Life After Hurricane Irene

The damage is in the billions. People are without power. Homes have been lost. And we wake each and every day to the reality of entire communities picking up, starting over, making repairs, and moving on. That is life after Hurricane Irene. As we continue to hear stories of the destruction, we at The Dwyer Group also hear about the heroes who are going in and cleaning up. I am so proud that our franchise brands play a role in helping homeowners and business owners get back on their feet. Whether it’s flooded homes, broken windows, electrical problems, plumbing problems or a host of other service calls, our franchisees and their incredible technicians are there to serve. It reinforces the theme we’ve been championing all year during The Dwyer Group’s 30th Anniversary – “Customers First.” Times like these make us appreciate the everyday conveniences we often take for granted: running water, reliable electricity, and the safety and comfort our homes provide from the outside elements. Mother Nature can certainly put that to the test, as she did along the East Coast. And my thanks go out to all of our franchisees and their teams who are working long hours to do what they do so well by putting customers first.

Time Flies When You're Living R.I.C.H.!

Our great team at The Dwyer Group has been busy making preparations for our Annual Reunion. And this year promises to be extra special, because we will also be honoring The Dwyer Group’s 30th Anniversary with all of our attendees. Binders are coming together. Registrations are piling up. Speakers are preparing their remarks. A lot of celebrating will be on hand this October. In fact, we’ve been so excited for this hallmark anniversary, that I almost overlooked another important anniversary. It has been five years since I introduced the Live R.I.C.H. theme to our Code of Values. Double wow!


I remember getting ready for our 25th Anniversary and The Dwyer Group’s Annual Reunion. I was finishing up my book: Live R.I.C.H.: How to build success in your company and your life with a proven Code of Values. It was printed and shipped just in time for attendees to get a copy at the Annual Reunion. My idea was to give everyone something special for their trip back home – a little dose of the corporate culture we’ve been creating as told by associates, franchisees and family and friends over the years to me. I wanted to inspire people with the kinds of uplifting stories I get to hear every single day as chairwoman and CEO. I wanted to spread our corporate culture to a rapidly expanding franchise network and to promote the themes of Respect, Integrity, Customer Focus, and Having Fun in the Process. The message took hold! Soon I was sharing the book with every new franchisee who joined The Dwyer Group of Companies. I was giving interviews to the media about the importance of ethics in business. I even gave copies to everyone at the International Franchise Association’s annual convention for the year I served as Chairwoman. The book has been through several printings. Well, here we are five years later. It’s another Annual Reunion for The Dwyer Group and another fantastic milestone for our team and our family of franchise brands. Thirty years is an accomplishment all its own. But the last five years have been incredibly special and unique to me. I’ve had a front row seat to see the Live R.I.C.H. theme and our Code of Values propel us even further. Happy Anniversary, indeed!

Dwyer Group Reunion 2010 - http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7807276

Who Misses Summer Break?

July seems to be the best time of the year (aside from Christmas) to take time off with my family for vacation. The kids are out of school and we are aching for some fun in the sun.

Over the years, I’ve learned several important lessons about how to make the most of your vacation.

Lesson 1 It’s okay – and actually necessary – to really vacate from life’s daily responsibilities like work or chores. Your mind and body need time for fun, rest and rejuvenation and you must be fully engaged to experience these feelings. Your family will really appreciate this engaged time with you. My strategic coach calls these free days, as they are free from any type of work and free to do what you love outside of work.

Lesson 2 - Plan ahead and get all the major items off your to-do list so you won’t spend time fretting over what didn’t get done. Be sure to communicate to your team and customers that you will be gone and whom they can contact if they need help while you’re out. Provide your emergency contact info to the one person you have assigned to handle your business while you are away. Do not call that person; they will call you if they really need you.

Lesson 3 - Go somewhere that the entire family finds enjoyable. We love going to the beach; some of us love to snorkel, fish and swim while others mostly enjoy lying on the beach and reading a good book.

Lesson 4 - Take time to really appreciate your family, friends and surroundings. Basically stop and smell the roses.

Lesson 5 - There are times when the whole family can’t seem to take the same time off. Know that it’s okay to take separate vacations from time to time. It’s better to have some vacations than none.

Live R.I.C.H.
Dina

Walking with Elephants

Drayton McLane, Jr., chair and CEO of the McLane companies, former vice-chair of Walmart and CEO of the Houston Astros, was a hit last recently at our company wide meeting.

 I've been reviewing my notes from the meeting and thought it would be good to regularly revisit his key points.

• Focus on your values regularly. McLane and his team conducted small group meetings across his company (12,000 employees) every two weeks to focus on what it means to operate with integrity, respect and Christian values.
• We have freedom and free-enterprise in America, this gives us a chance that most don't get to achieve our dreams.
• The most difficult thing - change, because we are creatures of habit. The most dangerous time in our personal lives is when we are succeeding because we begin to believe our own stuff.
• We must keep taking risks; making mistakes is what entrepreneurship is about.
• You can never become what you want to be by remaining as you are.
• Don't underestimate the power of technology and social media, use the unfriendliness of technology and make it human. 

From his MSU business school professor in 1959:

 1. Dare to dream - it's free

 2. Operate out of your imagination not your memories; memories have too many errors

 3. Seek adversity, the lines are shorter

 4. Walk with elephants (leaders)

  What an honor to have had the opportunity to walk with this elephant for an afternoon.

