Posts

Make Your Money Work for You: Tax Deductions & Incentives

July 6, 2022

To be successful in business it has always been said that you need to spend money to make money. In truth, to be profitable in the business world, it’s about making the money you acquire work for you. To make your money work for you, it’s important to understand the nature of tax deductions and incentives, as this is key to getting from where you are to where you want to be financially. At this point, it’s essential to note that these suggestions may be different from state to state. To get a complete scope of the tax deduction process, please consult your local financial adviser or tax preparer. Business Expenses When you’re just starting out in this business, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed. You may be questioning how you are going to pay for all the newly associated costs of running a business, but if you’re savvy, you know how to structure your money to be both effective and efficient. As a business owner, you can write off most expenses if you’re careful in doing so (i.e., keeping records of business expenses through immaculate management of receipts and proper tax forms). The first tax

Win at Business by Investing in Yourself

June 7, 2022

The month of June is Professional Wellness Month. In honor of this occasion, your family here at the NPI headquarters want to make sure that you have everything you need to succeed, professionally and personally. With the spotlight on professional wellness, it’s important to check in with yourself and your employees to identify any areas of improvement for your business. Likewise, it’s also valuable to take an honest personal inventory of yourself to see what areas of development you may be lacking in. Although a self-assessment can feel daunting, it’s critical to avoid being stagnant in any area of your life. Life is to be lived in a manner of constant evolution, as dormancy breeds bad personal habits and business practices. Implementing changes that need to be made as a result of your self-reflection and business assessments can at first seem overwhelming. While it’s hard to make a lot of improvements at once, it’s good to have a strategy for implementation in place for future enhancements to your business and for yourself. These changes don’t have to be drastic in nature to make a huge difference to your lifestyle and brand. Lifestyle changes that you can implement can be as

How to Stand Out in a Competitive Market

May 31, 2022

It’s easy to feel intimidated by the competition—maybe they’ve been around for 20 years and you just started last month. You know everyone has to start somewhere, but while you’re building your business, how can you make sure that you stand out from the rest? This question has several answers—there may not be one simple solution, but it turns out there’s a lot you can do! A Job Well Done There’s much to be said about job performance. A job well done can create a good relationship between you and your consumers and keep people coming back to your business. It can also help you build a referral system based on good word-of-mouth. That being said, bad news travels fast, as is the same with negative reviews. In these cases, being an amazing inspector is not enough to offset a disparaging review or to generate the business you want. This requires the usage and management of social media accounts. Social Media One of the easiest ways to see an uptick in business and to encourage customer engagement is to create social media channels for your business. To market your franchise, the three most important social media outlets are Facebook, LinkedIn,

It’s National Heat Awareness Day: Keeping Cool in Sweltering Conditions

May 27, 2022

Today is National Heat Awareness Day. This national holiday was created to remind service members and outdoor laborers to keep cool while working outside in the upcoming summer months. Here are our best tips to beat heatstroke and other temperature-related illnesses such heat exhaustion and dehydration. As an NPI inspector you may find yourself on top of roofs, underneath decks, examining foundations, or in crawl spaces over the course of the summer. During the hot summer months, it’s important to know the signs of heat-related illnesses and what you can to do to prevent them. Warning Signs While there are milder forms of heat-related illnesses, heatstroke is the worst. According to the Mayo Clinic, the main indicator of heatstroke is having a temperature of at least 104 degrees or higher. Other signs of heatstroke include confusion, dizziness, profuse sweating, slurred speech, the cramping of extremities, vomiting, coma, and in the most serious of cases–death. These symptoms are only made worse when performing strenuous activities while outside on exceptionally hot days. Other warning signs of heatstroke are looking flushed in appearance, having a headache, and an irregular heartbeat. While some people experience a rapid heart rate due to the stress of

Thinking About Joining Your Local Realtor Association? Here’s Why You Should!

May 17, 2022

By Kimberly Stevens, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing & Business Coach Whether you’re looking to expand the reach of your well-established franchise or you’re just starting out as a new franchisee, joining your local REALTOR® association certainly has its benefits. But did you know that becoming a member equals access to an assortment of useful information including: a multitude of networking opportunities, discounts to affiliated business groups and tradeshows, access to various multiple listing services, scholarships, community engagement opportunities, and additional secrets of the trade? According to the National Association of REALTORS® website, you can start off by joining your local REALTORS® association with an Affiliate Membership. The Affiliate Membership is the most cost-effective option available that still grants you the ability to utilize the maximum benefits of the membership. While membership fees vary from state-to-state and often include varied tiered-levels, Affiliate Memberships are typically half the price real estate agents pay for their memberships. Once you have joined, you will be provided with information from your area’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This benefit may be the most important as it is vital to building a solid referral base from which you can book inspections in your area. This data includes important

