Ed talks with Erik Rapp. Erik has been in tile and stone markets for over 20 years, with his latest position as the National Director for the Everest Stone Group, a US stone/slab distributor.  Erik shares with fabricators ways that they can enhance relationships with stone wholesalers – to make the relationship create greater profits for the fabricator. Tips and tricks follow!

Ed talks with Mark Meriaux, the Accreditation and Technical Manager at the Natural Stone Institute (NSI) about the current state of Silicosis in this industry, covering a few things you probably do not know - and what the NSI is doing, the resources they have made available to stone fabrication shops in the US, and more. Links discussed include: The link to the anonymous silicosis survey being conducted nation-wide: https://yalesurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eX5tvsDNElDpACq?Q_CHL=qr or click the link at the top of this page: https://www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/silica/   It is really important that as many stone shops as possible take the 10 minutes to complete this survey.   Silicosis Info: https://www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/silica/ Silicosis Training: https://www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/safety/ Training Certification: https://www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/safetycertificate/   Mark can be reached at Mark@naturalstoneinstitute.org

From the Podcast Studio at the 2024 Coverings conference. Ed on stage at Coverings and discussing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and your shop! Ed met with stone shop owners during the Coverings conference in April 2024 on the topic of KPIs and followed this session with Q&A with these shop owners. In this session, Ed references two articles: https://fabricatorscoach.com/stop-counting-the-square-feet-you-produce/ and  https://fabricatorscoach.com/how-much-time-is-left-on-your-companys-game-clock/

Aaron Crowley, Chair of NSI’s Safety Committee, talks with Ed about safety topics in the stone fabrication industry. From the latest on Silicosis (Australia’s quartz ban, California’s emergency safety standards), to other key safety issues that are very prominent in daily operations of your countertop fabrication shops.   Whether it is heavy objects (slabs), wet environments/slip/trip, electrical safety, or dust – these are the realities of our industry. Does your insurance cover you?   National Stone Institute (NSI) offers free training on Silicosis, to members and non-members. And there are many safety courses, that are free to NSI members.

Ed Young interviews Rich Katzmann of the Rockheads Group Ed sat down with Rich Katzmann, the Executive Director of the Rockheads Group to discuss your options for selling your fabrication business to private equity firms, or large strategic buyers, the individual investor, or to your employees. In this podcast, they discuss valuation and multiples, the upside and downside of each, and Rich’s 4 Key Strategies for Prepping to Sell. With the “Silver Tsunami” of retirees and the desire to sell very strong – what does this mean to you if you are planning to sell?

Ed Young interviewing Tim Saddoris, Grand Onyx Ed sat down with Tim to talk about the impacts of AI, specifically some uses that can help in your countertop fabrication business.  This is also online in video format, so you can see Tim's screen as he demonstrates the use of this “generation 1” AI tool. It is pretty amazing what you can do to use AI to make your business easier – and much more will be coming.   The Video from this podcast can be found at https://youtu.be/crCg3N9jdyg   NOTE: Tim encouraged you to sign up for ChatGPT4, and encouraged putting it on your iphone. It can be found at https://chat.openai.com/auth/login and the monthly cost is $20.

This podcast is taken from the December 2023 webinar "So, You Want to Sell Your Business". In this podcast, Chase Busenbark (Certified Business Broker) and Ed Young discuss what this process will be like - and opens the floor to the attending fabrication business owners for questions and answers.  You may be a long way from considering the sale of your business, but planning and doing the preparation work can put you way ahead, and can ensure you get the most from the sale. The article that the webinar is based upon can be found in the December 2023 issue of Slippery Rock Gazette.

Ed Young talks with Stephen Alberts of Countertop Marketing Co about recommendations for marketing your countertop fabrication shop. Stephen and his team specialize in setting up websites, help with social media ads, and drive up lead volume for countertop fabrication shops.   If you would rather view the video from this interview, go to: https://youtu.be/8odNEiUh1AM.

