Remember, good is the enemy of great. You might pay little attention to accountability standards and still find a way to grow a good company. But especially at a time when customers and employees have more choices than ever, and margins continue to grow thinner, becoming a truly great company in the long term requires 100% accountability throughout your entire organization, Scott Severe writes.

We asked restoration industry professionals to answer one question as we close out the year: What is your biggest takeaway from 2021?

Bart Meador is vice president of operations, residential storm, with PuroClean. His division specializes in mobilizing teams following CAT events. Here, he shares the experience of over 50 PuroClean franchises responding to Hurricane Ida devastation. 

The motivation paradigm is described as the reasons we do the things we do in the manner we do them. Over the years, I have taken the position that money does not motivate, nor is it necessarily an effective tool that creates desired outcomes. Appreciation ranks higher than money, believe it or not, when it comes to motivation, Lisa Lavender writes.

Les Cunningham shares 13 reflections and predictions for restoration business owners to consider as they plan for 2022, from working with TPAs, to increasing labor and material prices, to COVID-19 effects.

I get it, Chris White writes. People don’t like to change. However, the technology that is available today makes it unacceptable to use old-school methods. There’s a threshold beyond which a reluctance to grow and change is no longer a neutral choice or a matter of quirky personal preference. It’s irresponsible and, simply, bad business.

Through Field Notes, we look forward to sharing the stories of the industry’s most driven, engaged and innovative technicians. We are eager to consistently shed light on their ideas, pain points, motivators, paths to restoration and more. In doing so, we hope to help shrink the gap between C-suite and frontline. We hope to help give these unsung heroes a real seat at the proverbial table and a stronger voice in the future of the industry.

In his second video in the series, Seven Lessons Learned from $500 Million in Restoration Transactions, industry expert Gokul Padmanabhan discusses the importance of competition in getting the best terms and price for your restoration business.

In 2016, Benjamin Surdi, founder and CEO of PureDry Restoration, purchased a business that was in major debt and all-around bad shape. Since then, the company has quadrupled in size and revenue, and it is a recognized market leader in Washington State.

Sometimes we get in our own way, not because we don’t recognize opportunity, but because we resist it. A lot of entrepreneurs have done this to themselves, including me. Business has never been better. Leads are pouring in, your team is performing at their highest level, but something within you keeps pulling towards a new opportunity outside your business.