Weaving Lives with Wooden Beams

Have you ever found unexpected joy in the tales spun by a stranger? Laurie Washburn, the heart behind W5 Portable Buildings, joins us to share her wealth of stories that color the shed industry with vibrant shades of humanity. From the folds of a family's first shed doubling as their home, to the retirees crafting a snug retreat, we uncover the layers of life that intertwine with backyard structures. Laurie and her husband Stephen don't just sell sheds; they build connections, cultivate community, and find ministry in the everyday.

This isn't just about sheds; it's about the puzzle pieces of an entire community coming together. The episode shines a light on the myriad of roles that make the industry tick, from dealers to delivery drivers. Witness the dynamic balance between competition and collaboration, and the way challenges often spur us on to greater creativity and improvement. If you've ever doubted the power of a positive mindset or the transformative potential of a good day, let this conversation inspire you.

Finally, we navigate the waters of communication and customer service, where every interaction is an opportunity to learn. The episode isn't shy in discussing the gaps in education within the shed sales industry, and we look towards figures like Charles Hutchins and Chris Pittman for their wisdom. We wrap up with a poignant moment of shared spirituality, hoping for blessings and success for everyone in the shed community. Join us for these heartfelt exchanges that go beyond the wooden beams of portable buildings.

Also, find out how the podcast can be heard throughout the plain communities by dialing the number 330-997-3055. If the number is busy, just dial again! 

For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.

To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.

To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.

This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Union Grove Lumber

Realwork Labs
Identigrow
Shed Suite
Shed Geek Marketing

Transcript

SHED GEEK: 0:37

Okay, welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek podcast, and we're here in. I said Canton, but you didn't say Canton, or is that actually?

Laurie Washburn: 0:48

how it's pronounced. I did say Canton. I think I said Canton, but I was actually just kidding.

SHED GEEK: 0:53

It's Canton Texas, okay well, I never know, because I get corrected a lot whenever I go different places, so I seem to say them wrong all the time. But we are here in Texas. I feel like we should have done like a yeehaw.

Laurie Washburn: 1:08

A yeehaw, a yeehaw Is that appropriate for Texas? A yeehaw, I think I've heard it a couple of times. I may have the appropriate accent. I'm not quite sure.

SHED GEEK: 1:16

Do you have a good yeehaw?

Laurie Washburn: 1:18

I don't know. Let's see.

SHED GEEK: 1:19

Let's see.

Laurie Washburn: 1:20

Yeehaw.

SHED GEEK: 1:22

I like it. I see I don't have anything.

Laurie Washburn: 1:24

What do you got? Come on.

SHED GEEK: 1:25

I got, I got yeehaw.

Laurie Washburn: 1:28

Yeah, see that's good. That's good. Yeehaw Right on cowboy.

SHED GEEK: 1:33

It's already off the rails.

Laurie Washburn: 1:35

No, no, no.

SHED GEEK: 1:37

So, W5 Laurie, just go ahead, tell us who you are, the name of your business, a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Laurie Washburn: 1:45

Okay, well, my name is Laurie Washburn, my husband is Stephen Washburn, and we started this building or this building company business thing that we're doing here, and we started about five years ago my brother-in-law was actually delivering buildings at the time and we thought, you know what we may want to get into this business and had no idea what in the world we were getting ourselves into. And we just kind of dove in head first and, as luck would happen, we just kind of fell in love with it. We just kind of fell in love with it. We named our business W5. Everything with us is family God first and then family, and our last name is Washburn and there's five of us in our family, so we named it W5 Portable Buildings.

Laurie Washburn: 2:39

And so, yeah, we just dove in head first and really fell in love with it. And it was kind of easy for me because I just love people. I love people and their stories and this is a great place. If you ever wanted a place to learn someone's story and be able to minister to them, I feel like this is a great place to do it. You know, we help people from young people that are buying their first home and they're wanting to do shed to house. We help people that are looking to retire and this is going to be their last forever home, and I just love hearing their stories from beginning to end.

SHED GEEK: 3:29

It's kind of neat how it just captures you and really like there's maybe some I would almost argue that the listeners that are out there, it does capture them because they kind of want to know everything about the shed industry. They want to learn from others, talk to others, engage with others, kind of hey, what are you seeing over there, whether it's in sales, or what are you doing or seeing that could help me out in my lot, and then you can have those connections. And we always say that there's like a higher purpose, right Then selling sheds. There's a higher purpose than business and there's even a higher purpose than our family. Our family is our first ministry, but we know that God serves as a sovereign God and that has an even higher purpose for our life and our eternity, for that matter, right.

