We all have important things to do in our lives, both in our business and our personal lives. Some of these things are very important to us, like renewing a business license, getting exercise or visiting a sick relative/friend. And some things are much less important, but much more desirable, such as going to a sporting event or binge-watching our …
6 Common Mistakes of New Business Owners
Starting a new small business is often the most difficult thing most people will do in their lifetime. Short of a major tragedy in your life, nothing else will cause you the pain and suffering of creating a new business from scratch. While a handful are successful, the majority of new businesses fail; some dying out like embers in the …
Your Report Can Do It All
Note: This post is the second of a two-part article. Click here to read part one. There are many things to consider when running a professional home inspection business. Often, the number of things that must be taken into account can be overwhelming, especially for inspectors that are new to the business. As we’re all operating on a limited time …
The Pig Farm
One of the things that we constantly discuss in these articles is the need to continually educate yourself. Arguably, the worst thing that a business owner can do is to assume that they know everything there is to know about their business. Our world is constantly changing, and business and industry are no exception. Certainly, it’s in our best interest …
There’s Power in These Words
It’s one of the most common complaints that I hear from real estate agents about home inspectors is “they always scare the hell out of my clients.” As an industry, we all get a bad reputation for the actions of just a few bad apples. Maybe if we’d all just stop and think for a moment before we opened our …
Walking the Tightrope in your Business
Many years ago, before entertainment was available on demand in the palm of our hands, a traveling circus was considered to be one of the most enjoyable distractions available for middle-class families. I have many fond childhood memories of an evening’s enjoyment watching the various attractions presented under the big top. Without a doubt, one of my favorite performers was …
Investing in Your Business
It’s not our fault. Really, it’s not. We were all trained the same way; all indoctrinated into the same mindset by the same school system. As author Seth Godin is fond of saying, we were all raised to be cogs in the wheel of industry. Put the peg in the hole; eight hours a day; five (or six or seven) …
Enough To Go Around
It seems that no matter what type of business we’re in, there are going to be many different points of view on how to run that business. Some people are generous and believe that there’s enough customers out there to sustain everyone that’s willing to put serious effort into their business. Most people, unfortunately, operate under the belief that everything …
Giving Away Your Hard Work for Free
Every real estate agent loves a good business opportunity. It’s even better when it seems like a great deal falls from the sky without warning. Wow, it’s gonna be a great day! Think about getting a really good listing. You get a message from a potential client, who heard about you from one of their friends you’ve worked with in …
Is There a Shortcut to Success?
Practice makes perfect. We’ve all heard that old axiom. As a child, we probably heard it enough from our parents to make us sick. But, like most old sayings, it was grounded in truth. Think back to your childhood, to any skill that your parents forced you to learn. Would you have ever achieved any level of proficiency without the …