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Built From the Ground Up: Lessons from Elevator Industry Entrepreneurs · The Elevator Careers Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: If you say you're going to call someone at seven o'clock, call them.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_02: If you say you're going to be on the job site, time is so valuable.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_02: We don't get that back.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_04: But if you work together as a team and say, hey, okay, I I I I miss this.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_04: How can we fix it together?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: Never say never.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's a journey.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: Start out where you start out from.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: If you're happy there, that's great.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: But there'll be opportunities thrown at you and just uh see what you think and give it a go.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: You want to be able to stand for something.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: So you can't just go out there and say, Oh, well, I'm going to fix elevators.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well, lots of people know how to fix elevators.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you different?
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you special?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: What is going to make you different?
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: What is going to make you special?
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_03: You know, half the battle is if a customer is calling you.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_03: I kind of look at that as 80 to 90% of the sale.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_04: Sure.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_03: All you got to do is return return the phone call and ask them what they can do for you today.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_05: Hello, and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_05: I am your host, Matt Allred.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_05: In this podcast, we talk to the people whose lives and careers are dedicated to the vertical transportation industry to inform and share lessons learned, building upon the foundation of those who have gone before to inspire the next generation of elevator careers.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_05: When talent is mission critical, call the All Red Group.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_05: With industry expertise, top talent, and exceptional customer service, you need the All-Red Group on your side.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_05: Your priority is their priority.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_05: Call now 404-890-0445.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_05: Today's episode brings together advice and lessons from five entrepreneurs in the elevator industry, each with their own unique task and perspective.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_05: Featuring Corinne Narocki from Able Elevator Consulting, Scott Aiken from Architred, Richie Lobert from LML Lift Consultants, Chris Gutgus from Island Elevator, and Kevin Cunningham from Hydrosafe Break.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_05: They share what they've learned looking back on their lives and careers, covering themes like reliability, the mindset of an entrepreneur, and the passion that drives innovation in the industry.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_05: What would you what would you say is the most valuable thing that you've learned in your career?
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: The most valuable piece of wisdom and what I've learned from it from being a child is do what you say you're gonna do.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: Follow through.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_02: And and that's not just professionally, that's here in life.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: And and that's really what I've learned.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_02: You know, if you say you're gonna call someone at seven o'clock, call them.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: You say you're gonna be on the job site.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: Time is so valuable.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_02: We don't get that back.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: We only get 24 hours in a day, and and respecting other people's time is just as important in addition to those commitments.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: I kind of added two parts there for you, Matt.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_05: It sounds like I mean it sounds like you learned that early, but that it really seemed, you know, became super valuable, and maybe you even, you know, I I guess just really drove it home in this industry and and just, you know, I'm gonna do what I'm gonna say I'm gonna do.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_05: And then when you do it, you see the results, you see people respond, you see, you know, that your credibility and the the trust goes up.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_05: And so it's like, okay, yeah, I I learned it, but now I I know it even more.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_05: It's kind of what I'm hearing.
• 3:29
  unknown: Yeah.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_04: And and in this business, there's there's so many potential pitfalls or problems that arise because there's so many different levels of communication from an architect, what an architect wants and puts on a piece of paper, and by the time it gets through all the approval processes and all the issues and all the surveys, and you know, there's bound to be challenges.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, if you just ignore those challenges, you not you're not gonna, in my opinion, not gonna be successful.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_04: But if you work together as a team and say, hey, okay, I I I I miss this, how can we fix it together?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_04: You know, and we'll make it up on the next job, or we'll do this, you know, differently, or you know.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_04: But work together, not hey, this is your problem.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_04: You're supposed to be the expert, you fix it.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_05: You know, that's a good point.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_05: What advice would you give to somebody who's maybe new to the elevator industry don't even know what they've uh started into?
