The DYOJO Podcast

Contractors and consumers are tired of the Squid Games that insurance carriers play when they make up their own arbitrary rules for estimating and releasing funds for work performed.    In this episode of The DYOJO Podcast we will addresss some of these pricing games, including the use of New Construction Pricelists being applied to restoration and remodeling projects.    Resto...

Contractors and customers feel the squeeze when the insurance carrier plays pricing games with the estimating and collection process of insurance claims restoration.    We discuss New Construction Pricelists being applied to restoration scenarios with contractors in Minnesota, California, and Washington.   We discuss the issue, rebuttals, and resources including the Restoration...

The DYOJO Podcast   Season 3, Episode 76  Behind the Scenes of THE Florida Mold Conference Guests: MANY  If you feel like you missed out on this year's AEML Laboratories Winter Break 2022 - THE Florida Mold Conference, YOU'RE RIGHT. Guest speakers, vendors, and professionals from around the world came together to discuss The Four M's   Moisture  Materials  Mold ...

If you feel like you missed out on this year's AEML Laboratories Winter Break 2022 - THE Florida Mold Conference, YOU'RE RIGHT. While we won't give away everything, we will recap the event and share some of the things that we learned.    Mark your calendars for January 2024, as you won't want to miss it AGAIN.    The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 76 includes these guests:   ...

The DYOJO offers Seven Questions to assist you as a manager or business owner to determine whether a strategy or service option is right for your business.   These simple questions will assist you to be better prepared to articulate questions in alignment with where you are in your development and where you are trying to go.   We believe these questions will help you better det...

My friend, the global restoration watchdog, Pete Consigli, didn’t lie. The AEML winter break 2022 was fabulous. He said, “Be there or be square, and the team delivered on a value packed event.”   We had three days of information that was pertinent to mold assessors and remediator‘s, and so much more. Topics included water damage, building sciences, risk management, professional development, m...

The Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast  File 006: Training Others In Xactimate  Season 3, Episode 75 Guest: Joyce Gabriel, General Manager (Tacoma, WA)  We resume our series, The Xactimate Sessions. We are discussing the mindset and habits that have helped your peers in the insurance claims industry to elevate their scoping, estimating, and project management game. File 006 i...

We resume our series, The Xactimate Sessions. File 006 with Joyce Gabriel (Tacoma, WA) addresses the mindset and habits for connecting with and training your team members.    The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 75 includes these guests:    Main guest - Joyce Gabriel, General Manager (Tacoma, WA)  Raymond Tittmann, TittmannWeix   Ben Justesen, Enlightened Restoration Solutions...

The DYOJO Podcast Insurance Appraisals for Property Claims (Part 1) Guest: Roger Howson, Claims Dispute Resolution (Seattle, WA) Season 3, Episode 74 The first part of a multi-part discussion on the topic of insurance appraisals for property damage repairs and restoration. This is an ensemble discussion, with guests from various ends of the spectrum when it comes to assisting home and business own...

The first part of a multi-part discussion on the topic of insurance appraisals for property damage repairs and restoration.    Ensemble discussion:   Main guest - Roger Howson, Claims Dispute Resolution (Seattle, WA)  Ben Justesen, Just Right Cleaning & Construction David Princeton, Advocate Claim Service  Sean Scott, Author of The Red Guide to Recovery  Andy McCa...

The DYOJO Podcast  Using Mechanics Liens to Secure Payment as a Contractor   The DYOJO Podcast Season 3, Episode 73  Guest: Ben Cushman, Deschutes Law Group (Olympia, WA)    Liens are an important resource to aide the contractor in securing payment for the work that they perform. Unfortunately, many general and restoration contractors have expressed some reservations regar...

The importance of employee retention Recruiting and hiring in all industries is an issue and has been for some time. Construction is no different, and specialty industries such as property damage restoration (i.e. water and fire damage insurance claims) it can seem insurmountable. While I recognize these real challenges, I am not hearing many business people or “influencers” speak about the import...

The DYOJO Podcast  Millennials + Workplace Culture + Guest Host  The DYOJO Podcast Season 3, Episode 72  Guest: Samantha and Mimi from AEML Laboratories (Pompano Beach, FL)    We shot some on-location footage at AEML Laboratories in beautiful South Beach, Florida.  Pete "The Global Restoration Watchdog" Consigli and I were on a planned road trip following the  20...