5 Ways to Know It’s Time to Hire

May 10, 2022

Short of starting your inspection company, hiring your first employee is the biggest step you’ll take as a small business owner. It can be tough to know who to hire, but surprisingly, it can be even tougher to know when to hire. Here are a few telltale signs it’s time to make a plan and make the move to grow your team. 1. You’re turning down work.You’ve poured your energy into building relationships and expanding your network, and now all that hard work is paying off in spades: you’re booked out for a couple of weeks! If this scenario sounds familiar, remember that this is only the start of the busiest season for us inspectors. You’re going to want a team member who can help you book more inspections and share the workload. 2. You have an exciting opportunity to expand your services.The perfect opportunity for a new add-on service has presented itself, and anytime you mention it to others working in your local real estate market, they get just as excited as you. That rare untapped need has been identified, and it’s time to spring into action. But as bookkeeper/marketer/inspector/report-writer, (I could go on!), you’re already feeling pulled in

National Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Cory Anderson

April 19, 2022

National Property Inspections’ Franchisee Spotlight recognizes our most innovative and successful NPI and GPI franchises. By sharing their stories, helpful tips and lessons learned, every franchisee can learn what it takes to grow their business. We’re proud to feature our reigning 2021 Franchise of the Year, Cory Anderson of NPI East Tennessee. After purchasing an existing franchise in 2017 in Knoxville, TN, Cory and his team have been on an upward trajectory that’s landed him in the top four percent of our organization. He’s also recently expanded to cover both Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities area. Tell us about yourself! What was your previous career, and how did you come to NPI?Cory Anderson: I have an agricultural technology degree from the University of Tennessee and worked in the agricultural field for about 7 years prior to coming to NPI. During my agricultural career, my wife and I purchased multiple rental homes and loved learning about and investing in real estate. Our home inspector was Steve Hancock, who started the original NPI Knoxville franchise in 1995. During our last inspection with Steve, he announced that he would be retiring and told us that we would need to find another inspector. After many

7 Ways to Boost Traffic to Your Business Website

April 12, 2022

By Stepha Vesper, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Communications Specialist It’s time to get a little creative with the way you drive web traffic! Below are seven ways you may not have thought of that can make a remarkable difference in your site visitor counts month over month: 1. Mix up your content.Diversifying your content (that is, posting something new every day) will help ensure that your audience never gets bored, and that you don’t either. Post links back to your website, but also post photos, articles, giveaways, videos, and share others’ posts as well. If your followers know they can always expect something new and fresh from you that’s super relevant to them, they’ll be that much more likely to navigate to your website to learn more about your business and services. 2. Don’t neglect your LinkedIn profile.Most of us think of LinkedIn as a great resource for active job seekers or those looking to expand their B2B network. Those things are still true, but these days, LinkedIn is so much more. If you’re not posting content to your profile, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to interact with potential clients and real estate professionals. Did you know that the

Carson Dunlop Acquires National Property Inspections, Inc.

April 4, 2022

National Property Inspections, Inc. is pleased to announce that Carson Dunlop has recently acquired our organization. In this exciting development, Carson Dunlop and NPI are slated to become the preeminent provider of inspection and inspection-related services in North America. “I have long admired the strength of the Carson Dunlop brand and am thrilled to join forces to further accelerate growth at NPI,” said Roland Bates, founder of NPI. “I am extremely proud of the business we’ve built over the last 35 years and am enthusiastic about the future. Becoming part of Carson Dunlop will be an exciting new chapter for us and I look forward to continuing to support the NPI franchise system in my new role.” I have long admired the strength of the Carson Dunlop brand and am thrilled to join forces to further accelerate growth at NPI. I am extremely proud of the business we’ve built over the last 35 years and am enthusiastic about the future. Becoming part of Carson Dunlop will be an exciting new chapter for us and I look forward to continuing to support the NPI franchise system in my new role. Roland BatesFounder of National Property Inspections, Inc. Carson Dunlop has been

Top Tips for Marketing Effectively on Instagram

March 29, 2022

By Stepha Vesper, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Communications Specialist The Instagram app has been downloaded more than 3.8 billion times since its 2010 release. Needless to say, it’s one of the world’s most popular apps. With all that attention, it’s easy to see why companies love using it in their digital media marketing portfolio. Instagram in an Instant Instagram started out as a place for people and their friends to share and like their best snapshots. The app then began adding updates to make it easier to find and connect with other users. Three years after launch, users had the ability to add hashtags and share short videos. As more businesses joined, Instagram incrementally made the platform more advertiser-friendly, and 12 years later, it looks very different from when it first started. Not only can users upload Stories, host live chat rooms, and post long-form videos, businesses have a robust suite of paid ad tools and e-commerce options. Businesses and Instagram As a business owner, you have the option of setting up a business account that allows you some different features than a standard one. For instance, you’ll be able to see your interaction and demographic insights. This is especially helpful