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You're only as good as your group chat: Episode 63
104 Plays14 days ago
Nate's on location this week and he and Kyle are talking about industry evolution, their group chats, and not racing to the bottom. Short and sweet! Check it out.
This episode is brought to you by Anchor Clear Span Tents & Structures, learn more at www.anchorinc.com.
PS, if you want to join ARA and you tell them you heard about it from Nate and Kyle, you'll get 25% off your membership! https://ararental.org/join-ARA/promo/Podcast25
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction and Personal Updates
00:00:02
Speaker
I'm a train rental man. I'm working all day. Getting mistakes in the ground no matter what they say. From sunrise to the night make sure everything's right.
00:00:14
Speaker
Yeah, I'm a train rental man. I'm working all day.
00:00:19
Speaker
We're back again with another episode of Under the Vinyl, Manage Fit Media Podcast. Oh, man. i had I forgot how to do this, Nate. I had there number to remember how to read this for a minute. It's been a while since ARA, but Kyle, are you doing, man?
00:00:32
Speaker
It's good. It's great to see you, Nate. You know, I saw that beautiful picture of you and your wife the other day. You look so good with that beard. You kind of look like the guy from Hunger Games, though. Hey, you know, I'm just trying to keep up with my wife. That's all.
00:00:44
Speaker
Trying to keep up with my wife. So you got to do. but Yeah, that was a great event. That was
Sponsorship Highlight: Anker Tents & Clear Spans
00:00:49
Speaker
fun. Just in time for me to jump on a plane and head to Houston to help our good buddy Darren Randall out down here.
00:00:56
Speaker
Um, their bodies yeah yeah, something like that. I'll tell you, I'm ready to get my ass home though. It's, uh, been a week of nothing but, uh, weather. It's either been corn down rain or absolutely humid as hell.
00:01:11
Speaker
So I'm currently sitting in a pool house where it's 80 degrees. Um, And yeah, so love you, Darren. Thank you. This episode of Under the Vinyl is brought to you by Anker Tents & Clear Spans, a fifth generation family owned company making tents and clear span structures right here in the USA.
00:01:27
Speaker
Anker isn't just about selling the best products on the market. They share decades of experience and stand beside you as you grow your business. Anker's craftsmanship and engineering give you a peace of mind and will allow you to use the equipment for years to come, season after season.
00:01:39
Speaker
For the next generation of rental owners and installers, Anchor aims to not just be your supplier, but a trusted partner helping guide you into the right products to grow your business. Call to be connected to your sales rep today, 1-800-544-4445, or visit their website
00:01:56
Speaker
Hey, if you if you see him today, which you probably won't because I don't think he comes to job sites very often. Can you remind him that he owes L&A some barbecue for the Super Bowl? I heard that. something Something about the Patriots or something Brian said?
00:02:10
Speaker
Yeah, he he put some money on it. He offered us free barbecue that he'd send out of the warehouse for the guys. He still hasn't done it. just and that Love
Challenges in Hiring and Logistics
00:02:18
Speaker
that. Well, Kyle, what you got going on these days? What's going on up in the North?
00:02:23
Speaker
ah 10 seasons finally here. H2B guys came in this week. I had an interesting Monday morning trying to pick them up from the airport, you know, trying to get 20 guys through the airport. Luckily, I know some Spanish, but I was definitely getting some looks wondering why i was hurting them through an airport, but it's good. It's always... ah chaos the next day when they actually come to work when you go from like 10 employees to 35 guys you're in charge of yeah but we're surviving we got some work to do i hit the road tomorrow down to virginia for a job very nice so yeah so you got all your guys in you end up getting everybody like everyone's here thank god was there a process that uh had to kind of derail that for a little while or were you were you fully confident you were getting everybody
00:03:11
Speaker
You know, you're always skeptical for a while because you're trusting a lottery and the U.S. government to give you what you need. But I've been pretty certain now for like six weeks that they were coming. So it's been good.
00:03:24
Speaker
The process was much slower this year than it has been in the past. So usually they're here April 1st and now we're they got in April 20th. So it's not the end of the world. you plan for that? But it could be scary.
00:03:37
Speaker
but I know at one point you were just praying that you would get them in general. I think yeah you thought you weren't going get anybody. So at least you got them right. Yeah. I had backup plans in place already. That's the, Hey, in this business, you have to plan for everything.