SHED GEEK: 4:16

So I just think it's great, I think it's cool to end up in an industry that has so much like faith driven just conversations, because I've not always been in that, you know, and I tend to think that what goes in is what comes out. So you put good into your mind and into your heart. That comes out through your actions, and if you're not putting good in, that's what you get as well too, and I've experienced that in my life. So very, very important to be connected, and be connected to other ministers of the word, and I love what you said.

SHED GEEK: 4:51

You said we can minister to people who come onto the lot, and I think if everyone could look at opportunity like that and maybe they do, but that would just be amazing, wouldn't it, to use your platform to be able to promote God's kingdom, and not just your own. So what an awesome idea. I remember people coming into the shed lot when we sold and we just prayed with them, and I get where people could say, man, what a low blow to try to get a sale, and I'm like man. That's just not always about the sale, though, is it?

Laurie Washburn: 5:27

It really isn't. You know, actually I have a story about that. Someone asked me one day, this one day, I sold a small building. It was a little 10 by 12 building. The same day, I sold a 16 by 40. And when you're in sales, obviously I got more commission off a 16 by 40. And someone asked me a question and they said which sale are you most proud of? And I thought about it for a minute and I said I'm most proud of the 10 by 12 that I sold.

Laurie Washburn: 6:02

It was a smaller building, but it was the story behind that building that was so significant to me. There was a family, there was a young family. It was a couple and they had five children and they were homeless and they looked in their budget and all they could afford was this little 10 by 12 building. And this 10 by 12 building was going to be their family home and they were going to put bunk beds inside for their children and that's what they were gonna live in and that was what they could afford for that month and but even though it was small, it was gonna be a roof over their head where they weren't gonna be cold or they weren't gonna be hot, and it was gonna be a roof over their head. And so at the end of the day, it was very easy for me to say that 10 by 12, being able to provide somebody with shelter was so much more valuable to me than a dollar. It was so much more valuable to me than a commission or money that I would make off of a bigger building.

SHED GEEK: 7:13

This. I tell the story kind of often. It sounds like a flex and I don't mean for it to be a flex. I used to tell people and I always said I was bad at sales and I said, well, how come? I said, well, I really didn't feel like the customer was needing that or wanting that. I didn't try to spend their money, but what I really tried to do was like be of a massive service to them so that they understood.

SHED GEEK: 7:36

Like we were young, sometimes we made bad decisions and if I thought maybe they were doing that, I would just lightly press, not hard, just lightly press and figure out is this in your budget, does this really make sense for you guys right now, or does it make sense to save your money and come back and put a larger down payment down in three months or whatever. It looked like just to have that conversation and I was like so I don't never really saw myself as a good salesperson because the way I measured good salesperson meant high numbers and somebody said man, that's actually a really good salesperson. If you really try to focus on getting the customer what they want, the numbers seem to work out in the end and I know that sounds very just hopeful and faith without works is dead. Right, you know, it just sounds very like easy to say, but honestly I said, well, maybe then I was better at sales than I thought, but the key was always what the customer wanted or needed, and try to get them the closest thing to that, and not just the best sale or the biggest commission.

SHED GEEK: 8:36

We all get excited about big commissions, we all get excited about good months. I mean, that's just natural. But I do think that sometimes that's why we have like that little small silent voice that keeps us in check too and says well, wait a minute, it's not always about the dollar bill here. So kudos for you for that. So what's your experience been? You said you fell in love with it Five years. How's your sales gone? It's been well.

Laurie Washburn: 9:04

Yeah, we've done really well. Let's see, we've been a million dollar dealers twice and I know there are people out there that do a whole lot more, better than that. But I'm proud of that. I'm really proud of, like I said, the people that we come in. And it's kind of like a nod to what you were just saying, that you're thinking, man, maybe I wasn't a good sales person and I'm kind of like that.

Laurie Washburn: 9:33

Also, it's people first for me and my philosophy is that when a person walks in my door, I treat them the same, whether they're gonna buy, whether they're not gonna buy, whether they're not gonna buy a big building, a small building.

Laurie Washburn: 9:49

Because I've learned that if you take care of people and you really invest in people's lives and you invest in their story and let them know, hey, I'm not just trying to take something from you, but I actually care about you.

Laurie Washburn: 10:02

I think that people are really smart and they know that. They know if you really care about them or if you're just trying to sell them. But if I have an opportunity to sell them a small building, then I know if I do my job and I take care of them and I give them the best service that I can, whenever they are ready to buy a bigger purchase, whenever they're ready to buy a big 16 by 40 or 16 by 60, or whatever the case may be then they're gonna remember that I took care of them in the small things. You know, right that don't just buy small beginnings, right? That if we're faithful in the small things, god will give us the bigger things, and so I always try to keep that at the forefront, that it's all about souls and it's all about people, and that's just kind of how I like to, how to conduct myself.

