Rhonda Dowdy's guest appearances

Rhonda Dowdy

The Sharpest Tool™

Toolbox for the Trades

Ellen Rohr

Susan Frew

Chad Peterman

Al Levi

Roger Wakefield

John Wilson

Tommy Mello

Chris Hunter

Weldon Long

Jamie Adams

Tim Flynn

Tersh Blissett

Steve Levitt

Kenny Chapman

Corey Quinn

OwlTail

Amanda Lawson

Mother-daughter duo of Texas-based S &amp; D Plumbing, CEO Rhonda Dowdy and Director of Business Development Amanda Dowdy Lawson share how they have invested in leadership training in order to grow and evolve as a business. They highlight the importance of staying innovative, humble, and curious.  Defining Business Leadership As CEO of S &amp; D Plumbing, grandma, and mother, Rhonda has a lot on her plate. After starting S &amp; D Plumbing 40 years ago, it has now grown into two locations with 35 employees. While she now has a General Manager that handles the day-to-day processes, she shares that it took hard work to find and develop the right business leadership. Rhonda credits this training to creating a culture of teamwork that they have worked hard to foster.  “It’s a continual journey. Because as long as you’re wanting to grow, as long as you’re wanting to stay in business, much less grow your business, you’ve got to have that leadership capability. I could tell you some of the things we’ve implemented. We believe in training. We train at every level of the company, all the way to me. I have a leadership coach, my General Manager has a leadership coach. We train our technicians, we train our CSRs, and we’ve got the best of the best.” - Rhonda  Amanda Lawson recently moved from California to Texas after spending nearly a decade as a professional beach volleyball player. During this time, she shares that she had to create her own path and personal brand. Now, as the Director of Business Development, these skills are playing an important role as she builds the S &amp; D brand and networks in the community.  Taking Pride in Both Legacy and Innovation Rhonda says that while their legacy is important to them, they also value innovation and understand how important it is to evolve with the times. Her tips for staying on the cutting edge of the industry include: Join best practice groups. These will encourage you to invest in your business and yourself, and equip you with valuable tools, connections, and resources.Hire young people.Prioritize work ethic and value hard work. From the beginning, Rhonda emphasizes that S &amp; D Plumbing has been about establishing a business that can be passed onto the next generation. She says that they named their business after their two sons, Sam and Dan, and that this generational value is instilled in the very foundation of the company.  Their mission is to help people hone their skills, grow into management positions, and learn leadership skills. With this approach and mission, S &amp; D Plumbing has been able to cultivate and build a business legacy that can stand the test of time. Leadership: Nature vs. Nurture Both Rhonda and Amanda share the view that leaders are learners, and have leadership written into their character. Rhonda also believes that true leaders often lead before they even command a leadership position or role. To inspire leadership and personal growth in their business, Rhonda says that they all share resources and learn from each other as a team. Most importantly, they implement what they learn.  Podcasts:  Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast Books:  What the Heck Is EOS? A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS by Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business by Gino Wickman The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues by Patrick Lencioni “Life is a series of decisions. And you make one decision at a time. And depending on where you are in your business, because I remember where we were 20 years ago, and where we are today, it’s just a huge difference. And I remember when we first got started in the best practices groups and we’d go and we’d learn all this stuff and it would just blow our minds and we would go ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this,’ and we had to say ‘What’s the most important thing we can take away from this conference? We’ll go back. Let’s implement it.’ And then you build on that. You can’t do it all at one time.” - Rhonda Advice From Rhonda and Amanda Rhonda: There will always be challenges in life and business. It’s a journey.Let go of things and delegate. Hire the right people so that you can focus on what you need to do.Take it one day at a time and one step at a time.Value and exemplify servant leadership. Amanda:  Take chances.Look for opportunities.Be present and show up with your best self every day.Stay humble and open-minded.

