The gap between exit-ready restoration businesses and eager buyers continues to widen, and a lack of sellable businesses could spin the industry into crisis. But there is good news on the horizon for current owners who focus on six key areas of their companies.

By all means, let your gut lead the way when it comes to establishing your company values, your sense of purpose, and your long-term vision. But for the sake of that beautiful vision, strategize by the numbers.

Rather than begin the hiring process by looking at external factors such as unemployment rates or shifts in the perceived value of secondary education (things outside your control), it would be more beneficial to start the recruiting process by looking internally at both your company’s culture and the company’s leadership (things within your control). Chuck Violand highlights three critical areas to invest in.

R&R is honored to formally celebrate women making strides within their organizations and restoration overall for the seventh consecutive year. This year, 46 impressive women were nominated and one remarkable individual rose to the top.

In this special Ask the Expert episode, Diana Rodriguez-Zaba, president of ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba serving Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, shares her story and insights. She is the winner of R&R’s seventh annual Women in Restoration Award and rose to the top of an impressive list of 46 nominees.

As an employee, trusted advisor or vendor, it is your responsibility to think about how you can complement the owner of your small business to help them grow and succeed in the endeavor they started. Here are six traits commonly observed in small business owners, along with how you can specifically support them with each one. 

Decision-making is one of the most important skills we have as leaders. It is also a skill we need to cultivate in our team members. And yet, most business owners have no strategy in place for analyzing and optimizing their decision-making process. To truly master the art of decision-making, start asking yourself these five questions on a regular basis.

“We have reached an inflection point,” Andrew Zavodney writes. “We can choose to evolve, carefully striking a balance between innovation and margins, or choose complacency, watching operational costs tick upward and diminish earnings. So for those looking to spark positive change across your organization, here are the headwinds that should be on your radar.”

“By setting and sticking to your core values, the culture you have built and the standards for the quality of work you have established won't be compromised by changes to company size and makeup. These simple ideas have guided us as we've grown from a small operation into a national leader in disaster recovery,” Jeff Moore writes.

Is there one leadership style that is better than the other? Which specific leadership style is best for creating a culture that retains employees? Can one have multiple styles at once? In this column, Nicole Humber shares her perspective, and those of her employees, on effective leadership styles.