Tag: small business

Tips for Running a Successful Family Business

August 7, 2020

By Stepha Vesper, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Communications Specialist Running a business is challenging enough on its own. Adding family into the equation can take that challenge to a whole new level. However, it can definitely be done right—as evidenced by our highly successful franchisees! Here are a few pointers for staying productive, profitable and most importantly, in each other’s good graces, as a family-run business. Resist the urge to talk shop all the time. You’re family first and business partners second, so it’s important to make an effort to continue to enjoy each other’s company outside the office. With work on the brain, this might mean you need to make a conscious effort to steer the conversation away from work when you’re relaxing at home. It’s also a good idea to schedule regular family dinners and events where work and work talk is off-limits. Don’t make new hires within the family—unless it makes sense.Family members outside your initial partnership might be tempted to consider your business a catch-all for anyone in your clan who needs a job. But nothing will breed resentment faster than hiring your nephew based solely on your relationship, then having to let him go when he

A Look Back: How Examining Your Business Periodically Can Help You Grow

July 31, 2020

By David Stamper, NPI, Inc.’s President & CFO One of the best lessons in life [and in business] is to learn from the past and use it to influence your present and future. Whether you’re just beginning or years into your business, reviewing and improving your records and progress on a regular schedule will pay off for you. What Information Should I Review? It’s best to plan to go over every little detail in your business, which means keeping detailed records of what makes your business tick. This involves everything from employee reviews to financial records. You’ll likely find that the things that seemed small at the time actually came to be major factors down the road. You can also look at old inspection schedules and records from meetings with real estate agents. Look for: If you have access to all of the details above, that’s great! However, keep in mind that most business owners won’t, and that’s perfectly okay, too. Let this list guide your future record-keeping so that you’re in better shape when it’s time to review next time. When Should I Review My Findings? Whether weekly or annually, there’s no right or wrong time to review your

The 5 Best Leadership Traits for a Thriving Small Business

April 23, 2020

Being a small business owner is a great feeling. There’s a sense of pride that you get from starting down your own path and getting to create your own opportunities, but there are challenges that you will face as well. Competition can be fierce, and it can be difficult to separate yourself from the pack. However, there are steps you can take to build your brand’s reputation and promote growth for your business. 1. Know When to Step In, and When to Step AwayAs a small business owner, you’ll wear many hats in the day to day operations. You’re the owner, an employee (sometimes the only one), an accountant and even the janitor. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and burned out with responsibility, and it’s important to know your limits. Successful owners identify their strengths and weaknesses and learn to delegate responsibilities accordingly. Of course, it can be hard to relinquish control for some owners and they will struggle with it. But the sooner you realize the big picture and how division of roles can grow your business, the sooner you will hit your goals and recharge. 2. Set SMART GoalsSpeaking of goals, it is important to have them. Think

Foolproof Tips for Keeping Your Small Business Organized

April 10, 2020

Small business owners have dozens and dozens of tasks they need to complete to grow and succeed. But with so much on your plate, it can be difficult to keep on top of them and stay afloat. It can be especially difficult if you don’t have any help and can’t delegate responsibilities to other employees. So how can you make sure that you aren’t getting behind in your work? Here are some tips to get organized that you can use in your daily business and even your personal life. Create an OverviewThe beginning step in this process is to sit down and see all the tasks that you need to do. Write them down on a piece of paper so that you don’t forget any, and can refer back to it later. After you think you have everything, be sure to double and maybe even triple check that you didn’t forget anything important. There’s nothing worse than realizing you need to do something at the last minute and panicking. Rushing a job is never a good idea—it puts stress on you and can reflect poorly on you later on. Break Things DownNow that you have all of your assignments accounted

Teaching Inspection CE Courses for Realtors

September 26, 2019

By Bill Erickson Whether you’ve recently entered the inspection business or you’re a seasoned pro with NPI, you may have heard us talk about the benefits of introducing CE courses into your marketing plan. At NPI corporate, we’re always working to get new courses approved in your state, and for good reason: CE courses are one of the best face-to-face marketing tools in your arsenal, giving you more quality interaction with real estate agents. What’s the deal with CEs?NPI’s proprietary CE courses are designed to fulfill real estate agents’ continuing education (CE) requirements. When you market yourself as a CE instructor to the agents and realtors in your area, you’re providing a service they need to further their careers. You’ll be invited to present your course to groups of real estate agents, and while these groups vary in size depending on your area, it’s common to see groups of 15 to 20 agents or more sign up for a CE course—you should seize your chance to get their attention! What special skills do I need to teach CEs?None! We give you all the materials and direction you need to run a successful CE course. Combine our presentations with your expertise

