Sixth Blog Post: From Bare Bones to Warmhearted Dreams: A Couples Journey Through Self- Employment and the Insulation Industry
Hello, my friends! This post marks my 6th “History of Us” blog, which is the mid-point of
our journey through past tales. I hope you’ve enjoyed them so far because I’ve certainly
enjoyed sharing them with you! If you’re just catching this blog now and would like to
revisit the first half, simply pop on our website at www.rrctools, click “blog” at the top of
the page and dive in to read and join the comment sections.
In the last post, we ended with the question of human behavior patterns: Do they affect
your business? How can you recognize them? And should you work with them or try to
fight the tide? Let’s dive into that today.
So, what am I talking about when I say “human behavior”? Why is this important in
small business? Well, our journey has placed behavior and psychology into a new light
for me. It’s become “the hobby I never thought I needed,” but one I’ve definitely come to
enjoy. Growing up in my parents’ small business—a dry-cleaning shop—I often saw
examples of quirky human behavior. For instance, after the first snowfall, everyone in
town would rush in with their winter coats, desperately hoping for a rush job! Why wait
until the last minute? That, my friends, seems to be hive-like human behavior. It affects
every business and takes time to recognize with each new endeavor.
In the spray foam business—and likely in insulation overall—there’s a similar common
winter pattern: people don’t call for insulation until the temperatures hit freezing. Cold
weather jogs memories of drafty spots, looming ice dams, or that man-cave shop that
suddenly must be warm for winter projects. The challenge? Some substrates, like metal,
become incredibly difficult—or even inadvisable—to foam at low temperatures. Sure,
heat can be applied, and workarounds exist, but these solutions involve additional
costs, time, and effort to do them with optimal results. The best time to foam metal
buildings is during warmer weather—late spring, summer, or early fall. These are
fantastic times for spray foam jobs on metal! And yet, most calls roll in when the
temperatures drop, and people are already feeling the chill.
We’ve tried running specials. We’ve offered summer discounts. And yet, that estimate
we gave in May? The call often comes in November. It’s just the way it goes—it’s how
our species operates. So, what can you do about it?
As one of my favorite people once told me: “Carrie, what is IS, and what ain’t, AIN’T.”
I’ve come to believe that fighting these patterns with additional marketing isn’t the
solution—at least, not in our experience. Our mission has always been to provide the
best pricing scenarios for our customers without sacrificing product quality or cutting
corners. We’ll stay true to this approach, no matter how projects end up timing out for
our customers.
Next Blog’s Topic
Sometimes, unique challenges arise mid-project, and we address them head-on. You’d
be surprised at what can manifest—issues that could become detrimental to a home
down the road, even though they’re beyond our scope of work. Next blog, I’ll share a
story or two about these situations and what we chose to do about them.
Your Turn to Share
What is your self-employment or small business story? Have you faced similar
challenges? What human behavior patterns affect your business? Share your thoughts
in the comments below—I’d love to hear from you!
