Dan Dowdy's guest appearances

Dan Dowdy

The Wealthy Contractor

Plumbing Marketing Podcast - Tips, Ideas & Strategies for Marketing your Plumbing Company Online

Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success

The Sharpest Tool™

Blue is the New White Podcast

Home Service Success

Fight Club 4 Business

Service Business Mastery - Home Service Business Tips and Strategies for the Skilled Trades Service Industry

Ellen Rohr

Al Levi

Mike Michalowicz

Travis Smith

Patrick Lange

Mike Agugliaro

Marc Levesque

Brandon Vaughn

Ethan Becker

Donna Serdula

Stephen Christopher

Diane Gardner

Stacey Brown Randall

Jesse Cole

Ari Meisel

OwlTail

Grab Dan's 3 Steps to "Attract and Retain Top Talent" here - https://builtforthetrades.com/3steps Dan is a 2nd generation Tradesman with 20+ years of experience leading multi-million dollar home service businesses. Dan loves helping business owners scale their businesses all while living the life of their dreams, through Leadership Training, Coaching and Mastermind Groups. -- Got an awesome guest for you today, another fellow podcaster in the skilled trades space, Mr. Dan Dowdy from Built for the Trades. Dan is a down to earth guy who shares with us his journey through the trades from master plumber to business owner. We talk about everything from business ownership to leadership to attracting and retaining the next generation of technicians. He had a ton of really great insight and was more than willing to share his failures in order to enable the success of you, the listener. So listen in to this candid conversation with Dan to become better at your craft and check the box that says you learned something today. Don’t forget to subscribe to this channel, and on our website blueisthenewwhite.com to receive all the latest updates. As always, this show is not monetized &amp; we don’t run ads. We rely strictly on the word of mouth from our listeners to further the mission. So if you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate, review, and share. The future generations of tradespeople depend on it. On you! So thank you again and enjoy this episode of Blue is the New White with Dan Dowdy

Grab Dan's 3 Steps to "Attract and Retain Top Talent" here - <a href="https://builtforthetrades.com/3steps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://builtforthetrades.com/3steps</a> Dan is a 2nd generation Tradesman with 20+ years of experience leading multi-million dollar home service businesses. Dan loves helping business owners scale their businesses all while living the life of their dreams, through Leadership Training, Coaching and Mastermind Groups. -- Got an awesome guest for you today, another fellow podcaster in the skilled trades space, Mr. Dan Dowdy from Built for the Trades. Dan is a down to earth guy who shares with us his journey through the trades from master plumber to business owner. We talk about everything from business ownership to leadership to attracting and retaining the next generation of technicians. He had a ton of really great insight and was more than willing to share his failures in order to enable the success of you, the listener. So listen in to this candid conversation with Dan to become better at your craft and check the box that says you learned something today. Don’t forget to subscribe to this channel, and on our website <a href="http://blueisthenewwhite.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blueisthenewwhite.com</a> to receive all the latest updates. As always, this show is not monetized &amp; we don’t run ads. We rely strictly on the word of mouth from our listeners to further the mission. So if you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate, review, and share. The future generations of tradespeople depend on it. On you! So thank you again and enjoy this episode of Blue is the New White with Dan Dowdy

Blue is the New White #132 - Dan Dowdy, Built for the Trades

Effective leadership is necessary for any organization in any industry. In this episode, Dan Dowdy, founder of Built for the Trades, chats with Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch to share his four stages of leadership to help build a culture of growth in your business. Leadership is not about having followers; it’s about leading leaders. Tune in as they discuss the difference between leadership and management and how to infuse both to become an effective executive leader for your team.  Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! servicebusinessmastery.com

Effective leadership is necessary for any organization in any industry. In this episode, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-dowdy-989b8111a/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Dowdy</a>, founder of <a href="https://builtforthetrades.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Built for the Trades</a>, chats with Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch to share his four stages of leadership to help build a culture of growth in your business. Leadership is not about having followers; it’s about leading leaders. Tune in as they discuss the difference between leadership and management and how to infuse both to become an effective executive leader for your team.  Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! <a href="http://servicebusinessmastery.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">servicebusinessmastery.com</a>

