EP99 Branden Sewell’s 4 Month Biz Turnaround
Intro:
On this episode of DYB Podcast, Branden Sewell shares how he turned his business sound in just 4 short months by discontinuing to pay for leads and implementing the DYB system.
He unpacks his takeaways from Extreme Ownership and Thou Shall Prosper, and how he overcame his scarcity mindset around money.
They share how he transitioned from a subcontracting model to an employee model and the importance of culture and values in their business.
Finally, he shares his journey of taking care of their health and fitness and how it has helped sharpen their leadership skills.
WATCH HERE:
LISTEN HERE:
LINKS:
Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve
Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?
TRANSCRIPT
00:00.00
dybsteve
What happened?
00:02.97
Branden Sewell
So it’s funny see if I started my business in 2017 and initially we were just going to be a painting company right? That was our focus and then we got caught up into this like um, you know the the pool of like oh. A customer might say like hey could you do this and we’re like um, yeah, we can do that and so we had this 1 job where this customer asked us if we could do tile floor through their whole first floor of their home and we’re like yeah of course we could do that. So um, at the time. We we are actually running a subcontractor model. So funny I mean this is not really funny. it’s it’s awful but it was a learning experience. My business partner sub the job out to a guy who stubbed the job out to a guy.
00:53.45
dybsteve
Um, one.
00:56.88
Branden Sewell
And the guy that he sub the job like our subcontractor who subbed the job out that guy hired a bunch of people off Craigslist to do the tile floors while he demanded from our subcontractor to get paid up front.
01:06.25
dybsteve
Yeah, oh.
01:14.51
Branden Sewell
So our subcontratractor paid that guy upfront and he disappeared left the the people who um were hired from Craigslist on the job they were showing up. They’re like you know where’s that guy at where.
01:20.12
dybsteve
Um, oh.
01:30.96
Branden Sewell
How are you going to get paid. We’re like what like it just turned into a whole thing I was there until like 3 4 in the morning tiling myself trying to get this job done. Customer was like super upset with the whole situation. Ended up losing a lot of money and one of the biggest things that I learned from that experience was just stick to 1 thing like stick to what you know stick to what you’re good at um, it can be enticing to like get pulled off into those other things but it was ah it was a learning experience for sure.
02:04.78
dybsteve
Ouch oh my goodness. So a subcontractor subjected to a subcontractor who I heard people off of Craigslist demanded being paid up front bailed. Ah.
02:09.21
Branden Sewell
Um I want have.
02:13.85
Branden Sewell
Yeah, it was a mess.
02:17.92
dybsteve
Ouch, yeah so I can see we’re kind of like you know it’s still hurts. It’s still not funny. Yeah I need more time. It’s funny. It was so painful. Yeah yeah I get I get it.
02:21.63
Branden Sewell
Yeah, yeah, it’s like even that town like I associate that town with that job and I like don’t want to do any work there.
02:35.63
dybsteve
And been there the scars right? Oh gosh. Yeah oh man well to our listeners and our viewers hello and welcome back to the dyb podcast today’s guest is from Titusville Orlando area Florida owner of Sewelal painting Brandon Sewell
02:36.30
Branden Sewell
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was. It was tough tough lesson to learn.
02:53.85
Branden Sewell
Thank you so much.
02:54.35
dybsteve
Welcome to the show. My friend take us back to the beginning. How did you get started.
03:00.91
Branden Sewell
So um, back when I was 14 I actually met this guy who owned a painting company and he lived up in in Baltimore. Um I actually worked at a church with him. Okay, and and he was my supervisor. Um. He ended up leaving from there about a year before I did and then this was fast forward this was around the time I was eighteen nineteen years old he left before I did a year later I left I ended up reconnecting with him and I actually came to work for him and his painting company up in in Baltimore. And um, started out just doing like admin sale or eventually transitioned into sales and things like that. So sold for him when he recruited me. Um I had been working for a really big multi-million dollar company up in. And maryland that did roofing siding windows doors and all of that and that company was planning to have me go become a marketing director for their new office in new jersey and um, you know mike.
04:13.71
Branden Sewell
Tried to recruit me and I was like yes, but if you recruit me in 5 years I want to be able to either start my own location or have you help me go out and start my own business. So we agreed to that and actually just about ten or eleven months in ah to working with him my wife and I actually decided that we were going to be moving from Maryland to Florida um, to actually help with starting a church and I told Mike I was going to be leaving and he’s like well we’ll just fast forward the process we’ll help you start the business down there. And so that’s that’s really how I got started. We initially started in like a partnership with him and then transitioned out of that now I just own my company a hundred percent
05:03.46
dybsteve
But so what year was this that you came down to Florida say came down Florida I feel like I’m still there went down to Florida. Okay, so you got started and um.
