Do You Have a “Growth Mindset”?
March 11, 2025
What does it mean to have a “growth mindset,” and (crucially) how do you know if you have it? Let’s discuss!
- Is a career in home inspection right for you? Take our quiz
What does it mean to have a “growth mindset,” and (crucially) how do you know if you have it? Let’s discuss!
Coaches can be great resources for business owners who are just starting out, or for those who are looking to break through to the next level.
Without proper planning and vetting, businesses can get mismatched to new owners with the wrong industry knowledge, the wrong skills set, and the wrong expectations.
By Jon McCreath, NPI, Inc.’s Technical Supervisor & Training Administrator When running a business, owners work extremely hard to find their unique strategy for consistent success. Winning over a share of the market takes time and plenty of energy, but one common pitfall that entrepreneurs frequently encounter is losing that initial fire to learn and experiment. Too often, professionals find a comfortable place in their industry and then fall further and further behind while competition follows trends and implements what works into their businesses. So, what’s the solution? How do small business owners stay up to date in their industry? In the home inspection industry, some may point towards licensing requirements in each state as a solution, but this doesn’t resolve the problem for a couple of reasons: Ultimately, keeping up to date with your industry has to start with an internal desire to improve your services and elevate your business. Required courses will not cut it! So, for any property inspectors out there who want to keep their business practices and their personal knowledge on the cutting edge, let’s discuss a few of the top strategies. 5 Ways to Stay Up to Date in the Home Inspection Industry 1.
March is International Women’s Month, and we’re taking a moment to celebrate a few of our amazing female inspectors who are helping transform the industry. We had a chance to ask them all about their experience, from what it’s like to work in a male-dominated field to what they love most about completing inspections and helping clients. Get to know Savannah Guenther, Ashley Brown, and Susan D’Andrea, and be sure to give them a shoutout if you see them around. Thank you for sharing, ladies – keep up the brilliant work! Q: As a female inspector, what are some unique benefits or challenges that you face in our industry? How do you overcome them?Savannah: I would say that one unique benefit is being able to help female REALTORs who may be working an open house or event by themselves feel more comfortable. Women feel a bit more at ease with another woman one-on-one than they might with a man they may not know very well. I’ve found that we can have an easy conversation; they’re inclined to share more about their work and background, and they’re more open to listening to what I have to say. The challenges of working
By Kimberly Stevens, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing & Business Coach The most successful entrepreneurs are self-motivated, innovative, and ambitious. Their minds are focused on expanding their services, broadening their territories, and putting a stamp on their industry that will effect positive change. New business owners rarely imagine hearing the word, “No.” But the hard truth is, rejection in any sales endeavor is inevitable, and it will happen more often than many expect. Every small business owner needs to develop sales skills if they want to achieve their aspirations, and the first (and maybe most important) sales skill to learn is how to handle the word, “No.” To get started on becoming a salesperson extraordinaire, here are a few truths to keep in mind! Understand What “No” Really Means in SalesOften, when people face rejection after giving a “sales pitch,” it can be natural to take that rejection personally. But in reality, rejection is almost never personal. In sales, a “no” can mean many different things, and this is only rarely related to your delivery. Here are a few common translations for the word, “no,” in sales: “I don’t understand.”The first common translation for an unsuccessful pitch is that the concept of
By Michael Trimble, NPI, Inc.’s Content Marketing Coordinator If you’re anything like me, at the beginning of every year you tend to make a lot of resolutions for the new year. Eat better, get more sleep, read more books, and hit the gym – the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year are usually pretty ambitious and widespread. Unfortunately, I have to admit that my track record of seeing those resolutions through to the end of the year tends to not be so great. Too often, other responsibilities pile up, new tasks or interests take priority, and I find myself feeling not all that productive around December 31st. In the workplace, most people would jump at the opportunity to accomplish a bit more each day, and depending on your industry, finding ways to push more projects across the finish line can be the key to taking your business to the next level. To discover some of the best strategies and tips to improve productivity this year, I decided to poll the NPI Corporate Office for their best advice! Make a List, and Check It TwiceRecommended by Celeste Black-Harr, Recruitment CoordinatorWhen speaking with Celeste, one of our