633. Are You Built For The HVAC, Plumbing Or Electrical Trades With Dan Dowdy

Today we welcome Dan Dowdy..... the owner of Built For The Trades, Dan's team of plumbing, HVAC, and electrical industry experts has come together to help you reach your business goals and achieve the success you’ve always dreamed of. We are proud to be tradesmen and women, we believe in hard work, we are committed to serving the members of our community, we are men and women of integrity, we hold ourselves accountable, and we always strive for progress.Show Minute Markers:📍[5:32] Where to start with Marketing?📍[5:39] How to focus on retention?📍[7:48] Dan's Top Marketing Tips: Email Marketing, Engaging on Social Media, Using stickers to remind your client's who their "guy/gal" is and what their phone number is...📍[8:26]  The value of the customer service phone call...📍[11:55] They say timing is key... minimum emails 1x per month... Textmagic for seasonal communication.... Sendjim ties back into high quality touches with your clients like gifts &amp; thank you cards.📍[14:53] When prepping for sale of your business you want to first look at customer retention and second being your systems!📍[16:47]  How can you bring recurring/memberships of customers to service business?📍[18:55] Customer Membership Program:1. Make it easy!2. Choose your length of time for the membership.3. Add special member only perks! (Example: Warranty, Annual Inspection)📍[20:56] When looking at Systems... Dan recommends Vision Statement, Mission Statement &amp; Core Values📍[21:19] "Core Values + Accountability = Your Company Culture" Dan Dowdy📍[24:27]  Are background checks a good way to bring comfortability for your clients?📍[25:16] Vision First. Money is Second. Then Marketing. Build a system around customer service.📍[28:03] How do you highlight your team and how qualified they are?📍[28:54] Bringing professionalism back to the trades.📍[30:43]  It's important to start with the basics...1. How do you look?2. How's your Personality?3. Do you have Integrity?4. What's your Timeliness?5. Are you over-communicating📍[32:42] Remembering the importance of making your clients feel comfortable.. Quote of the week: " From what we get, we can make a living. What we give however, makes a life." - Arthur Ash ResourcesDan Dowdy with Built for the TradesTay Meroni (Marketing) with Pure Pressure WashingMeaghan Likes (Finances) with Bookkeeping Academy Online, Likes Accounting Company &amp; Jeff Likes Clean Windows &amp; GuttersMichelle Myers (Systems) with Pink CallersMartha Woodward (People) with The Pay for Performance Expert, Quality Driven Software &amp; Dusting Divasc

Today we welcome Dan Dowdy..... the owner of Built For The Trades, Dan's team of plumbing, HVAC, and electrical industry experts has come together to help you reach your business goals and achieve the success you’ve always dreamed of. We are proud to be tradesmen and women, we believe in hard work, we are committed to serving the members of our community, we are men and women of integrity, we hold ourselves accountable, and we always strive for progress.Show Minute Markers:📍[5:32] Where to start with Marketing?📍[5:39] How to focus on retention?📍[7:48] Dan's Top Marketing Tips: Email Marketing, Engaging on Social Media, Using stickers to remind your client's who their "guy/gal" is and what their phone number is...📍[8:26]  The value of the customer service phone call...📍[11:55] They say timing is key... minimum emails 1x per month... Textmagic for seasonal communication.... Sendjim ties back into high quality touches with your clients like gifts &amp; thank you cards.📍[14:53] When prepping for sale of your business you want to first look at customer retention and second being your systems!📍[16:47]  How can you bring recurring/memberships of customers to service business?📍[18:55] Customer Membership Program:1. Make it easy!2. Choose your length of time for the membership.3. Add special member only perks! (Example: Warranty, Annual Inspection)📍[20:56] When looking at Systems... Dan recommends Vision Statement, Mission Statement &amp; Core Values📍[21:19] "Core Values + Accountability = Your Company Culture" Dan Dowdy📍[24:27]  Are background checks a good way to bring comfortability for your clients?📍[25:16] Vision First. Money is Second. Then Marketing. Build a system around customer service.📍[28:03] How do you highlight your team and how qualified they are?📍[28:54] Bringing professionalism back to the trades.📍[30:43]  It's important to start with the basics...1. How do you look?2. How's your Personality?3. Do you have Integrity?4. What's your Timeliness?5. Are you over-communicating📍[32:42] Remembering the importance of making your clients feel comfortable.. <blockquote>Quote of the week: " From what we get, we can make a living. What we give however, makes a life." - Arthur Ash</blockquote><blockquote> </blockquote>ResourcesDan Dowdy with <a href="https://www.builtforthetrades.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Built for the Trades</a>Tay Meroni (Marketing) with <a href="https://powerwashingpalmbeach.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pure Pressure Washing</a>Meaghan Likes (Finances) with <a href="https://www.bookkeepingacademyonline.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Bookkeeping Academy Online</a>, <a href="https://likesaccounting.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Likes Accounting Company </a>&amp; <a href="https://jefflikescleanwindows.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff Likes Clean Windows &amp; Gutters</a>Michelle Myers (Systems) with <a href="https://www.pinkcallers.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pink Callers</a>Martha Woodward (People) with <a href="https://www.thepayforperformanceexpert.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Pay for Performance Expert</a>, <a href="https://qualitydrivensoftware.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Quality Driven Software</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.dusting-divas.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Dusting Divas</a>c