05:03.80
Branden Sewell
2017 yeah all August of 2017 is when we got started.
05:16.35
dybsteve
You You guys started to build a business and it’s very different from what you have going now. So walk us through that please.
05:21.28
Branden Sewell
Yeah, so the way that I started out in the contracting space was how I was taught which was basically sub everything out. You know it was like a cash flow sales machine on my end and then.
05:38.38
Branden Sewell
You know you just subcontract all the work out and so we came down here. We um, you know hit the ground running we did about just shy of 500000 in revenue our first year in business. Um, and but what I really wrestled with with that business model was. Just not really having the control of the results that I wanted um like the culture in the company. Um, the customer service who was showing up. Um and all of those things. So um, just made the decision to transition and you know. Switch to a different type of model for my business.
06:19.30
dybsteve
So what does it look like today?
06:23.50
Branden Sewell
Ah, so today. Ah you know we run an employee model. So right now I’ve got ah 5 painters that are out in the field that’s 2 crews one of 3 and 1 of 2 guys. Um, and you know I’m not sure if you plan to. Hit on this but we’re kind of rebuilding from last year so last year I had 11 employees. Um, we were on pace to hit a million plus in revenue and just hit a hiccup in the road. That’s when I found dyb and now we’re rebuilding but it’s so much.
06:44.30
dybsteve
Um.
06:59.39
Branden Sewell
Healthier than it was before um and there’s so much that I’ve learned in Doib to even just get us to where we are now. Um, and yeah, it’s it’s a night and day difference.
07:13.69
dybsteve
Thank you I appreciate that can you share for those. Ah just to give context now those are do I know what you’re talking about but many of our listeners are are not or haven’t joined you yet. So what’s the difference between what it used to be like and some of the changes you’ve made today.
07:29.40
Branden Sewell
Yeah, so previously. Um I took some of the things that I learned from marketing and the other model. Ah which was using lead services now when you’re.
07:42.35
Branden Sewell
Doing like the subcontracting model that that works I guess because you’re just selling sell sell sell and you’re not as concerned about the production you just deal with the problems as they come. But anyway so we were just when we switched over to the employee model we were still purchasing leads wasting thousands of dollars I mean anywhere between 4000 to $6000 a month. Ah just for buying leads and so last year you know I have all of these guys. All of this staff. That’s our main source of business was at the time thumbtack.
08:22.10
Branden Sewell
And we’re spending a ton of money in that and then around the may timeframe things just like completely slowed down. But since I didn’t have I didn’t have a lot of focus on you know, the relationship-driven and network-driven marketing and building relationships and all that. Um, like the aba style of things. Um, when those when the when things slowed down and leads started getting really bad. Everything just kind of like crashed and um so the biggest change that I made was I remember my first phone call with you.
09:00.70
Branden Sewell
The very first advice you gave me as you said stop paying for those junk leads and I was terrified because I was like that’s like been our main source of business but I knew um that I had to listen to what you were telling me if I was going to be successful. So I turned it off and I started following the Abas.
09:19.29
Branden Sewell
And just turn things around super quick I remember I even told you I said um Steve do you think I can turn this around in four to six months because if I can’t I’m done and you’re like I think you can do it if you lean in you follow the system you can do this, you got this and so I was like okay Steve.
09:35.90
dybsteve
And you do it? yeah.
09:38.13
Branden Sewell
Let’s let’s do this and ah you know I did I just I really leaned into the abas and you know whatever I wasn’t doing I just tick those little things off and hustled and you know here I am today you know six seven months later and it’s just. Completely different. Oh yeah, for sure.
09:57.53
dybsteve
Complete turnaround right? Yeah well done and way to implement I’ve done a fantastic job along this. What do? What do you? Think’s been one of the ah main paradigm shifts for you to help you to switch you know, make this turnaround just as big What you’ve done is. Fantastic.
10:15.15
Branden Sewell
Um, it may sound really simple. But I think it was just getting over the mindset that that buying leads and everything was the only way to have enough business. You know to like.
10:28.71
dybsteve
Um.
10:29.64
Branden Sewell
Keep my guys busy and keep getting business I mean I had to really fight to overcome that mentality of like oh that’s the only way that I can stay busy and I remember even early On. Um, you know because ah like the beginning you know it was just yeah, it was slow and then I had to really build that momentum again. But um, there were you know couple weeks where it was tempting. It was like you know, no leads are coming in I’m like.
