Note: This article is part 4 of a series. Click here to read part 1. There are no mistakes, only happy accidents. Bob Ross Our lives are filled with things that happen when we’re not expecting it; accidents we call them. So, why should our jobs be any different? We’re all going to have accidents when we’re inspecting houses. It’s …
AAAA Letter to an Agent
While there are many different ways to get clients as a home inspector, I think we can agree that most successful home inspectors get the majority of their clients through referrals from real estate agents. As we’ve discussed in an earlier post, the agents already know who needs an inspection and when they’re going to need it. As a result, …
Real Estate Agents versus Us
As we’ve touched on many times in these articles, it’s imperative for a small business owner to stay current on the constantly changing landscape of their industry. Continuously educating yourself is almost a requirement if you’re to have a chance to remain relevant in your niche. Being part of the digital age has certainly made it easier for us to …
Riding the Elevator
The elevator pitch. It’s a phrase that we often hear in the business world, and it’s (unfortunately) something that we do quite often in our own business. But is it the right thing to do? Is it working for us? And what the hell does it really mean, anyway? Wikipedia describes an elevator pitch as a short description of an …
Give a Little Bit. 5 Things I’ve Learned About the Home Inspection Industry
As home inspection professionals, we are expected to provide our paying clients with enough information so they can make a more informed decision about whether or not to purchase a particular property. It’s an enormous responsibility, and one that every person that considers themselves a professional home inspector must take seriously. Long ago, this was a difficult task to achieve, …
Your Permanent Record
If you’re of a certain age (i.e.: old like me), you probably remember being a kid and getting “corrected” for doing something wrong. Back in those days, correction probably involved some hard object finding its way onto your backside, often in a swift and repeated manner! But regardless of whether or not your correction involved borderline child abuse, you were …
Is More Always Better?
When I was younger, I always thought that I was going to grow up to be a professor. I don’t know where that career choice idea originated, but it was there, nonetheless. (I’m still not sure about the part where I grow up, as my wife would certainly debate that idea.) But it seems like my career path was always …
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 …
My Shameless Plug
Marketing is a necessary evil for small business owners. It’s something that we need to do, but not something that most of us like to do. Most people get a bit uncomfortable when it comes time for self-promotion. And once we’ve been in business for a while, we start to think that we’ve already done all the marketing we need, …
Story Time
If we take a moment and think back on our childhood, it’s quite likely that some of our most vivid memories take us back to story time. We often recall, in vivid detail, the tales told to us by people we admired: friends, family and mentors. These stories not only helped to educate us, but they also served to cement …