Mother-daughter duo of Texas-based <a href="https://www.sanddplumbing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">S &amp; D Plumbing</a>, CEO Rhonda Dowdy and Director of Business Development Amanda Dowdy Lawson share how they have invested in leadership training in order to grow and evolve as a business. They highlight the importance of staying innovative, humble, and curious.  <h3>Defining Business Leadership</h3> As CEO of S &amp; D Plumbing, grandma, and mother, Rhonda has a lot on her plate. After starting S &amp; D Plumbing 40 years ago, it has now grown into two locations with 35 employees. While she now has a General Manager that handles the day-to-day processes, she shares that it took hard work to find and develop the right business leadership. Rhonda credits this training to creating a culture of teamwork that they have worked hard to foster.  “It’s a continual journey. Because as long as you’re wanting to grow, as long as you’re wanting to stay in business, much less grow your business, you’ve got to have that leadership capability. I could tell you some of the things we’ve implemented. We believe in training. We train at every level of the company, all the way to me. I have a leadership coach, my General Manager has a leadership coach. We train our technicians, we train our CSRs, and we’ve got the best of the best.” - Rhonda  Amanda Lawson recently moved from California to Texas after spending nearly a decade as a professional beach volleyball player. During this time, she shares that she had to create her own path and personal brand. Now, as the Director of Business Development, these skills are playing an important role as she builds the S &amp; D brand and networks in the community.  <h3>Taking Pride in Both Legacy and Innovation</h3> Rhonda says that while their legacy is important to them, they also value innovation and understand how important it is to evolve with the times. Her tips for staying on the cutting edge of the industry include: <ol><li>Join best practice groups. These will encourage you to invest in your business and yourself, and equip you with valuable tools, connections, and resources.</li><li>Hire young people.</li><li>Prioritize work ethic and value hard work.</li></ol> From the beginning, Rhonda emphasizes that S &amp; D Plumbing has been about establishing a business that can be passed onto the next generation. She says that they named their business after their two sons, Sam and Dan, and that this generational value is instilled in the very foundation of the company.  Their mission is to help people hone their skills, grow into management positions, and learn leadership skills. With this approach and mission, S &amp; D Plumbing has been able to cultivate and build a business legacy that can stand the test of time. <h3>Leadership: Nature vs. Nurture</h3> Both Rhonda and Amanda share the view that leaders are learners, and have leadership written into their character. Rhonda also believes that true leaders often lead before they even command a leadership position or role. To inspire leadership and personal growth in their business, Rhonda says that they all share resources and learn from each other as a team. Most importantly, they implement what they learn.  Podcasts:  Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast Books:  What the Heck Is EOS? A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS by Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business by Gino Wickman The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues by Patrick Lencioni “Life is a series of decisions. And you make one decision at a time. And depending on where you are in your business, because I remember where we were 20 years ago, and where we are today, it’s just a huge difference. And I remember when we first got started in the best practices groups and we’d go and we’d learn all this stuff and it would just blow our minds and we would go ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this,’ and we had to say ‘What’s the most important thing we can take away from this conference? We’ll go back. Let’s implement it.’ And then you build on that. You can’t do it all at one time.” - Rhonda <h3>Advice From Rhonda and Amanda</h3> Rhonda: <ol><li>There will always be challenges in life and business. It’s a journey.</li><li>Let go of things and delegate. Hire the right people so that you can focus on what you need to do.</li><li>Take it one day at a time and one step at a time.</li><li>Value and exemplify servant leadership.</li></ol> Amanda:  <ol><li>Take chances.</li><li>Look for opportunities.</li><li>Be present and show up with your best self every day.</li><li>Stay humble and open-minded.</li></ol>

