Cold Open And What’s Ahead

Roger Magalhaes 0:00

As I celebrate 20 years in business this month with Shades in Place, I decided to do a show where I highlight 20 moments that really helped me get here. Last week I shared the first 10, and today I am sharing 10 more lessons, mistakes, and things that make everything possible and worth it. So here 10 more moments to help me get as far as I went right after this.

Intro / Outro 0:43

Welcome to No Strings Attached, the place where we untangle honest conversations about business reinvention and the pursuit of the American dream. Hosted by Roger McCullough, Brazilian-born Boston brand, Florida-based. He is an entrepreneur, speaker, and storyteller with 20 years of real stories, laughs, and screw-ups. This show is for anyone still searching for their place under the sun. So pull up the chair. The show is about to start. Here's Roger with no strings attached.

The Book Buckets And Part Two

Roger Magalhaes 1:25

If this is your first time here, welcome to the show. But if you have been here before, welcome back. Today is part two of our series where I talk about 20 moments in reference to 20 years in business with Shades in Place. As part of the celebration, I also wrote a book called Nobody Told Me That, where I share 20 stories, 20 lessons in regards to building a business from the ground up. So doing a mirror to the book, we have lessons put in three different buckets. In the book, we have three buckets. The first one is courage emotion. When you don't know what you're doing, but you're doing anyway. Then we have another bucket called Authentic Connections where you stop working by yourself and we start making connections and those connections help you get much, much farther than you ever thought possible. And then there's bucket number three, the view after the climb. When you start seeing all your work, all the hard earned lessons paying off. Today we are going to share some lessons from authentic connections in the view after the climb bucket.

WCAA Networking That Creates Visibility

Roger Magalhaes 3:08

The first lesson I joined WCAA. WCAA is the Window Covering Association of American Group, is a nonprofit organization where people in the industry come together as a whole with local chapters for education, for camerad, for helping each other out. I joined a group in Massachusetts at that time, part of the local community. It was great for seven reasons. I made a lot of connections with local people, also put me on the spotlight right off the bat because not many installers go out and do networking. So becoming the only installer in that group automatically gave me visibility. After that and having me on a directory put me on another spotlight where I could get work from people outside of the state looking for an installer in Massachusetts. Eventually I became part of the board of directions and even became the president of WCAA at one point. So it was a great way to be part of a bigger community, be part of the industry, show your knowledge, get knowledge, and get visibility.

Performing Under Pressure With Eyes On

Roger Magalhaes 4:51

Lesson number two today, it was about a lawyer pulling a chair to watch me work. First, she in business, I don't know what I'm doing, and then I got this job to go and do a template on an arch. It's summertime, hot, I'm really sweating, and I get to this job site. I knock on a door, the guy opens it, show me the window, and then I bring my ladder and I streeping and I start taping the paper over the window so I can trace it, right? So the guy just pulls a chair, call me out, and said, Roger, you don't mind if I just sit here watch you work, right? And I was like, seriously, I don't know what I'm doing. And now I have an audience looking at me, and I say, No, for sure, no, make yourself at home, do whatever you want to do. And here's the lesson: you need to perform, do your best, even when you don't know what you're doing, because there's always someone looking over at you, whether you are aware of it or not. I took my time, I went out to my van several times trying to dismiss this guy, trying to cool off all my worry, all my you know, lack of confidence. Eventually I got the job done, and after that very excruciating lesson, I realized that I need to learn how to work under pressure because sometimes the day is gonna be perfect, everything is gonna line up, everything gonna work the way it's supposed to. And some other days you are going to be under the microscope, you're gonna be in front of the camera, you're gonna be under the spotlight. So get comfortable working under pressure because those days are gonna come. Don't freak out, just take your time, pretend you're alone, and move forward no matter what. Lesson

Getting Help Through Trade Communities

Roger Magalhaes 7:27

number three is called the window pro. They are not even around anymore, but it was the first contact I had in the industry about community, about support. It was an email digest service back then 20, 20, 20 few years ago, where you write a message, you write a question, this email goes out to everyone on that list, and the next day you got a response to your questions. And sometimes you get three or four responses. That email gave me a lot of lessons. The first there were people willing to help you out. That was great. Second, there was this place that if I didn't know anything about a specific topic, specific subject, there was a place that I could go to to get knowledge, to get help, to get support. And number three, because my last name is very odd, in the American culture, it was easy to get my name recognized among other members in the industry. Eventually, the Window Pro service disappeared because Facebook groups became the new thing, became the new supporting group, became the place where people go to get help, to get to to share, to help each other. So the lesson is still there regardless. Be part of trades group, be part of the community where pros help and support each other, and then you can even take on jobs that you don't think is ever possible because your knowledge is not that great, but there are people that can help you get there.

