MST International LLC

This past week was what I call a "makeup week."

Catching up on things that didn't happen last week because of circumstances outside my control. A little behind on my goals, but not detrimental. Actually in a good spot. And that's what I'm focusing on now: how can I get ahead?

Here's the shift I've been experiencing.

I used to be 100% working IN my business. Door knocking. Grinding. Hustling. Survival mode.

Now? I'm flipping the switch to working ON my business.

And the difference is night and day.

I'm getting consistent referrals now. That means less door knocking. Faster turnaround on inspections. Claims filed quicker. Money flows in faster.

I'm not chasing leads anymore. Leads are coming to me.

But here's what I realized: You never get to the point where you're not working IN it some. You can't be completely removed. The further removed you are, the harder it is to connect with what's actually happening.

But if you want to build something massive and fast, you HAVE to be more removed. And that means systems. Good processes. The right people in place.

This applies to every leader watching this.

You're probably still working IN your business 80% of the time. Doing the work instead of leading the work. Managing tasks instead of managing people.

What would change if you flipped that ratio?

What if you spent 50% of your time building systems, hiring the right people, and creating processes that work without you?

That's when your business starts working FOR you instead of you working FOR it.

That's when you get ahead.

Comment "SYSTEMS" if you're ready to make that shift. 💪

I felt ghosted this week.

A client I'd been working with for about a month. Filed a claim. I'd been contacting them regularly to schedule the next inspection with the insurance company. Calls. Texts. Nothing.

For the first time in this business, I felt like I'd been ghosted.

So this week was my one last shot. I made one more phone call.

They answered.

Come to find out, they'd been in the hospital. They just got back. You could tell they were either in pain or super sick. The last thing they were thinking about was their roof claim.

And suddenly everything made sense.

Here's what I learned: Don't assume ghosting means rejection.

Sometimes it means life happened. Sometimes it means they're dealing with stuff you don't know about. Sometimes it means they forgot because they were fighting for their health.

This applies to how you lead your team.

When someone goes silent. When they stop responding. When they disappear. What's your first instinct?

Do you assume disengagement? Do you write them off? Do you get frustrated?

Or do you stay curious? Do you check in with empathy? Do you ask what's really going on?

Because nine times out of ten, ghosting isn't about you. It's about them.

The other lesson: I didn't give up. I made one more call. And now I have another chance.

But here's the thing: The insurance company inspected the roof without us there. Without the homeowner. I don't even know if the claim was approved, denied, or rejected. That's a process breakdown. And now I've got something to fix.

That's real business. That's what happens when stakeholders move without alignment.

The lesson? Stay in the game. Make one more call. Stay curious. And make sure everyone's on the same page.

Because ghosting usually just means you haven't found the real story yet.

Comment "EMPATHY" if you're ready to lead differently. 💙

Leadership isn’t a title. It’s a toolkit.

Ever seen a plant manager freeze mid-crisis? I have. The difference-maker? ADAPT. It’s how you turn chaos into clarity, every single time.

If you want to see the ADAPT model in action—real leaders, real results—DM me ‘ADAPT’ and I’ll send you a behind-the-scenes case study.

Your next breakthrough is one decision away.

Why Most Ops Leaders Will Never Be Entrepreneurs.

I've spent 20+ years in manufacturing and operations. I've seen a lot of leaders talk a big game about accountability.

But here's what I've learned: they talk about it. They don't live it.

When something goes wrong, they point fingers. They blame the system, the team, the market, the economy. Anything but themselves.

That's why they'll never succeed as entrepreneurs.

Because entrepreneurship requires you to own your own f**k-ups. Not make excuses. Not blame circumstances. Not point fingers.

When I fall short of my goal, I don't have anyone to blame but myself. There's no boss to complain to. No system to hide behind. No team to throw under the bus.

It's just me. And if I'm frustrated, it's because I'm frustrated with myself.

Most ops leaders can't handle that. They've spent their whole career in an environment where accountability is something you talk about, not something you practice.

That's the difference between a leader and an entrepreneur.

One talks about it. One lives it.

If you can't own your own f**k-ups, you'll never build anything that matters.

Good Salespeople Ask Questions. Great Ones Ask the Right Questions.

When I'm knocking doors, I get the same objection over and over: "I'm not interested."

Most salespeople hear that and leave. They take it as a no and move on.

But that's not what that objection means. It's not a rejection. It's a signal that I haven't understood what they actually care about yet.

So I ask questions. Not to close them. To understand them.

What are they worried about? What's their fear? What do they think will happen if they don't replace the roof? What's their timeline? Who else needs to be involved in the decision?

Good salespeople listen. Great ones listen and ask the right follow-up questions to uncover what's really going on beneath the surface.

In roofing, manufacturing, home services, or any business—the people who win are the ones who understand their customer's world before they try to sell them anything.

Most people are too busy talking to ask the right questions. That's why they fail.

Listen first. Understand second. Sell third.

That's the order.

Chaos to $200K+ savings. Here's how.

I built a system that turned a complete mess into a repeatable, predictable process. One major inventory operation was a disaster—took forever, cost a fortune, and nobody knew what they were doing half the time.

So I created a framework. Clear standards. Documented steps. A structure that anyone could follow and get consistent results.

Cut the time in half. Saved over $200K. Built a legacy that outlasted me.

This is what I do now—I help ops leaders build systems that work, not systems that depend on one person's heroics.

The ADAPT framework isn't theory. It's built on 20+ years of real ops chaos and real solutions.

Ready to stop the chaos in your operation?

DM me "IMPACT" and let's talk about what's possible. 💪

Here's what we actually do on the call:

We build a one-page "Deal Box" that forces clarity on:
- Lifestyle and time boundaries
- Risk tolerance and deal breakers
- Alignment as a couple
- A simple scoring method to screen fast

It's not complicated. It's just honest.

Comment **DEAL BOX** and I'll DM you the 1-page Legacy Deal Box Worksheet.

Before you spend another hour on a deal, answer these 3 questions:

1) What's the real cash flow (not the story—reality)?
2) Is the lease/real estate situation clean and clear?
3) What hidden risk could blindside you (capex, compliance, owner-dependence)?

If you can't answer these quickly, you're not evaluating a deal. You're guessing.

Comment **DEAL BOX** and I'll DM you the 1-page Legacy Deal Box Worksheet.