Laurie Washburn: 12:27

You know we started this, we were doing really well. We sold for a previous manufacturer and now we're selling for a store more affordable buildings and they've just been so good and gracious to us and and we, you know, we love everything they have to offer. And last April, or this past April, and we decided to open up a second lot, so we have this lot in Fenton and we have another lot in in Alba, texas, where my husband is right now.

SHED GEEK: 12:57

Okay and you said he he's done some shed delivery previously, so he's kind of familiar with moving sheds and that kind of probably done a lot to add value for you. Because you were probably asking questions when you came into it, because he was at least around it before, and I thought you said something funny whenever we come in. You said at the time I was like thinking like every shed salesperson or any salesperson in general would or should, hey, we need to clean this front row up, let's just grab these buildings and let's, let's line them up, let's make it look good.

SHED GEEK: 13:33

Then you realized how much work went into that and that kind of surprised you and your husband kind of was like wait a minute, now we maybe it's like we can't move these buildings around every day, or reality check yeah, it just it's a natural thing that we all do, because you, you know, we all know that that I guess I want to give some love to Pittman on this.

SHED GEEK: 13:56

Chris Pittman, he says you know how you dress says a lot about how you feel on the inside, and I believe that to be true. I mean, I think there's other sales books out there and other sales personalities that have kind of alluded to similar thoughts. But when he said it it just kind of you know, it kind of attached itself to me that you know how you and I think that how you organize your shed lot probably says a little bit about how much like pride you take in in your buildings and your personal appearance, your professional appearance, what, what you want people to take away from whenever they show up. So it's easy to be like, hey, let's move those 13 buildings. But yeah, I think it is a reality check for us.

SHED GEEK: 14:38

I remember wanting to have a mule and some guys do this. Some some guys and gals do this on on their shed lots. They'll purchase a shed mover to just keep inventory fresh, moving it around or changing the look of it and things like that, and that's I'm sure that's important, but it's a lot more work than first expected, right?

Laurie Washburn: 15:00

yes, it's very much yes so so outside of this.

SHED GEEK: 15:03

So you're selling for store more man. They're just everywhere. I feel like they're just popping up all over the place.

Laurie Washburn: 15:09

I think so. I think we're just exploding yeah, it's just.

SHED GEEK: 15:13

It's amazing to see that even through COVID, you know how we begin to see like just these continued success stories like this. And then they make a great building. I mean everything I've seen. They make a great building, so happy to sell them right, we love it yeah, that's awesome. So what is your biggest surprise, maybe as you come into the shed industry, and what would you do previously? Anything that kind of complimented what you're doing now um, let's see, what have I done?

Laurie Washburn: 15:44

I've done a little bit of everything. I'm kind of like a like a chameleon. I guess I've done a little bit of a little bit of everything. I guess the really the last thing I did before this is I worked in a car dealership and I did their inventory and I took care of that, did dealer trades and traded vehicles from one lot to the other, so not not sales, but I definitely did like kind of behind the scenes in the car industry.

Laurie Washburn: 16:17

And then after that I had a my manager that was there. She was a 70 year old woman and I just loved her to pieces and she retired and when she retired I thought you know what, that's a good, that's a good opportunity for me. Um, my daughter she's 19 now, but at the time she was she was pretty small, and so I took that opportunity to kind of be a stay-at-home mom with her and so I kind of stepped out of the out of the working world and was a stay-at-home mom for her. And then we have three children now but it took. It took nine years in between my daughter and and my son, which is a whole another testimony. But you know, I got my son and it was prophesied over me that I was going to have twins, and I did.

Laurie Washburn: 17:09

They're one year and ten minutes part, and so just took a little longer right well, yeah, that my youngest son is kind of like he, uh, he, uh dances to the beat of his own drum. So, uh, we, we always joke that they were twins, but he, he decided that he needed a little bit more time to cut, so he just does things his own way, um, but anyway, so I was a stay-at-home mom with them and um, then I just decided, you know what, I, I've got to get out of the house, um, I want to be involved with people and um, and just meet people, and so that's kind of how we got into into this whole, this whole shed industry to buckle you said something earlier and you said that just comes from having a a minister's heart to want to help, to want to constantly like we were moving chairs and you're like, no, let me move those chairs, you don't move those chairs, I'll help, I just you, just because you want to be involved, you want to be a helper and I think that's good.

SHED GEEK: 18:15

Um, yeah, I'll have to. I'll have to share with you, uh, some of Troy's testimonies. Well, too, he's our son. He's here with us today. He's 19, so, uh, whenever you said you had a 19-year-old daughter, I thought that was that was interesting. His story would kind of go along with that. Uh, helping, you know, wanting to be a helper kind of mentality. So, um, we'll chat about that. But what's been your biggest surprise? What? What's like? I didn't see this coming. I didn't know that this is what I was going to deal with. What I got into this?

