Following the promise of the American Dream, Idan Shpizear traveled from Israel to California with a desire to spread his entrepreneurial wings. As he entered the trades, he soon learned taking flight was not going to be without bumps and bruises. He earned his stripes in carpet cleaning as he and his partner lugged around a portable carpet cleaner in the back of their beat up Volvo. 

He endured, built a business, and scaled 911 Restoration into a rapidly growing franchise. His newly released autobiography encourages entrepreneurs that, “With patience, diligence and passion, you’re bound to discover how much you’re capable of.” 

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Idan recalls the perseverance of his early years, “It was such a fun time, and it was a constant effort to overcome challenges. We had freedom; we had nothing to lose and everything to gain.” As we discuss the paths taken by entrepreneurs, this optimism in the face of adversity is a consistent thread. In Episode 15 of The DYOJO Podcast, Denis Beaulieu shared a similar perspective of no risk, no reward which his mom also presented to him in the question, “What have you got to lose?” 

Going from tradesperson to entrepreneur

Idan shares his experiences as well as his perspectives on building the business you always dreamed about in his book, Get Out of the Truck. In writing the book, his goal is to share the essential lessons that assisted him to get out of the truck both physically and mentally. It is a book for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially tradespeople who dream of hanging their own shingle in the market, by a dreamer who has successfully built one of the fastest growing franchises in the United States. 

The book is a quick read. It was designed to either be read from cover-to-cover or as a resource that can be referred to as a business person goes about their process. Idan also speaks as a leader to other people in a position of leadership, distributing the lessons that he has learned as he built and scaled his property restoration business. Whether you are starting out or taking your organization to the next level, Idan shares, “As you work towards growing your company, don’t lose sight of the numbers. But don’t lose sight of these less tangible objectives either.” 

Constantly developing your skills as a leader

Leaders who are not engaged in their business will struggle to work beyond symptoms to find solutions to their problems. In a poignant moment in the book, Idan notes, “I cannot tell you how many times a business owner has complained to me that business was slow because of the marketing. But then when I called their store, the receptionist was rude, disinterested or unhelpful.” Such a simple truth that can cripple your ability to grow as an organization, which is something we also addressed in Garbage In, Garbage Out.  

You can acquire a copy of Idan’s book, Get Out of the Truck on Amazon as well as read his thoughts on the 911 Restoration Blog. Mr. Shpizear also shares his thoughts on leadership and personal development in his monthly column Fresh Perspective featured in Restoration and Remediation Magazine (R&R).