Fibrenew

This podcast is a recorded Huddle Call we held on the topic of Territory Expansion, Territory Adjustments, and Territory Moves. Jamie steps us through all the available options available, things to think about, and generally how it all works. The main takeaway here is that if you are considering any expansions, changes, or outright moves of your territory, please do schedule to have a conversation with Jamie and we'll figure out what works from there.  We hope this helps and as always, take good care and cheers everyone!

Welcome to 2021 and welcome to a new season of the Fibrenew Exchange Podcast. In this episode we cover the topic of staying focused, staying positive, and keeping busy in Q1 of 2021. With various forms of shutdowns and restrictions in place in different geographic areas, it's amazing how much we're still able to do with our Fibrenew businesses. You're going to hear from 6 different voices on this show, Al Crnjac of Fibrenew Eastern Ontario, Michael Carter of Fibrenew Loudoun, Chad Hendry of Fibrenew Calgary South, Dan Hoffman of Fibrenew Portland as well as Bruce Nurse and Paul Gingras of Fibrenew's support team. All of them share how they're keeping busy in their franchises, how they focusing on what they can do, how they're adapting to the times, and what they see just around the corner. There is a tremendous amount of collective wisdom packed into the next 29 minutes or so. We hope you enjoy it and as always, take good care and cheers!

In this episode, we sat down with Joe Day of Fibrenew Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. At the time of this recording, Joe was just shy of the one-year mark of operation of his Fibrenew business. He’s now booking 5 digits worth of revenue each month and has a schedule that’s booked out two weeks in advance. Joe explains what year one was like, he steps us through all the activities he’s done to grow his client list and what’s in store for his business just around the corner. We hope you enjoy this conversation and if you have questions for Joe, look him up on Facebook at Fibrenew Evansville and shoot him a message. Cheers!

Here at Fibrenew, we have many support channels and resources like our support team, our online Technical Library with videos and manuals and discussions, we have weekly huddle calls, we have periodic seminars, training opportunities, and more. But one resource we can't leave off that list is the tremendous peer to peer support that exists among franchisees.  On this podcast, freshman franchisee, Joey Weber, and senior franchisee Dan Hoffman take us through a recent 3-day ride along they did together in Dan's territory and how the experience was for them both. It was win-win as Joey learned tons and Dan had an extra hand in his business a few days. Conversations like this illustrate the deeply supportive culture we have here at Fibrenew and we hope you enjoy listening in...cheers!

Welcome to the 2nd installment in this 2 part series on Franchise Resales. In the first episode, we heard from Glenn Vanderploeg, a former franchisee who sold his franchise business. We heard about his experience from the seller's side of the fence and some sage advice that he had to offer on the topic. In this episode, we hear from Jay and Kelsey Stewart, franchisees who purchased an established franchise. They talk about their experience from the acquisition side of things, right from day one of the process all the way through its completion. With a healthy dose of enthusiasm, they explain how they first learned about the opportunity, how they arrived at a final price for the business, and what they found out after taking the reigns on an established business with hundreds of clients and tons of repeat business.  If you are someone who is looking to buy or sell your business perhaps now or one day in the future, we hope you enjoy these two episodes and can glean some info to apply to your own unique situation, cheers!

Welcome to part 1 of a 2 part series on the topic of business succession with Fibrenew. On this installment, we talked with Glenn Vanderploeg and had him describe the good feeling he had upon selling not 1, but 2 Fibrenew territories that he owned and operated for 12 years. You'll hear about Glenn's experience with finding new owners, how he worked with Jamie and Phaedra from our Head Office team to do that, how long the process took, how he planned it all out and what he's doing now that he's a blissfully retired man. If you have any questions about the resale process, we'd be happy to have a chat with you. Jamie Myles is your point of contact here. Be sure to check out part 2 where we hear from the other side of the succession fence. Jay and Kelsey Stewart are franchisees who bought an existing territory and they describe what that experience was like. We hope you enjoy this podcast, cheers!

Part of our professional image has come to include wearing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). This is the same as having a vehicle wrap, wearing a Fibrenew shirt, our ID lanyard, and more. Not only in terms of optics, PPE is the single best way we can enter businesses and homes from a safety standpoint as well. On this episode, Paul, Bruce, and Chad share their feedback from fellow franchisees and we discuss the general consensus on the topic.

Cal Wirch of Fibrenew Burnaby in Burnaby, BC wrote a pragmatic and inspirational document called ‘6 Points of Light’. It serves as a guide and reminder to Cal on how he wants to operate his business through this period. On this episode, Cal explains the deeper meaning of each point and describes how they’re helping him stay motivated and on track. We hope you enjoy!