E:70 Dan Dowdy

Dan Dowdy is a 2nd generation master plumber, certified John Maxwell coach, entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience leading in the trades and over 10 years of experience coaching and training teams for success. He is the owner of Built For The Trades, a mastermind coaching community for Home Service companies. He believes success in life and in business starts within, working on yourself before focusing on the things around you. In this episode we break down the difference between leadership and management. Dan also reveals his checklist for identifying good leaders within your business.

Dan Dowdy is a 2nd generation master plumber, certified John Maxwell coach, entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience leading in the trades and over 10 years of experience coaching and training teams for success. He is the owner of Built For The Trades, a mastermind coaching community for Home Service companies. He believes success in life and in business starts within, working on yourself before focusing on the things around you. In this episode we break down the difference between leadership and management. Dan also reveals his checklist for identifying good leaders within your business.

Tim Flynn

Dan Dowdy, Founder of Built for the Trades, and Tim Flynn, Owner of Winters Home Services, are two powerhouses in the home services industry. In this episode, they share how to conquer seasonality during the election year, battle complacency, and make strategic decisions.  Why Election Years Impact Home Services During election years, Tim highlights how there is a natural dip in demand. “Always work as if you’re in a deficit. Always work as if you’re in a recession. Call by call.” - Tim While this slower season may seem daunting at first, Dan recommends taking it as an opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive. Work on your maintenance contracts, tighten up your inside sales, and work with your staff to really hone the customer experience so that every call makes money.  Dan surmises that the reason these election years impact sales is due in part to people being tighter with their money because they’re not sure what the economy is going to do.  How to Be Proactive If you are complacent, then when the economy slows down, you’re stuck. Three tangible ways you can be proactive are: Start with your training. Your front line needs a good checklist and questions that will set your tech up for success. Work on improving your customer experience from start to finish.Check your phone lines for dead numbers. This sounds simple, but you should never blindly trust. Verify and do quality checks often to ensure you’re receiving calls.Stay optimistic and communicate clearly with your staff. When things get slow, it can be tempting to jump over your managers to get things done, thereby undermining the systems you have established. “As a business owner, when things slow down and you start seeing all the flaws in your business, you just want to jump back in and start directing your customer service rep and your technician and going around your management team that you built. You really have to make sure that you stick with your chain of command and you’re empowering your leaders and managers in your company.” - Dan Marketing for Seasonality Another piece of being proactive is checking in with your marketing company or department for quality and verification. Keeping up consistent communication ensures that you aren’t spending unnecessary money, and your marketing tactics are helping you meet your goals. For a bonus point, do it with a smile! “You’re the reflection of your people.” - Tim Tips for maximizing your marketing: Focus on the demographics, geographics, and psychographics of your audience and how you are connecting with them.Diversify your marketing with various touch points (choose strategically) from door hangers to yard signs.Serve, educate, and sell on social media. Think Strategically Both Dan and Tim emphasize the importance of solving current problems with your long-term vision and goals in mind. Think strategically, take action, and plan for what you want the future to look like.  Joining a mastermind group is a great way to connect with other owners and leaders in the home services community who can help you shoot holes in your ideas, improve your plan, and offer support along your journey.  Dan: Dan@Builtforthetrades.com BuiltfortheTrades.com Tim: Tim.Flynn@wintershomeservices.com Winters Home Services