11:01.59
Branden Sewell
If I just threw you know a thousand dollars in thumbtack I’d get some leads but then I remembered um you know, just thinking to myself and through your training is like by taking on those. Not you know 3 P’s Clients um I was potentially losing out on the ones that were and so by getting like letting my anxiety and my mindset get the best of me you know I could have potentially been missing out on that next. Best job. You know when they called and it’s that 3 piece client. It’s like well sorry I’m busy with this. Cd client. You know? and um, so anyway, it’s just that was probably 1 of the biggest things I had to overcome in my mindset.
11:48.95
dybsteve
The implementation of what has made the biggest change along the way.
11:56.10
Branden Sewell
Really following the abas you know going to b and I I remember that was one of the first things you told me to do so I joined b and I started going to that every week. Um.
12:11.28
Branden Sewell
Changing up I had been doing um like thank you cards and send out cards before but they were very like sales driven or constantly offering a discount. Um not building relationship and so um, just the approach was different and so when I started to.
12:14.90
dybsteve
And.
12:30.81
Branden Sewell
Lean into um your system when I would send those cards I would send them to build relationship and stay top of mind instead of trying to sell something or give a discount. Um, you know when we were sent we sent. We’ve done newsletters all the time. But.
12:49.60
Branden Sewell
Those newsletters were always hey here’s this discount. Please you know, get on our schedule before and it was just totally now our newsletters are just building relationship. It’s telling people who we are and letting them into our lives and.
12:59.13
dybsteve
No.
13:05.52
Branden Sewell
Ah, that’s been a ah huge change for us and um, you know, really just focusing on building relationships and connections and switching to um, you know, relying on those really.
13:21.49
Branden Sewell
Valuable relationships to get the referrals and business that we really want.
13:21.70
dybsteve
And you’ve done a great job of staying top of mind as well and for ah the listeners who might not be aware abas stand for ads that look like anything but advertising which is yes to. But 6 in the system do I b system. So fantastic culture. What what part does culture play in the business that you’re building this this time around.
13:51.89
Branden Sewell
Yeah, culture has always been huge for me and really important I Think that’s why the other business model didn’t really work for me because I felt like I couldn’t build the culture that I Wanted. Um. And so that’s that’s really big for me in um, having um you know clear values as a business a clear mission statement as a business and passing that down to my guys is like I think very foundational to that.
14:25.70
Branden Sewell
Um, making sure that they understand like who we are what we stand for what’s most important to us and why we do what we do, You know? It’s not just about putting pain on walls but we want to have a positive impact on people’s lives and we do that Through. Handling ourselves with excellence How we treat one another how we treat our clients and our community and that’s that’s really what drives me as far as our culture and having guys on bringing guys in that understand that you know that are coming to work for more than just putting pain on walls.
15:00.32
dybsteve
Right? on right on books are important. What are some books that have made an impact on you.
15:10.16
Branden Sewell
Um, for me and my ah journey as a business owner. My favorite book has been probably extreme ownership by Jocko willing. Um, just.
15:25.60
Branden Sewell
Helping me to understand that at the end of the day. It’s on me, you know the results that I get um the direction that my business goes I have to take ownership and um, you know I read that a few years ago. And the principles of that book have I actually read that book before I started my business but it’s really just helped me to offer great customer service. It’s helped me in moments of failure to really be able to fix the problem because I’m not trying to blame shift or. You know, trying to say like oh this is somebody else, but just you know, being able to take ownership so that would be 1 um, another book that ah has been pretty big game changer for me is actually the the one that you just recommended.
16:19.30
Branden Sewell
Not too long ago. Thou Shalt Prosper Um, really helping me shift my mindset on money I came from a family that struggled financially growing up. Um, you know, living in hotels and.
16:21.48
dybsteve
Um.
16:36.63
Branden Sewell
I’ve moved over 50 times in my life and been homeless and all of those things and so money has always been like something that I’ve wrestled with and having like a scarcity mindset and so this this book has really been helping me to like change the way I look at that. So.
16:55.57
dybsteve
Right on so thou shalt prosper by Rabbi Daniel Le Pen big book. But it’s it’s great and that’s powerful that was recommended to me by ah Bob Berg that was the second book he recommended and so it was a game changer for me too because we come up with those those. Ah.
16:56.26
Branden Sewell
That’s huge.
17:03.21
Branden Sewell
Um, yeah, it’s It’s awesome.
