WEBVTT
00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:02.720
Hey everyone.
00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:06.719
Well, this is a little bit of an impromptu episode.
00:00:06.959 --> 00:00:09.759
Um tons of stuff going on.
00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:29.359
I'm sure everyone that listens to this podcast on any bit of a regular basis is very busy themselves and understands that you know, project starting, projects finishing, all of that good fun stuff just makes for sometimes uh certain things to be prioritized or need to be prioritized rather.
00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:32.000
Uh tons of exciting stuff going on.
00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:44.000
Um currently we've got one project finishing, one project in the middle, another project starting, two that are robustly progressing through pre-construction, and then of course there's all the other fun stuff that goes along with that.
00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:51.439
But um, one of the other main things that I did want to give a shout out to is Modern in Denver Design in Bloom.
00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:55.200
We are the title sponsors this year.
00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:57.759
Uh Danny over there.
00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:01.280
Um, just immense amount of appreciation for his perspective on the industry.
00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:03.840
And I I've always appreciated what they're doing there.
00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:08.480
So we have had a great time at the event in the past and decided to be a part of it this year.
00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:10.799
So that event is coming up at the end of this month.
00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:13.760
It is May 28th down at Workplace Resource.
00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:18.159
If you guys haven't gotten tickets already, um they're all online and stuff like that.
00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:20.879
I'm sure you'll be able to find them if you're in the industry.
00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:26.159
Uh we're gonna be doing something a little bit different than I think in the past.
00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:55.280
Uh, just we're just simply trying to let people know what Fern Hell is and what we're trying to accomplish, and the fact that we're proud of it and excited by it, and that there's other people that are proud of it and excited by it, and that the more we feel that we're able to integrate into the community, and I guess the other side of that too is that the more we're welcomed into the community, uh the better Fernhill is, the better the product is, the better the service is.
00:01:55.439 --> 00:02:01.200
And I hope that there's other people involved in this industry or that have interacted with Fernhill that feel the same way.
00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:03.120
So I hope to see everyone there.
00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:08.080
Uh, we're looking forward to it, and uh, I'm sure at the very least it's gonna be a good time.
00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:24.000
So this episode that's kind of impromptu recorded, what I want to talk about is this idea that I've been really aware of, I think, for a long time, but really, really focusing on here in the short term.
00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:34.000
But it's this idea of storytelling and uh, you know, like a story brand that my company needs to be the guide, not the hero in the story.
00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:41.680
And I think that's the case for any company that's involved in a custom home, because in the end, the client has to be the hero.
00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:44.479
That is the way that that story is supposed to go.
00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:48.560
And I think that's that's not an easy thing.
00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:52.960
That you know, there's a reality about these custom homes, and it's not easy.
00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.199
It's not meant to just be a walk in the park.
00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:00.319
It's also not meant to be the world's hardest thing either.
00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:09.120
There's there's different ways of doing this that set people up for success, and there's multiple ways of doing it that set people up for success in the end.
00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:40.080
And one thing that I, in I guess, really trying to spend some time thinking about how to do that, that I've focused on or have come to really believe in, is this ability to create a relationship with a client where they know that there are going to be inevitable moments where you are going to give them information they might not want to hear.
00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:44.319
They might, you know, it's very easy to just tell somebody yes all the time.
00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:50.080
But I've told clients this in the past, and I continue to do so, that if I'm just saying yes to everything, you should be very worried.
00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.080
Um, that's not me doing a good job.
00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:59.439
That's not me managing expectations, that's not me managing uh, you know, the outcome of this project.
00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:05.520
It has to be that when I am suggesting that, hey, we should be doing this, that maybe isn't the ideal option.
00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:15.199
Maybe it's the maybe it's not the fancy faucet or the super fancy millwork detail in the living room or whatever it might be.
00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:28.879
I have to work on educating and developing relationships with clients and designers where when that happens without me saying such, they recognize that that's me doing my job.
00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:35.680
That is me advocating for them to get a product closer to the brief that we established.
00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:45.920
It's it's not me uh trying to control them, it's not me trying to, you know, satisfy one thing in order to compensate on the other, anything like that.
00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:56.800
It it's us as a company taking our expertise within this industry and applying it to the situation in a way that we think benefits that client.
00:04:57.279 --> 00:05:02.240
I think that that's a very much much easier said than done.
00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:18.959
And I think it's also why a lot of our clients that we've had the most successful relationships with tend to have some kind of understanding of project management, business, things like that, that you know uh it's it's the easiest sell in the world for me to tell you that this is gonna be the easiest thing.
00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:25.600
It's gonna take less time than you wanted, and it's probably gonna also cost less time than you or take less time than we wanted it to.
00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:33.839
That that's not setting anyone up for success because I look at how I want these things to end.
00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:38.319
And I I tell this to clients all the time.