Laurie Washburn: 18:45

man, I, you know, um, I thought you know I I need a job, and um, I want to, I want to sell sheds and um, it never in a million years did I think that, um, that I would just meet so many wonderful people and just just in each little different facet of the industry, whether it's selling or um, deliver, just how everything kind of fits together.

Laurie Washburn: 19:15

And um, and I, just I never thought I would get to hear so many amazing stories from um the customers that come in and um, you know, when I, I thought, well, I'll sell sheds, but I never thought that I would be so instrumental in helping someone in their life, whether it's a home or um having a place for that elderly parent, that where they need a guest house, um, or whether they just need a she shed to be able to go out and take a little breath, or um have a place to, you know, organize their house, or I mean just, I, just I just love the people. I think that's that's really surprised me, because I thought of it more as a job, um, but as I dig in deeper into the shed industry, um, I really realize how much of a ministry that it can be and how there's such a strong heartbeat behind um the shed industry and each little facet of it is really fascinating isn't it kind of I mean, it's so important, um, that that would be the case?

SHED GEEK: 20:25

because I said for a long time now it's. It's really hard for me to separate ministry, work, family, uh, and they've all become so inclusive that I really don't know when I'm like. Sometimes me and Deanna joke that we don't know when we're working and when we're not working. Uh, it doesn't really feel like a job, but you know it is a job. There are things you have to do, there's timelines, there's deadlines, there's things you have to meet, there's this certain metrics you have to. You know that you have to meet.

SHED GEEK: 21:26

But generally speaking, shouldn't it feel that way that you're just going about your day, faith, family, work? It doesn't really feel like you're separating yourself in a lot of ways and I think that's become. My favorite part is we can take our son with us on a trip, you know, and meet with these people and, yeah, he begins to brand his own identity, or Deanna begins to brand her own identity in that sense, and it's like, wow, yeah, it's not just you know, shed geek, right, all of a sudden. Now it's kind of like people, just people, just talking to people about life and about things.

SHED GEEK: 22:06

I'm one of one of the people early on who offered some healthy resistance and it's always say it's good to have a devil's advocate. I don't know why you'd ever advocate for the devil, but you know, I guess it's good to have a devil's advocate anyway. And you're, you know, in your path that would would kind of say, hey, I want to offer you some healthy resistance. And I said, how on earth will you talk to all these people? And I'm like do you know how many shed lots there are, how many shed hullers there are, how many shed builders there are, and how each one of them are made unique and individual? And they all have something to offer.

SHED GEEK: 22:40

They all have something to bring to the table and all we're doing is putting a microphone there and a little editing. Here and there We'll back in to tell their story, to tell their testimonies, and you just never know how those touch different people. So, like, if people enjoy listening to that kind of a conversation, they're going to listen, not because I'm trying to hook them to listen, but it's because it's the same reason you go to church or it's the same reason that you would attend an event. You go willingly. You go willingly because there's something there of value. And I just told them. I said I don't think I'll ever run out of interviews, I just don't think we have the capacity to travel that much.

Laurie Washburn: 23:24

There's a lot, I mean just all over the countryside.

Laurie Washburn: 23:28

But I think you're absolutely right when you're talking about talking to these different people, because I think, one of the first times that I think that we chatted on the phone, one of the things that I was sharing, that I appreciate so much about the work that you're doing here and this podcast and the things that you're doing, that I think a lot of people don't understand oh, they don't really grasp is that you know, if you, there's so many different facets to the shed industry.

Laurie Washburn: 24:03

You have, you know your dealer, you have your driver, the plant or corporate or you know, whatever you say, there's so many different facets and I think sometimes it's so easy to get stuck in to those little bitty things, like I'm a dealer and I'm in this little box and or I'm a driver and I think sometimes we we miss other people's part in this little facet.

Laurie Washburn: 24:31

And I think what's so important about what y'all are doing is that you know you're not just talking to the shed dealer, you're not just talking to the driver, but you're talking to people in different facets of this industry and I think it's like a, I think it's like a beautiful puzzle that you know, if you, if you look at it as a whole, you know you kind of start seeing the little pieces fit together and I think that whatever in you know, whatever little part of the facet that you're in, if you can just kind of step outside of yourself for a second and put yourself in that driver's shoes or that dealer shoes or that plant shoes, I think that we would become really just better people, and I think that we would be better in this industry. If we took time to understand what someone else is going through is make us stronger, I love it.

SHED GEEK: 25:28

You need a pulpit here today. I love it. You're building community, you're building community and and I think that's what's important and I think that whenever people choose to not be part of a community, I think that's more of an internal thing, right? Because I, you know, I bought a. We bought an RV. Next thing, you know, I joined the RV community. I'm on Facebook, I'm on different places getting blogs, learning about things and where people are going, how they're doing them, things that help me, things that ultimately help me by just simply pouring into what already exists. And I think it's the same way with the Sheds, like you said, as a especially in sales. I think sales in particular is really important, because a lot of people who end up in sales are typically lead with emotion.

