Wayne Herring
00:00:00 - 00:00:10
Hey. Welcome to the Business Builder Way podcast. We're joined today by Nate Bluck from Home Remodeling Pros of Central Pennsylvania. Nate, thanks for joining us today.
Nate Bloch
00:00:10 - 00:00:12
Thank you for having me.
Wayne Herring
00:00:12 - 00:00:39
Yeah. Hey. So kind of a special episode today. In that Nate is the 1st person who is part of our business builders community that I'm interviewing on this season of the podcast, who is actually part of our right handers group. And our right handers group is a group of people who are like the right hand, the indispensable right hand. Although people who are left handed, I suppose they probably wouldn't like that description. I hadn't thought about that. Left hands are good too.
Wayne Herring
00:00:39 - 00:01:27
Sometimes that's better. But Nate is, you're like a strong number 2, and part of the rules is if you listen to this podcast, you're not allowed to try to recruit Nate away. Because after you hear him, probably everybody wanna have him. So Nate, you're part of this unique group, and you all get together and talk about what it's like to be in that position where you're hoarding the visionary, supporting the owner, but there are times where you're not ultimately the one making the decisions. And, so it does make you valuable and indispensable. So I'm really looking forward to what we dig into today. And that's a good place to start to give you a question is, what does that mean to you to be, a right hander? Or an integrator is the other word that you use in your company for your position.
Nate Bloch
00:01:28 - 00:02:08
To me, Craig, he's our visionary. And part of his role is he comes up With all kinds of ideas. I mean, Craig can come up with 2 to 3 a day. It's on this 1 week. And it's really Who can take those ideas and make them come to life? And what's something that is realistic and something we can do? What's something we should work on In the future and what's something that's just completely crazy and you have to kinda say no to. So really, it's it's taken Craig's idea, bringing them to life, and, as a team executing on those ideas.
Wayne Herring
00:02:10 - 00:02:32
Gotcha. And specifically, the word integrator, Dutt, if you wanna give some credit to the book Traction by Gino Wickman, and also the book Rocket Fuel, which describes that visionary and integrator. So everybody, if you get a chance, so if you haven't read those books, look them up and take a look. And you all do run the EOS system in your company. Right?
Nate Bloch
00:02:33 - 00:02:34
We do. Yes.
Wayne Herring
00:02:35 - 00:02:40
You you're the key one running a lot of the meetings and and things. Right?
Nate Bloch
00:02:40 - 00:03:03
Yeah. I run most of the meetings. We self implemented EOS. If we had to go do it over again, we might bring someone else Into self implement, but I think we did a really good job. And we're so far along in the process at this point. It would make sense to start over and Fair. All in. But, yeah, we have a great team.
Nate Bloch
00:03:03 - 00:03:08
We put together a project plan even for EOS and and executed on it.
Wayne Herring
00:03:09 - 00:03:35
And Craig Leary, who is the CEO that you mentioned, did an episode before, but just for anybody who hasn't heard that. And your description may be different, actually. So could you tell us a bit about the company right now? Where are you? What do you focus on? How many people are in the company buildings? I I don't know. What is the company? How how would you describe your business.
Nate Bloch
00:03:36 - 00:04:11
Yes. So we are currently a design build remodeling company. We specialize in kitchens, basements, and bathrooms. We recently added a decking division 1, 2 home pros. We are currently in the process of looking at adding a one bed one day bath division. And we're still kinda deciding, okay, is this gonna carry its own brand? Is it gonna be a sub brand of Home Pros? So that's kinda what we're thinking through right now. We have about 60 employees.
Wayne Herring
00:04:12 - 00:04:30
Yep. Awesome. And, yeah. Craig Craig said earlier today, like this one day bath thing, like done deal going, and you're still working out the details on which which indicates that you're gonna take that, and you're gonna make sure the who, what, where, when, why, and how are all taken care of. Right?
Nate Bloch
00:04:31 - 00:04:53
Yeah. And I think we're all as a team, we're all in on it. We're still trying to decide how how we wanna execute on it. Is this something that's gonna Be good for our current brand, or do we do we create a whole new brand? But we're definitely gonna execute on it. It's just Deciding what what avenue we wanna take.
Wayne Herring
00:04:54 - 00:05:10
Yeah. That's great. How did you come to Home Pros? Have you always been in this right hand? I mean, I guess nobody's always been in a right hander role, but have you done that before? What's the story of how you came to Home Pros, and then meet Craig Leary.
