Elizabeth Baldwin, Environmental Compliance Officer for Metropolitan Hardwood Floors, discusses wood trade compliance issues, and why you should consider attending the upcoming IWPA Due Care Week, being held in St. Louis, MO on June 20-24. https://web.nwfa.org/events/IWPADue%20Care%20Week-433/details
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Matt Casey of Bona US to discuss the future direction of the NWFA Certified Professionals program, the importance of being certified, separating yourself from competition, and more.
Elliot Eisenberg, the Bowtie Economist , joins Chris Zizza just before his keynote presentation at the 2022 NWFA Expo Opening Session to discuss the state of the economy, surviving and thriving during a recession, and more. (Recorded April 12, 2022)
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Craig Leary, a consultant for Certified Contractors Network. They cover the importance of having a business plan, what it consists of, and how you can create one for yourself. They also discuss details of the upcoming Business Plan Workshop at this year's NWFA Expo. https://www.nwfaexpo.org/NWFA2022/Public/SessionDetails.aspx?FromPage=Sessions.aspx&SessionID=434&SessionDateID=29...
NWFA Expo Preview - Succession Planning & Combatting New Tax Proposals: Assuring Your Company Remains Successful Michael Martin and Chris Zizza chat with Leon B. Resnick about his upcoming presentation at the 2022 NWFA Wood Flooring Expo - Succession Planning & Combating New Tax Proposals: Assuring the Successful Continuation of Your Company, being held Tuesday, April 12 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. https://www.nwfaexpo.org/NWFA2022/Public/Content.aspx?ID=2251...
Recorded at Surfaces 2022, Emily Morrow Finkell and Michael Martin discuss design and flooring trends she sees in the early part of 2022, colors of the year, women in the floor covering industry, and more.
Michael Martin is joined by John Hammel, Senior Director Hardwood and Laminate for Mannington at The International Surface Event (TISE) 2022. They talk about Hammel's new role at Mannington, new products, coping with supply issues, and more.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza close out 2021 discussing the resurgence of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, and its impact on business.
When is it acceptable to say 'no' to a customer's request? Michael Martin and Chris Zizza discuss what can sometimes be a delicate but necessary part of doing business, not only to protect the customer but to protect yourself from bad outcomes.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza discuss financial housekeeping for your business and how some simple steps today can help you gain financial independence in the future.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Chuck Capone of Charles J. Capone Associates, a concierge service that helps homeowners meet their construction project timelines, budgets and quality control goals. They discuss the role of the owner's representative on the job, the best way to work with them, and more.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza chat with Matt Bruno of Palermo Flooring to discuss tips on running a healthy and profitable small business, overcoming financial challenges, accounting advice, motivating staff, finding a work/life balance, and more.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza chat with John Lessick, President at Apex Wood Floors Inc., about recognizing blind spots, tracking a project from start to finish, and how mentoring, business coaching, and his focus on self-improvement benefits his company and his staff, and more.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Steve Brattin of SVB Wood Floors. They discuss the benefits of leave-behind marketing pieces. Learn how these critical marketing materials positively impact your business, how to create them, what audiences to target, questions materials need to answer, and more.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Steve Brattin of SVB Wood Floors. They discuss how to best deal with supply & demand challenges, hiring issues, employee training, and more.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza chat with Marquis Wright, president and CEO of Mr. Wright Flooring Inc., about the importance of watching patterns in business, his start in the wood flooring industry, the value of mentorship and being coachable, and his work with the Floor Covering Education Foundation, which is working to educate the next generation of flooring professionals. For more information, visit https://fcef.org/.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza sit down with Lenny Hall of Endurance Floor Company, as well as members of his staff, Gerardo Cardona and Jason Hernandez, about what they love about the wood flooring industry, on-site training, memories of their first days on the job, separating yourself from the competition, and more.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Steve Brattin of SVB Wood Floors. They discuss specialized divisions of labor within SVB Wood Floors, industry trends and challenges from Brattin's perspective, the importance of keeping staff motivated, trained and enthusiastic, and more.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza sit down with Willie Short of Willie James Quality Flooring LLC, servicing the greater Baton Rouge, LA area. They discuss how Short is growing his business, why office location matters, and more. This episode was recorded live at the NWFA's recent NWFA Wood Flooring Expo in Orlando, Florida.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza discuss how to deal with increased consumer participation, the importance of practicing patience, coping with scheduling challenges, and how to adapt to a seemingly more fast-paced business environment.
Elliot Eisenberg, the Bowtie Economist, joins Michael Martin and Chris Zizza to discuss the state of the economy, labor and supply chain issues, inflation, and advice on reducing risk and staying ahead of the financial curve, and more. (Recorded June 3, 2021)
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza discuss methods by which you can stay organized and run a more efficient and profitable business.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza discuss the importance of growing with the times, staying current with trends to help your customers, keeping yourself out of financial trouble, checking in with employees, and more.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza discuss why taking on one-room flooring installations is a good idea for your business.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Bill Smith, Vice President of Business Development and Sales at CV International (CVI), a global logistics provider based in Norfolk, VA. They discuss how ocean transportation impacts the hardwood flooring industry, the state of international shipping, and more. For more on this topic, be sure to check out Bill Smith's recent blog post on the topic: https://hardwoodfloorsmag.com/2021/03/13/ocean-freight-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Matt Thibeau, author of Digital Marketing Secrets for Contractors: 7 Steps to Attract More Leads, Close More Sales & Boost Your Revenue – Using Online Advertising That Works! Also visit www.contractormarketingbook.com to download the digital edition and audiobook for free.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza discuss how a simple note taking technique can prevent major headaches at a later date, and the importance of taking responsibility for your mistakes.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza discuss how to effectively keep your composure, practice patience, and combat aggression, anxiety, and exhaustion. They also focus on how to better meet the informational demands of your customers.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza discuss customer communication issues, the importance of being reachable, potential pitfalls of social media, and give an important update about the 2021 NWFA Expo.
Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Sean Connolly, a Regional Vice President of Sales for Belknap White Group. They discuss the value of distributors, and the power and importance of the relationship between distributors and contractors.
