The Fire Time Podcast
Tim Reed
Are you tired of presentations that are only half relevant to your business? Many speakers are not practitioners of their material, simply teachers—not so with The Fire Time Podcast. This podcast is for the hearth industry and by the hearth industry. Host Tim Reed has over a decade of experience in the hearth industry, making conversations with guests relevant and extremely practical. In Season One, Tim speaks with twelve hearth industry leaders and provides content relevant to any position, whether on the retail or manufacturing side. Hearth companies everywhere are lost because the landscape of business has changed dramatically in the last ten years. They are trying hard, but they just don’t know what to do. The Fire Time Podcast equips hearth companies to win by sharing ideas and innovation from the best minds in our industry. This podcast will give you the tools to move the needle in your company and win in the changing landscape. This podcast is the first of its kind—specific to the business that you work in every day and simple enough to teach you what’s needed to succeed. Do not miss out on The Fire Time Podcast, available for Apple and Droid devices or at www.itsfiretime.com/podcast. The simple and repeatable steps provided will empower you to grow the bottom line of your company and inspire the team that you lead. ABOUT: Tim Reed is the Retail Sales Leader at Fireside Home Solutions in the Pacific Northwest where he helps his team members make it so stupidly easy to buy from them that there is no excuse not to. Starting as individual salesperson in an empty warehouse, he has grown Fireside’s Retail division by millions (after cutting his marketing budget by 90%). Tim has been invited all over the country to teach companies how to market effectively to their customers and sell more than ever before. His YouTube videos, sales blog, and “Fire Time Podcast” have become a resource for the industry and are actively helping thousands of people rethink their paradigms so that they can grow their businesses in the changing landscape. Tim learned “just enough to be dangerous” about sales, marketing, web development, and leadership from years of playing guitar in a failing punk band—which he swears has uniquely qualified him for his job today. Now considered one of the most innovative minds and compelling communicators in the industry, Tim uses his platform to serve others, helping them create clear messages that are wildly compelling to their audiences. Tim lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Jessica, two children, Olivia and Luke, and his 90 pound Golden Retriever, Walter. He still plays guitar in a failing punk band. CONTACT: tim@itsfiretime.com | www.itsfiretime.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 4, 2020 • 1h 23min
Marketing - Building a Winning Hearth Company (8 of 8)
Most hearth companies today are drowning in the rising costs of advertising with no one to help them. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to get the results that you want while, all the while, advertisement costs continue to skyrocket. In today's episode, we close our series on the eight departments of a winning hearth business by talking with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's) about marketing. The truth is that marketing should be a faucet to your customers that you control, not a blackhole that your dollars go into never to be seen again. If this sounds like the world you’ve been living in then this episode could change the trajectory of your business. In this conversation, learn:
The difference between Branding and Marketing (and why it matters)
Why most companies miss the boat when it comes to their message (this is a big deal)
A real-life case study that saved thousands in marketing costs (and doubled sales at the same time)
Don’t go another day flushing away your hard earned dollars because you don’t have a marketing strategy in place. Rather, take control of your marketing, create a message that’s compelling to your customers, and grow your company like never before. Falco's #SpokaneRises Video: https://youtu.be/o2RnZShihoY To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jul 28, 2020 • 57min
Showroom - Building a Winning Hearth Company (7 of 8)
Every retailer in our industry is looking for ways to grow sales. While it can be useful to think about marketing spends and sales initiatives, improving your showroom is low hanging fruit that offers a huge payoff. In today's conversation, we sit down with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's) to talk about what a showroom needs to have in order to succeed. Don't miss this! Most showrooms in our industry are setting customers up for indecision and confusion. This conversation will cover:
Why investing in your showroom is a top priority for any business (even if you don't think it needs it)
What your daily checklist needs to look like in order to keep things on point (and who's responsibility it is)
How your fireplaces should be arranged to make it easy for customers to buy from you (this is a game changer)
Taking your showroom to the next level will set you apart from everyone else and help your customers feel secure buying from you. It can seem intimidating, but like anything, consistent effort over time will move the needle. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jul 21, 2020 • 49min
Support Staff - Building a Winning Hearth Company (6 of 8)
Want to know the secret to running a smooth business? Have a great support staff! Many business owners today are running around with a fire extinguisher looking for the next blaze to put out rather than working on the things needed to grow the business. Building up your Support Staff is the key to streamlining your systems and processes and allowing leaders to get above the fray and see what's really going on. In today's conversation, we sit down with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's) to iron out exactly what's needed to create a top tier support staff. In this conversation learn: How the support staff is critical to getting a handle on what's going on in your business What kinds of metrics you need the support staff to collect for you on a weekly basis Why it's worth it to invest in a non-revenue generating department Don't miss this conversation... Understanding how to structure your support staff is what helps build a business that you can steer—instead of being dragged behind. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jul 14, 2020 • 44min
Grounds & Warehouse - Building a Winning Hearth Company (5 of 8)