Speaker 3: 26:16

Right.

SHED GEEK: 26:16

You know, and I think it can be in a very emotional transfer. You know they say that's what sales is, is a transfer of enthusiasm. So if you're enthusiastic about your, your product or your service, whatever it is that you're selling, you care, and I think that you care so much that if you don't see a sale, it's easy to allow yourself to, you know, let that affect you emotionally and that may affect you on your next sale. But whereas I think that if you can just stand on conviction and continue to put the same effort forward consistently over and over and over, I think you can enjoy that a little bit more. But I think you can get in the shed builder magazine. I think you can get on here on the podcast.

SHED GEEK: 26:58

I think that you can go to trade shows. I think that even as a dealer I think you know Sam Byler is always saying come on to the shed hauler, bash, we don't care if you're a shed dealer you might see a whole different side of the industry here that you've never seen by attending. That's fine and I'm quite certain that any of the trade shows would welcome the same. The more the merrier, not just because they get more sales, not just because they can raise the price on advertisement or whatever it is, or sponsorship, but more so that you can get connected and, like you said, look outside of yourself and see how other people do things and ask questions. I know it makes it hard, probably on a on a national level for the larger companies like store more. You know that you deal with maybe, but I still think it's very valuable for people to connect. So I think I think that's great and I appreciate certainly the kind words.

SHED GEEK: 29:38

Where do you think it's going? Where's the future for W5? Where? What's the industry looking like? What do you, what do you see? I'll ask you the question everyone asks me when I go from one Shedlot to the next what do you see in, out there?

Laurie Washburn: 29:49

What are you saying out there? You know that's that's a great question, and I would say I don't know, because I tried to. You know this, this is what I'm doing right now and I always love to learn and expand upon, you know, what we're doing now, and so I would say that the future is limitless, you know. I mean, I, I don't know, I would love to. You know I would love to grow and I Don't know. It's a good question, you know, I think I think at this point I would probably leave that up to to God, because If I had my way, I would be doing what you guys are doing and traveling all over the world and and are all over the country and talking to different people.

Laurie Washburn: 30:41

One of the things that I learned Early on, because God's put kind of a counselor's heart in me and so, which is one of the reasons I love people so much but I learned that when you're, when you're trying to learn a skill or when you're trying to learn something, you know kind of like what you guys are doing here with this podcast and and the things that you're doing is you know when you, when you talk to different people about the same thing, you know, you start to learn that everybody's stories are as much as they're different, they're also the same and it's it's like I'm pretty sure that you guys travel around and y'all feel like you hear the same story over and over and over and over and over and over again. But In that, you know you, you hear the Differences, but you kind of start honing in on the truth and what's really going on, because you start realizing what are the things that you can separate, that are the same, in which things are Different.

SHED GEEK: 31:44

So I feel like I'm gonna be chewing on that comment For a while. You know, we do attempt to be the same in many things, right, and that's where we talk about Collaboration and Competition. But then we try to be different in many ways, and that's also where we talk about collaboration and Competition and how it makes us stronger. Always say, when someone says, well, what if somebody was doing this and you're doing this, and they do it better, so whether that should make me better, should make me sharper. Iron sharpens iron. We don't. We don't say I've gotten as sharp as I want to be, and then nothing can contend with that.

SHED GEEK: 32:25

It's good that people come in with new ideas and new visions and cast, you know, new ideas and I think you only do that through creativity. I think you know my Angelo said that. You know, creativity is limitless and that the more of it you use, the more of it you have. You know I mean and I've said it many times on the show and I'm gonna say it many more for those of you tired of hearing it but you know, in the beginning got created. First thing we know about his personality is that he's creative, and I think it's good to say I'm not sure how to do this, so I'll find a way, I'll create a way, I'll establish some type of precedent today on how I'm gonna do these things, and I just think that's really, really important and I think you can do that in your, in your job.

SHED GEEK: 33:07

I mean, there's a reason why you've hit the Megan dollar club and some haven't. You know, and maybe we could. It'd be easy to look back and be like Laurie, that's just because you had, you know, 20 more buildings than me. If I just only had 20 more buildings, oh, the sales I would have right. Or or, you know, maybe it's a support system or something like that that you have, that maybe they don't feel like they have, but you're your biggest Challenge every day, waking up and challenging yourself to get away from your lazy, you know, like just things that become a part of your everyday life.

SHED GEEK: 33:45

Or the conviction not to have a good day, to say I'm gonna have a bad day, no, so I'm gonna have a good day. And just to start to establish truth and speak truth. And it becomes sort of a reality as you begin to manifest it through prayer and and you know, just dead fastness. To say I refuse today, I refuse to have a bad day. I Don't know. I think that's why I got attracted to sales More than I did anything else. I like Holland Sheds man. Those guys work Really hard.

