 at least that's what seems most logical to me from my experience with these books and contracting.
2025 Best Year Ever
With this year ending in a new year beginning, we should be starting to think about planning for the upcoming year. What are some of your tools you use for planning for the year to come and also daily planning. Do you have any cool tricks that you use to help you in setting goals, and breaking down, goals into smaller action items, and taking those action items and making them happen. Please share your tips, tricks and or traps things that have worked and have not worked.
