What a busy time of year it is for the Grace household and TRG. I have a handful of projects landing all at once, we are closing out the school year, softball is in full swing for both girls, I have been traveling for work, and there does not seem to be enough hours in a day. I took a week off from the blog posts and podcasts to head out of town for the Memorial Day holiday, but we are back at it swinging once again.
I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss my most recent experience in Minneapolis at the Contractor Coalition Summit hosted by Nick, Morgan, and Brad. First off it was great to see so many familiar faces, hang out with Doug from Motif, visit with longtime business partners, and meet dozens of new folks. Morgan, Nick, and Brad have been asking me to get involved with the Coalition for a while now, but with busy lives and schedules it has not come together so seamlessly. This past summit they elected to host a live podcast Q/A with special guests yours truly and Mark from The Curious Builder Podcast, so off to Minnesota I went. Truth be told, I fully intended to head out for the podcast and then head back to town to get back to life, but Morgan forcefully demanded that I spend the weekend and experience the entire event.
Hey, if I am going to be a part of this thing, I need to see what it is all about. Long story short, I am so glad that I did. First off, this event is absolutely legit. It is a production and there is no expense spared. From the day that I arrived to the day that I left I was absolutely spoiled. The good news is that this treatment is not reserved just for me. Everyone who attended the summit received a gift basket, their own room in a luxury hotel, transportation around the city, breakfast, lunch, and dinner (the dinners were in hip new restaurants where the food and atmosphere was phenomenal), and all the business information and conversation that you could ever need! The live podcast also had a charcuterie picnic table (not just a board), passed hors d'oeuvres, open bar, and a live jazz band. There were also photographers and videographers on site the entire summit capturing shared content, interviews, and even headshots!
Let's be honest though; at the end of the day this event is all about the business, the knowledge, the relationships, and the networking. That being said, I have attended many conferences and seminars over the years and they felt like academia. Stuffy hotels, mundane speakers, lack of engagement, crappy food, and people who did not seem thrilled to be attending. The energy at this event was different. People were excited to be there, everyone was engaged, there was no judgment, and the entire experience was truly inspiring. At the end of the event, they asked each attendee to choose one word to describe the event. That was my word…inspiring.
It is so rare to have an opportunity to be in a room with 50 other people who share mutual goals, interests, and aspirations. People with a robust willingness to teach, learn, and listen. The experience is personal and private enough that attendees are not afraid to ask questions, push their ego aside, and be vulnerable. In my opinion, these are the experiences that are truly valuable. The shared mindset allows all of the business owners to fully commit to bettering their processes and elevating the entire industry. It was truly inspiring to be a part of this.
Moving forward I am extremely excited to announce that I will be playing a much larger role in these summits. At first I was unsure of how I fit into the program. What value do I offer? Not in the general sense, but how can my company, my business, and my experience translate to businesses that do 10x the volume of mine and more. How can my mindset and my model benefit not only the attendees, but the other hosts as well? What I have realized over the years is that so many principles within our industry transcend business size and volume. There are lessons and processes that can be taken from my system and applied to Nick’s, Brad’s, or Morgan’s and vice versa. All of our experiences create a dynamic, unique, and comprehensive business perspective that can be infinitely valuable and applicable to any sized business. These summits are not reserved only for elite builders doing tens of millions of dollars in sales annually. They are just as valuable to a small contractor, subcontractor, or designer doing less than 7 figures annually. Every business and every person in our industry would benefit immensely from this experience. I hope that all of you get an opportunity to attend an event like this in the future. I wish I had an opportunity to experience an event like this much sooner than I did.
Boston Contractor Coalition Summit
9/27-9/30
https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/