17:13.93
dybsteve
Incorrect Beliefs about money you know and you know a lot of them were from ah church and Hollywood you know, Um, if we’re you know for being transparent and so it’s it was eyeopening for me too. What what? what part.
17:16.65
Branden Sewell
Um, rain.
17:20.64
Branden Sewell
Come right.
17:27.30
Branden Sewell
Yeah.
17:32.70
dybsteve
Does marriage and health play into whole success for you.
17:38.13
Branden Sewell
Ah, for me, it’s super important I guess I’m just the kind of person that feels like as a business owner I’m a leader and as a leader I have an obligation to ah lead in all areas of my life. Um, and so I feel. Like being in the position that I’m in I need to be able to um, represent myself. Well and part of that is like having a great marriage you know investing in that and having a marriage that you know my guys people around me can look up to and. Um, so that’s that’s huge for me and of course with like health and fitness. Um you know I just I feel like you know we’ve been given this life. We’ve been given um breath today and it’s like I want to steward that well and take care of my body and um I feel like. It takes discipline and consistency to do that which helps sharpen my leadership. Um, you know I’ve been on like a 2 year journey of getting back into shape and taking care of myself and um, really when I started to do that. Um. Things shifted for me and in my business and it’s I start every day in the gym five o’clock and I wake up early between four 4 30 a m and just that discipline and that consistency it helps me to set the tone for my day.
19:13.57
Branden Sewell
Like okay I did that it was hard I’ve been disciplined and consistent with this I can take on this business.
19:19.00
dybsteve
Um, right on where does your drive come from.
19:24.61
Branden Sewell
Um, I think really my drive comes from my childhood. Um, you know I grew up single mom Dad wasn’t around struggled financially. Um you know just had it had pretty tough time and um so I just knew when I.
19:28.40
dybsteve
Um.
19:41.85
Branden Sewell
Was older I wanted to provide a different life for my family and um, you know I’ve got a 3 year old son now and so I want to be able to be that example that I wish I had you know, um, growing up and.
20:00.21
Branden Sewell
Um, to show him. You know what it means to be a leader to be a good husband to serve your community and all of those things. Um, that’s really what drives me.
20:09.58
dybsteve
Right on Tech stack. What does your tech stack look like.
20:16.30
Branden Sewell
Oh man. Um, so um, first off, you know we we use jobber for everything like from ah our scheduling estimates. That’s where we bring all of our leads in. Um. Client database and then that’s where we do our quotes schedule jobs invoicing customers pay through their job. Followup. All of that’s in there so use that kind of for like managing the the jobs and the team. Um for the production. Then we also use basecamp we use basecamp for more of like internal management of jobs and the production. So um, every single job has its own project. So like any type of um. Concerns or complaints or issues. Whatever that is associated with that job goes there and it’s just a great place to keep all communication in 1 place. Um, we also use. Nice job. Ah, for getting reviews which is connected with jobber so that’s been huge for us in getting more reviews. Um, we we use send out cards for sending out automated. Um, thank you cards to customers when jobs are done.
21:45.93
Branden Sewell
Um, yeah I think that’s that’s pretty much it for our tech stack.
21:50.95
dybsteve
That’s awesome now. Jobber has been such an influence on you that you’ve become a brand partner with them is that correct. Okay, so does that mean you might have a ah a special free trial link that we could ah post in the notes for everybody.
21:55.22
Branden Sewell
That is correct. Yeah.
22:06.10
Branden Sewell
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Um, it’s also in my social media there for people if they want to try it out.
22:11.55
dybsteve
Okay, all right, very cool. Well before we roll out Brandon what is there a question I should have asked or a final point. You’d like to make.
22:21.58
Branden Sewell
Um, just a final point that I would like to make is that um I wish I would have started coaching sooner as a business owner you know so I just want to say? Thank you to you and what you do.
22:35.51
Branden Sewell
Um, and just encourage anyone who may be watching this who hasn’t hired a coach um to hire a coach. Um, it’s it’s an investment. It’s going to like I said I I was able to turn my business around in four to six months from like a very bleak. Um.
22:55.00
Branden Sewell
You know existence and so um, yeah, just hire a coach. Don’t wait. It’s definitely worth it.
23:00.97
dybsteve
Awesome! Fantastic! Thank you very much Brandon if they would like to follow up and reach out to you. What’s the best way somebody could contact you.
23:07.62
Branden Sewell
I would say the best way is my Instagram I’m very active on there so you can just look me up. It’s brandon b RANDENSoulSEWELL thank you so much Steve take care.
23:18.70
dybsteve
Fantastic! Thank you very much Brandon.