The Fire Time Podcast

"You'd think eight out of ten people walk out with an estimate. Once you actually track it, it's under twenty percent every single time." In this episode, Tim closes out season 16 with the show's traditional Q&A—answering the sharpest questions listeners submitted while he was on the road teaching, including some real pushback on the systems he preaches. It's the practical, put-it-into-practice ca...

"We are the immovable number two. And it's okay being the immovable number two." In this episode, Tim sits down with Dan Bonner (Vice President of Residential Sales, ICC Chimney) to unpack how a privately owned chimney company turned restraint into its sharpest competitive edge. Dan's spent the last six years steering through a pandemic boom, a workforce that doubled, and tariffs that erased two w...

"The most depressed, anxious, addicted, and self-destructive generation in American culture—we created this world." In this episode, Matt Bradley (Partnership Manager at WhyFire and Editor of The Fire Time Magazine) makes a provocative argument from his 2026 HPBExpo class: the reason you can't hire or inspire young workers isn't pay, schedules, or time off—it's a culture that's stripped them of me...

"I can't sell Harman because there's a dealer too close to me, but I'd donate a kidney and my firstborn to get it." In this episode, Tim sits down with Dane Harman, Karen Harman-Smeltz, and Peter Parsons to trace how a burn pot rooted in anthracite coal became the backbone of one of the hearth industry's most beloved pellet stoves—and what it takes to keep innovating decades later. Dane built Harm...

"Core values allow us to lead to a standard—without those core values, things can slip." In this episode, Tim speaks with Kyle Titsworth (General Manager and Partner, The Fireplace Showcase) about transitioning from manager to owner in a family business. Kyle shares insights from his journey taking over partial ownership while serving on the Northeast HPBA board, leading a team where most employee...

"It can never be too long, it can only be too boring." In this episode, Tim shares a class he taught in Denver, Colorado at AES Dealer Days, where he explores why most marketing messages in the fireplace industry fail—and reveals a simple framework that can triple your leads without spending a penny. Drawing from real examples of businesses that position themselves as heroes instead of their custo...

"I've been looking for this kind of clarity in my life." In this episode, Tim talks with April Sunshine Hawkins (Former Co-Host of the Marketing Made Simple Podcast and Storybrand Private Workshop Instructor) about why most marketing fails and how to craft messages that actually resonate. April brings deep expertise from teaching the StoryBrand framework worldwide, plus insights on the internal bl...

"The customer doesn't want to hear your story—they want to hear how you can solve their problem." In this episode, Tim sits down with Robert Schnell (Principal, Arctic Sales) fresh from a StoryBrand marketing intensive in Nashville to unpack the messaging frameworks that actually drive sales. Robert brings eight years of experience applying these principles in the complex lighting industry, offeri...

"This is the conversation for you if you've been trying to think about how we ease the tension between retailers, distributors, and manufacturers." In this episode, Tim shares exclusive content from the HPB Expo opening session in New Orleans, featuring insights that were too important to wait for the regular podcast schedule. The session brought together industry leaders to tackle the biggest que...

"It was my feeder and burn pot, they decided to make their own burn pot and change the design. That's where things didn't work very well for very long..." In this episode, Tim sits down with Dane Harman (founder of Harman Stoves) and his daughter Karen Harman-Smeltz for a rare father-daughter conversation about building one of America's most respected hearth companies from a basement workshop in r...

"Leadership is a game of trust at the end of the day. If you cannot trust people doing what they do best and better than ourselves can do, you're not going to move forward." In this episode, Tim sits down with Chris Schroeder (CEO, Napoleon Products) to explore how a family business evolved from a garage startup into a global empire—and what it takes to lead at that scale. Chris shares candid insi...

"If you don't make the hard decisions, you actually make it worse for yourself—but they're very difficult." In this episode, Tim sits down with Don and Kris Richardson (founders of RPG Brands) to unpack their remarkable journey from humble beginnings to industry empire. Don started with his wife Debbie in a house with no clue what they were doing, while Kris learned to work hard by jackhammering f...