Laurie Washburn: 34:25

I've seen them and I've done scheduling for them. I may not be their favorite as a scheduler because I'm you know I expect them to do what I would do here and that's work really hard. But the shed guys, they those delivery drivers I know our drivers that we have here in this area that that deliver our sheds here are some of the greatest guys that deliver sheds. I mean they, they really go above and beyond in their customer service and and and. They may not feel like it all the time, but I hope that they know that we, we appreciate them and hopefully they appreciate us because we all work together.

Laurie Washburn: 35:08

Yeah that's right I had.

SHED GEEK: 35:10

That's right. I have not asked this question on the show that I can remember. I mean, I don't think I don't think I've asked this what would you want to see different? What would you want to see changed in this industry? If you could pick one or two things, not to Just back you into a corner to just one specific.

Laurie Washburn: 35:29

But I think what we have been talking about, I think Community, community. I think that if we can, I think that if we could ever come together, you know, like I said, and get the dealers Talking to the drivers, and if we can get everybody on the same page, where everybody respects each other, and for everybody to know, you know, if we don't sell sheds You're not gonna have anything to haul. But at the same time we can sell sheds all day long, but if we don't have anyone to deliver those sheds or build those sheds, then we're just kind of sitting ducks. And so if we can ever come together and understand that each individual component is so important and there's nobody that's on the the totally down, the low end of the stick or there's no one that drew the short stick, everybody is just as important and they play an important role, no matter what part of this industry you're in.

Laurie Washburn: 36:38

And I think sometimes there's lack of communication. Drivers don't want to talk to the dealer, probably because they're afraid that some of us want them to move our whole lot and do a lot shuffle every time to the lot. But if you know, if we can get drivers to Communicate and if you can have a good relationship with your dealer and as a dealer, you know, when I have a driver on my lot, I always go out and I make sure I introduce myself or at least let them know. Hey, you know, do you need anything? Is there anything I can help you with? And it's just building that relationship. And I think that there's some areas where they do that very well and I think there's some areas when they can use a little bit of work.

SHED GEEK: 37:28

What do you think the answer is I know the trade shows do a pretty good job of having Seminars and things. I don't know if you've attended any of like the shed events. Oh man, I think you'd really enjoy it. I really do. It's, it's just it's. It's a lot of people coming together to you know, learn more and and you know you learn more about products. It's a lot of manufacturers might show up. You know, as a dealer, you may see yourself as not not In that space, but honestly, it affects you more than you know and I just think that a more Educated person makes a better decision in every situation. So I'm always seeking to learn more. James one five, you know, says let him let you know. Anybody that lacks knowledge, ask, right. You know, so I ask for knowledge. I want to know so that I can make a better decision. I don't know. I love what you do here. I love, like, like, the attitude. I've enjoyed connecting with you through messenger and by phone. I really feel like you guys do a good job. The lot looks really awesome.

SHED GEEK: 38:34

What's your, what's your philosophy? If a customer comes into w5? Always tell people don't just this, doesn't just go on my YouTube Channel, go I'll give you the video, or go get some of this video from this and show it to your customer. Put it in some short form content. I mean you were talking marketing earlier. You know you use this. You know use it. Use even your appearance here today to create content for your Facebook page. You know it's, it's. You should use that. Anything that you can use its content filler. What would you want your philosophy To be? What? What is it you want a customer to know when they come in to buy from Laurie at W5?

Laurie Washburn: 39:16

I think I think there's a lot of things you can probably say about that, but I just want them to know that that they matter and they're important, no matter if they're just looking for a Backyard shed, if they're looking for a place just to go and get away from the kids, or if they're looking for a new home.

Laurie Washburn: 39:41

I just want them to know that they matter, because I think a lot of times they'll go on to a lot or In a sales situation and I think a lot of times people are just really trying to sell them something and I don't ever want them to come to my lot and think that they are just a number to me. I don't want them to ever come and think I'm just, I'm just another number In your day. I want them to know that they really matter to me and their need and the thing that they came here for is is important and I want them to feel like they're taking care of and I want them to walk out and Feel like they've gotten the best customer service that they could possibly get. I may not always, you know, meet the mark, but I certainly Wake up every day and I try to Go above and beyond and do the very best I can for my customers.

SHED GEEK: 40:38

That's great. I love it that you can set yourself apart With that philosophy. I feel like, is that, how would you identify? You've got a lot of you know Quote-unquote competition around you. There's a lot of sheds in Texas, but there's a lot of sheds just right here. There's five, there's five dealer locations and the stumps throw away from you. Essentially, how do you set yourself apart? What can you do different?

