An Inflation Conversation on the Jobber Masters of Home Service Podcast (Organization Conversation, Episode 61)
Organization Conversation host Richard Grove, who recently made a guest appearance on Adam Sylvester’s Masters of Home Service podcast, is the featured guest on this episode. Richard shares insights aimed at helping entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and home service professionals navigate challenges related to inflation, cost management, and pricing strategies. Key topics discussed include understanding unit economics, negotiating with suppliers, effective pricing models, and improving employee compensation. Listeners are encouraged to leverage creative solutions to maintain profitability and operational efficiency amid rising costs.
The original Masters of Home Service podcast episode featuring Richard can be found by following this link.
Organization Conversation is sponsored by Wall Control. The show is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 Introduction and Welcome to Organization Conversation
00:24 Special Episode Announcement
01:45 Masters of Home Service Podcast Introduction
02:02 Guest Introduction: Richard Grove
03:01 Understanding Your Numbers
06:21 Managing Labor Costs
10:36 Cutting Costs and Pricing Strategies
13:33 Supplier Negotiation Tactics
18:20 Client Communication and Price Increases
23:30 Inflation Outlook and Final Thoughts
26:10 Conclusion and Farewell
Richard Grove, Wall Control
Richard Grove‘s background is in engineering, but what he enjoys most is brand building through relationships and creative marketing. Richard began his career with the Department of Defense as an engineer on the C-5 Galaxy Engineering Team, based out of Warner Robins. While Richard found this experience both rewarding and fulfilling, he always knew deep down that he wanted to return to the small family business that originally triggered his interest in engineering.
Richard came to work for the family business, Dekalb Tool & Die, in 2008 as a Mechanical Engineer. At the time, Wall Control was little more than a small ‘side hustle’ for Dekalb Tool & Die to try to produce some incremental income. There were no “Wall Control” employees, just a small warehouse with a single tool and die maker that would double as an “order fulfillment associate” on the occasion that the original WallControl.com website, which Richard’s grandmother built, pulled in an order.
In 2008, it became apparent that for the family business to survive, they were going to have to produce their own branded product at scale to ensure jobs remained in-house and for the business to continue to move forward. Richard then turned his attention from tool and die to Wall Control to attempt this necessary pivot, and his story with Wall Control began. Since that time, Richard has led Wall Control to significant growth while navigating two recessions.
Outside of Richard’s work at Wall Control, he enjoys helping other business owners, operators, and entrepreneurs along their own paths to success by offering personal business coaching and advice through his website, ConsultantSmallBusiness.com. Richard has developed an expansive and unique skillset, growing and scaling Wall Control through a multitude of challenges to become the successful brand and company it is today. Richard is happy to share his knowledge and experience with others who are looking to do the same within their own businesses.
Connect with Richard:
Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Richard’s Website
Adam Sylvester, Host of Masters of Home Service, and Owner of Charlottesville Gutter Pros and Charlottesville Lawn Care
Adam Sylvester started Charlottesville Lawn Care in 2013 and Charlottesville Gutter Pros in the fall of 2020, in Charlottesville, VA. He likes to say, “I do gutters and grass! When it rains the grass grows and the gutters leak!” He got into owning his own business because he saw it as a huge opportunity to generate great income while living a life that suited him. He believes that small companies can make a serious impact on their communities and on every individual they touch, and he wanted to build a company that could make a big difference. His sweet spot talent is sales and marketing with a strong passion for building a place his team wants to work. Adam values his employees and loves leading people. While operations and efficiency is not something that comes naturally to him, he is constantly working to improve himself and his business in these areas.
About Organization Conversation
Organization Conversation, sponsored by Wall Control, is hosted by Richard Grove and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and others.
About Wall Control
The Wall Control story began in 1968 in a small tool & die shop just outside Atlanta, Georgia. The first of three generations began their work in building a family-based US manufacturer with little more than hard work and the American Dream.
Over the past 50+ years, this family business has continued to grow and expand from what was once a small tool & die shop into an award-winning US manufacturer of products ranging from automobile components to satellite panels and now, the best wall-mounted tool storage system available today, Wall Control.
The Wall Control brand launched in 2003 and is a family-owned and operated business that not only produces a high-quality American-made product but sees the entire design, production, and distribution process happen under their own roof in Tucker, Georgia. Under that same roof, three generations of American Manufacturing are still hard at work creating the best tool storage products available today.
Connect with Wall Control:
