Ask lots of Questions!
A conversational interview between Jim Johnson and a business owner (Speaker B) focusing on the role and depth of relationships in business—moving from acquaintance to friendship/family—and how faith shapes personal values and company culture. The speaker emphasizes building trust through personal connections (including knowing families), treating employees well, creating enjoyable workplaces, providing growth and security, and viewing stewardship of employees as central to long-term business success.
Chapters
These relationships that you have, are they business relationships? I notice you mentioned family. Right. And relationships have a arc to them. There's knowing somebody that's really. And all things are in relationship. Right. Like there's. I'm in relationship to this computer sitting in front of me. Right. So there's knowing people that's like step one of a relationship, like I know you, you know me, and knowing of somebody. But then there's like actual relationship where we have some back and forth. But then I think it gets deeper than that. I think there gets to be friendship, fellowship, family, like those types of things. Have you ever thought about the depth of that and what that looks like in your relationships with the people you work with?
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, to kind of give you an example, the purchasing manager for DL Horton. I'm going to go meet with him and here in a little bit. Him and his wife, me and my wife and, and meet with him and his wife. We know each other's families. They've been over to our house for, you know, family events and we've been over to their house for family events. We, we have just crossed paths in a way that you're. Who would you rather do business with? Somebody that you actually can, you know, completely rely on and trust, but then also somebody that you have a personal relationship to the point to where they can trust you around their family. I mean, yeah, we, we. I want to be able to build that relationship and be that person that they trust me around their family because I feel that, you know, I have a big heart and my family has a big heart and I like to associate my people associate with people that, that are like minded and like minded in my faith. Right. And like minded in the things that we do. And you know, I want to, I want to make their lives easier and hopefully give them, you know, at least from my perspective, a less lesser of a stressful, you know, situation when it comes to my trade that they have to deal with on a daily basis. So yeah, I do like, I do like taking those relationships to the next level because I think it's super impactful because if they can, if they can trust me around their family, well, they definitely can trust me with their work.
That's a given, right? Yeah, that's something else I've noticed about you. And you really just kind of brought it out because you mentioned it, you mentioned faith, right. Like there's this. I have a faith and so do they. So our relationship's a little bit tighter. I've also noticed that you Attract folks like that. I mentioned Jason earlier, but also Renee, Renee's got really strong. Is that, is that a core value of your business or of you personally that you apply into your business, or is it just who you are?
In a sense, it's just who I am, but it is a core value at the same time because there are principles and a mindset that my faith basically structures my lifestyle, it structures the way that I do business, it structures how, you know, I live with my family and with my children and the way that we do things. And I think it just attracts, you know, the certain type of people as well. In the roofing industry, there's all kinds of people. Right. And a lot of them aren't real faith based, but, but the majority of the people that are in my company and they also respect my faith as well, you know, and they respect what we, the foundation that we built our company on, and that's a big part of it. So it has, I think that God has just put those people in my lives in, in my life, and it's just attracted more.
Man, that's, that's so cool. And it, it's interesting because that core value that is part of you, but you also apply to your business. It explains why you're where you are because you had a very familiar story. You said, I went to work for this guy, I was interested in his thing when I was doing the insurance thing. I was doing just fine. I'm making good money and I'd probably be there today if he had treated me differently. Yeah, there was something in that treatment that didn't work out very well. We hear this all the time. We, you know, we didn't get paid a bonus. It always comes down to that person on the other side not treating somebody how you would deem. Right. As an individual, how important is that to you? Like with your own people?
Yeah, I mean, like I said earlier, you know, I always tell everybody, you know, I want you to be happy in the place that you're at, and if you don't see any potential for growth, you know, I want you to be happy and I want you to find that place. And if this isn't it, I urge you to move on. You know, so we have to be a unit, we have to be like minded. We have to be a team and we have to be on the same wavelength. So, you know, it's super important. You know, I, I want everybody in my company to have a great experience. I mean, we only get one life, you know, so I want Them to enjoy their time where they spend the most time. And I want them to get out of, you know, being at this company because we're family, and I have a big responsibility to take all these people and their families, you know, and help them to have opportunity and put them in a good place. You know, I wouldn't be a good steward of my own company if I didn't, you know, try to keep them in mind and. And put them first. Of course, I think that in doing all that, the business will come, the money will come. I don't have any financial struggles. I don't have anything. And it's just happened. And that's been one of the biggest things. People always ask me, like, how have you done what you've done? And, you know, I'm like, well, to be honest, even when I started out at that roofing company, I. I just did what I do. I didn't have some big plan. I didn't have some big, you know, idea. I just did what I did, and it just happened. But I think that just the way that, you know, I treat people and the way that I. Or the type of people that I try to surround myself with, I think it just all came together, and I think that the Lord kind of put that together for me, and that's all I can really, you know, say.
Yeah, he's pretty amazing at that kind of stuff. Your foundation of faith is.
Yeah, I didn't. I didn't. I didn't put a plan. The plan was already there, so. And I'm just trying to. I'm just trying to be a good steward and. And really use my company to help others as well.
That's such a cool. You said something there that was powerful, and I want people to, like. I want to repeat it because I wrote it down. It was so good. Enjoy the time where you spend the most time.
Right.
I don't think we understand that responsibility as business owners that these people that work for us, they're spending 8, 9, 10 hours of their day with us. Now, if they sleep eight hours a day, that means that 16 to 18 hours of the day, they're either sleeping or working. So they are spending the most time with us. How do you create. How do you create opportunity for those people, that. It is an enjoyable place?
That's a good question. And that's kind of.
It's a challenge, isn't it?
Yeah. I mean, it's just trying to help everybody see, you know, the different aspects of what we do and how they can better themselves. And you know, through, you know, education and providing them with the tools that we can that not a lot of others do, you know, and it's kind of like that old mindset that I started out in is just, hey, come right along with me, right? We put a lot back into the company before we take a dime out of the company. We make sure that everybody else is taken care of. And I don't take a lot out of the company. You know, we, I'm. I have an end goal, right? And that end goal, I don't have a retirement. This is my retirement. So I think, you know, I look at the bigger picture and make sure that my people are taken care of and I want them to feel that they have security. That's number one. And the decisions that I make and the relationships that I'm out, you know, you know, making with, with my clients, that's just a reflection of who I am and what I'm trying to do for my company. And then also, also for the people in my company. I don't know if that answers the question, but.
No, it absolutely does. It's a really good answer actually. Because I was like you. I didn't ever want somebody to leave my business for the same reason I left. I got stiffed on a bonus. Somebody didn't keep their word to me, I'd probably still be there today. I loved it there. I loved the people. I loved what we had built. We had built something pretty amazing. And somebody didn't keep their word. And it's just one of those, like, that's non negotiable for me, like, keep your word. And I don't want anybody to ever leave. And I talk about that with my team. I talk about our core values and how important they are and how like, I'm going to do right by them as long as they do right by us. I'm going to do right by them at all times.