We're having conversations with Franchise Partners to understand how they're navigating this period - what's happening now, and what their plans are moving forward. In this episode, we talked with Derek Trefry of Fibrenew SW Nova Scotia. Like many of us, Derek's business was upended in March when shelter at home restrictions began. Since then, Derek has adapted how he runs his business and maintained a positive attitude throughout. We hope you enjoy his insights.

We're having conversations with Franchise Partners to understand how they're navigating this period - what March and April looked like, what's happening now and what their plans are moving forward. In this episode, we sat down with Anthony Fragola of Fibrenew Alleghenies in central Pennslyvania. He shared many great insights and provided some inspiring ideas on how he's getting back to business safely and methodically. We hope you enjoy, cheers.

Fibrenew CEO, Michael Wilson always has a thought-provoking stance on the state of world, and during this time of COVID-19 he shares his most recent thought-stream with us. We hope you enjoy.

Fibrenew has teamed up with The Seat Shop to offer you a simple and efficient mail-order automotive seat skin replacement when you need it. If a seat is beyond repair but you still want to help your customer, The Seat Shop can be an excellent option for you. On this episode, we talk with The Seat Shop's CEO, Matt Verhalen to discuss the partnership and explain how it works.

Fibrenew has teamed up with Boothcovers.com to offer you a simple and efficient mail-order upholstery service for your hospitality and medical clientele. On this episode, we talk with Boothcovers.com CEO, Kevin Campbell to discuss the partnership and explain how it works.

In this special edition podcast, we sat down with Fibrenew's CEO, Michael Wilson. We talked about team building, the state of Fibrenew, the opportunity ahead of us all, perseverance and much more. You'll be sure to enjoy!

'Just get after it' is Mat's advice when it comes to medical work. On this episode, he goes into more depth on what that means exactly - from getting the work, to billing, to schedules and more. He uses the same concept as 'walking a car lot' in medical facilities. Identifying the work that needs to be done, getting approval to do the work, doing the repairs, submitting the invoice and repeating the process on a scheduled cycle. Color Cure and Vinyl Spot Top Coat have helped open up this restoration option for Mat in his pursuit of account-based medical work. The idea has so much potential and the best part is, it's unique to Fibrenew. We encourage you all to 'get after it' :) Enjoy, and hope you can glean some key insights to apply to your own business. Cheers!

Ted Barac has built a successful Fibrenew Franchise in Minneapolis. Coming from a past career in the restaurant business, he has been able to apply much of what he learned in food service around customer service, pricing, billing, turn around and more to his Fibrenew business. On this podcast, Ted talks about: - creating opportunities - to be in the right place at the right time - the golden rule 'know thy customer' - scheduling sales calls every single week is key - how the success of his business directly relates to how many doors he knocks on - his $10,000 rule when it comes to managing cash flow We hope you enjoy this podcast!

Google reviews are the custodian of trust. Social proof and feedback from previous customers is worth their weight in gold and then some. Not only in the eyes of customers but as a means of hiking your search engine rankings up the results ladder as well...and the more reviews you have, the better your overall position. We all do it. Before we're about to book a hotel, eat at a restaurant or hire a plumber, we hop online to read about previous customers' experiences. The nudge to spend our money happens when we see positive results and feedback on a particular business. If Joe, Mary, Sue, and Greg all had good experiences with ACME XYZ company, chances are that I will too, here's my money! It's no different in our business. And because of that, we have to ask for Google reviews and build our trust factor for all potential customers to see. Not just for 'retail/consumer' customers but for commercial or account-based customers as well. An RV dealership or car dealer or furniture store is very likely to hop online and research your particular business before awarding you work. On this podcast, Brian talked about: - the importance of asking at the right time - right after the job is complete - that's optimal - his check-in and reminder process after service to make sure the customer is happy with the work - how that prompts the customer to either leave a review or tell a friend .... and really is just plain good customer service! - how he asks the customer before he leaves the home or business, is there anything you see that you don't like? Let's address it now. - that's smart because it limits callbacks and the need to revisit the customer later - reviews have helped Brian with people who price shop. He'll ask them to check out his reviews as a means to showcase his professionalism. Who would rather hire, Reggie's Leather Fixers with no Google reviews, or Fibrenew North Raleigh with about 100 5 star reviews? We hope you enjoy this podcast!

