Posted by Cathy Follett, CEO of Renovisions, President of PRO New England
I gained inspiration to write this while experiencing the recent ‘Bombogenesis’ winter snowstorm. All-weather reporters had it right- they predicted a historical blizzard with high winds, storm surges, and massive amounts of snow. Even when we had plenty of time to prepare and plan to baton the hatches, it was tricky to navigate during and after this stressful event. It certainly reminds me that we have no control whatsoever when Mother Nature comes calling. Similarly, we have no crystal ball as to how we can control issues within our remodeling industries’ broken systems.
As remodelers, most of us have found ourselves over-booked with extended lead times, requiring uncomfortable conversations with clients who are no doubt unhappy hearing us discuss back-orders, shipping delays, the rising cost of materials, and extreme labor shortages.
With recent incremental price increases on products, could we potentially lose clients to higher priced-out jobs? Will the forecasted rising interest rates affect the customer’s decision to move forward?
Managing the overwhelming workload has become increasingly stressful and frustrating while trying to hire the right people has been certainly challenging. Have you implemented an ‘Escalation Clause’ in your contract that protects you from rising material costs and job start delays?
How long can we withstand this ever-changing environment? Unfortunately, these are the realities that will stay with us for a bit longer, while we hope a few of these issues may be in balance again soon.
I have learned that we need to be in constant motion of adapting and pivoting to tread above these tumultuous storm-like situations. Being part of PRO-NE provides membership benefits that will help us navigate through these difficult times; it’s helped me to stay positive and connected in this industry.
Please consider joining our PRO-NE Remodelers Conversations, held virtually on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 4-5PM. Ladies, we welcome you to join our WIRE (Women in Remodeling Conversation) on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 4-5 PM, where we discuss relevant topics in an open forum and share experiences, a few laughs, and offer helpful insights.
“Things work out best for those who make the best out of how things work out”
- John Wooden