SMB lesson:

Day after acq. announcement, heard rumblings that our senior plumber felt job-insecure and betrayed by the transaction.

Big problem when my largest vulnerability is the skilled trade talent.
I looked at the schedule and saw he was beginning to install a water heater close by.

This was Friday around 12:30. I knew he& #39;d been planning to leave work around 2pm to take his family on a trip.

Not gonna happen if he& #39;s working alone.
I saw 2 scenarios.

He blows his timeline. Still anxious going into long weekend. Wife& #39;s worried. Maybe looks for another job.

Or I drive out to him, help him get it done in time & out the door. All while getting to know him and hopefully putting him at ease.

Easy decision.
So I spend the next ~hour with him. We get to talking about all manner of things.

Turns out he& #39;s got great ideas for how the business could run more efficiently and professionally.

Ideas I had already hoped to implement, but was concerned about rocking the boat too soon.
He voiced his long-held frustration that his ideas had never been taken seriously.

I showed my genuine support.

We covered CRM, scheduling, marketing, performance-based compensation, and more.
We got him home to his family in time, had a very happy customer, and I felt on top of the world.
Now this week, he& #39;ll see immediate implementation of a couple of those ideas.

You want employee buy-in?

You get buy-in talking shop while carrying a 40gal water heater through hoarder& #39;s basement.

You get buy-in by immediately implementing good ideas from below.
As a new SMB owner, you& #39;ve got to put yourself out there.

They won& #39;t care that you& #39;re not an expert in their trade. They want to feel that they have a say in the company& #39;s direction.

Are you listening?
Saturday I rode shotgun for a 12hr shift with the plumber on-call. Similar story.

Busted our asses, talked shop and life, broke bread, jammed to some Wu Tang Clan.

Good day of work.
It& #39;s admittedly gray, but this is the leadership I know.

Get in front of your people.
Be genuine.
Help shoulder the load.
Pull out their unique insights.
Action those insights asap.
Let them know they& #39;re appreciated.
Thanks for reading, y& #39;all. Stoked to jump into the week again.
You can follow @StrongpointRich.
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