March 13th, 2009 by Ben Thompson
On this trip I experienced the ultimate backyard and my kind of Man Cave. This is a fantastic example of how to create the home of your dreams. Isn’t the backyard below absolutely amazing? Do you want to know how this friend of mine created it? 1) He and his wife considered the type of home they truly wanted. 2) They decided to downsize to this 1400 sf home. 3) They waited a few years before remodeling to get to know the home they purchased.The result: Their patience, planning, and hard work was rewarded. Interesting Fact: See those bricks used as pavers? They were salvaged from old town Chicago.
Pictured below is the ultimate Man Cave in my opinion! It functions as a combination home office and pool house complete with custom steam shower and guitar collection. I characterize it as having charming class and personalized comfort. Imagine yourself retreating to this space for time away, working on your next book, or playing music with friends and family out here.
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March 13th, 2009 by Ben Thompson
Small business owners are some of the most passionate individuals I have ever met. During three days of doing a case study and SWOT analysis on another Design/Build company and reporting to and working with 10 other remodelers from all corners of the united states I can tell you that if I were a car I was simultaneously standing on the gas and the brakes. I was both dog-tired physically and mentally my head was spinning.
I find that when I am conflicted, DOING something helps get all the kinks out. Kristin is the most amazing wife in the world. After three days of fabulously intense meetings I walked out of the hotel in Sacramento to a wife who had brought me a 2006 Ford Mustang. Silver paint, black ragtop and leather. What a way to work out stress!
20 hours over two days we snaked our way up highway 1 and 101 from coastal vistas, into the redwoods, back out onto the coast. It was absolutely a trip of a lifetime. We met up with friends in Portland, stayed with them three days, and experienced one of the Northwest’s finest cities. Wine tasting, fabulous dining, a massage, farmers markets, climbing waterfalls, and time well spent reconnecting with close friends.
I mentioned that small business owners, especially us remodelers who invade our clients homes, put on the full mantle of deconstructing and reconstructing their homes, constantly under the microscope…well, we’re passionate about the work we do and you don’t make it in this business if you don’t like your clients. Intensity needs to be balanced. Rejuvenating ideas gained from peers who have walked many miles in our shoes and a few days of rest and adventure keeps my motor running.
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March 12th, 2009 by Ben Thompson
On Wednesday, July 26th I threw my leg over my 1995 Honda ST100 and headed towards our nation’s capital. 1800 miles later I quietly rolled back into our driveway on Sunday, July 30th, 2006 changed for the better. I am a member of a national remodeling consulting group that organizes events semi-annually to cloister a dozen design/build remodelers in a room for 3 days of facilitated work aimed at improving each others’ businesses. The improvement and growth that comes out of the experience is truly life changing.
The economy in Michigan is slow, but our company is looking to grow and continually improve, and I was after an extra dose of best practices like it were an extra shot of espresso. On this motorcycle trip I visited two companies from our group for a half-day each.
I walked in the doors of both of these companies and saw the Owners’ vision carried beyond themselves by employees who really believed in what they were doing.
The first company focuses on keeping their clients’ happy and quickly handling the issues that inevitably surface in remodeling process. Each week they consciously track, “The Client Demeanor,” among other important metrics. In our daily work on every level, we need to ask ourselves, “Do I have a servant’s attitude toward our clients?” and, “Is this project creating value in their lives?”
The second company has “planned their work and worked their strategic plan.” They have created a happy culture focused on growth and excellence. I heard and saw laughter and examples of personal accountability from many employees, and I believe it is because this company empowers and invites their staff to bring their best work to the table. The astounding amount of sustained growth they experience year after year proves that getting everyone pulling in the same direction produces great results.
I could’ve read these secrets of success in a book, and I did read 20 non-fiction books in 2006. But seeing these lessons lived out in the people who work in these companies everyday is a much deeper way to learn. Riding a motorcycle turns up the volume on the traveling experience. Walking a mile in the shoes of another remodeler is a life changing experience.
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