Rhonda Dowdy and Amanda Lawson Part 2 | How to Train Leaders and Build a Legacy

Mother-daughter duo of Texas-based S &amp; D Plumbing, CEO Rhonda Dowdy and Director of Business Development Amanda Dowdy Lawson share what it takes to create a family-centered home services business. They highlight the lessons, relationships, and new projects that are taking their company to new heights.  Building From the Ground Up Rhonda shares that the business began when her husband Sam Dowdy decided to build his own business after working in the industry as a tech for several years. When they founded S &amp; D Plumbing 40 years ago, she had a background as an accountant, but no experience running a business. The first 20-25 years were filled with many lessons and challenges, but in the last 15 years or so they have really perfected best practices and found their niche.  Although Amanda grew up in the family business, it is only in the last month that she has become an official employee. In her role as Director of Business Development, she is focused on building relationships with vendors and employees, branding and social media, and shaping her position as she learns how she can best serve the business. Her first project was the successful grand opening of their second location.  Navigating Seasons of Growth  About 28 years ago, Rhonda shares that Sam was able to make the move from working in the truck to working on building the company. “It’s scary to do, you know, it’s a big step, but it’s what it took to be able to build his team and his technicians as well as go out and meet customers and kind of be the PR of the company in that way. And then you know, really what happened over time is we realized the need for processes, it’s a big step, and so we have processes now and that’s critical for starting that second location.” The way you do business builds your brand and reputation. Rhonda emphasizes that preparing your techs with training and processes to represent your company well is essential.  S &amp; D Plumbing’s second location is a managed repair location. Over the years, Rhonda has seen how many of their best techs go on to build their own company. The creation of this second location was born out of their desire to provide a platform for these techs who want to grow in leadership and ownership without having to worry about where their leads are coming from or the customer service side of the business.  Establishing Your Home Services Niche S &amp; D Plumbing has built its business on a reputation of excellence. Rhonda shares that even in the early years when they were learning the ropes, Sam was confident that they were going to find their niche. They did, and leak detection became an innovative path to consistent leads and business growth.  Amanda also emphasizes that her parents were both willing to adapt to current trends and new approaches in order to grow.  Went paperlessProvided menu pricingOffered commission payCreated opportunities for techs and employeesShowed up every day and made sacrifices  When they first went into business, Rhonda says they took any lead that came in. Experience taught them to focus on their strengths in repairing residential and they eventually moved away from commercial jobs. Family-centered Business Although S &amp; D Plumbing moved away from commercial jobs, their son Sam Dowdy Jr. decided to pursue it and he founded Coppera Co., of which Rhonda is also an owner. Their son Dan Dowdy was instrumental in leading S &amp; D Plumbing to its successful position today, and has now begun to focus more on building a coaching business. Amanda shares that unlike her brothers, she didn’t want to work in the plumbing industry or family business initially. But now she sees that there is room for growth and opportunity. “The pandemic is actually what shifted my mindset into coming into the family business, realizing how essential it is and I love being on a team and it’s even better when that team is your family. And so it’s been extremely positive to see all of the hard work they have put in and really those seeds starting to grow now, and I get to step and learn on fast forward and be a part of this amazing team and just see it grow even more.”  Rhonda and Amanda both have a vision for building S &amp; D Plumbing into a generational business not just for their own family, but also for their employees and techs. In the future, they look forward to building a school for tech training, leadership, and business ownership.

