The Fire Time Podcast

The issue examined in this episode came out of nowhere, but we’ve got to discuss it now. Many of the wood-burning appliances in your inventory are at risk due to new and upcoming EPA regulations. This episode is delaying the official start of Season 9 of the podcast because you need to hear about it now. In this episode, Tim talks with Chris Neufeld (Co-Chair of the HPBA Solid Fuel Section), who i...

Want to learn two little words that will transform the way you communicate? If so, listen to this rapid reaction episode of The Fire Time Podcast. While we’re getting ready for Season 9 of the podcast, Tim will give you his rapid reaction to a series of audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. To check out more audio articles from that publication, subscribe to the FTM podcast (linked below). I...

Many companies have the information their backlog provides right in front of them. Yet few companies understand this information—and even fewer know how to use it to execute. If you’re ready to understand your backlog and take control of your business, then this episode is for you. While we’re getting ready for Season 9 of the podcast, Tim will give you his rapid reaction to a series of audio arti...

It’s mandatory that customers feel comfortable in the showroom. Having a place to sit and playing music in the background will help create the ambiance you need to seal the deal. Listen to this episode for more simple strategies you can use to transform your showroom. While we’re getting ready for Season 9 of the podcast, Tim will give you his rapid reaction to a series of audio articles from The...

You shouldn’t wait until the conditions are perfect to have a meeting. You should have a meeting because it’s Tuesday, which is when the meeting is due. This statement may seem simple, but it contains the key to getting things done when you say you’ll do them. Want to start shipping things on time? Start your journey by listening to this episode of the podcast. While we’re getting ready for Season...

Too many leaders promise things that they don’t end up doing. This creates a disconnect between leaders and their teams, and it’s often the underlying reason teams don’t fully buy into their leaders’ initiatives. If you’re ready to overcome this challenge, then this episode of the podcast is for you. While we’re getting ready for Season 9 of the podcast, Tim will give you his rapid reaction to a s...

Let’s face it: Our industry could use some help when it comes to marketing design. Often, that’s because people don’t understand the importance of keeping their designs simple. If you’re ready to make your marketing design better, start by listening to this podcast episode. While we’re getting ready for Season 9 of the podcast, Tim will give you his rapid reaction to a series of audio articles fro...

Very often, we like and hire people who are like us. Often, this makes teams that have glaring weaknesses because everyone's similar and they all have the same flaws. This episode will inform you how to hire people unlike you so that there are no gaping holes in the fabric of your company. While we are getting ready for Season 9 of the podcast, every week, Tim will be giving you his rapid reaction...

Have you ever considered what it's like to go through the consultative sales process from the buyer's perspective? If so, wouldn't that make it more of a buying process rather than a sales process? What then would be the role of a salesperson if the buyer is in control and making all the decisions at every point in the process? Before answering these questions, let's clarify several points… listen...

How do you build a payscale for salespeople? How do you design an effective showroom? When will there be another Fire Time Workshop? Listen to learn the answers to these questions—and many more—as we round out Season 8. In today’s episode, Tim responds to questions he has received from WhyFire customers, audience members, and podcast listeners over the last several months.  In this episode, you’ll...

Pretty much all business owners know where they want their companies to go. Still, very few actually understand how to break down their big goals into smaller, achievable objectives that can be distributed company-wide. In today’s episode—the final one of the season—Matt Bradley returns to talk to Tim about WhyFire’s goals and objectives for the next three to five years. In doing so, they hope to...

It’s easy to think that core values are unnecessary fluff, but that mindset will likely lead to slow growth and poor culture. Core values, done right, are hard-edged driving forces that make companies come alive. In today’s episode—the follow-up to last week’s episode with Stan Campbell—Tim talks about WhyFire’s core values with his fellow team members, Matt Bradley and Sam O’Donnell. These core v...

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: Your mission statement stinks, and you need to improve it. If your team doesn’t know why your organization exists, where you’re going, and how they’re expected to behave, then you’re setting them up to fail. In today’s episode, Tim sits down with his mentor, Stan Campbell...

Despite what some misguided folks say, the chimney sweep business isn’t a dirty, low-dollar industry. After experiencing the culture of this industry first-hand, Tim thinks hearth retailers can learn a ton from it. In today’s episode, Tim chats with Sean Kraemer (Podcaster and Owner of Holy Smoke Inc.) about his story about buying and transforming the business he worked for so that it could grow a...

“I started looking at my company as a retirement plan.” Do you look at your company the same way? Chances are, you probably don’t. But building a business you can sell is all about keeping the end in mind and reverse engineering from there—and this conversation covers how to do that like an expert. Today, Tim talks with Clay Dennis, a man who titles himself a believer, a coach, and a friend when c...

Would you be okay with giving your team members free products so they can experience the lifestyle they provide? If not, you should seriously reconsider your approach. Salespeople that speak from experience are better equipped than those who just read the manufacturer's manual. In today’s episode, Tim talks with Megan Lee (Key Account Manager at Looft Lighters) about her experience growing up in,...

How do you define success? Making lots of money? Being famous and influential? It’s okay to want these things, but it’s also worth considering what else you’ll want once you have them. In today’s episode, Tim sits with Tim Schurrer (author, speaker, and former COO of StoryBrand) to discuss Schurrer’s new book, The Secret Society of Success: Stop Chasing the Spotlight and Learn to Enjoy Your Work (...

Customers who trust you enough to let you into their homes are customers you need to pursue until the very end. Far too many retailers focus their energy on the top of the sales funnel because it’s easy—but really, the gold mine is at the (more intimidating) bottom of the sales funnel. In today’s episode, Tim and Sam O’Donnell discuss how crucial follow up is to a successful business. Being one of...

What if every person in our industry was required to get their hands dirty doing installations and working with customers on the ground level? We’d probably have a lot more highly capable people like this episode’s guest, someone who can’t overstate the importance of experiential knowledge. In today’s episode, Tim speaks with Dan Bonar (VP of Residential Products at ICC Chimney) about his journey...

There’s no doubt the fight for natural gas will occupy our industry for at least the next decade. Regardless of how pressing of an issue it is in your region, you need to start getting involved. If we don’t unite in this fight, it could be the beginning of the end of our industry. In today’s conversation, Tim talks with the Northeast HPBA team that works to combat natural gas bans. They talk about...

Far too many business people think that too much follow-up will scare customers away. When really, too much follow-up is almost always not a worthwhile concern. Customers will tell you if they find you annoying—it’s not your job to assume for them. In today’s episode, Tim talks with returning guest and EOS Implementer Jon Fox to go back to the basics on all things sales. Over the course of this co...

Just because your business doesn’t process many warranties doesn’t mean your customers are happy. Having—and tracking—a baseline warranty percentage that your team constantly strives to maintain is paramount to operating a business you actually understand, and that customers appreciate. How do you track warranty percentage, though? In today’s episode—the finale of the heartbeat report series—Tim a...

Leaving a job incomplete without reason is insane. Doing so not only decreases customer satisfaction—it also costs you money. What if you could have your finger on the pulse of your business, understand the second an incomplete is hurting you, and correct course before things get messy? In today’s episode, Tim and Grant return to discuss installation completion percentage—the third of the four key...

Imagine if you could look into the future of your business to predict problems before they happen. Believe it or not, you can by examining your business backlog! Once understood, your backlog will put the future right in front of you. In today’s episode—the second of the Building the Heartbeat Report series—Tim and Sam O’Donnell chat about the importance of the backlog. They both tell stories from...

Many leaders judge the well-being of their businesses purely based on feel. This works great until it doesn’t—and then you’re left scrambling to figure out where things went wrong. Imagine if, instead, you could have your finger on the pulse of your business so you could prevent problems before they happen. In today’s episode, Tim and Grant discuss traffic count—the first of the four keystone metr...