00:03:52
Speaker
I mean, we've had some jobs that have been coming together on a Wednesday and deployed on a Monday and we're hurting everybody together. So we've made happen. So shout out to some these labor companies and everybody else that are willing to jump right in.
00:04:05
Speaker
What do you, uh, let's talk about how you're looking.
Shifts in Booking Trends and Inventory Management
00:04:11
Speaker
You know, anyone you see on these Facebook groups, everyone's all my bookings are out. My bookings are out. but I'm not saying that lie.
00:04:20
Speaker
okay that's I don't. I don't. I think I'm sorry. And maybe na it's because you and I deal with bigger tickets. I'm seeing people looking at dollars and cents a lot more now.
00:04:34
Speaker
they're They're trying to cut back where they can. um I don't think it's going to be a banner year. I think it's just going to be a normal year. So I'm just going to try my best to track overtime and things like that because that's where you can really lose your butt on things.
00:04:49
Speaker
but Yeah, yeah. Yeah, i feel like that's kind of where we're at. We got ah we got a good year ahead. Everything's looking pretty good. The books are pretty full. We can definitely take take on some more work, as we always do. You're going to take those last-minute jobs. But I feel like that the way that the trends are going are everything's becoming more last-minute, and last-minute in the way of...
00:05:08
Speaker
a month out, maybe two months out, not eight months. I mean, we beat this horse up before on other podcasts, but I feel like everything is coming together quicker and faster, but larger. So it's these large events, but they're coming together really fast. Um, so I mean, I'm kind of, I'm kind of at that point too, where I feel like is, uh, you know, is it going to banner year? I don't, I think we'll do pretty damn good, but I think that could be better. We're just not necessarily,
00:05:37
Speaker
We're not necessarily there yet, but it's gonna be a lot of last minute stuff. Yeah. And you know what? It leaves you the availability to do that work as long as you have the crew and the product. So that's always a good thing or have friends with it.
00:05:49
Speaker
That's what matters. Well, i think the biggest thing is having the product, right? And so for us, i mean, that's why we're able to, ah it's really funny, actually on this job that I'm currently at right now, the planner said, hey, can you jump on this podcast with me
Industry Insights: Safety and Career Progression
00:06:02
Speaker
real quick?
00:06:02
Speaker
I would love to talk to you about what you do, which is really ironic. And so I started, I got over there and he's been the microphone on. I was like, well, this is normal. I said, i we should just cut your tape and put it on my podcast so we can just keep everything recorded.
00:06:16
Speaker
And she was like, hey, we can do that. She goes, you have a podcast? And telling her a little bit about our industry as a whole because this planner works a lot in this industry with a lot of the lot of bigger companies and things. She's very high end. And she was saying that um she they didn't quite understand the industry as a whole. So I was telling her a little bit of how do we got the safety initiative going on and how we're pushing the safety and the quality and trying to push us more into career.
00:06:41
Speaker
And they had no idea and they were mind blown by that. And just ah all the years that they've been working on this and yeah she started. Well, Nate, look at us right now. Yeah.
00:06:52
Speaker
you and You and I are both sitting here in safety vests. Five years ago, that'd never be a thing. No, not at all. Not at all. Um, and it's just ironic that, you know, they, these people don't know they don't understand it. And what we do, I like this job that we're currently doing, our guys are busting their ass and it's been, um, Should been about seven-day project. They were probably going to finish in fives and everything had to be craned in over a roof and there's some other logistical nightmares. But, you know, we were able to get it done. And that just goes to show you what these guys are capable of and how this is more of a career and how it is a specialty-driven industry and not just a job. I mean, these guys are out here busting ass and pouring down rain all day long. Yeah.
00:07:40
Speaker
And i was right there with them and they didn't say word not complaining one time that they were soaking wet and when it was pouring all day on Tuesday and Monday. So just going to show you like these guys are not afraid to get it done.
00:07:52
Speaker
We just got to get the pay scale where it needs to be. That's the hardest part. Well, yeah, it comes with being able to charge what we should be able to charge, which we all know that. Well, and I think they're we're slowly moving in that direction a little bit, but I think that, yeah, being able to charge, you need to charge, especially stuff on the fly. Like, you know, the inventory that we have is not everybody has it, um, unless you're one of these huge companies. Um, and I mean, we all know these really huge companies, right.