Dan Dowdy, Founder of <a href="http://www.builtforthetrades.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Built for the Trades</a>, and Tim Flynn, Owner of <a href="https://www.wintershomeservices.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Winters Home Services</a>, are two powerhouses in the home services industry. In this episode, they share how to conquer seasonality during the election year, battle complacency, and make strategic decisions.  <h3>Why Election Years Impact Home Services</h3> During election years, Tim highlights how there is a natural dip in demand. “Always work as if you’re in a deficit. Always work as if you’re in a recession. Call by call.” - Tim While this slower season may seem daunting at first, Dan recommends taking it as an opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive. Work on your maintenance contracts, tighten up your inside sales, and work with your staff to really hone the customer experience so that every call makes money.  Dan surmises that the reason these election years impact sales is due in part to people being tighter with their money because they’re not sure what the economy is going to do.  <h3>How to Be Proactive</h3> If you are complacent, then when the economy slows down, you’re stuck. Three tangible ways you can be proactive are: <ol><li>Start with your training. Your front line needs a good checklist and questions that will set your tech up for success. Work on improving your customer experience from start to finish.</li><li>Check your phone lines for dead numbers. This sounds simple, but you should never blindly trust. Verify and do quality checks often to ensure you’re receiving calls.</li><li>Stay optimistic and communicate clearly with your staff. When things get slow, it can be tempting to jump over your managers to get things done, thereby undermining the systems you have established.</li></ol> “As a business owner, when things slow down and you start seeing all the flaws in your business, you just want to jump back in and start directing your customer service rep and your technician and going around your management team that you built. You really have to make sure that you stick with your chain of command and you’re empowering your leaders and managers in your company.” - Dan <h3>Marketing for Seasonality</h3> Another piece of being proactive is checking in with your marketing company or department for quality and verification. Keeping up consistent communication ensures that you aren’t spending unnecessary money, and your marketing tactics are helping you meet your goals. For a bonus point, do it with a smile! “You’re the reflection of your people.” - Tim Tips for maximizing your marketing: <ul><li>Focus on the demographics, geographics, and psychographics of your audience and how you are connecting with them.</li><li>Diversify your marketing with various touch points (choose strategically) from door hangers to yard signs.</li><li>Serve, educate, and sell on social media.</li></ul> <h3>Think Strategically</h3> Both Dan and Tim emphasize the importance of solving current problems with your long-term vision and goals in mind. Think strategically, take action, and plan for what you want the future to look like.  Joining a mastermind group is a great way to connect with other owners and leaders in the home services community who can help you shoot holes in your ideas, improve your plan, and offer support along your journey.  Dan: <a href="mailto:Dan@Builtforthetrades.com">Dan@Builtforthetrades.com</a> <a href="http://BuiltfortheTrades.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BuiltfortheTrades.com</a> Tim: <a href="mailto:Tim.Flynn@wintereshomeservices.com">Tim.Flynn@wintershomeservices.com</a> Winters Home Services

Dan Dowdy and Tim Flynn | What Your Marketing Should Look Like During an Election Year