Everyone is looking for an edge today, but the truth is that many retailers in our industry are running so fast that the little things (that make them money) are being left behind. In today's episode, we address department number 4 (of 8) on your route to building a winning hearth company: Grounds & Warehouse. Now, most business leaders don't think of Grounds & Warehouse as a department in their company (alongside of Sales and Marketing), but they couldn't be more wrong. We sat down with Grant Falco (Falco's | Spokane, WA) to lay out a roadmap to turn this into a major profit center. In this conversation:
Learn how to create a "grounds list" that buys back your time (and grows accountability)
Understand why making a utility hire is a necessity for every business (most people miss it)
Learn a simple framework for warehouse organization that will revolutionize your inventory process (and save you a ton of money)
Stop losing on the first impression with your customers! Taking advantage of this system will set you up to win longterm and run a business with way less stress longterm. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jul 7, 2020 • 46min
Service - Building a Winning Hearth Company (4 of 8)
If you're looking to grow your business in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, you've got to be taking service seriously. For many companies, service is a necessary evil that they offer with gritted teeth (because they feel that they have to), while for others, it's a profit center that leads to repeat business and customers for life. What's the difference? Intentionality. In today's conversation, we sit down with Grant Falco (Falco's | Spokane, WA) to dive deep on what it takes to grow a winning service department. In this episode: Understand why many companies fail when it comes to running a service department Learn the first three metrics to track on your service scoreboard Settle the debate on charging per hour or flat rate Don't sleep on this conversation—now more than ever service is what will keep businesses afloat in the coming months. You can transform your service calls from nails on a chalkboard to marketing that pays you by putting these principles in place. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jun 30, 2020 • 1h 9min
Installation - Building a Winning Hearth Company (3 of 8)
Companies in our industry are losing money every day because of second trips and call backs on installations. You know it shouldn’t be this hard, but it seems to happen over and over again. In today's episode, we sat down with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's) to discuss what it takes to build out an installation department that takes your company to the next level. If this sounds like your world then this conversation could change everything. In this episode: Learn to set up the processes that your business needs to eliminate wasted return trips on installations Understand how to grow a culture of accountability with your team that is bigger than any one person Learn how to structure regular meetings so no job falls through the cracks Stop bleeding money with return trip after return trip, rather, take control of your team, raise the quality of your work, blow your customer’s expectations out of the water, and make a ton of money along the way. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jun 23, 2020 • 47min
Sales - Building a Winning Hearth Company (2 of 8)
In today's market it's absolutely critical that you have an effective sales team. The problem is that most companies don't provide their team the tools needed to succeed and, as a result, the team stays "busy" doing things that aren't relevant to their job (which is selling). In today's conversation, we sit down with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's | Spokane, WA) to talk about the tools that every leader needs to provide their sales team in order for them to win. In this conversation: Learn why creating a sales process helps a team member sell more than ever before Understand how to keep a team focused on their best opportunities with a weekly game plan Learn to master a cadence of regular meetings that keep your team fixed on the prize The success of your sales team should never be left to the whims of someone's natural skillset. Instead, providing structure for a team to thrive within will unlock potential in your team members that you never knew was there and empower them to get the results that they have always wanted. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime
Jun 16, 2020 • 54min
Leadership - Building a Winning Hearth Company (1 of 8)
Everyone is looking to build a winning business, but the question is where do you start? Over the next eight episodes of the podcast, Tim Reed and Grant Falco will outline how to build out the departments necessary to running a winning hearth company—and the first department is Leadership. Most companies fail when it comes to motivating their team members because they don't have an effective leadership model for their business. In this conversation:
Understand how setting goals is the foundation of leadership in any company (and why your team needs to know them as well)
Learn how to communicate with your team effectively (to keep them engaged and inspired)
Understand why building team scoreboards is absolutely critical (this will keep your team aligned like nothing else )
Stop running your company on auto-pilot! Now, more than ever, your team members need leaders to follow. Putting this content to use is the start of building an incredible business that leads the way during a time of crisis. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime
Jun 9, 2020 • 3min
Blackout
Jun 2, 2020 • 1h 23min
Bill Lentz - The Legacy of Tom Pugh
If you've been in the fireplace business for any amount of time, then the name Tom Pugh (1952-2012) should mean something to you... He's the man who invented the clean face fireplace, created HPBA's Government Affairs Academy in Washington, D.C., and helped hearth dealers across the country grow profitably with his playbook: "Blueprint for Success". Tom was someone who could see further down the road than anyone else at the time. He was relentless about understanding what needed to be done and taking action when no one else wanted to rock the boat—something that our entire industry owes him a debt of gratitude for. In today's episode, we sit down with Bill Lentz (Owner & President, Pugh & Associates) to get an insider's perspective on Tom Pugh's life and legacy. This conversation will: Reveal the motivation behind Tom's relentless work ethic Explain how he saw things differently than anyone else at the time Expose what we all need to be thinking about in the midst of today's disruption Don't miss this opportunity to learn about a legend in our industry from a legend in our industry. Instead, get the confidence you need to do what needs to be done and live into the legacy that Tom Pugh started all those years ago. To support the podcast financially, check out our patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime
