Seek others who can mentor and coach you. Pride can get in the way of a motivated individual- you believe you have the answers and know what you are doing. The reality is you don’t and there are those that have gone before you who are willing to share their life experience with you.
Scott Rajavuori is the President of Titus Contracting, Inc overseeing daily operations of the construction companies residential and commercial remodeling activities as well as participating in sales and design. Scott enjoys supporting the owners of Titus Contracting in their drive to be the very best. He is also motivated by encouraging team members to pursue their individual and company goals supporting them through positive coaching practices.
Titus contracting is a leading the remodeling industry by applying the most current technology in all areas of the company’s business with a specific drive towards it project management processes and client communications. Titus Contracting realizes there will be problems in our industry, however, maintaining schedules and the process is about solutions. It is how Titus Contracting handles problems that separates them from the rest.
Scott Rajavuori has been involved in the construction industry for over 30 years, starting when he was in high school framing new homes. He attended Mankato State University focusing on construction management. He has a passion for creative design, projects that take him outside the box and provide a challenge. He is an accomplished carpenter, he has been using CAD design software since the 90’s when it was first being used regularly in the construction industry and has been involved with various construction and remodeling associations in the 30 years he has been actively working in construction.
Scott also has a heart for the underdog and loves to come along side those who have been through adverse life challenges. He spends time with young people and adults struggling with addiction as well as those trying to re-establish themselves after serving time in jail or prison. He sits on the board of Life Rebuilders/Midwest challenge and is involved with Damascus Way. Scott loves to pheasant hunt, fish, and spend time in the outdoors and traveling with his best friend and wife Suzanne. Scott also loves to serve, whenever possible, within the churches he attends.
Where did the idea for Titus Construction come from?
A friend of mine, who I had worked with in the past doing very high-end residential remodels, approached me about working with him to re-develop his brand- Titus Construction. We shared the same passion for building- whether it was remodeling kitchens, large additions, whole home remodels, new construction, or commercial build outs so I was sure if we combined our passions we would be successful. Unfortunately, this passionate individual developed brain cancer is 2008. To honor him and keep the business running we started a new company carrying on the Titus name- Titus Contracting. The name Titus come from the book of the bible sharing the same name which guides us as to how a person should live their life in an honorable way- specifically leaders.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
The early bird gets the worm! I am up every morning between 4 and 5 as I like the peace that I find this early. I start with a good dark roast, my bible, a devotional, and prayer. Starting with positive thoughts and good direction leads to a productive day in my experience. I find it easy to stay positive and get up early as I love what I do and am excited every day to see how our company positively affects the lives of others. Three – four days a week I spend the next part of my morning in our home gym. Typically, I am in the office between 6-7 where I review my schedule and daily action list. My action list is broken down by A/B/C priorities- A being the highest and C the lowest. I work hard to make sure the A list- must do’s- is completed as well as most of the B’s. The C items are very low level and can be done any time in the next week or two. If I stay focused on the tasks I have set for the day and my schedule my day is very productive. Typically, my action list and schedule involve client meetings, design review, accessing our projects and whether they are on target across a broad range of evaluators, and financial assessment- looking at payables, receivables, and cash flow.
How do you bring ideas to life?
This is an exciting area of our business- bringing client dreams to reality. This is the core of our business and challenges our creative side- bringing not only our ideas but the clients ideas to life. We first begin by evaluating each client’s project needs, wants, and wishes. LISTENING to the client is critical to this process. As a team, we need to figure out a way, if possible, to bring the client’s needs at a minimum to reality. The team at Titus Contracting brain storms on design ideas and the associated budget that meets those design ideas. We work to trim where necessary based on budget or, if possible, start adding in the clients wants. If the budget allows we will than start adding in the wish list. The result will be concepts that are presented to our clients capturing the ideas shared at our initial meeting.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Smart electronics. I love the idea that you can control all electrical components at your home or business through your phone or tablet. The fact that you can do this as well as have cameras to see what is going on through your smart device brings a higher level of security as well as improving your home or business’s efficiency.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Goal setting. I set weekly, monthly, yearly and long-term goals. Daily I have action lists that are basically goals as well. The only way for me to evaluate how I am doing and whether something needs to change in my life is to have something to measure my success by.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Seek others who can mentor and coach you. Pride can get in the way of a motivated individual- you believe you have the answers and know what you are doing. The reality is you don’t and there are those that have gone before you who are willing to share their life experience with you.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Everybody deserves a second chance. I think most people would agree with this, but I think giving people a second chance must start with you. I find most want people to be given a second chance but are afraid to be the one to offer that.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Spend time encouraging others and point out the things they are doing right or well. Positive vibes create a positive environment and result
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
Recognizing and discovering where I am weak, the things I am not good at. When I stop thinking I am good at everything and try to do more than I can, empowering others to support me in those areas, the entire organization prospers. Identify the strengths of those in your organization and put them in positions to use those strengths
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I am an extremely driven and motivated individual. This can lead to pushing company growth faster than what is healthy for the business. Having seen the disorganization, financial stress, and anxiety this creates I have changed not only the process by which financial goals are set I have changed what I believe to be healthy growth as far as the bottom line is concerned. I now meet with our executive team to discuss goals for the future year. I listen to their thought and concerns and set financial goals based on something the whole team can get behind.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A website/service that evaluates sub-contractors in the construction industry. There are sites that allow you to pay a fee to distribute your project for bid, but these sites typically charge both the general contractor and the vendor. This environment makes it difficult to truly give an unbiased opinion of the vendor. Having information such as; do they provide accurate bids, are the bids timely, do they show up when scheduled, do they respect the property and clean up after themselves, how are their billing practices would help align yourself with good solid vendors. After all you are only as good as your team which includes your subs and suppliers.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Occasionally I will slip one of our onsite team members a $100.00 bill because they are exceeding expectations. The $100.00 will not affect my life much, but the effect on someone who receives this unexpectedly is priceless
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
We have just recently implemented Builders Trend as our main source of software to run just about every aspect of our business. We spent the last 2 years studying what would help us reach our goals as an organization and put an implementation plan in to place. Builders Trend was the last piece. We are so pleased with the software and its support. Builders Trend manages leads, tracks sold projects and their budgets, handles our scheduling, creates invoices and change orders, assigns task to team members, managers punch list, and the list goes on.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“EntreLeadership” by Dave Ramsey. Dave is truly an entrepreneur himself and has seen success and failure. The best way to learn in life is through trial and error learning from both your failures (which truly are only failures if you do not apply what you learn) and success’s. His direction and in site throughout the book are on track. Additionally, it applies biblical principals which I believe help us steer a straight course
What is your favorite quote?
C.S. Lewis “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are at and change the ending!”
Key Learnings:
• Identify your weaknesses. Then surround yourself with others that are strong where you are weak
• Always look for ways to encourage your team and catch them doing things right
• Be patient with company growth, it will come at the right time if you listen to others and allow the company to grow at it’s pace, not yours.
• Seek others with more experience than you to coach and mentor you. Learning from someone else’s life experiences is priceless
Connect:
Titus on Facebook:
Titus on Houzz:
Titus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TitusRemodelers
Titus on Linkedin:
Scott Rajavuori on Linkedin:
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.