Laurie Washburn: 41:03

Um well, I think you know I show up. Um you would be. I'm surprised how many people don't show up to their sales lot. Um, I.

SHED GEEK: 41:14

Reminds me of a story I gotta tell you. We tried selling like, we tried measuring all of our stuff. We were like man, why are these people buying from us? When they buy from us? We got to know because that's gonna help us do More. And we asked a guy one time that's a really good friend. We said why did you buy from us? I mean, you know there's three other guys in town. He said, man, you're the only one open, you're the only one here.

Laurie Washburn: 41:37

What is it amazing? I just I don't understand. I mean, you, you know, as a, as a business owner, you know whether it's this lot or that lot. I mean you put a lot of money and time Into opening up a lot and so it just doesn't. It just it blows my mind and does it? It just does not compute to my brain that you would put that much money, that much time, that much effort into something that You're not gonna show up for. But I guess that's the saying that you know when your heart is right, where your heart is there, there you'll be, and so my heart is, just, like I said, for the people, and I love this industry and I love selling sheds, and I didn't think I would love that and I think that's that's just what you got today.

SHED GEEK: 42:25

It almost feels like a weird thing to say out loud, doesn't it? I love selling sheds and house how selling sheds became Purpose driven for me, right, like it created more purpose around that and I thought I was. You know, that was the country song and they think, they think they're just fishing and that what it is. I think trace, trace, that can says that and they think they're just fishing. But it's building the memories, it's creating the, the things that last forever. Whenever you go out with them, they're not just, not just, you know, just fishing, and I think that's really what it is. I think it's it's neat to find so many people who are like-minded in the industry, who are kind of excited About doing the same things that you do. That seems a little geeky.

Laurie Washburn: 43:03

It's a little quirky. I know and I almost want to turn it around on you, Shannon what you know. You asked me a question.

SHED GEEK: 43:10

What? Oh, it's that time of the show. Oh, it's perfect. Like you hit it right, we're at the 40 minute mark, right on it.

Laurie Washburn: 43:16

And I've talked for 40 minutes.

SHED GEEK: 43:17

No, we're good. I actually I want you to turn the mic around and ask questions that you have, and I'll do my best to answer them.

Laurie Washburn: 44:48

I love asking questions. You asked me what do I think needs to be changed about this industry? I would turn that back around on you because I'm in this little sector here but you get to go all over the country and see what. Would you think that needs to be changed?

SHED GEEK: 45:10

The best podcast? No, no, no, not the best. The most listened to podcast that I would have would be a tell all story, the back office conversations, the hallway conversations and, generally speaking, the more negative the dirt, the more it brings up. You can't get into an industry like this, but you can't even serve God without some trouble. And that's not to suggest that I'm serving and that someone else isn't. I want to be clear and the Bible says that you know, we don't, we don't. We know what we wrestle with. We know what we wrestle with and it's a challenge for us in the body of Christ to overcome that whenever we do things like business, because business creates well, it creates value, it creates money, it creates opportunity. And I think it's really easy to get to sidestep that, our purpose and focus more on that opportunity. And I have to pray even in my own life, because I'm susceptible to that that as opportunity comes, that I don't lose who I am or who's I am and for what purpose I was created and what purpose I have to be given this platform, anyone could be given this platform and it's awesome to have it and I enjoy it, but I don't. I don't covet this, it's not my. I guess what I'm saying is like this isn't my love. I mean, I love this because it's talking to people, but I mean like serving God should be the one true thing that takes priority all over all of those. And it's easy to fail as a person. It's just easy to get it wrong, and I've gotten it wrong at times and I've seen others get it wrong. We just don't seem to let that go. It's hard for me and it's hard for others. It's hard for everyone to just let things go sometimes and I think it creates a bit of a I don't know it. Maybe it just creates, like some, some anxiety and some angst in people who just don't want to be connected or move forward.

SHED GEEK: 47:21

I would change that. I would change my negative. My negative experiences helped make me. Don't get me wrong. The obstacle has been the way you know. So I'm thankful for them. But man, I just you know, you know I hate losing friends to business. I've seen a lot of that and I've heard a lot of other people tell me stories about how that's been a reality for them in the shed industry and you know what? I bet that's in any, in any industry. But but I guess I would change. How do I say I change a perfect plan? That was, that happened the way it was supposed to. That helped build the things that we have today because of that. I don't know, maybe I just if I, you can tell my mother's child like I just wish things. I just wish we were a little nicer.

Speaker 4: 48:06

We could all be a little bit nicer.

SHED GEEK: 48:09

Maybe that would.

