Navigating Business in 2020

I laugh a little to myself when I look back at some of R&R’s final articles of 2019. Several revolved around industry trends and predictions for the year to come. No one could have predicted what actually lay ahead for all of us.

While some things do remain the same, others do not. For example, one ongoing trend that will for sure stick this year – and arguably be more important than ever – is technology. In all seriousness, if you aren’t embracing the latest technology for documentation, scoping, job management, and so on, you are at risk of getting left behind. With the widespread adoption of Matterport, I am seeing more instances of companies choosing to keep estimators in-house, rather than visiting job sites. Contractors are also more and more insistent their job management platform be robust, integrate with other popular platforms, and utilize the cloud.

On the flip side, the skilled labor shortage trend is a bit up for debate. In a recent very non-scientific, but fun poll I did on R&R’s Facebook page, 62 restorers weighed in on if they’re busy or slow. Nearly three out of four said they’re staying very busy despite pandemic-related shutdowns. That said, the construction industry is slow. That means there is some movement with potential candidates willing to move into the restoration world. Don’t forget, people with strong construction knowledge can have very transferrable skills into restoration, especially if they’ve done remodeling or reconstruction.

One last tidbit, related to Facebook and technology. Please take care with what you share and post, even on your personal page. There is a lot going on in our world today, and it is wise for your business if you, even personally, are mindful of what you post and the implications it could have.

Stay healthy!