On this episode, we sat down with the 3 man team from the greater Nashville area. Franchise partners JT Thompson, Mark Chasteen and Mat Meade all own and operate their own franchises but work together as a team, servicing Nashville and area as a cohesive unit. When it comes to teamwork, these guys know how to do it! We discussed: - coordinated pricing - answering the phone and fielding questions for each other - partnering on jobs - supporting and motivating each other - future plans of a shared tech and admin - many street stories We hope you enjoy and can glean some ideas! PS: if you have an idea for a podcast subject, please let us know. We'd love to hear your thoughts, thanks!

Scott Neal of Fibrenew West Central New Jersey surpassed what was his 18 month sales target in just 3 months by following the Fibrenew Field Training program (AKA: Apprenticeship Program) On this episode, he shares his experience and feedback about the program including: - hitting the ground running as soon as he got home from training - not re-inventing the wheel and sticking to the program - getting out of the house and making it happen - $1000/day rule and target he's set for himself Scott can be reached at: 908.797.5420 or [email protected] If you have questions or comments, please leave them below. We hope you enjoy!

Sam and Penny Torres of Fibrenew Tampa have been running their business for some and have seen and done it all when it comes to Fibrenew. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and everything in-between. On this episode, we discussed: - becoming strictly mobile to increase profitability - focusing on Fibrenew-type work to maximize profitability - building and maintaining strong and meaningful relationships with customers - their belief in 'paying it forward' and how they live by this - overcoming extreme adversity See their Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/Fibrenew-Tampa-175721675776187/ See some Google reviews here: http://bit.ly/2PSaIYz See photos of their work here: https://www.fibrenew.com/tampa/photos/ Sam and Penny are always open to talking with fellow Fibrenew franchisees. They can be reached at [email protected] or 813.380.3821

Warren and Stephanie Rosenthal share some simple but oh-so-effective sales, service and marketing tips & tricks. You'll want to have a pen and paper handy for this one! On this episode, we discussed: - things to think about before doing a sales call: deliver 'wow' + show you care - how using direct mailers from Every Door has helped build their clientele - how they service people so that price is never an issue - how they ask each and every customer for a testimonial - how they say thanks with a 20% cleaning coupons - which just builds in more work - how they use simple 'reveal / wow!' customer videos for marketing content on social media See their revel videos here: https://www.facebook.com/fibrenewindymetronorth/ See some of their customer testimonials here: https://goo.gl/maps/Kx71zimtBvp

​Welcome to the second podcast we've done with Dan Hoffman of Fibrenew Portland. This time we sat down to talk about RV work and hear Dan's experience, dos and don'ts and a whole lot more. On this episode, we discussed: - gaining trust from RV dealers ad overcoming common objections - illustrating the value of restoration over replacement - finding a connection with service managers, underwriters and salespeople - how you can never say thank you enough! It's a simple thing that matter a lot - back up your dealers and they'll back you up - getting ready to take on RV work, understanding pricing and being organized to take on the work Dan is always ready, willing and able to talk shop about RV work or anything else you run by him. He can be reached at: [email protected] or 503.970.7390​

Power Couple: Rick & Lynn Halpin by Fibrenew

Paul Gingras started with Fibrenew in 1986 as a technician. He soon after purchased his own franchise in Ottawa and immediately began scaling his business by adding technicians and building relationships with dozens and dozens of businesses in his territory. With all this experience, he's the 'horn o' plenty' of knowledge! On this podcast, we discuss: - adding technicians - where to find the best ones - assigning and delegating tasks and work to employees (letting go) - doing business introductions and sales calls and having fun - always having a simple objective each time you make a sales call - the concept of 'assuming the sale' because really, everyone you introduce yourself to will eventually need your service - creating a 'sales vacuum' by having the right mix of clientele that gives repeat business - difference between being proactive and reactive in our business decisions - having a vision in your business - it's about this school of though: plan your work and work your plan We hope you enjoy and always remember, Paul is here to help, answer questions and if you're lucky, share a few jokes. Paul Gingras: 844.217.3306 / [email protected]

A chemical engineer by trade, Len Lampert is Fibrenew's resident scientist. He heads up our R & D Department and was the creator of the formula database that serves as the heart of the Color Eye. On this episode, we bring him out of the lab and shine a lime light on him and all he does for Fibrenew.