LEAD

Dan Dowdy is the Founder of Built for the Trades and former General Manager of his family’s second-generation plumbing company S &amp; D Plumbing. He shares how his passion for servant leadership and building relationships has led him to launch his new business to support home services business owners.  Built for the Trades After learning the ropes from his father, Dan ran his own service truck for a decade before stepping into a leadership role for another decade at S &amp; D Plumbing. During this time, he learned what true leadership looks like and how the right network of relationships can help you create a healthy, profitable work-life balance.  This inspired him to create Built for the Trades, a network of business coaches and vendors specializing in various niches of the home services industry.  Lessons Learned Dan highlights the fact that as a business owner, it can be lonely and overwhelming in the weeds, making it difficult to accomplish your goals.  “When you hire a great business coach, you have that relationship, somebody who can come in and look at your business, give you an outside perspective, and hold you accountable to your vision, accountable your goals, and really just encourage you along the way.”  From his own personal experience working with coaches, Dan was inspired to become one himself and signed up for John Maxwell’s training program. “It’s really just taking action. And so I’ve made a lot of big life changes in my life, I’ve taken a lot of risks to build Built for the Trades. But I truly believe in it.” Dan shares that working with others who have built trade-specific businesses is important to him because of the unique set of values that comes with this industry and he looks forward to serving others. Transformation and Creating a Vision Dan didn’t always have a servant’s heart. He says it took him a while to realize he had created a toxic culture in his company and needed to change. He traded his pride for humility, took real interest in his employees, and saw his business transform.  “Really having a vision as a business owner is looking out five or ten years and being able to write that into one or two sentences to where when your team sees that, they see kind of the destination of where the company is going.”  Vision is where you and your team are going. Mission is why you show up to work. Values are a reflection of you and your company’s character. As a coach, Dan helps owners define these core pillars within their own companies, follow through on them, and learn how to communicate them to their team effectively. Having these foundational principles clearly defined is crucial for success. Shaping Future Leaders Dan emphasizes that leadership is about relationships. Owners need to balance a giving heart with a backbone, meaning: hold your employees accountable to the job they are doing with scorecards and clear responsibilities.  It’s also important to remember that just because someone is a top performer does not mean they will make a great leader.  “Who is willing to go above and beyond selflessly to help with some training on younger technicians or to help stop by a job late in the evening and help finish a job for another technician and not even asking for pay in return, just doing it out of a servant’s heart, I think that’s where you start to see your leaders grow in your company.” Dan’s Advice Lead where you are. No matter what position or role you are in, leading is about serving and building relationships. Ditch the shallow relationships and spend time getting to know your team. Understand who their family is and what their goals and dreams are. It’s important to listen and let them know they are appreciated. Keep your vision at the forefront of every day. Speak it loud and clear and act it out.  Learn more about Dan’s new venture at Built for the Trades.

Dan Dowdy is the Founder of <a href="http://www.builtforthetrades.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Built for the Trades</a> and former General Manager of his family’s second-generation plumbing company <a href="https://www.sanddplumbing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">S &amp; D Plumbing</a>. He shares how his passion for servant leadership and building relationships has led him to launch his new business to support home services business owners.  <h3>Built for the Trades</h3> After learning the ropes from his father, Dan ran his own service truck for a decade before stepping into a leadership role for another decade at S &amp; D Plumbing. During this time, he learned what true leadership looks like and how the right network of relationships can help you create a healthy, profitable work-life balance.  This inspired him to create Built for the Trades, a network of business coaches and vendors specializing in various niches of the home services industry.  <h3>Lessons Learned</h3> Dan highlights the fact that as a business owner, it can be lonely and overwhelming in the weeds, making it difficult to accomplish your goals.  “When you hire a great business coach, you have that relationship, somebody who can come in and look at your business, give you an outside perspective, and hold you accountable to your vision, accountable your goals, and really just encourage you along the way.”  From his own personal experience working with coaches, Dan was inspired to become one himself and signed up for John Maxwell’s training program. “It’s really just taking action. And so I’ve made a lot of big life changes in my life, I’ve taken a lot of risks to build Built for the Trades. But I truly believe in it.” Dan shares that working with others who have built trade-specific businesses is important to him because of the unique set of values that comes with this industry and he looks forward to serving others. <h3>Transformation and Creating a Vision</h3> Dan didn’t always have a servant’s heart. He says it took him a while to realize he had created a toxic culture in his company and needed to change. He traded his pride for humility, took real interest in his employees, and saw his business transform.  “Really having a vision as a business owner is looking out five or ten years and being able to write that into one or two sentences to where when your team sees that, they see kind of the destination of where the company is going.”  Vision is where you and your team are going. Mission is why you show up to work. Values are a reflection of you and your company’s character. As a coach, Dan helps owners define these core pillars within their own companies, follow through on them, and learn how to communicate them to their team effectively. Having these foundational principles clearly defined is crucial for success. <h3>Shaping Future Leaders</h3> Dan emphasizes that leadership is about relationships. Owners need to balance a giving heart with a backbone, meaning: hold your employees accountable to the job they are doing with scorecards and clear responsibilities.  It’s also important to remember that just because someone is a top performer does not mean they will make a great leader.  “Who is willing to go above and beyond selflessly to help with some training on younger technicians or to help stop by a job late in the evening and help finish a job for another technician and not even asking for pay in return, just doing it out of a servant’s heart, I think that’s where you start to see your leaders grow in your company.” <h3>Dan’s Advice</h3> <ol><li>Lead where you are. No matter what position or role you are in, leading is about serving and building relationships. </li><li>Ditch the shallow relationships and spend time getting to know your team. Understand who their family is and what their goals and dreams are. It’s important to listen and let them know they are appreciated. </li><li>Keep your vision at the forefront of every day. Speak it loud and clear and act it out. </li></ol> Learn more about Dan’s new venture at <a href="http://www.builtforthetrades.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Built for the Trades</a>.