00:08:18
Speaker
And we're kind of in that niche. group where where we're not that really big company, but we're not that really small company, but we have the inventory like the big companies. So we're able to
The Power of Industry Collaborations
00:08:27
Speaker
big brother. And that's what I was kind of telling them on the podcast is Chattanooga is really good at big brothering.
00:08:31
Speaker
And in that way of, hey, I need this. Do you have the labor or can you just send all the product and a and a project manager? We just did the NFL draft up and up in Pittsburgh um with Able Rents and they called us up. We had the product.
00:08:49
Speaker
They had the labor. We sent one guy up there, actually two guys, a lead and ah and an assistant. And we went up there and did the draft. So same thing like we're doing in Houston now, helping Darren. We're really good at that big brother and thing.
00:09:01
Speaker
Well, you know, a big thing for me recently, I've been talking to people is, You're only as good as your connections, really. way Like, yeah, then you can, your connections are going to make or break you. I have people who ask me all the time, do you have this? I'm like, no, but I'll find it like what do you mean you'll find it? wait No, I've, I can put it in a group text. There's eight of us in there. And I guarantee someone in that text will say, yeah, I got it. No problem What do you need?
00:09:23
Speaker
Yeah. And that's, there your you know, is there really eight of us in that, your text there? Is that another one? I think there is. No, I think there's a Allison there. Okay. Okay. I was actually talking about that the podcast too, is we have that group text and the eight of us make up the whole United States from, from left, right, top, bottom, all the way to the center. And, um,
00:09:43
Speaker
And it's it's just crazy that, you know, we can make one phone call. And I mean, let's see, three out of eight in that group text have worked on this project that i'm currently working on. Sure. So it's pretty cool. never No love for Kyle on that one.
00:09:57
Speaker
Hey, you were just a little too far. not all right you know yeah you know't You didn't have what we needed. We actually
Celebrating Life and Personal Milestones
00:10:04
Speaker
had everything. We just had a shout out to Austin for the 5.4 meter ah legs on the 20 meter.
00:10:12
Speaker
um But yeah, no, it's been fun. It's been fun. So just trying to get through this and then moving
00:10:22
Speaker
On to the next one though, that's the problem Hey, I'm on to vacation actually i am taking my wife and we are going to Napa next week on Wednesday, Wednesday through Monday And this is a vacation to not only celebrate her 40th But also to celebrate her fuck cancer um sir Jesus We are going to have a good time, it's about 14 of us Hey, Ashley, you know who's going to joining me while I'm not saying Kevin Vasquez?
00:10:51
Speaker
Kevin, he's right down the street. So we're going to do a lot of business, gentlemen. We're going be doing a little wine tasting. That'd be good. What do you got? in business.
00:11:03
Speaker
What's your job? I'll be in Virginia on this job. Uh, it's 25 by 25. Look at it. It is 25 meter by 25 meter clear top. Um, shout out Chattanooga Ted for the tops. Cause i didn't want to buy them.
00:11:16
Speaker
Look that. Big brother. Look at that. Hey, look at that. It's, it's so funny. You know, me and my dad have been talking, we quoted so much work to other rental companies now, like just helping them. Cause they don't want to buy structure, you know, same deal, just big brother.
00:11:31
Speaker
And it's, yeah One of the guys that I've started working with a lot, it all started of us sitting at a bar at a trade show yeah and we became friends and yeah, it's awesome. That's why I love this industry is because you don't, yeah, we're competitors, but we're really not.
00:11:47
Speaker
Would you say that that was something that least, uh, even five, six years ago? I mean, I think that going into COVID, everybody got so competitive coming out of COVID. Everybody was trying to be so competitive. Everybody was freaking out. they' were going to lose business to other people. And then before COVID, I even felt like it was like people didn't really work well together. I mean, people work together, but I mean, you go back and look at it, like some of the big businesses that ah that was afraid of Chattanooga tent to come in and take their business. Hang on one second. i
00:12:21
Speaker
Hey, somebody's coming out right now with tax we Back what but you three sta into the... just guy taking phone calls in the middle of the podcast I've had a sprinter man calling me for the past 10 minutes. He was that he was supposed to he's supposed to unload. And I told him he's 20 and he's called me six times. So didn't take that. Anyways. um Yeah, so I feel like before COVID, people were just afraid of people coming in dealing business. And I don't feel like that's necessarily the case anymore. There's a lot more of calling and saying, hey, are you doing this job?
