“Pick the story first, then go find the brands to fit it.” This week, Kenneth Walker returns and is joined by podcast and industry veteran Mark Stoner, President of Ashbusters, to have a practical conversation about the process of building an actual showroom. In this episode, Tim, Mark, and Kenneth Read more…
“The purpose of your showroom is to sell the in-home visit.” This week, Tim welcomes Kenneth Walker, independent sales rep for Fire Walker Sales covering nine states, to break down the five principles every winning fireplace showroom needs. Kenneth has seen hundreds of showrooms—from thriving retail operations to struggling chimney Read more…
“The work starts when you make the sale.” This week, Tim does a deep-dive into the intricacies of sales with his friend Seth Fultz, Regional Sales Manager at Bridgewell Resources, who talks about his experience wearing multiple hats within his role – from inventory management and in/outbound logistics, to truck Read more…
“Service isn’t a necessary evil—it’s your most valuable relationship builder.” This week, Tim welcomes Bart Ogden, owner of Home Safe Hearth & Chimney in Wichita, Kansas, to discuss how service work can be the foundation of a thriving hearth business. Starting as a chimney sweep in 1979 in a town Read more…
“The customer bought the experience, not just the fireplace.” This week, Tim welcomes Nate Lammers, (Midwest Sales Representative for Kozy Heat), and Adam Spencer, a homeowner who recently completed a major fireplace remodel. After Nate discovered his neighbor Adam had purchased a fireplace from a local dealer, he realized Adam’s Read more…
“A mentor or a coach is someone that you can discuss your innermost fears with.” In this episode, Tim welcome Jerry Isenhour, President of the CVC Success Group, back to the podcast to talk about intentional mentorship and learning in the current landscape of the industry. Tim and Jerry cover: Read more…
“Customers need more than what you want to sell them.” This week, Tim has a long-awaited conversation with his sister-In-law Kristin Ratzlaff, a global team leader at a software as a service (SaaS) company, with decades of experience, who travels the world doing high-level sales. After years of discussing everything from business Read more…
In the second episode of Season 15, Tim sits down with “Montana” Dave Anderson from AES to follow up on last week’s conversation with Clay Dennis about how intentional small dollar sales can lead to big time growth in your business. Tim and Dave Discuss: Don’t miss this great conversation Read more…
“Decide what you stand for and what you won’t stand for.” Tim debuts Season 15 with podcast veteran and Fire Time Magazine author, Clay Dennis, to talk about his book, “Building Better Businesses: 10 Effective Steps to Building Impactful Businesses That Last.” In this episode, Tim and Clay discuss: Don’t Read more…
While we prepare for Season 15 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week’s episode, Tim reacts to an article by Zack Estes titled, “Exceptions Create Chaos, Standards Create Clarity” (released in the May 2025 issue of The Fire Time Magazine). Read more…