29E6’s very own Andy Richardson was recently interviewed by Business Builder Camp’s, Wayne Herring. They talked about building a structural engineering business, the company’s 6 E’s for business success and what really matters!
Below are some excerpts from the interview.
“I really do like working with people and teaching them.”
AR: Initially, I went a more traditional route in hiring local people.
“HOW you hire is always a big question.”
AR: Instead of me training I have other people helping train with our video library. When a new hire comes in we have 20 hours of tutorials on how to do stuff at 29E6. They have an engineering degree but maybe they don’t know how to do it our way. Do you go with a novice or a PE? Those are growth challenges and I’ve done all the above.
“CLT is like plywood on steroids!”
A few featured projects Andy and Wayne talked about, what was unique about them and why.
HHI residence, an innovatively customized coastal home.
The Digby, a boutique hotel.
Holy Trinity Classical Christian School
29E6 is the Modulus of Elasticity
WH: Some people in business books talk about having core values and sometimes companies go through values determination exercise. Some copy from the internet and post it on the wall but they don’t really take the time to like work them, and get curious about how to work them, and to try to see how to get better, and how to talk about it again, and how to exemplify when you do it. And that’s something that’s unique about your company and certainly foundational to being able to have remote employees. So, can you share with the audience how you established the values and how you make sure you get better at living them and working them as a company.
Andy shares 29E6’s 6E’s for Business Success
- ENHANCE the world around us
- ENSURE safety
- strive for EXCELLENCE
- EARN profitability for all involved
- work with EFFICIENCY
- ENJOY!
“But my family is still there. That’s the legacy!”
WH: Tell us about how you find that work life balance.
AR: For me it’s I want more flexibility. The biggest thing is what can you do to simplify your life a little bit more. Maybe it’s not 100%, maybe it’s 1% or 10%. And, it’s definitely something I continue to work on. What I do for spiritual reasons and for the Lord, and for my family, that’s what really matters long-term. And the business is just a way to get there.
“The goal is not to be zillionaires.
I mean, that would be great, I guess, but…(chuckle)”
AR: Mostly it’s about how can we make our businesses better but the purpose of that is to make our lives better .. not to be zillionaires.
This conversation can be viewed in its entirety on YouTube, The 6 E’s of Business Success: Andy Richardson’s Framework for Building a Flourishing Business.
More interviews with Wayne Herring can be found on his Business Builder Camp YouTube channel.