By Stepha Vesper, NPI, Inc.’s Senior Marketing Communications Strategist Every year, the National Property Inspections home office hosts its annual conference, inviting professional property inspectors from all across North America to gather in Omaha, Nebraska with the intent to network, learn about the latest happenings within the industry, and celebrate the past year’s achievements. While it’s a great time to reconnect and catch up with one another, the InVision Conference is also planned with adding direct value to your business in mind. If you haven’t been to the InVision Conference or if you’re interested in learning more about what to expect, here are a few takeaways you can look forward to! Discover Opportunities to Expand Your BusinessWhether you’re curious about adding a new service to your business or you’d like to partner with a nationally recognized vendor, the InVision Conference offers opportunities to meet with representatives about potential partnerships. In 2023, the InVision conference featured booths and speakers from Thumbtack, ISN (Inspection Support Network), Guardian, MFD Home Certifications, AirAdvice, Inspector Cameras, Fixle, Sporecyte, Scarpello Consulting, and Secure24. Our team does their best to provide a slate of high quality vendors like these every year at the annual conference. If you’re
By Stepha Vesper, NPI, Inc.’s Senior Marketing Communications Strategist As the year draws to a close, we naturally reflect on achievements, challenges, and triumphs. Recognizing personal and professional accomplishments is crucial for growth, and if goals weren’t met, the year’s end offers a prime opportunity for future planning. Business owners, responsible for managing and inspiring employees, should celebrate both company and individual milestones to foster a driven and collaborative work environment. While acknowledging accomplishments is vital for employee retention, creative ways to celebrate don’t always come easily. Here are some often-missed opportunities to show your team appreciation: Types of Milestones Worth CelebratingNot all milestones require earth-shattering career shifts. Several everyday moments offer managers a chance to recognize hard work, creativity, and innovation: Individual Milestones: Team-wide Milestones:Celebrate team-wide achievements to build morale and camaraderie. Depending on your industry and structure, individual roles might blur, but acknowledging shared wins is vital. Company Achievements:Don’t overlook celebrating company-wide milestones. Reaching significant business anniversaries, exceeding targets, developing new products/services, or receiving media recognition are all opportunities to showcase collective effort and its tangible impact. Celebrate reaching revenue goals, launching new offerings, or media features to further motivate and engage your team. Doing so reinforces that
In our Franchisee Spotlight series, we like to take some time to recognize the efforts of some of our most outstanding franchises. Every year, we partner with new inspectors and seasoned professionals seeking extra support to take their businesses to the next level. While our marketing, technical support, and national accounts all work together for ongoing assistance, we think that one of the most impactful resources our partners gain when joining the NPI family is access to some of the best business owners in the inspection industry. Today’s feature is Chris Harr and his team from NPI Columbus SE: our 2023 Franchise of the Year. Veterans of the industry, the Harr Team has served Central Ohio since 2002, and in that time, they have established themselves as consummate professionals. They are prime examples of NPI’s core values–Honesty, Integrity, and Professionalism. The Harrs are true mentors, and we’re always excited to see what new strategies their team discovers. With that said, let’s discuss who the Harrs are and what makes them stand out. Chris Harr pictured with his sons Jake and Will at the 2023 InVision Conference Awards. NPI Columbus SE & the Harr FamilyFounded in 2002, NPI Columbus SE has
Whether you’ve just started or you’ve already been sending out campaigns for years, chances are you’re making these email marketing mistakes.
Nailing that first addition to the team is an important step for growth, so let’s discuss who to look for, and specifically what will make that first hire great.
What does it mean to have a “growth mindset,” and (crucially) how do you know if you have it? Let’s discuss!
For those interested in diversifying their marketing strategy, let’s chat about a few ways to get started with direct-to-consumer marketing!
Coaches can be great resources for business owners who are just starting out, or for those who are looking to break through to the next level.
To recap our conference and our year as a whole, let’s take a look at what our franchisees had to say about their takeaways from this year’s InVision conference:
Volunteering is a great habit for everyone to build into their routine whenever possible, whether it’s supporting a local organization or devoting time to a cause that’s close to our hearts.
When it comes to funneling online customers to your website, there are many companies that promise to boost your SEO for fast and easy results, but real organic growth on Google’s rankings takes time and patience.
When business owners enter into a brand new field, it simply takes time to develop a knowledge base. Undoubtedly, questions will come up with answers that are a bit too elusive, but clients still want to see confidence for them to feel reassured.
With the right training, inspectors can use their infrared cameras to add valuable insights to their reports, and avoid the common misinterpretations and misdiagnoses that untrained home inspectors make all the time.