"I hate huge. I don't like meetings. If I get sucked into a meeting, I always want to have a list of things that need to be addressed afterwards and a time frame from when you need to check in, to be able to get it done." In this episode, Tim talks with Courtney Hammer (Office Manager, Sutter Home & Hearth) about her transition from practicing chiropractic medicine to running operations at her hus...

"The purpose of your showroom is to sell the in-home visit." In this episode, Tim sits down with Kenneth Walker (Owner, Firewalker Sales) at the HPV Expo in New Orleans to break down the five principles of a winning showroom. Kenneth's approach transforms showrooms from overwhelming product dumps into strategic sales tools that actually drive business to customers' homes. In this episode, Tim and...

"Don't blame the other guy. Take responsibility for it. And I think there's so much that can be done." In this episode, Tim sits down with Kurt Rumens (President, Travis Industries and founder of Lopi Stoves) at the HPBExpo in New Orleans. Kurt shares the unlikely journey from rock-and-roll drummer turned truck driver to building one of the hearth industry's most beloved companies over the past 39...

Welcome to Season 16 of The Fire Time Podcast—and for the first time ever, we're on video. To kick things off, Tim steps in for Gideon Honeycutt at the 2026 HPBExpo to teach a session on breaking free from the quote trap—the costly cycle where salespeople fail to show customers why a product uniquely solves their problem and get reduced to handing out numbers. What follows is a masterclass in thre...

On his the way to the 2026 HPBExpo in New Orleans, Tim takes a break from Rapid Reactions to share an audio article from the upcoming 2026 Fire Time Journal, the yearly printed playbook for running a hearth retail business, featuring the best of the industry. Listen to Tim's article titled, "Don't Fall Asleep At the Wheel," hear his recap at the end, and pick up your free copy of 2026 The Fire Tim...

While we prepare for Season 16 of the podcast, we're taking a break from our Fire Time Magazine Rapid Reaction series to reply a conversation that Tim had with Grant Falco about the first step to build a heartbeat report for your company—the weekly traffic count. Here are the original show notes: “I started looking at my company as a retirement plan.” Do you look at your company the same way? Chan...

While we prepare for Season 16 of the podcast, we're taking a break from our Fire Time Magazine Rapid Reaction series to reply a conversation that Tim had with Grant Falco about the first step to build a heartbeat report for your company—the weekly traffic count. Here are the original show notes: Many leaders judge the well-being of their businesses purely based on feel. This works great until it...

While we prepare for Season 16 of the podcast, we're taking a break from our Fire Time Magazine Rapid Reaction series to reply a conversation that Tim had with Stan Campbell about the value of building your organization the right way. Here are the original show notes: If you walked up to your team and asked them to recite your mission statement, could they do it? If not, here’s the hard truth: You...

While we prepare Season 16 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to an article he just wrote titled, "The Journey: Part 2" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠February 2026 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠).⁠⁠⁠ ------ To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

While we prepare Season 16 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to an article by Ryan Przybylski titled, "5 Building Blocks of a Strong Company Culture" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠February 2025 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠).⁠⁠ ------ To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the...

While we prepare Season 16 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to an article by Kim Davis titled, " Value First, Discounts Second" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠November 2025 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠).⁠ ------ To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podc...

This week, Tim walks through the Fire Time Guide to the 2026 HPBExpo in New Orleans (March 18-21), breaking down day-by-day strategies to maximize your time at the industry's biggest annual event. From affiliate parties to education sessions to the first-ever Fire Time Karaoke After Party, Tim explains how to attack the show with intentionality to make the most of it. In this episode, Tim covers:...

While we prepare Season 16 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to an article by Dax Johnston titled, "3 Tips to Transform Industry Rookies Into Hearth Pros" (released in the ⁠⁠September 2025 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠). ------ To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to th...