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_05: Just say to them.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_05: Don't chase the money.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_04: Get in the business that you love.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_04: And it's it that's really hit home for me, particularly with now that I started my own company.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_04: Um you know this industry tends to be a more lucrative industry, but don't get in it and chase the money.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_04: Look to make you know a ton of money.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_04: Get in it because you love it.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_04: You know, the proverbial saying, you know, if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_04: And there's a lot of truth to that.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I'm um living it, you know.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_04: So that would be my advice.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_04: You know, don't chase the money.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_04: Don't get into business because of money.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_04: Get in because you you you'll you enjoy it.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_05: The question is, you know, what what would you say to somebody who's uh you know, looking at maybe getting in or they're just starting brand new?
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_05: What advice would you give to them?
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: You picked a good industry, it's um it's it's it's a great industry with plenty of opportunities.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: Uh what I'd probably say is um take it all in.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um don't be afraid to ask questions.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um people in the industry love to to share knowledge.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um they don't just hold it all for themselves.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um and certainly don't burn any bridges.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: So if you find yourself moving between companies, um don't ever sort of leave on a on a sour note.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's a small industry as we've established.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone knows everyone.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, just keep those uh lines of communication and doors open in the future because you never know um where you're gonna cross paths, and I'm sure you will cross paths with with people that you've you know left for one organization, you know, you're bound to cross paths somewhere again in the future.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: The other thing is, of course, um for me, I when I started out, I never wanted to I was so comfortable in a lift well turning a wrench.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: That was my happy place, it actually still is.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: But don't never say never.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's a journey.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: So basically um start out where you start out from, and then just if you're happy there, that's great, but just look around in terms of um, you know, there'll be opportunities thrown at you and and just uh see what you think and give it a go.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: Because when I left the field to move into an office role, um really enjoyed it, really loved the challenge.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Every time I loved the challenge, and every time I loved the change, but I didn't like the change at the time because no one likes change.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: But it's a fabulous industry, and um if you've got any questions, reach out and contact us.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: We we'll we'll bore you with some elevator talk.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: But um yeah, it's a really good career um that can be made in the industry for sure, you know.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_05: What what would you say to somebody who wants to to take this leap into entrepreneurship?
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_05: You know, maybe they want to be a contractor like you, maybe they want to, you know, start a consulting firm.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and I'm seeing, like I say, a a lot of these, a lot of folks wanting to do that.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_05: Some have the courage, some maybe not yet, but where would you start?
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Well, this is what I can tell you.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, you're gonna start at the same place that I told you they were gonna start before.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: You got to pick a spot on the horizon.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: You have to define that spot on the horizon.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: You have to say, I want to be blank, just like blank, but definitely not like blank.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: So you want to be able to pick where you want to be, who is a close approximation to what it is that you want to be, and who is the exact opposite, the antithesis of what it is that you want to be.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: So uh where I know where I want to be, I know what it looks like when I get there, I know what it looks like if I'm going in the wrong direction.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to be able to define that first.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Once you're there, you've got to be able to practice a little of self-awareness, a little empathy, and then start to bring in all of these resources that are gonna be necessary for you to be able to make that leap.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: So if I was talking to any prospective entrepreneurs out there, I would definitely give them a couple of books.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: One would be uh Rich Dad, Poor Dad, uh, The E-Myth, um, especially if you're coming out uh from a technician standpoint.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh This Is Marketing by Seth Godin and um uh Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, right?
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: So those four books, they're written really simply, they're written to teach.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: So uh and you could take them down in lessons and really um what it'll do is help adjust your mindset and then continue to set you down the path for success.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because too many of these businesses fail.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not because the people are idiots, it's because they just don't have the exposure necessary to be able to uh or the cash flow to make enough mistakes and learn on learn on the fly, which is basically where I was at.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: You also gotta so you get through those books and you don't have to read them uh like um uh Rich Dad, poor dad, they've got the entire audio book on YouTube.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Seth Godin, this is marketing, they got the entire audio book on YouTube, you don't even have to buy it.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: So um you just gotta take the time and hit it 30 minutes at a time when you're in the car.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: But the other things you want to do is you want to be able to stand for something.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: So you can't just go out there and say, oh, well, I'm gonna fix elevators.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I don't care about that because lots of people know how to fix elevators.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you different?