"The Power of Persistence" After multiple phone calls and site visits spanning 4 or 5 months, Eddie Thompson earned business from a large hospital in his area. In this podcast, he shares the steps he took. It's all about persistence. Key take aways from this conversation: - he made 4 - 5 phone calls to find out who he needed to speak with - made site visits every 2 weeks for 4 or 5 months before getting a meeting - reached out to fellow franchisees Ron and Suzette Seetin for answers - talked with Bruce Nurse about pricing strategy as well as technical stuff - used Fibrenew's name and industry experience as a reference - this effort will lead to months worth of work for the hospital Hope you enjoy!

"A Happy Frame of Mind and a Hard Shell" - This episode is all about automotive work - how to get it, ins and outs of working with managers, wholesale pricing vs. retail pricing, weather conditions and more. Key take aways from this conversation: - it can take 10+ times of visiting the same dealer until work is realized - the concept of 'walking the lot' and how that translates into work - dealing with pricing objections and competition - how persistence pays off - you'll hear a lot of NOs to get a YES but it's worth it! Hope you enjoy

In this podcast we talk with seasoned Fibrenew franchisee, Shawn Callin of Central Alberta. Shawn's central philosophy: "If you treat your business like a business, you'll get paid as an owner. If you treat your business like a job, you'll get paid like an employee" Key take aways from this conversation: - how he had a plan to set up his franchise right from the start - how and why he chose to hire an admin person before adding a technician - overcoming adversity with drastic changes to his revenue streams in his local area - how investing in yourself is so important - many other key insights We hope you enjoy!

Dan and Micah Hoffman of Fibrenew Portland do a lot work in the automotive space - not just cars and trucks but RVs as well. In this podcast we discuss: - approaching new clientele - the concept of 'walking the lot' - pricing strategies and how to bundle services - how getting recurring work is the name of the game - even at $30/$40 per repair there is a lot of money to be made (think speed and volume) - how important 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' was to Dan in learning how to sell his services - the concept of business relationships We hope you enjoy! Cheers!

On this episode we posed the question 'what is a Fibrenew sales call?' to: Paul Gingras, Dan Danforth, Craig Burton, Bill Metropol, Dan Hoffman and Al Crnjac. Each one has a slightly different answer but the common through line was the importance to always be selling - everyday. They also shared some awesome ideas on what works for them when introducing their business services to new clients. Take aways from this podcast: - using opening lines, ice breakers, elevator pitches - what questions to ask, when to not talk, what to listen for - have an objective and don't expect immediate results - use before and after photos, door hangers and examples of work as tools - competition is good! It validates that there is a need for your services - tips on how to establish weekly and/or monthly accounts with dealerships (the best kind) We hope you enjoy!

In this edition we talk with husband and wife team, Ronnie and Suzette Seetin from Fibrenew Sunflower in the Kansas City area. Since 2010, the Seetins have been building a booming business that now offers a full array of services with a focus on medical work. Last year they did $450,000 in sales which was a 40% increase over the previous year! Key take aways from this conversation: - attitude matters...saying and thinking YES leads to new opportunities - when it comes to sales...asking the right people the right questions is all it takes and things will happen - when it comes to taking on work they haven't done before...they know how to ask for advice and do research - work hard / play hard is how they operate :-) We hope you enjoy!

In this edition we talk with Al Crnjac who owns two Fibrenew franchises. All told, he and his business partner Claude Charron of Fibrenew Outaouais have 10 technicians and 10 vans on the road in the greater Ottawa area and work across multiple markets. Today his Fibrenew Eastern Ontario business does $200,000 / year and Fibrenew Ottawa does $375,000 / year - both with plenty of room for growth in the years ahead. Key take aways from this conversation: - doing small positive things all the time makes a huge difference overall - how to work with multiple upholsterers and what that means to business grow - how driving 450-500km / 280-300 miles PER DAY is no problem - how working in extreme winter elements is no problem - how professionalism in every single element of the business adds up - how to enjoy the process and enjoy business ownership - how much attitude matters in achieving success We hope you enjoy!

In this first ever Fibrenew Podcast, Matt Schmidt shares stories and insights on how he transformed his business from a once cash-poor operation to one that consistently does $28,000 - $30,000/month in revenue. He talks about the way he has set up his business to be diversified across multiple markets and how that relates to his monthly cashflow. Key take aways from this conversation: - scheduling work for maximum efficiency and profit - hiring an upholsterer and how he works that service into his business - moving into a shop and later buying his own building from which he runs his business - how he first 'got in' to medical facilities, restaurants and furniture stores - how doing small jobs every day leads to bigger things (hitting singles and doubles) - always be learning and applying new ideas to the business - getting over fear and developing the ability to take risks in order to grow the business We hope you enjoy!