10 Things Advisors Can Learn From This Old House

While I still miss Bob Villa, I’ve continued to watch This Old House from its inception. The program (and all old home books I purchased) gave me the confidence, at age 25, to redesign, help gut, and become a general contractor for a beach bungalow turned into my first home some years ago.
Mistakes, I made plenty and I’m sure they cost me about 5K. But I sure did have a lot of fun!

As I watch This Old House today, I continue to learn more home building and business tips. Here are 10 strategies that advisors can learn from, too.

1. Pay attention to the foundation of your firm. If you find yourself burnt out or working 50+ hours a week, there are leaks in your business foundation.

2. Learn something new every day. Upgrades to the technology and tolls you use are happening daily, keep up with the changes by putting aside “x” time a day for learning.

3. Upgrade when possible. Yah, it cost money to upgrade but 9 out of 10 times, the result is more productivity and time.

4. Planning for the future is essential. Have you seen how the program is now creating its successors? Be it Next Generation program, children of the current leaders, getting involved in nonprofits who work with a younger audience, just do it! Create your successors and legacy before you need it!

5. Sometimes decisions a boss make are wrong. They just are. Be honest and then move on.

6. Measure twice. It’s always good to get another person’s opinion about the decisions you’ve made.

7. There are more than one solution to a problem. The thing you want to do is brainstorm what those ways are and choose the best solution to your situation.

8. The beginning and end of the program are the same. So should your day begin and end the same. End the day by creating a list of your priories for the following day. Critique it in the morning as you have your cup of coffee or tea and spend 20-30 minutes getting excited about the day.

9. Always be teaching. You want your team cross-trained. No job is too menial or too high that others can’t either “do it” or help in some way.

10. Change the cover from time to time. Both the introduction and ending of the show have changed a bit. Even the music has changed. Update your website, bios, etc. every two years. Take the time out now to schedule “social media upgrade” on your business plan and in your favorite business calendar software so you don’t forget!