Ed Young talks with Justin Shaw of Justin X Shaw about a new approach he has developed for the various trade industries - including countertop fabrication. Justin’s new approach is called the Growth Engine Program and includes both a self-paced online component as well as personalized coaching. This podcast is part 2 of 2.

Ed Young talks with Justin Shaw of Justin X Shaw about a new approach he has developed for the various trade industries - including countertop fabrication. Justin’s new approach is called the Growth Engine Program and includes both a self-paced online component as well as personalized coaching. This podcast is part 1 of 2.

This is the final podcasts in the series focused on preparing Fab Shop owners for selling their business one day.  Ed talks to Chase Busenbark, who grew up in the stone business and is a fellow business owner and a Certified Business Broker. Chase and Ed discuss the business valuation process for stone shops. Chase’s contact information is: chase.busenbark@fcbb.com or 573-664-0002

This is the 5th of 6 podcasts focused on preparing Fab Shop owners for selling their business one day.  Ed talks to Chase Busenbark, who grew up in the stone business and is a fellow business owner and a Certified Business Broker. Chase and Ed discuss selling your business from the vantage point of the buyer and broker. They also discuss actions you can take to get the most out of your business when you sell. Chase’s contact information is: chase.busenbark@fcbb.com or 573-664-0002

This is the 4th of 6 podcasts focused on preparing Fab Shop owners for selling their business one day.  Ed talks to Chase Busenbark, who grew up in the stone business and is a fellow business owner and a Certified Business Broker. Chase and Ed discuss selling your business from the vantage point of the buyer and broker. They also discuss actions you can take to get the most out of your business when you sell. Chase’s contact information is: chase.busenbark@fcbb.com or 573-664-0002

This is 3rd of a series of podcasts focused on preparing Fab Shop owners for selling their business one day.  Ed talks to Aaron Crowley, a former Fab Shop owner, that sold his shop after 20 years. Aaron and Ed discuss what the realities of this process are - and how to get the most out of your business when you get to the point of selling. In this episode, two books are discussed, these books can be found at: Less Chaos More Cash, Aaron Crowley which is available on his website www.aaroncrowley.com or at https://www.amazon.com/Less-Chaos-More-Cash-Confusion/dp/1452891826    Walking To Destiny: 11 Actions An Owner Must Take to Rapidly Grow Value & Unlock Wealth, Christopher M. Snider which is available at  https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Destiny-Actions-Rapidly-Unlock/dp/B0C7WN3X6J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=O7OJ8QS6XEWV&keywords=Walking+to+Destiny%3A+11+Actions+An+Owner+Must+Take+to+Rapidly&qid=1700058759&s=books&sprefix=walking+to+destiny+11+actions+an+owner+must+take+to+rapidly%2Cstripbooks%2C94&sr=1-1

Economic indicators are all over the map! This makes it really tough for a shop owner to confidently plan for the next 12 to 24 months. We discuss some areas of opportunity that can make a big difference.

This is the 2nd of a series of podcasts focused on preparing Fab Shop owners for selling their business one day.  Ed talks to Aaron Crowley, a former Fab Shop owner, that sold his shop after 20 years. Aaron and Ed discuss what the realities of this process are - and how to get the most out of your business when you get to the point of selling.

This is one of a series of podcasts focused on preparing Fab Shop owners for selling their business one day.  Ed talks to Aaron Crowley, a former Fab Shop owner, that sold his shop after 20 years. Aaron and Ed discuss what the realities of this process are - and how to get the most out of your business when you get to the point of selling.

This is from the webinar following the publication in Slippery Rock Gazette in the same name. Ed discusses the impact on your bottom line when you do multiple lead follow-ups and do the follow-ups quickly after getting the lead. It is enlightening! Since Ed talks about a lot of numbers in this podcast, we also uploaded the video with his presentation to YouTube here: https://youtu.be/-lOKKIEHkPY A copy of the article is here: https://fabricatorscoach.com/the-power-of-sales-follow-up/

Fab shop owners discuss successful sales management practices with Ed.

Fab shop owners discuss how to take their shop to the next level: planning, setting goals, and, yes, implementation.