Newsletters That Build Client Loyalty

Roger Magalhaes 9:59

Number four, one of the things that really helped me succeed 20 years in business was writing my newsletters. It started out as a simple way that I wanted to communicate with my clients. I knew people would not buy shades every week. It's different than you need gallon and you need gasoline, something so recurring, so normal that people automatically buy every day. But window treatments is not like that. You do a job for Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones won't need you for another 20 years. How the heck am gonna be coming to Mrs. Jones so she can remember me when the time is right. So I start writing newsletters, even though I did not have the perfect English, even though I didn't know exactly what to talk about. And instead of being this precise knows everything type of guy and just blend writing with everybody else, I came across a guy called Michael Katz, and his specialty was to look different, to be human in front of your clients. You don't want to compete with corporations like Starbucks and Verizon and Apple. They have a big image to protect. They cannot sound like human, but small business like ourselves, we can. You can share a family vacation, you can share a struggle. Your clients will relate, and that was exactly how I started writing it, mentioning things that made me human in front of my clients. At that time, my English was pretty bad, my grammar wasn't even close, and I hired someone to revise my newsletters, but something happened, and people liked my voice, they liked my tone, and that became a staple for my business. So I've been writing newsletters for over 15 years, and out of those feedbacks from the newsletters, people started saying, I really like how you write. I discovered that I really like telling stories. I even started getting feedback that I should write a book. And guess what? 20 years later, those newsletters became the food that created the book. Nobody told me that. If it wasn't for the newsletters, I wouldn't have so loyal clients. I wouldn't be able to create this book and look into the future with all the new possibilities. Number

Why Value Beats Free Every Time

Roger Magalhaes 13:26

five, it's free but has no value. So I'm doing a job for this client on my early ages, probably first to second business, second year in business. And as I installing these shades for this lady, she's in the kitchen looking at me, and I'm thinking, if this lady just had her husband doing it, she would save so much money instead of paying me to do this installation. And just like if uh if she was reading my mind out of the blue, she just mentioned Roger, I learned that if you hire a professional, it's a lot cheaper than trying doing the work all yourself. And for some reason they stuck with me all these years that people are willing to pay for professional that show up on time, that show respect, there brings knowledge to a job site. I see so many people complaining about people not willing to pay for the price and the they always complain about the other guy selling cheaper. I totally get their point, but the real question is are you being the one different from everybody else? Or are you just trying to blend in and wanting to charge more? That doesn't happen. So people are willing to pay top dollar for top-notch services. Let me ask a question. Pretend you have a Ferrari and we know they're expensive. Do you think a guy that owns a Ferrari gonna go for a free oil change? I guarantee you not, because they don't see value in that. If they pay for an expensive car, their mindset is that the service has to be expensive as well. So you need to change your mindset, you need to ask for a price, the right price for the right service. Don't be cheap, but provide a service that your competitors will not. Lesson

A Costly Mistake And Priceless Reputation

Roger Magalhaes 16:22

number six is about a messed up job on my very first year. This designer called me to measure a house still under construction. It was for Conrad shades. And if you don't know the brand Conrad, it's one of the most expensive shades on the market. I had no clue what they were, I just never heard of the brand, and she told me those are natural shades. They take 12 to 16 weeks to come. I just need a professional to measure. And I said, sure, no problem. Then I went to the job and I measure every window. Again, the house was under construction. The windows, the windows were in, but the trim work was not done. Obviously, I forgot to add the trim width to the final measurement. I didn't realize that until I came back three months later to do the install. And then all the windows looked too small. I mean, all the shades looked too small. That was when I realized that I didn't add the trim where the trim measurements to the final width. Everybody freaked out. It was probably eight to nine windows that I that had to be reordered. I said, sure, no problem. I'll just pay for it without really knowing the price of those shades. So she came back and said they're gonna cost six thousand dollars. And six thousand dollars in twenty twenty six, it's a lot of money. Now, six thousand dollars twenty years ago is way more money. On top of that, I was just starting out, I not even had money enough coming in to pay for my expenses, let alone have a safety net or have an emergency fund available to tap into it. As a matter of fact, I owed eighty thousand dollars in credit cards because I was just starting out. I already had gave notice to my job, my trucking job, uh truck driving job, and I was basically surviving off credit cards until my company could start making money. I had a choice. I can either disappear into the woods and never show up again, or own my mistakes, build my name, build my reputation, pay for those shades, and move forward with a head high up. And that's what I did. I put on a credit card, I suck it up, I did the installation basically for free, but I got a job and I got it done. And they never were able to complain about a bad reputation. That really set my standards in my high my my ladder, my bar really high. So oh, everything you do, even it's gonna cost you money. In the end, it pays off because your reputation is priceless.