Nate Bloch
00:05:11 - 00:05:15
Sure. I mean, you want the long story? You want the the short comparison?
Wayne Herring
00:05:16 - 00:05:17
Medium.
Nate Bloch
00:05:17 - 00:05:46
Yeah. So so medium, I've been in this business my entire life. Straight out of high school, started in construction. I've worked numerous jobs. I've always worked my way up to some sort of leadership Roll. Never quite a right hander role. And I was kinda tired of bouncing from Job to job. I had a job at the time, but I I just didn't feel it was a place for me.
Nate Bloch
00:05:46 - 00:06:34
And I was just looking for my forever home. So what It was nice I had that advantage where I I wasn't in desperate need of work. I just wanted to kinda take my time, find the right place. And I remember interviewing with Craig, and I told him I am looking for my forever home, a company I can grow with. And what I really liked about Home Remodeling Pros is is when I interviewed, we were it was still in his infancy. It was such a Small company, but he explained what he was building and what the opportunities were in this company, and I was all in. Now I didn't At the time, I started as a lead installer for us. I thought I can grow into a project manager role.
Nate Bloch
00:06:34 - 00:06:50
I never truly Thought I would be anything more than that, but Craig and some others in the company really opened that curtain up and just Just kinda showed me what I was capable, and he's a great coach, so he was able to just really grow me as a person.
Wayne Herring
00:06:50 - 00:07:02
What was the conversation like where did you ask to be in a position of more responsibility, or did he request that you move into a position of more responsibility? How did that happen?
Nate Bloch
00:07:03 - 00:07:41
Yeah. So when when I started, I I did tell him I wanted this. I did eventually Wanna be in project management. And you said based on your resume, we can certainly see that in the future. We started growing as a company, and we actually had an opening for project manager. I spoke with 1 of the other project managers at The time that I was interested in a position, and, she put a good word out for me. I met with Craig, and I tried it For I I think I was 30 days in, and I talked to God I was ready to quit. I was, so stressed out.
Nate Bloch
00:07:41 - 00:08:20
It was way more than I thought it was gonna be, and I remember meeting with Craig and said, I think I just wanna go back in the field. And, you know, Craig had a nice conversation with me. He said, I respect you. I want you in the company. I'll honor whatever you decide, but I really think you should think about it because We're just gonna be having the same conversation in 3 months, and you're gonna be back in this role again anyways. And I decided to stick with it, and, things got a lot easier. At at that point, we we were nowhere near where we were now. We've come a long way since then in our processes and organization, and it's Just a lot easier to manage at this time.
Wayne Herring
00:08:21 - 00:08:25
How many years ago was that? The this time period we were talking when you were
Nate Bloch
00:08:26 - 00:08:29
Probably about 4 years ago.
Wayne Herring
00:08:30 - 00:08:32
So 4 years ago, about how many employees do you think you had?
Nate Bloch
00:08:33 - 00:08:36
I had about 20 employees at the time.
Wayne Herring
00:08:36 - 00:08:54
So in 4 years, you've gone from 20 to about 60 ish? Yeah. And dramatically increase how many projects you're doing along the way. You've been buttoning up processes and looking for any waste that you have and do an optimizations to get to where you're at now?
Nate Bloch
00:08:55 - 00:09:11
Yeah. Our growth from the beginning was Just extremely fast. So we almost worked backwards a little bit. You know? We grow and then it's like, okay. Now we gotta figure out How we're gonna organize all this growth, but the team's done a really good job.
Wayne Herring
00:09:13 - 00:09:55
So we were together last week. You and I were live with another group of the business builders, when we were at a survival bus bushcraft school, coalcracker bushcraft with Dan Woolwack. And you shared a little bit about this being an integrator and being a right hander and helping Craig, who's a visionary. And afterwards, Dan said to me, What is that that that guy Nate does? And how would I find, somebody like Nate to come join me and help pushed me on. What would you say to a guy like Dan? How do they find somebody with, like, your unique mindset, grit, determination, and kind of organization ability, etcetera? How do they find somebody like you?