May - National Home Improvement Month

Today marks the beginning of National Home Improvement Month. This May, as in years past, the weather begins to cooperate for those projects around the house that have been neglected. And what originally began as a season to promote the services of professionals within the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) has quickly grown into an annual conversation for all kinds of fixes: DIY to licensed contractor and beyond.

Will you finally repair those gutters? Can you install that new water heater now? Is it time to replace those old windows? What about those dirty carpets? Even more daunting is the question – Can you do it alone? Spring suddenly shines a bright light on all those things that could use some sprucing up. And projects big and small begin to creep up the list for your attention. To this I say: “Don’t procrastinate.” What you tackle today in home improvements, you can enjoy that much more tomorrow. And what you can’t fix yourself, you also don’t have to put off forever. You see, while May is National Home Improvement month, I like to think home improvements are a mission we accomplish year-round at The Dwyer Group. We love helping customers improve their homes. It deserves our attention and expertise 24/7 just like our toll-free numbers that customers can call in their time of need.

Thankfully, as we celebrate our 30th anniversary at The Dwyer Group and the 30th anniversary of the Rainbow International brand that started it all, we also celebrate the millions of residential and commercial customers who have come to us for those trusted improvements. For services and repairs, it is the highest compliment to be the valued provider that crosses that front door to serve.

So, here’s to a happy National Home Improvement Month…and every month to come.

Innovation at its Best

innovation: a new way of doing things which results in positive change and makes life better!

March 27th marked the 30th anniversary for Rainbow International and the Dwyer Group. What an achievement! The only way a company can thrive and not just survive for 30 years is due to being innovative. Hats off to Dwyer associates, franchisees, master licensees, and our customers for your contribution to our combined success.

As I reflect back over the 30 years, one of the greatest habits I was taught by our late founder, Don Dwyer, was to be constantly learning. His favorite method for learning was to listen to tape programs/audio books. I have carried on this habit. One of the recent audio books that I listened to was, Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo. The book shared Steve Jobs’ principles of leadership.

Principle number one - do what you love - following your heart can make all the difference.

2) Put a dent in the universe - surround yourself with like-minded people that relate to your vision and turn ideas into world changing innovations.

3) Kick start your brain - innovation does not exist without creativity.

4) Sell dreams not products - to Steve Jobs people who buy Apple products are not consumers. They’re people with dreams, hopes, and ambitions. He wants to build products to help them achieve their dreams.

5) Say no to 1000 things - simplicity is key. Innovation means you got to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary can speak.

6) Create insanely great experiences - Apple stores are the gold standard in customer service because they introduce simple innovations that make deep, lasting, emotional ties with the customer.

7) Master the message - Steve Jobs knows how to tell a product story in an art form.

I was listening to this audio book one morning while getting ready for work. A morning in which I happened to have developed a sore throat through the night. I was heading out of town the next day and had a large action list to achieve and I didn't want to interrupt my day with a doctor's visit.

I asked myself, "what would Steve Jobs do to be innovative at a time like this"? My first thought was, I'll take a picture of my throat with my IPhone. It's got a great flash and I'll e-mail it to the doctor’s office. I must admit that I was feeling a bit giddy about my innovative thought and it took courage to press the send button. By the way, the picture was unbelievably clear.

At 6:11 AM I e-mailed the photo to my doctor’s office with a request that he please take a look and let me know if he was able to diagnose my problem. By 8:20 AM, I received an e-mail from his office acknowledging receipt of the message and by 10:14 AM, the nurse called to say that it appeared I had an infection and the doctor was prescribing an antibiotic. Wow!!! It's amazing how technology is changing our world.

I'd like to challenge all of you to look for new ways that we can conduct business that results in a positive change that makes life better for all. Let's gear up for another 30 years of thriving!

PS-thanks to see Steve Jobs and Apple for making it possible for me to take a quality photo with my Apple IPhone and to jar my creative juices with his book.

I think I'll tweet about this :)

For the second year in a row, franchise companies of The Dwyer Group, Inc. will commit $100,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities®. In addition to donating $100,000 to the charity in 2010, our franchises donated $82,000 through plumbing, electrical services, appliance repair/maintenance, glass installation/replacement, heating and air conditioning work at Ronald McDonald Houses across North America.

The national sponsorship includes Aire Serv, Glass Doctor, Mr. Appliance, Mr. Electric and Mr. Rooter Plumbing, as well as The Grounds Guys. As part of the renewed sponsorship, franchise owners will continue to donate their services, labor and supplies.

Ronald McDonald House Charities was established in memory of McDonald's founder and franchise icon Ray Kroc in 1984. The cornerstone program, the Ronald McDonald House®, provides a “home-away-from-home” so families can stay close by while their child gets the health care they need.

"The families that RMHC supports derive strength from each other, volunteers, staff and corporate donors like The Dwyer Group,” said Marty Coyne, president and CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities. “On behalf of the 12,100 children and families we serve every day through RMHC core programs, I thank The Dwyer Group for this amazing commitment to our families.”

Visit RMHC at http://rmhc.org/ if you are interested in making a contribution to this wonderful program.