Our Top 5 Time Management Tips

June 3, 2019

By Stepha Vesper When you’re out inspecting a home or business for clients, your time is practically managed for you. You have your set routine in place for inspecting and reporting and it usually takes a fairly predictable amount of time to complete. But what about time outside your day-to-day inspection schedule? Or weekdays when you may not have an inspection at all? Time management is among the top challenges small business owners face. There’s always so much to do, and you probably feel the pressure to do it all . . . and more! While it’s up to you what tasks you prioritize, we’re here to help you buckle down and get those tasks done. Follow these tips to make the most of your time and have more left over for summer fun with family and friends. 1. Actually decide what your priorities are. Keeping yourself busy is easy as a small business owner. Prioritizing is a different story. With a full plate, it can be challenging to determine the tasks that matter most. Start easy: which tasks on your list will have the most direct impact on your bottom line? Which will help you advance toward your goals

7 Ways to Stay Positive as a Small Business Owner

May 24, 2019

By Stepha Vesper As a small business owner, it’s normal to experience short periods of doubt from time to time. The keyword being short. If you find anxiety setting in more often than you’d like, it’s time to reel in the negativity and embrace all things positive. Here’s how to keep your head up and get things done: 1. Keep an open mind.Minimizing risk is one thing in small business, but you don’t want to be dismissive either. That new opportunity might seem downright scary at the moment, but what if it works out? Getting stuck in your marketing tactics or day-to-day work routine can mean getting stuck in a rut. Remember, there’s more than one way to get a task accomplished—in fact, there’s hundreds of ways! 2. Be amenable to change.If everything stayed the same, we would never get anywhere. Whether it be an industry-regulating policy change to adhere to or learning new inspection software, staying flexible will come in handy during the myriad changes that will take place over the course of running your business. If you’re prepared to roll with the punches, you’ll come out that much savvier. 3. Jump on opportunity.While not every opportunity may be

3 Things You Need to Know About Online Reputation Management

May 17, 2019

By Stepha Vesper Managing your online reputation across social media platforms and review sites is a crucial part of being a small business owner in our tech-savvy, Google-driven marketplace. It’s also one of the most challenging. Here’s how you can streamline your approach to online reputation management and get the most out of your customer feedback. 1. Consistency is key.Like most things related to owning a small business, consistency is the key to successful online reputation management. Once you have all of your social media accounts set up and a good system for posting on a regular basis, monitoring your reputation is something that should always be at the back of your mind. Setting up Google alerts and being on top of your email notifications is a great place to start when it comes to overseeing activity. Make it a habit now so that you don’t struggle with squeezing it in when business picks up. And if you find yourself spending an hour or more a day on reputation management, consider hiring a part-time employee. 2. Respond to all negative reviews – and preferably positive ones, too!Receiving a negative review is tough, and we can’t promise it’ll get any easier

How We at NPI Make Your Small Business Website Stand Out

April 19, 2019

By Stepha Vesper Having a polished website is one of the most important aspects of running your small business. At NPI, we’ve done all the research for you. Our marketing team knows what goes into a great business website and we’ve made it our priority to ensure our inspectors’ sites are sharp, easy to navigate and effective. Here are the top elements we keep in mind as we work to make our websites better and better: A Clear Call to ActionWhen a potential client lands on your website, what is it that you most want them to do? Whether it’s to call you to book an appointment, contact you for a quote or maybe a little bit of both, your website should make it crystal clear for visitors what steps they need to take next. Multiple Contact MethodsCustomers appreciate options when it comes to contacting you. Maybe email is most convenient for them or their turnaround time for purchasing a home is urgent, so clicking to call from their smartphone would be best. These contact methods are easy to locate on your homepage and designed to draw the eye—it ties right in with the clear call to action we were

How to Finance Your NPI Franchise

December 20, 2018

By Sammi Marcellus, NPI, Inc.’s Recruitment Coordinator You’ve talked to an NPI franchise sales rep, read through the FDD and decided that you want to start a home inspection franchise. There’s one snag in the plan, though: start-up capital. Before you get discouraged, you should know that there are plenty of options out there to finance your business. It takes some searching to find the one that will work for you, but we’re here to help! Here are some of the best ways to get a loan that’ll get your new franchise up and running. Traditional Bank LoanThis is the first place entrepreneurs who are just starting out go to secure financing, and works well in the right situation. The ideal bank to request a loan from is one you already do business with—they’ll have a ready-made financial history to work from, which can shorten the process. If the bank you’re working with offers small business loan options, they’ll ask you to fill out a loan application, which can sound daunting if you’ve never encountered one before. Don’t sweat it, though—you’ll just have to have certain information regarding your business, including the legal structure, what services you’re selling, and personal

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