I admit that when starting Next Gear Solutions, I thought the same thing. A family is much better than a cold business environment that cares only about the company’s needs and not about the needs of the employee, right? If faced with only those two options, I would continue to choose the “family business model,” but I believe there is another more optimal choice, which is the “sports team” business model.  

Brand synergy makes it possible to provide comprehensive solutions for commercial clients and operate at peak efficiency without sacrificing quality, which ultimately helps your multi-brand company become a self-sustaining system.

If you want to rise above the competition, become a leader in your industry, and inspire long-term customer commitment, you need to define what your business actually does for your clients.

Change and evolution rarely come easily or naturally for an entire company. As the founder and CEO of Next Gear Solutions, I have spent years helping thousands of restoration contractors do one primary thing: drive major change in their business. 

Have you ever said about your business, “I just need somebody to answer my phones”? Maybe you consider that a lowly position that anyone should be able to manage, just a warm body talking into a piece of plastic.

I enjoy reading entry level job advertisements for the restoration industry. They remind me of a simpler way of living. Pack a lunch every night, wake up earlier than you want to, perform physical labor before 7 a.m., break for 15 minutes at lunch, and come home tired.

Since the 1990s, experts have been declaring burnout levels are reaching epidemic proportions among North American workers (Maslach & Leiter, 1997). Since that time, most people would probably agree that work related stressors have only intensified with the proliferation of metrics, technology, and the need to be “on” all the time.

The numbers are pointing to this being a solid year for restoration and remodeling contractors. Despite new home construction being a bit sluggish, remodeling and maintenance spending grew as expected thanks largely to storms and continued recovery efforts from hurricanes in 2018.