Mother-daughter duo of Texas-based <a href="https://www.sanddplumbing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">S &amp; D Plumbing</a>, CEO Rhonda Dowdy and Director of Business Development Amanda Dowdy Lawson share what it takes to create a family-centered home services business. They highlight the lessons, relationships, and new projects that are taking their company to new heights.  <h3>Building From the Ground Up</h3> Rhonda shares that the business began when her husband Sam Dowdy decided to build his own business after working in the industry as a tech for several years. When they founded S &amp; D Plumbing 40 years ago, she had a background as an accountant, but no experience running a business. The first 20-25 years were filled with many lessons and challenges, but in the last 15 years or so they have really perfected best practices and found their niche.  Although Amanda grew up in the family business, it is only in the last month that she has become an official employee. In her role as Director of Business Development, she is focused on building relationships with vendors and employees, branding and social media, and shaping her position as she learns how she can best serve the business. Her first project was the successful grand opening of their second location.  <h3>Navigating Seasons of Growth </h3> About 28 years ago, Rhonda shares that Sam was able to make the move from working in the truck to working on building the company. “It’s scary to do, you know, it’s a big step, but it’s what it took to be able to build his team and his technicians as well as go out and meet customers and kind of be the PR of the company in that way. And then you know, really what happened over time is we realized the need for processes, it’s a big step, and so we have processes now and that’s critical for starting that second location.” The way you do business builds your brand and reputation. Rhonda emphasizes that preparing your techs with training and processes to represent your company well is essential.  S &amp; D Plumbing’s second location is a managed repair location. Over the years, Rhonda has seen how many of their best techs go on to build their own company. The creation of this second location was born out of their desire to provide a platform for these techs who want to grow in leadership and ownership without having to worry about where their leads are coming from or the customer service side of the business.  <h3>Establishing Your Home Services Niche</h3> S &amp; D Plumbing has built its business on a reputation of excellence. Rhonda shares that even in the early years when they were learning the ropes, Sam was confident that they were going to find their niche. They did, and leak detection became an innovative path to consistent leads and business growth.  Amanda also emphasizes that her parents were both willing to adapt to current trends and new approaches in order to grow.  <ul><li>Went paperless</li><li>Provided menu pricing</li><li>Offered commission pay</li><li>Created opportunities for techs and employees</li><li>Showed up every day and made sacrifices </li></ul> When they first went into business, Rhonda says they took any lead that came in. Experience taught them to focus on their strengths in repairing residential and they eventually moved away from commercial jobs. <h3>Family-centered Business</h3> Although S &amp; D Plumbing moved away from commercial jobs, their son Sam Dowdy Jr. decided to pursue it and he founded <a href="https://www.copperaco.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coppera Co.</a>, of which Rhonda is also an owner. Their son Dan Dowdy was instrumental in leading S &amp; D Plumbing to its successful position today, and has now begun to focus more on building a coaching business. Amanda shares that unlike her brothers, she didn’t want to work in the plumbing industry or family business initially. But now she sees that there is room for growth and opportunity. “The pandemic is actually what shifted my mindset into coming into the family business, realizing how essential it is and I love being on a team and it’s even better when that team is your family. And so it’s been extremely positive to see all of the hard work they have put in and really those seeds starting to grow now, and I get to step and learn on fast forward and be a part of this amazing team and just see it grow even more.”  Rhonda and Amanda both have a vision for building S &amp; D Plumbing into a generational business not just for their own family, but also for their employees and techs. In the future, they look forward to building a school for tech training, leadership, and business ownership.

Rhonda Dowdy and Amanda Lawson Part 1 | Family-Centered Home Services Business

Growing a business is hard work.  Even more so when you do it with your spouse. But there’s a secret:  Clearly defining your roles. Just ask Rhonda Dowdy, Chief Executive Officer at S&amp;D Plumbing, a business she’s spent the last 40 years building with her husband.  And they pulled it off by knowing their superpowers: Her husband is the visionary; she is the integrator.  In this episode, Rhonda covers: -What makes her husband the visionary and her the integrator -How to choose a specialty -How to get buy-in for big changes Check out these resources we mentioned: -Traction -Rocket Fuel If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on  Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or here.

Growing a business is hard work.  Even more so when you do it with your spouse. But there’s a secret:  Clearly defining your roles. Just ask <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonda-dowdy-42252a35/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rhonda Dowdy</a>, Chief Executive Officer at <a href="https://www.sanddplumbing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">S&amp;D Plumbing</a>, a business she’s spent the last 40 years building with her husband.  And they pulled it off by knowing their superpowers: Her husband is the visionary; she is the integrator.  In this episode, Rhonda covers: -What makes her husband the visionary and her the integrator -How to choose a specialty -How to get buy-in for big changes Check out these resources we mentioned: -<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgsi-n-uR6wIVCyCtBh1pkA1OEAAYASAAEgJxc_D_BwE&amp;hvadid=241646990062&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=9030029&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=11397388457565545790&amp;hvtargid=kwd-10544336489&amp;hydadcr=21901_10170939&amp;keywords=traction+gino+wickman&amp;qid=1597103790&amp;sr=8-1-spons&amp;tag=googhydr-20&amp;psc=1&amp;spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySlc1WUFJN0pKSVdUJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODkwNTMyNlYxQ01EQ0I4WFBTJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5MTA3NjQzME83QUxXMkUxWTFJJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Traction</a> -<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Fuel-audiobook/dp/B012HJOBRY/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&amp;keywords=rocket+fuel&amp;qid=1597103822&amp;sr=8-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rocket Fuel</a> If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Spotify</a>, or <a href="https://www.servicetitan.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.

Episode 19. Visionary & Integrator: Succeeding as a Husband & Wife Duo w/ Rhonda Dowdy