020 - A Strong Foundation with Will Blake
What does a contracting business look like when it’s run by a veteran businessman? Listen to our interview with Will Blake of Vesta Foundation Solutions to hear about his great foundation and the steps he’s taking to fuel more growth and improvement.
Show Notes
Who is Will Blake and how did Vesta Foundation Solutions begin? (1:00)
What’s the difference between a million company and a 70 million dollar company? (6:30)
It was a good experience, but stallions just need a bigger field to run in. (9:47)
How did he choose Oklahoma as the “right” place to start his business (hint: market research!) (13:17)
Don’t run away from a competitive market! (17:11)
Was it difficult to replicate what he’d done on the east coast when he got to Oklahoma? (20:02)
Umm, what in the world is a KPI? (22:19)
How did COVID affect their business? (30:04)
How much is a lead worth, and where do Will’s leads come from? (32:21)
The magic of the marketing machine! (38:15)
Where to start finding data when you’re just starting out. (45:17)
How do you develop your vision for your business? (51:08)
Marketing as a portfolio. (1:01:19)
What’s the difference between a customer who buys and one who doesn’t? (1:11:30)
How do you get your own call center? (1:16:18)
Taking a page out of Netflix’s books. (1:26:27)
Cutting costs and improving efficiency with superhero organization (1:32:18)
How often is too often to review your books? (1:43:03)
How much time does Will spend on each of the four areas of business? (1:50:30)
Mount Rushmore — Yogi Berra Quotes (1:56:34)
Something you can actually go do — Where can you start your foundation? (2:01:30)
Ethan’s Insights — Listen to Ethan try to summarize this epic conversation. (2:03:20)
Quotable Moments
“Don’t run away from a competitive market. Cause if there’s competitors, that means there’s a need.” — Will
“It’s a system and a process. It’s just the same thing repetitively done and continuing to dial it in and dial it in.” — Will
“When you know that phone ringing is $2,200, you’re gonna answer it!” — Will
“You have to be in different channels because if you’re just saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to do marketing in only Home Advisor or only Porch,’ you will get disappointed.” — K
“The purpose of business is NOT to make sales.” — M
“You don’t need to sit here and deliberate for weeks about what to do. Just try something. And if you’re going to fail, fail fast.” — K
Resources
Fix This Next by Mike Michaelowicz
Profit First by Mike Michaelowicz
The Profit Problem by Martin Holland
The Highest Calling by Lawrence Janesky
Vesta Foundation Solutions on Facebook
Email Will directly at will@vestafs.com
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