Nate Bloch
00:09:55 - 00:10:31
I think if I had the true answer for that, I can make a ton of money. And I think Craig will tell you it it was just kinda dumb luck with us. You just gotta find someone Who is really bought in to what you're building and has the capacity, and someone who's Open the growth and someone you can train and build with attention to detail. Yeah. I I wish I had a nice answer that everyone could go off of, but a lot of it was luck With us.
Wayne Herring
00:10:31 - 00:10:53
Oh, and it sounds like some of it was who Craig has become and his ability to see potential in you and then work to kinda bring that out. I would guess that you could have worked for other business owners and they would have not realized Puntchell, that you had. And some of it was when you were ready and so you were open. Right?
Nate Bloch
00:10:53 - 00:11:34
Yeah. And a lot of what Craig does too is, I think one of the reasons he is able to bring people along is just He manages with with compassion. You can tell he truly cares more about his people Than the profit of the company. So that's rare to find someone who talks to you like a human. And Craig will tell you he gets joy on watching people. Whereas when he was a carpenter, It was, oh, this project looks great. I'm so proud that I was able to do this. Now he gets his joy from growing those people.
Nate Bloch
00:11:34 - 00:11:38
Mhmm. You gotta be willing to Do the work yourself.
Wayne Herring
00:11:39 - 00:11:42
You must take joy in watching people grow and develop then too.
Nate Bloch
00:11:42 - 00:11:57
I do. There's quite a few people Now that I've actually worked with that were carpenters in the field, and now they're managing projects. And it it really is a satisfying Feeling seeing them come along.
Wayne Herring
00:11:59 - 00:12:11
And you mentioned that he seems to be more concerned about people growing than profit. However, you're definitely not a not for profit, and you're the the business is thriving and doing well in that area too. Right?
Nate Bloch
00:12:12 - 00:12:33
Right. I mean, Obviously, profit is important, so we can keep these 60 employees and their families. So I'm not gonna say we don't care about profit. Obviously, that's important. But at the end of the day, We have a company that's gonna do the right thing regardless of profit.
Wayne Herring
00:12:34 - 00:13:26
Yeah. So, The other thing that happened last week is we're at this outdoor thing, and we're making fires, and you had a leg brace on. So part of this is about getting to know who you are outside of work too, which might also help people know who to hire. They don't just need to go look for people with leg braces, but A couple of people commented to me about how, wow, Nate is on crutches, and he's got this leg brace, which he got from a jiu jitsu injury. And yet you were going through the woods on these somewhat uneven trails and mud and going to where we were gonna make fires and kinda doing the deal. What have you had other people notice that, Hey, you're a resilient guy, and you're not a victim. And I know you're you're a humble guy, but has that come up before?
Nate Bloch
00:13:28 - 00:13:46
Yeah. I think it it has. It's funny when you're on crutches. It's almost amazing how many people are, like, Running in front of you to open up the door or I'll I'll carry that. And I struggle with it because I it's like I'm capable. I can do this. I'm fine. But, yeah, I I really appreciate that.
Nate Bloch
00:13:46 - 00:13:50
I just, you know, if if I can do something, I wanna do it. So
Wayne Herring
00:13:51 - 00:13:54
Yeah. Who are you when you're not working, Nate?
Nate Bloch
00:13:55 - 00:14:22
So when I'm not working, husband. I've been married, Oh, man. 21 years now. My wife was my high school sweetheart, And we lived about a block away from each other. So I've known her since I was a teenager. I've got 2 little girls And that's what it's all about at the end of the day, is just being being able to provide a life for those 2 little girls.
Wayne Herring
00:14:23 - 00:15:07
Yeah. Awesome. And before I hit the record button, you and I were having a chat about how's how's today? What's going on? And one of the things I love about our group is we can talk about business, when we talk about profit, when we talk about leadership, Things like jujitsu, and we were all stoked for you, and then bummed when you got hurt, family. Those things are all true. But you you talked about something a little bit deeper, which was, you said I've been doing a little bit of mindset work again, and I love that you're, aware and that that you're working on those things. And I love surrounding myself with people who are trying, because I mean, you get it right all the time. So What does that mean to you, mindset work?
Nate Bloch
00:15:08 - 00:15:53
So to me, mindset is it's all about just being Happy. You know, just being happy with where you're at in life. But at the same time, What are your self limiting beliefs, and how do you overcome that? The only thing you can really control in life is your thoughts and your actions. So trying to take anything that's out of your control and just not that impact How your day is gonna go? How your life's gonna go? And, for me, at the end of the day, it's it's it's truly just about being happy and A lifelong learner and continue it continuing to grow as a person.
