Mar 8, 2022
The journey to a different life is pretty simple if you allow yourself to get out of your own way, get out of your comfort zone, and take a leap of faith and massive action. Some people like to sit on the sidelines and see how it’s done, and there are those who jump in and figure it all out. Today’s guest is one of those who figured it all out.
James Emerson is President of ReNew Roofing and always had the entrepreneurial calling. He owned a cell phone repair company, tried multi-level marketing, and later got into the trades working for a home builder. Life in a small, poor northern Wisconsin town was enough motivation to catapult James and his family upward into the life they live today.
In today’s episode, James and Tom talk about living in a small northern Wisconsin town, small-town mentality, establishing relationships, and how they differ there from the rest of the world. James talks about the struggles and challenges of running his roofing company early on and shares how he motivated his employees to kick it into high gear working by piece rate from hourly. Tom dives into processes that James has deployed to make his business run smoother, the world of subcontractors, and the systems he uses to ascertain whether he has good people on his crew. James talks about the challenges of being self-employed in the roofing industry and managing the nature of the seasonal work due to the weather.
What You’ll Learn:
- How James works with insurance companies to help homeowners obtain a new roof when hail damage has occurred
- Why it’s important to take a chance and what it takes to create a business from nothing, knowing no one in a brand new town
- A new plan James has for relocating his family to Texas from Wisconsin and why he’s decided now is the time
- How James decided to test the labor crew that led to him changing the model of how he operates his business
- How James got hooked on sports cars
- The first time James rolled into a brand new town in his Hellcat and how he used it to make fast friends with town influencers that took him on a tour of the town which led to business
- The most important thing on James’ “list”
- Why taking responsibility and working as a team is a huge part of his company’s culture and success
- How hiring and firing makes a huge difference in your company
- And much more!
Favorite Quote:
(Regarding Core Values): “You gotta be willing to take responsibility, and then behind that, the team. If you don’t take responsibility, it affects the rest of the team. And if you don’t take responsibility, you don’t have a team, and then it’s back to me and my wife."
- James Emerson
Connect with James:
How To Get Involved:
From his start in the GPS tracking industry to founding the Step It Up Academy, Tomas Keenan is on a mission to break out of the concept of “average” and reach the success that is anything but. And he wants you to join him.
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