Dan Dowdy Part 2 | How to Lead With a Servant’s Heart and a Backbone

Dan Dowdy is the General Manager of S &amp; D Plumbing in Taylor, Texas. This family-owned, second-generation business is known for their outstanding customer experience and high-quality service in residential plumbing. Growing S &amp; D Plumbing Growing up in the business, Dan says plumbing was practically in his blood. His father always encouraged him to go to trade school or college, with the reminder that if he did go into the trade business, he would have a job for life. After attending college for a while, Dan returned to work for the family business. He ran a service truck for several years before his father gave him a push to take on a leadership position. While Dan shares that transitioning from a service role to leadership was challenging at times, his key to success was cultivating a mindset that was focused and committed. He knew he didn’t have much experience in leadership, so he set out to learn and find guidance from mentors and best practice groups. Dan’s Tools for Gaining a Competitive Edge Learn From Others   “If I can bring somebody in smarter than me in business to teach me how to run a business, then that’s what I did. So I got plugged in, got some coaching, and I’ve never looked back.”   With his focus and commitment to learning and leadership, Dan has seen the company grow. He shares how he learned from his competition and larger companies about the importance of presenting a strong, confident brand impression, from the cleanliness of your service trucks and the quality of your customer service, to the rates you charge. Lead with Innovation “Really what leads my innovation, what leads my vision... is really my quiet time I spend in the mornings reading my Bible or praying. I give God all the credit for my ideas.” Dan says that this perspective sets the tone for the culture he creates in the business. While it can be tempting to focus on money when you are chasing success, he emphasizes the importance of staying rooted in your values. When this happens, innovation and quality thrive. **Create an Accountable Culture ** At S &amp; D Plumbing, Dan has invested seriously in the culture and training of his employees. They work hard, have fun, and hold one another accountable to the core values of the company. However, at one point he saw that as much as he was investing in his employees, they were never satisfied and there was a growing sense of entitlement. To quell this, he successfully refocused his team by increasing accountability and appreciation for the opportunity to provide high-quality service. While some may point to Millennials as the reason for this entitlement challenge that Dan faced, he offers a different perspective. He thinks that in many ways, Millennials are focused on the right things. They care less about the money, and more about the family atmosphere, how much you invest in them, the fulfillment they experience in the work they are doing, and the overall experience. When recruiting the right team, Dan says he looks for people who fit the values of their company, and then invests in them. Invest in Yourself and Your Team Dan’s faith, competitiveness, and books/audio books have been important drivers in his leadership journey, giving him the courage to step out of his comfort zone and shake up the industry.   “What I’ve found my secret weapon is, is effort. Is stepping out in faith and saying, ‘Hmm, maybe today I’m going to get out of my comfort zone and come shoot a podcast or go turn on my iPhone and shoot a live Facebook video.’ I’ve been doing it for years and I get nervous every time. And that nervousness is what drives me, and excites me. It’s what keeps me ticking.”   Dan also credits his good friend who passed away three years ago, for teaching him how to perfect his craft outside of work, like listening to audiobooks and always putting in the effort to be your best self in order to serve your team. “Great leadership comes from servant leadership.” This concept of servant leadership informs how Dan trains his team to be strong and successful. To Dan, this training is not an expense, but rather an investment that you will see a huge return on. A team that works well together, shows empathy in each interaction, and truly listens and communicates with customers, is S &amp; D’s recipe for creating a service experience that is truly life changing for customers. Leadership Advice Have a servant’s heart. Keep your values in line. Don’t let money solely drive you.  “The biggest takeaway is just that competitive edge in your team. It is your team. You got to stop saying it’s too expensive to train. You’ve got to stop saying I can’t hire people. You have to build a company with great core values, with a great service system, and really just start investing the time in your team, knowing that it’s not going to be instant gratification for you. It’s going to be a long-term investment.”

