The Fire Time Podcast

"Trust is earned in drops but lost in buckets." In this episode, Tim sits down with Kyle Quinn (National Sales Manager for Canada, ICC Chimney) at the Compact Appliances open house in Sackville, New Brunswick—a corner of the industry where relationships between dealers and vendors run deeper than almost anywhere else. Kyle's spent 22 years in the business, and he's built his career on one simple i...

"AI is not a product finder. AI is a problem solver—and that's exactly what you are too." In this episode, Tim shares "Be Solvers, Not Sellers"—the keynote he and Matt Bradley taught at the Compact Appliances annual event—answering the question every retailer is asking right now: how does the local hearth shop win in the age of AI? The short answer: AI is organically predisposed to recommend the b...

"Most people follow up about two times. But there's stats out there that prove purchases above ten thousand dollars only close on the fifth and sixth follow-up—or later." In this episode, Tim sits down with return guest Corey Anthony (Sales Manager, Stûv) live from the Compact Appliances open house in Atlantic Canada. Corey was employee number five at Stûv North America, and he's spent nearly a de...

"Sales is communicating wisdom to bring someone to the point of a decision." In this episode, Tim shares a class he taught at the HPB Expo in New Orleans called Mastering the Sales Process in Your Company. It's a solo deep dive into the seven-step framework he wishes someone had handed him 15 years ago—back when his sales training amounted to four double-sided pages of questions and a seat next to...

"The most expensive labor your customer pays for is the labor they have to do twice." This week, Tim sits down with Gideon Honeycutt (Sales Rep for Valor and Blaze King) for part two of our mini-series on specialty installation. Products are sold through more channels every year, and labor has become the one thing big box stores, e-commerce, and AI can't take from a hearth dealer. Tim and Gideon e...

"Service and installation is your moat—and I can't cross it." That's a direct quote from an AI agent when Tim asked how specialty retailers stack up against big box and e-commerce. In this episode—the first of a two-part series on the value of specialty installation—Tim shares a class he taught for the North Central HPBA in Wisconsin, making the case that installation isn't a necessary evil or a l...

"It kills more people every year than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined." In this episode, Tim sits down with Shelby Kardas (Executive Director, StoveTeam International) to talk about the smoky-kitchen crisis affecting half the world's population—and why supporting a cause bigger than your bottom line might be the smartest business move a hearth retailer can make. Shelby joins from Cuenca, E...

"Do you want them asking those questions to ChatGPT or their buddy who's a contractor—or do you want them asking you?" In this episode, Tim kicks off Season 17 with Jonny Holsten (Owner and Sales Trainer, bridgeselling.com), author of Fix Your Broken Sales Calls. Jonny built a six-step framework that helped one company grow from $3 million a month to $30 million a month in a single year—and he bre...

While we prepare Season 17 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. This week, Tim closes out the series reacting to an article he wrote titled, "What's Your Return on Luck?" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠September 2023 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠⁠⁠)⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Watch this podcast on YouTube: ⁠https://youtu.be/zHWgsvOqgP4 Li...

While we prepare Season 17 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 Peter Parsons titled, "Tomorrow's Customer" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠March 2026 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠⁠)⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0k9by8widxE Listen on Apple Podc...

While we prepare Season 17 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 Zack Estes titled, "3 Tips for Increasing Throughput" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠January 2025 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠)⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Qww9sUsJwnU Listen on...

While we prepare Season 17 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 Gideon Honeycutt titled, "Enjoy Being Wrong" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠May 2026 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠)⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eH5UjHyObGU Listen on Apple Podcasts...

While we prepare Season 17 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 Dave Anderson titled, "Build Careers, Not Just Crews" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠February 2026 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠)⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/20FLyJLvKC8 Listen on Ap...

While we prepare Season 17 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 Casey Harvey titled, "The Revenue Triangle" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠December 2025 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠)⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/owkiavo_JFs Listen on Apple Podcasts...

While we prepare Season 17 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 Allen Newby titled, "Wisdom from the Warehouse" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠February 2026 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠)⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BvRYJKv5v-QListen on Apple Podcast...

While we prepare Season 17 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 Clay Dennis titled, "Four Ways to Get a Higher Return on Your Marketing Dollars" (released in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠June 2026 issue of The Fire Time Magazine⁠⁠)⁠.⁠⁠⁠ ------ Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VPYc108...

"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...