Writing an estimate should be a blend of art and science.  As an estimator, you will utilize equal parts scientific and artistic approaches if you want to set yourself apart from the status quo.    The Science of Estimating   The science of estimating includes growing your knowledge base so that you understand what you are bidding on, how you will approach the project, and why...

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT insurance advice. We are not agents, adjusters, or qualified to comment on insurance policies.   As insurance claims repairs contractors, responding to water and fire damages in homes and businesses, we have some experiential insights that could be of value to home and business owners navigating the claims process.    United Policyholders (uphelp.org) ha...

Ben Justesen and Jon Isaacson discuss the difference between markup and margin as it relates to overhead and profit.    Don't get stuck holding the bag at only 16.67% margin with a 10% + 10% (20%) markup for overhead and profit (O&P).    This is a clip from The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 71 - The Xactimate Sessions File 005.    TheDYOJO.com/listen - Watch on YouTube o...

The Xactimate Sessions​  from The DYOJO Podcast  File 005 - Improving as an Xactimate estimator  The DYOJO Podcast Season 3, Episode 71  Guest: Ben Justesen, Enlightened Restoration Solutions (ERS) and Just Right Cleaning and Construction (JRCC)   Ben Justesen runs a multi-office property restoration company, Just Right Cleaning and Construction (JRCC) based out of Moses L...

This is a clip from The DYOJO Podcast Episode 71 with guest Ben Justesen who discusses tips for improving as a Xactimate estimator.  This is File 005 for our series The Xactimate Sessions.    The full episode will premier Thursday, November 4, 2021 at 9am PST on YouTube, Spotify, Apple podcast, and elsewhere.    ANNOUNCEMENT: Book #3 from Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Rest...

This week, on The Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast, we sit down to discuss Xactimate with Xactimate. Brian Austin is the director of instructional design at Verisk, Xactware division. Verisk is the parent company that owns Xactware which produces Xactimate. So, if you could ask Xactimate one question, what would it be? We asked Brian several questions and he said that Xactware has worked...

The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 70  Guest: Michelle Blevins, owner of C&R Magazine   Our good friend Michelle Blevins returns to the show to discuss her recent purchase of C&R Magazine . Cleaning & Restoration Magazine is the oldest trade publication specifically dedicated to the cleaning and restoration industry. C&R was founded by the Restoration Industry Association more th...

The Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast  File 004 - Efficient and consistent Xactimate reviews  The DYOJO Podcast Season 3, Episode 69  Guest: Chris Tilkov, Ask AiME   How do we scale our ability to create constantly high-performing Xactimate estimates? Chris Tilkov joins us on The DYOJO Podcast to share his experiences working his way from the ground up as a restoration...

The Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast  File 003 - Fake it until you Xactimate it  The DYOJO Podcast Season 3, Episode 68  Guest: Nick Sharp, Consulting Specialist at Reets Drying Academy   If you can't estimate, you become a trainer. Right? Nick Sharp joins us on The DYOJO Podcast to share his experiences from cleaning carpets to learning to fake it until he made it as...

The month of September will now be known as SOCKTember. We are in the pre-season of our 2nd Annual The DYOJO Podcast SOCKTember 2021 NEW Sock-Raising Challenge. We hosted a Zoom call for team captains and new team members to help set everyone off on the right foot. If you still have questions about the event, hopefully, this will provide some clarity on what you are signing up for. While each team...

We are doing something different for The DYOJO Podcast Episode 67 . This week, Eric "The Tech Whisperer" Sprague and Larry "Pineapple Man" Wilberton, invited Gerrett Stier of GMS Podcast and myself to join them for what they called The Podcast Summit of Blue Collar Nation (BCN).    Blue Collar Nation Podcast + GMS Podcast + The DYOJO Podcast = Restoration Podcastalypse Megazord 2021. &nb...

Last year, in the middle of the shutdowns, we hatched a crazy idea to bring our friends, peers, and clients together to have some fun while doing some good in our local communities. The DYOJO Podcast launched SOCKTember as a competitive NEW sock-raising challenge. This year competitive NEW sock-raising teams are assembling to challenge each other for the title of 2021 SOCKTember Champion and hoist...