I sold my interest in the countertop business after a rough falling out with my business partner.
For those interested in the darker realities of SMB ownership, read on.
Last year I brought on a family member to join the flooring biz, fresh out of college.
Her dad passed away 5 years ago. Since then, I have been acting as a parent/big brother of sorts for her.
From her finances to her life direction, I've been the one she's heavily leaned on.
Oct 19, 2021 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
Notion feels misunderstood.
Yes, it’s a great place for SOPs, wikis and project management. That’s all great.
But to me, the real power is in its easily configurable relational database.
I think of it as a lightweight Salesforce with a better UI. Great for SMBs use cases ⬇️
We track all leads in Notion. Someone walks into the store/calls/etc, we get their info and track their status.
When we go to their job site, we upload pictures to the record.
Commenting great for get real time updates.
Templates make data entry easy with pre-populated fields.
Aug 28, 2021 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
I’ve been light on details of the business, so let’s pop the hood.
- Affordable Flooring Warehouse is based in Steamboat Springs, CO
- it was a family business for 15 years prior to the acquisition ~6 months ago
- most of our business is residential carpet, LVT and tile
- we’re the largest stocking dealer in NW Colorado. This gives us significant purchasing power with our suppliers to offer lower prices to our customers
- we have a large retail showroom in the front, warehouse in the back
May 21, 2021 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Agile methodology is usually thought of as a software development framework, but it has a lot to offer SMBs as well.
A couple thoughts on how Agile can help your team 👇
1 - Write your prioritized backlog.
This exercise forces you to clarify your thinking and stack rank what strategic actions need to be done first.
From there, you can assign tasks to your team with clear requirements, acceptance criteria and definition of done.
Feb 9, 2021 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
Closed on my first SMB!
I'll start with this...this ETA process was absurdly challenging for me.
Moving from a cozy corporate career to this wild west world required tremendous emotional growth, lots of support from loved ones and, looking back on it, a dash of naivete.
Deal summary:
- business is a retail flooring store, providing high quality products and installation services
- largest stocking dealer in geographically protected area
- serves both residential and commercial clients
- ~2.5x SDE + inventory. 80% SBA, 10% seller, 10% equity
- we’re the largest stocking dealer in NW Colorado. This gives us significant purchasing power with our suppliers to offer lower prices to our customers