00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:48.160
The odds of it being that, you know, there's not a moment or two where you're like, gosh darn it, Fernhell, come on.
00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:49.439
It's probably gonna happen.
00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:51.759
We're gonna be communicating for two, three years.
00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:57.199
And it might not even be that that might even be an emotional reaction that is part of residential construction.
00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:08.560
Um, it's my job to make sure that the communication chains are always there to provide you the information, hold space for those emotions within reason, uh, within professional boundaries, I guess.
00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:17.360
But though it should be that when those moments do come up, though, that you're able to then in turn welcome our input.
00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:19.519
And there's a reality to that.
00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:31.759
You know, say uh, you know, I've had many clients, as I'm sure everyone, where hey, this is not this detail, uh let's let's say it's uh concealed base.
00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:38.720
I don't view that detail as being consistent with the brief of this project.
00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.240
And uh, you know, maybe it's the the budget, frankly.
00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:52.319
And maybe it's not so much that specific item, but I just don't think that that detail translates over a larger scale to be in alignment with that budget and what it means in the long run.
00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:59.839
Clients can still choose that detail within reason.
00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:01.600
I want to make sure that they know what that means.
00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:11.600
Sometimes, you know, if that isn't figured out ahead of time far enough, or if that's a change, you know, that there's real-time impacts and real-time delays that occur as a result of that.
00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:15.759
But, you know, it is their project in the end.
00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:24.399
It's just that I want them to know that when I tell them, hey, I don't think so, that that's why they hired me.
00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:30.399
And I have one client right now that I really appreciate him.
00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:35.439
He is clearly a very intelligent businessman, um, very successful.
00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:47.600
And as we've gone through this process, you know, uh obviously we're creating confidence with each other, him as my client, me as his contractor, um, in tandem with the design, uh, the designer.
00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:55.519
But every time I go, hey, um, so-and-so, I let's push the brakes here a minute.
00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:56.720
Let me dig into this.
00:07:56.879 --> 00:07:58.000
I don't know.
00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:00.319
And he loves the term that I always use.
00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:01.839
I always refer to things as levers.
00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:09.120
We have to be able to make sure that we always are aware of the levers that we have, the levers we don't have, and if we want or need more or less.
00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:20.160
And most of the time, without even being without even having to come back the next time, I'll get a text message or or or some kind of comment being like, nope, Alex, no worries.
00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:21.680
Take it off the table.
00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:22.720
You're right.
00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:30.959
I think that that's the process working, and you know, it's not going to universally work.
00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:36.559
There's gonna be moments when you know human nature gets the better of all of us, and I understand that realities.
00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:53.279
But the reason I brought this all up is because it is when I tie it back to the design and bloom event, that event to me is about relationships within the industry.
00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:59.360
And then I think about this other initiative that I'm currently focusing on to make sure that I'm the guide.
00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:06.639
And I have people, you know, we have the people's trust, the clients' trust, the designers trust, the trades trade partners trust, and all that.
00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:12.559
Business is about relationships and the ability to communicate.
00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:16.000
And the underlying mechanism in all of that is trust.
00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:26.639
But you know, it's not just numbers change orders or budget reports, schedule impact, you know, analysis and all this.
00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:36.720
It it's it's this underland underlying understanding that we are trying to build something special, trying to build something unique.
00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:40.159
And most importantly, we are trying to build a home.
00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:53.200
And I think I think that when I try to communicate to people that I am their guide without saying such, that's the place I actually need to start.
00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:56.320
That's the place I need to get better at at communicating on.
00:09:56.720 --> 00:10:05.519
Uh and those are the kind of clients that I need to be looking to align with, and and frankly, kind of designers um and so forth down the chain.
00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:08.879
And so I don't know, just something that's been on my mind.
00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:17.440
And I I'm sure if anyone journals or anything like I do, sometimes just recording these episodes and getting things off my chest.
00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:30.960
There's probably about 75 of them on my hard drive right now that I will never ever see the light of day, but they were almost therapeutic in a way for me to talk them through, hear myself uh ramble.
00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:35.759
Uh but yeah, that's my thoughts.
00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.840
And uh if you guys are at Design and Bloom, please come say hi.
00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.559
Uh I I if we already know each other, um, amazing.
00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:45.759
Excited to see you again.
00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:58.080
If we don't, please, uh, especially if you listen to the podcast, because the uh I I want to build more momentum behind this and continue to build the community that it's kind of already created for me.
00:10:58.159 --> 00:10:59.919
Um, and I hope for other people as well.
00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:09.440
But just getting that feedback, I can't even tell you for something that doesn't necessarily have high returns or or anything like that, especially on the uh on the accounting books, let's say.
00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:17.840
Just sometimes getting that feedback that there's a level of even small appreciation is uh it matters.
00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:19.360
So thanks.
00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:02.720
Hey everyone.
00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:06.719
Well, this is a little bit of an impromptu episode.
00:00:06.959 --> 00:00:09.759
Um tons of stuff going on.
00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:29.359
I'm sure everyone that listens to this podcast on any bit of a regular basis is very busy themselves and understands that you know, project starting, projects finishing, all of that good fun stuff just makes for sometimes uh certain things to be prioritized or need to be prioritized rather.
00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:32.000
Uh tons of exciting stuff going on.
00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:44.000
Um currently we've got one project finishing, one project in the middle, another project starting, two that are robustly progressing through pre-construction, and then of course there's all the other fun stuff that goes along with that.
00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:51.439
But um, one of the other main things that I did want to give a shout out to is Modern in Denver Design in Bloom.
00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:55.200
We are the title sponsors this year.
00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:57.759
Uh Danny over there.
00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:01.280
Um, just immense amount of appreciation for his perspective on the industry.
00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:03.840
And I I've always appreciated what they're doing there.
00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:08.480
So we have had a great time at the event in the past and decided to be a part of it this year.
00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:10.799
So that event is coming up at the end of this month.
00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:13.760
It is May 28th down at Workplace Resource.
00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:18.159
If you guys haven't gotten tickets already, um they're all online and stuff like that.
00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:20.879
I'm sure you'll be able to find them if you're in the industry.
00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:26.159
Uh we're gonna be doing something a little bit different than I think in the past.
00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:55.280
Uh, just we're just simply trying to let people know what Fern Hell is and what we're trying to accomplish, and the fact that we're proud of it and excited by it, and that there's other people that are proud of it and excited by it, and that the more we feel that we're able to integrate into the community, and I guess the other side of that too is that the more we're welcomed into the community, uh the better Fernhill is, the better the product is, the better the service is.
00:01:55.439 --> 00:02:01.200
And I hope that there's other people involved in this industry or that have interacted with Fernhill that feel the same way.
00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:03.120
So I hope to see everyone there.
00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:08.080
Uh, we're looking forward to it, and uh, I'm sure at the very least it's gonna be a good time.
00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:24.000
So this episode that's kind of impromptu recorded, what I want to talk about is this idea that I've been really aware of, I think, for a long time, but really, really focusing on here in the short term.
00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:34.000
But it's this idea of storytelling and uh, you know, like a story brand that my company needs to be the guide, not the hero in the story.
00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:41.680
And I think that's the case for any company that's involved in a custom home, because in the end, the client has to be the hero.
00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:44.479
That is the way that that story is supposed to go.
00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:48.560
And I think that's that's not an easy thing.
00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:52.960
That you know, there's a reality about these custom homes, and it's not easy.
00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.199
It's not meant to just be a walk in the park.
00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:00.319
It's also not meant to be the world's hardest thing either.
00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:09.120
There's there's different ways of doing this that set people up for success, and there's multiple ways of doing it that set people up for success in the end.
00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:40.080
And one thing that I, in I guess, really trying to spend some time thinking about how to do that, that I've focused on or have come to really believe in, is this ability to create a relationship with a client where they know that there are going to be inevitable moments where you are going to give them information they might not want to hear.
00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:44.319
They might, you know, it's very easy to just tell somebody yes all the time.
00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:50.080
But I've told clients this in the past, and I continue to do so, that if I'm just saying yes to everything, you should be very worried.
00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.080
Um, that's not me doing a good job.
00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:59.439
That's not me managing expectations, that's not me managing uh, you know, the outcome of this project.
00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:05.520
It has to be that when I am suggesting that, hey, we should be doing this, that maybe isn't the ideal option.
00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:15.199
Maybe it's the maybe it's not the fancy faucet or the super fancy millwork detail in the living room or whatever it might be.
00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:28.879
I have to work on educating and developing relationships with clients and designers where when that happens without me saying such, they recognize that that's me doing my job.
00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:35.680
That is me advocating for them to get a product closer to the brief that we established.
00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:45.920
It's it's not me uh trying to control them, it's not me trying to, you know, satisfy one thing in order to compensate on the other, anything like that.
00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:56.800
It it's us as a company taking our expertise within this industry and applying it to the situation in a way that we think benefits that client.
00:04:57.279 --> 00:05:02.240
I think that that's a very much much easier said than done.
00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:18.959
And I think it's also why a lot of our clients that we've had the most successful relationships with tend to have some kind of understanding of project management, business, things like that, that you know uh it's it's the easiest sell in the world for me to tell you that this is gonna be the easiest thing.
00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:25.600
It's gonna take less time than you wanted, and it's probably gonna also cost less time than you or take less time than we wanted it to.
00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:33.839
That that's not setting anyone up for success because I look at how I want these things to end.
00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:38.319
And I I tell this to clients all the time.
00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:48.160
The odds of it being that, you know, there's not a moment or two where you're like, gosh darn it, Fernhell, come on.
00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:49.439
It's probably gonna happen.
00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:51.759
We're gonna be communicating for two, three years.
00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:57.199
And it might not even be that that might even be an emotional reaction that is part of residential construction.
00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:08.560
Um, it's my job to make sure that the communication chains are always there to provide you the information, hold space for those emotions within reason, uh, within professional boundaries, I guess.
00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:17.360
But though it should be that when those moments do come up, though, that you're able to then in turn welcome our input.
00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:19.519
And there's a reality to that.
00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:31.759
You know, say uh, you know, I've had many clients, as I'm sure everyone, where hey, this is not this detail, uh let's let's say it's uh concealed base.
00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:38.720
I don't view that detail as being consistent with the brief of this project.
00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.240
And uh, you know, maybe it's the the budget, frankly.
00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:52.319
And maybe it's not so much that specific item, but I just don't think that that detail translates over a larger scale to be in alignment with that budget and what it means in the long run.
00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:59.839
Clients can still choose that detail within reason.
00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:01.600
I want to make sure that they know what that means.
00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:11.600
Sometimes, you know, if that isn't figured out ahead of time far enough, or if that's a change, you know, that there's real-time impacts and real-time delays that occur as a result of that.
00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:15.759
But, you know, it is their project in the end.
00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:24.399
It's just that I want them to know that when I tell them, hey, I don't think so, that that's why they hired me.
00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:30.399
And I have one client right now that I really appreciate him.
00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:35.439
He is clearly a very intelligent businessman, um, very successful.
00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:47.600
And as we've gone through this process, you know, uh obviously we're creating confidence with each other, him as my client, me as his contractor, um, in tandem with the design, uh, the designer.
00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:55.519
But every time I go, hey, um, so-and-so, I let's push the brakes here a minute.
00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:56.720
Let me dig into this.
00:07:56.879 --> 00:07:58.000
I don't know.
00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:00.319
And he loves the term that I always use.
00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:01.839
I always refer to things as levers.
00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:09.120
We have to be able to make sure that we always are aware of the levers that we have, the levers we don't have, and if we want or need more or less.
00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:20.160
And most of the time, without even being without even having to come back the next time, I'll get a text message or or or some kind of comment being like, nope, Alex, no worries.
00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:21.680
Take it off the table.
00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:22.720
You're right.
00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:30.959
I think that that's the process working, and you know, it's not going to universally work.
00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:36.559
There's gonna be moments when you know human nature gets the better of all of us, and I understand that realities.
00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:53.279
But the reason I brought this all up is because it is when I tie it back to the design and bloom event, that event to me is about relationships within the industry.
00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:59.360
And then I think about this other initiative that I'm currently focusing on to make sure that I'm the guide.
00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:06.639
And I have people, you know, we have the people's trust, the clients' trust, the designers trust, the trades trade partners trust, and all that.
00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:12.559
Business is about relationships and the ability to communicate.
00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:16.000
And the underlying mechanism in all of that is trust.
00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:26.639
But you know, it's not just numbers change orders or budget reports, schedule impact, you know, analysis and all this.
00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:36.720
It it's it's this underland underlying understanding that we are trying to build something special, trying to build something unique.
00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:40.159
And most importantly, we are trying to build a home.
00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:53.200
And I think I think that when I try to communicate to people that I am their guide without saying such, that's the place I actually need to start.
00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:56.320
That's the place I need to get better at at communicating on.
00:09:56.720 --> 00:10:05.519
Uh and those are the kind of clients that I need to be looking to align with, and and frankly, kind of designers um and so forth down the chain.
00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:08.879
And so I don't know, just something that's been on my mind.
00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:17.440
And I I'm sure if anyone journals or anything like I do, sometimes just recording these episodes and getting things off my chest.
00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:30.960
There's probably about 75 of them on my hard drive right now that I will never ever see the light of day, but they were almost therapeutic in a way for me to talk them through, hear myself uh ramble.
00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:35.759
Uh but yeah, that's my thoughts.
00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.840
And uh if you guys are at Design and Bloom, please come say hi.
00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.559
Uh I I if we already know each other, um, amazing.
00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:45.759
Excited to see you again.
00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:58.080
If we don't, please, uh, especially if you listen to the podcast, because the uh I I want to build more momentum behind this and continue to build the community that it's kind of already created for me.
00:10:58.159 --> 00:10:59.919
Um, and I hope for other people as well.
00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:09.440
But just getting that feedback, I can't even tell you for something that doesn't necessarily have high returns or or anything like that, especially on the uh on the accounting books, let's say.
00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:17.840
Just sometimes getting that feedback that there's a level of even small appreciation is uh it matters.
00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:19.360
So thanks.