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you special?
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: What is gonna make you different?
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: What is gonna make you special?
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you can't message what it is that you do, how you do it differently, why it is that you're special, then you're not gonna be able to tell prospective customers, you're not gonna be able to tell prospective teammates.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then at a certain point, you're gonna kind of lose yourself.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what am I actually doing this for?
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: What is my grand scheme of things?
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: They say that every great organization was built in the shadow of one man or woman.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: So uh it has to start with you.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: If you're thinking about going out on your own and entrepreneurship, you have to be able to define yourself and own your space because nobody is going to want to go with you and you need people to go with you.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: You can't do shit unless you have people, right?
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: So uh if you want people to go with you, they have to understand where you're going and what you believe in.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: You need to be able to communicate that.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_05: What advice would you give to somebody who, you know, maybe they're the kid knocking on the door or or coming in as a new salesperson?
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_05: What would you say what would you say?
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_03: You know, the salespeople I used to get when I was in the office.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_03: Uh uh, when I was in the office and you get the new new folks coming in, pretty sharp kids, uh guys and gals, right?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_03: They used to come through.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_03: And one most important thing I used to tell them was two things, two main things.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_03: Return phone calls, very, very important.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_03: And learn the product you're selling.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_03: So again, you know, push button, as simple as it sounds, hey, these guys want uh all new buttons inside their elevator or all new hall stations.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_03: Learn your product.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: Don't just go in the computer system and say, well, I think it's a TX21 or a or a YZ123 and just put the proposal together and send it and call it a day.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_03: Learn that product.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_03: So I used to my my recommendation was go out and see your technicians.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_03: Learn that button.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_03: Is it an Adams button?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_03: Is it an innovations?
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_03: Is it an EPCO?
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_03: Is it learn those buttons so you know and you can talk intelligently now to your customer because now you're in an arena where you can sell them something that you have that confidence in.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and again, I think here for this building, you would need a PB 101 or whatever that might be.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_03: I I I I've always recommended that.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and and and and some of those folks have followed through with that.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_03: The returning the phone call, it might sound kind of crazy, but in today's day and age, everybody's email-based.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_03: I was still the old school when I was in there and I would still pick the phone up or I would drop out and visit my customer, especially toward the end of the year, uh, my larger customers.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_03: And because of doing that, they'd always tell me, hey, I got a couple hundred grand to spend by the end of the year.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_03: So instead of an email, it's more of a personal, right?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_03: You're on a personal level with them.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_03: And and again, when people do place phone calls to you, uh uh, they're placing a phone call for a reason.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and I always used to tell the sales staff, account managers, if you don't know an answer, tell your customer I don't have an answer, but I'm gonna get you an answer and get back to them.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_03: They appreciate that that communication goes a long way.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_03: It really does.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_03: Communication, number one, and learning your product uh uh that you are selling, I think are two most important things.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_03: Perfect.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's beautiful.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_05: And and uh honestly, I've heard from a lot of people that exactly the same thing that uh you know, call me back and and people won't call me back.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_05: Well, they're not gonna get my business.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_05: You know, it's it's pretty straightforward in that regard.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_03: It's frustrating because again, uh you know, half the battle is if a customer is calling you, man.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_03: I kind of look at that as eighty to ninety percent of the sale.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_04: Sure.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_03: All you gotta do is return return the phone, call and ask them what can I do for you today, and you'd find that you'd make more money that way than any other way.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_05: But you know, awesome.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_05: Kevin, thank you for uh for this interview.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_05: It's been a pleasure, privilege, and I appreciate you being with me today.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, thank you.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_03: I appreciate it.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_03: So thank you.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_05: Please visit our YouTube channel at ElevatorCareers or check us out online at elevatorcareers.net.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_05: Please like and subscribe, and until next time, stay safe.