Dan Dowdy is the General Manager of S &amp; D Plumbing in Taylor, Texas. This family-owned, second-generation business is known for their outstanding customer experience and high-quality service in residential plumbing. <h2>Growing S &amp; D Plumbing</h2> Growing up in the business, Dan says plumbing was practically in his blood. His father always encouraged him to go to trade school or college, with the reminder that if he did go into the trade business, he would have a job for life. After attending college for a while, Dan returned to work for the family business. He ran a service truck for several years before his father gave him a push to take on a leadership position. While Dan shares that transitioning from a service role to leadership was challenging at times, his key to success was cultivating a mindset that was focused and committed. He knew he didn’t have much experience in leadership, so he set out to learn and find guidance from mentors and best practice groups. <h2>Dan’s Tools for Gaining a Competitive Edge</h2> Learn From Others “If I can bring somebody in smarter than me in business to teach me how to run a business, then that’s what I did. So I got plugged in, got some coaching, and I’ve never looked back.” With his focus and commitment to learning and leadership, Dan has seen the company grow. He shares how he learned from his competition and larger companies about the importance of presenting a strong, confident brand impression, from the cleanliness of your service trucks and the quality of your customer service, to the rates you charge. Lead with Innovation “Really what leads my innovation, what leads my vision... is really my quiet time I spend in the mornings reading my Bible or praying. I give God all the credit for my ideas.” Dan says that this perspective sets the tone for the culture he creates in the business. While it can be tempting to focus on money when you are chasing success, he emphasizes the importance of staying rooted in your values. When this happens, innovation and quality thrive. **Create an Accountable Culture ** At S &amp; D Plumbing, Dan has invested seriously in the culture and training of his employees. They work hard, have fun, and hold one another accountable to the core values of the company. However, at one point he saw that as much as he was investing in his employees, they were never satisfied and there was a growing sense of entitlement. To quell this, he successfully refocused his team by increasing accountability and appreciation for the opportunity to provide high-quality service. While some may point to Millennials as the reason for this entitlement challenge that Dan faced, he offers a different perspective. He thinks that in many ways, Millennials are focused on the right things. They care less about the money, and more about the family atmosphere, how much you invest in them, the fulfillment they experience in the work they are doing, and the overall experience. When recruiting the right team, Dan says he looks for people who fit the values of their company, and then invests in them. Invest in Yourself and Your Team Dan’s faith, competitiveness, and books/audio books have been important drivers in his leadership journey, giving him the courage to step out of his comfort zone and shake up the industry. “What I’ve found my secret weapon is, is effort. Is stepping out in faith and saying, ‘Hmm, maybe today I’m going to get out of my comfort zone and come shoot a podcast or go turn on my iPhone and shoot a live Facebook video.’ I’ve been doing it for years and I get nervous every time. And that nervousness is what drives me, and excites me. It’s what keeps me ticking.” Dan also credits his good friend who passed away three years ago, for teaching him how to perfect his craft outside of work, like listening to audiobooks and always putting in the effort to be your best self in order to serve your team. “Great leadership comes from servant leadership.” This concept of servant leadership informs how Dan trains his team to be strong and successful. To Dan, this training is not an expense, but rather an investment that you will see a huge return on. A team that works well together, shows empathy in each interaction, and truly listens and communicates with customers, is S &amp; D’s recipe for creating a service experience that is truly life changing for customers. <h2>Leadership Advice</h2> <ol><li>Have a servant’s heart.</li> <li>Keep your values in line.</li> <li>Don’t let money solely drive you.</li> </ol> “The biggest takeaway is just that competitive edge in your team. It is your team. You got to stop saying it’s too expensive to train. You’ve got to stop saying I can’t hire people. You have to build a company with great core values, with a great service system, and really just start investing the time in your team, knowing that it’s not going to be instant gratification for you. It’s going to be a long-term investment.”

Dan Dowdy | Building a Competitive Edge by Investing in People

Even “Wealthy Contractors” struggle to find good help… Join us as Dan Dowdy of S&amp;D Plumbing shares how you can overcome this challenge by creating a company culture that attracts young, talented employees who grow with your business.