Taking The Same Training On Purpose

Roger Magalhaes 20:17

Lesson number seven. I was being the joke trainings. Some fee started doing motorization training all over town. And then I went for my first one and I learned a lot. And then three months later, they were coming back through a different manufacturer, through a different supplier, but doing basically the same training. So I signed up again and I went. But the third time I showed up, the same instructor came. Say, hey, haven't you been here before? And I say, Yes, John, I have been through the same train multiple times. But guess what? You're always learning something new, you're connecting with different people. Different people bring different points of view, different perspectives, and it's always beneficial. So at that point, I stopped being a joke because I had a real point. I still am friends with John. He moved on to a different company, but we still joke about the same thing. Knowledge and networking, they never get tired, they never get old. So you're always learning from different people. So never stop doing that. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It motivates me to keep doing it, to keep learning, to keep me in shape. Lesson number eight I start writing for the industry. And the whole thing started because of my newsletters. So I went for training and I went to see speakers and I went to networking events. So I was connecting with these people and putting them into my email list. So eventually those people started getting my newsletters. And apparently they liked what I wrote about. That eventually someone connected me with Grace McNamara, and I was invited to start writing articles about installations. And that was a really, really great opportunity to get exposure, to be known in the industry, and everything started with my newsletter. Twenty years later, it's much easier because all the social media out there, it's a great way for you sharing your knowledge. No matter what knowledge you have, start sharing it on Facebook, on LinkedIn, through local papers, through magazines. Everybody's hungry to learn and to share. So get an opportunity and don't be afraid.

Writing For The Industry To Expand Reach

Roger Magalhaes 23:24

Number nine, not be afraid of money. And that I learned from my wife. As we know, window treatments are very expensive. So when I first start selling it, and I got a quote and I put the prices together, and I was, holy shit, those things cost a fortune. And my wife, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Stop, stop, stop, stop. You're not supposed to do that. Whoa, but those shades are so expensive, nobody ever gonna buy it. I said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't do that. Because you're simply putting a block, putting some, you're telling the universe that you don't deserve it. You need to treat these very naturally. When you talk to Mrs. Jones, when you talk to your client, oh Mrs. Jones, it's just another thousand dollars to add the remote controls to those shades. Sound normal. Make them believe this is your everyday work. You don't need to show that you feel is expensive because the minute you show them you're not comfortable with those numbers, you're going to scare them away. We funny enough, we had a similar call one of these days on Facebook, and I saw someone mention it that they would never

Money Confidence When Selling Premium Work

Roger Magalhaes 24:56

pay the prices for the shades, and he didn't know how people would buy that. That is basically the same reaction I had when I was so surprised by the prices. And my wife correct me right there. Obviously, it didn't happen overnight, it takes a while. What you need to understand is that your life is not the same life as your clients. You may make $100 an hour doing your job. Some of those clients make a thousand dollars a job, a thousand dollars an hour. They have a different point of view, they have a different life. Don't feel like they have the same budget as you. So treat naturally that those expenses are just the way they are. And I guarantee you the door's gonna open and you're gonna get more business just because they understand and they feel confident that you know what you're doing. And number 10 lesson is trading up. So came COVID, I was sharing my knowledge through Shades in Place, helping people understand the installation part of the business, helping them with articles, with classes, through the certifications, through the events, through IWCE, the window covering associations and everything. And then came an opportunity to create Trading App to share my knowledge on an official way via a separate company. Trading App didn't become didn't become a super big company as I originally thought, but it gave me even more exposure through a dedicated company helping stallers and pros getting professional training for window treatments installations. So it became almost like a boutique service for installers and dealers that were looking for help with installations. So 10 lessons right there to help me got through 20 years in business,

Trading Up And Packaging Your Expertise

Roger Magalhaes 27:38

joined WCAA, a trade organization, being comfortable with a lawyer pulling a chair and watching me work, then became Window Pro email list and eventually Facebook private groups where shares share knowledge and help each other out. Then I was writing newsletters for my client, which opened doors for more opportunities, including writing a book. The lesson that I learned from my client, they are willing to pay for the professional doing the working for them. Then a lesson that I had to own my mistakes, no matter how much they cost. Then going to training multiple times and being left at it because I took the same training. It was a great way to reinforce that every time you go, you learn something new. Writing for the industry was another great way to solidify my vision and my exposure to the industry. Not being afraid of money allowed me to make more money per job because I didn't have to drop my prices. I

The Ten-Lesson Recap And Takeaways

Roger Magalhaes 29:02

was just willing to accept more revenue and more profit. And to close, creating a unique way to showcase my expertise via trading app was an absolutely change and helped me got better clients and even put me as an expert in the industry. So hopefully, I was able to share some knowledge. Hopefully, you picked up something from these lessons. If you learned something, or if you have something else to share with me, please let me know in the comments. I read everything. Thanks for listening. Thanks for being with me all these years, and I'll see you next week. Take care.

Intro / Outro 29:56

And that's a wrap for today. Hope you're leaving with something that sticks. If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. For more information, follow Roger at RogerMegallus.com and find the link in the show notes for a free chapter of his book, Nobody Told Me That. We'll see you next Sunday with no strings attached.