Wayne Herring
00:15:54 - 00:16:44
A lot of times, the world can be sort of a rough place, and there are certain people we're surrounded by who might have a bit of a negative outlook or a victim outlook or feel like things happen to them. And legitimately, like there are rough circumstances, so I'm not, you know, discounting that. However, it can just feel like sometimes folks are kind of living the status quo life, etcetera. And you may have people like that on your team. And I know you've also done things with, Matt Culp and our community to be proactive about, finances, and saving, and financial planning. And now we're talking about, this thing with mindset. And you were in a jiu jitsu tournament, which at age 38, to go out and do a jiu jitsu tournament, a lot of people wouldn't go train and try to do this thing. So you live intentionally.
Wayne Herring
00:16:45 - 00:16:53
How do you share that with other people on your team so that they might see more possibility for themselves?
Nate Bloch
00:16:53 - 00:17:25
It's a lot of coaching, And just every situation's kinda different on how I go about coaching them. There's a lot of great books out there That I can recommend to my team based on what what they're going through at the time. But for me too, it's a lot of I've managed with compassion. I have emotional intelligence. So just saying the right things to The team, and a lot of them truly wanna be better at the end of the day. So
Wayne Herring
00:17:26 - 00:17:31
Nice. What's what's one of your favorite books about leadership, emotional intelligence, commune
Nate Bloch
00:17:31 - 00:18:00
Oh, that's tough. There there's a lot of great books out there. I I like a lot of books on how I lead myself. So, like, extreme ownership was a nice book for me. We practice that throughout our organization, and there's so many. Leaders Eat Last It's a great book. Pat Lencioni, just about every book he's ever written is it too?
Wayne Herring
00:18:01 - 00:18:25
Yeah. Those are good ones. So we're gonna kinda, work to wrap up. In in our business builder group, if Somebody is joining and becoming acquainted, with everybody. Do you have any advice for them for how to use the group or how to be in coaching? How have you been using this work that we're doing together?
Nate Bloch
00:18:25 - 00:18:59
Yeah. I'd say come in with an open mind. This is an amazing group of people and everybody want truly is rooting for everybody else in the group. So, I use The 2nd hander group is kind of my board of directors. Bounce ideas off of them, and it's crazy how Someone you've never met before in this community is just so interested in your growth and How they can improve you as a person. So just come in with an open mind, and that's really the best thing.
Wayne Herring
00:19:00 - 00:19:52
Well and you certainly exemplify that. And I've heard you offered other people to jump on a call with you and your, leadership team, if it would help them, and you've taught a little section on how you run meetings. And So you're a great member and, what you are receiving that you just described, you certainly, give back to others, which we appreciate. Last thing on my mind is because it's fresh. Last week we went out there and when you were going around the woods, we were making flint and seal fires. So we were in a different environment than normal, and there were 12 business owners together. And you took a day out of the office to drive about an hour and a half probably to get there. And then spent this time out in the woods doing something that making Flint infill fires is not how to build a bathroom or whatever.
Wayne Herring
00:19:52 - 00:19:58
So what came out of that? What what was good about that for you, or why should people unplug Like,
Nate Bloch
00:19:59 - 00:20:36
it's sometimes, it's nice to get a break from the daily grind of your business and just get some clarity For yourself and what you're building, and just the opportunity to speak with other business builders. And It it almost gets the your gears turning. We kinda did an exercise at the end of it where we were interviewing, and Smith. Okay. How how would I run this business? What are you doing? And it just really get your mind thinking what you would do in certain situations and how you best handle everything.
Wayne Herring
00:20:38 - 00:21:00
Yeah. I think whenever I go through and almost like be the backseat driver for somebody else's business that causes me to then reflect inward for sure. Well, Nate, thanks so much for, giving your time and showing up today to share a bit of your story. And if anybody wants to find out about, your company, how what how would they find the company, and how would they find you?
Nate Bloch
00:21:01 - 00:21:12
Yes. So you can find the company. Google, Facebook. Just Home Remodeling Pros Central Pennsylvania. And you can always reach me through Wayne or just nate@homeprosofcentralpa.com
Wayne Herring
00:21:15 - 00:21:18
Gotcha. Awesome. Well, thanks again, Nate. Have a great rest of your day.