Navigating Pricing Strategies and Competition
00:12:55
Speaker
There's still, there's still a lot there. I'll be careful. I'll be careful what say, but I think, uh, people in my area are starting to get competitive again, cause they're getting worried. So they're just.
00:13:08
Speaker
You know what? i'm not know I'm not in a race to the bottom. I refuse to join the rat race. So you know what? Let them have it. If they want to do it for cheaper, let them do it. That's my new philosophy.
00:13:19
Speaker
Well, that's how it's got to be. It's got to be to the point where you got to make money at the end of the day. You know, I'm not going to follow me. there like we've We've lost a couple of jobs this year in Nashville. There were some decent size jobs. And there is a race to the bottom there. Or, hey, I just want to cut you out.
00:13:35
Speaker
Um, and I'm not willing to do that. I actually did. I don't know if I want to call anybody out, but I'm gonna, uh, so there was a company that called me yesterday.
00:13:46
Speaker
I had a structure that i put up at this venue all the time. I do a lot of different tents there. Um, and I was going to get my new structure shipped in early, because this client really wanted this new structure, um, was getting shipped in a couple of weeks earlier so I could put it up before the other wedding.
00:14:02
Speaker
And she was all for it. She asked me to come down on pricing. I didn't really want to come down on pricing, but i came down on pricing a little bit because it was at the venue that do I a ton of work at, so i didn't want to piss them off. So i came down on pricing, told her that we were going to get it in time, and then she ghosted me.
00:14:18
Speaker
um never heard back then you didn't hear from her she booked it but didn't hear from her what she gonna do on the tech didn't hear from her all week uh and then all of a sudden yesterday i get a phone call from somebody in town in um in nashville um for from another competitor but we still talk and we help each other out a little bit and uh he told me that he was putting it up and he measured the wrong holes and didn't realize it wouldn't fit so he had to switch the sides and then asked me if he could sub rent some walls for me um It was just, uh, it was very interesting.
00:14:51
Speaker
Um, and yeah, so, i mean, it's one of those things where it's like people are taking the work and people are, um, you know, racing to the bottom to get that work and we tried to accommodate and I just can't keep doing that. So I'm not going to do that.
00:15:10
Speaker
It's not worth it. So if you want it, less work, more money. That's my philosophy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Work smart, not
Executing Complex Projects Through Teamwork
00:15:16
Speaker
hard. And, uh, you know, I'll continue to work on projects like this and currently what we're doing right now. And I can't really share a lot more about that project right now, but I can share it later. And, uh, yeah, this is what we do. um you know, we had this thing come together really fast and in a hurry, but Mike, like my Collins said in the text, this is what we, this is what we do. And this is who we are. We make stuff like this happen. And with big projects like this, we take care of it.
00:15:40
Speaker
This job started in the group chat too, Nate. This job did start in a group chat and it left the group chat. How about that? Yeah, look at that. that's That's ironic. But yeah, so I think it'll be good here. That's the advice of the day get a group chat.
00:15:54
Speaker
Get a group chat, find your friends or just associates. Oh, we're friends? Just associates that you would like to talk to you in a text.
00:16:05
Speaker
You did tell me you loved me yesterday. i don't know if you remember that. I did. Yep. I was delusional. Tired out here. I want to get home, but we're good. Everything's good. So can't complain.
00:16:19
Speaker
Hey, my tire drops. You'll be home in bed. I will be, uh, 11 o'clock tonight. So nice. sun you Well, Kyle, you got anything else? I got one more thing.
00:16:29
Speaker
Let's do it. Let's do the Brian Richardson suggestion. Fan question. Do you think manufacturers should offer sub rental programs? yeah Yeah, that is the quote of the day from Brian Richardson.
00:16:45
Speaker
I have a few more things I'd like to ask you, but I'm going ask that offline. he's very b Brian Richardson is very fired up about it. yeah we uh we won't name that vendor we'll let him name that vendor but yeah give us your give us some votes on that we'll see where that goes but uh yeah appreciate everybody tuning in and uh finally after a long um a long hiatus after ara and we'll continue to get some more content out and uh looking forward to some good stuff yeah this has been another episode of under the vinyl brought to you by rental management media