Laurie Washburn: 48:10

Maybe that would be the answer to that question and, yeah, maybe that'll come across the way I mean for it to yeah, no, I think I understand and you know, you know you talk about some sometimes and, like I said earlier, you know sometimes I don't get it right and sometimes I mess up. But you know, I think, I think sometimes it's through those failures and I think it's through those times where we don't get it right. Or you know that dirt that you talk about, you know, you know, if you have somebody that you know maybe they don't treat you just quite right, Even in this industry or any industry, you know, I think it, I think it's really how you look at it, because you know we can take a negative situation and really let it beat us down. Or we can take that situation and say, okay, god, I see this, it's really hurtful, you know I'm really struggling with this, but what do you want me to do with it?

Laurie Washburn: 49:09

And I think sometimes it's through that dirt or it's through those times where people don't treat us quite right. But it gives us an opportunity to grow our character and it gives us an opportunity to allow God to show up in a more powerful way, because we could lash out or we could get even or any of those kind of things with that dirt. But sometimes, if we say you know what, god, you do with this, what you want to do with it, and you take control of it, and you know, I think there's a comfort in knowing that we don't have to fight our own battles. You know if we're walking in God, if we're walking the way that we're supposed to walk, there's a comfort in knowing that God will take those things and he will fight for us, because he has the whole picture. We just have a little piece of that puzzle, but he has the whole picture.

SHED GEEK: 50:11

I love it. It's really, really good. I can see why you have a minister's heart. Any other questions you have before we get out of here? Just anything that comes to mind Marketing related, shed related, podcast related, God related family related?

Laurie Washburn: 50:26

Yes, I do. I'll ask as many questions as you want me to ask we got a little time Sure.

Laurie Washburn: 50:31

You know I think I had said something before we got started is, you know, when you're thinking about marketing and you're thinking about this. You know I'm one of those people that will YouTube things to just get better and how to be a better salesperson or how to be a you know, and so I like to learn and to do better and I don't ever think, oh, I've arrived. There's always something that I feel like I can learn. You know, I don't ever want to get to a place where I'm unteachable and I always want to learn, and I know that. You know you can YouTube all day long things about real estate and how to sell this and how to sell that. But you know, when you really talk about the shed industry, I think there's such a misconception and you know it's a little bit harder to Google and say what's the best way to sell sheds, how can I sell sheds? You know there's not a lot of information about that.

SHED GEEK: 51:26

Yeah, you're right, and maybe it's because it's still a maturing industry. I think there's some folks out there that really do focus on some of these things. You know Charles Hutchins, the shed coach. You know Chris Pittman at the Pittman Academy and Shed University making sales simple. Some of these guys you know have programs or have created things as recently, but even some of your guys that are doing maybe more consultation related.

SHED GEEK: 51:56

You know we've talked about getting into a consultation leg along anything everything else we're doing for the Shed Geek brand and then maybe calling it quits there and just focusing on those three or four main things. I don't know if we will. I just know that you almost end up in a consultative situation. Always People have questions. You know, maybe it's directly related to shed sales and maybe it's not. You know my total business. You know what I mean. They're not trying to figure out things from taxes to you know what all they need to do in these particular situations or whatever that you could maybe help with. Consultative. But we've talked about doing like a like a masterclass marketing, maybe even put some videos out, doing a couple of different things, Because what we found really early on was that we have to almost educate a lot of the people that we sell to, because the vocabulary they're not the vocabulary, but more the vernacular is wrong, Like the words they're using are wrong sometimes, on what I, at least perceive to be adequate marketing. They may mislabel a company as a company over here that does this or does that, but then they'll see them as doing marketing or advertising and they'll crisscross the words, just like marketing and sales is, it's the. You are your marketing and sales manager when you're here, because you're you and your husband, right, but at the same time, like those are two very different things for larger companies. So you know, marketing is bringing in the leads and sales is converting those into actual, you know, actionable sales. Right, Like it's finished, We've moved this product. Now We'd love to do something like that. We're educators at heart, I think, and that's the approach that we've taken with the marketing side.

SHED GEEK: 53:53

It is a little tough in the dealer network because I tend to find that if you haven't been a dealer, you don't understand the dealer trials a lot of times and it's really odd to setting conversations with people who are spitting things just really quickly about dealers Well, you just do this, you just do that and they just see it very clearly in their head and their business IQ is probably really great, but they might would struggle to run a dealer location where they might struggle to run a manufacturing location or a truck, because it's easy to just be like. This makes perfect sense to me Just do it. Well, that's as easy as saying save this much money and when you retire, you'll have this much. We all know that you struggle.

SHED GEEK: 54:38

There's things that come up, there's things that are unforeseen, so we'd like to do a catch all at some point, maybe not sales related, but I would tell you to tap into those services. Maybe, if somebody can come up with a, eventually, maybe a like a dealer network where you can share ideas, even in a competitive space, it's okay to do that. I don't know, maybe that some of those things exist to some level, but I agree with you. You're when you're, when you're here and you're wanting to learn and you don't have the education that you need. There's nothing worse. You want to know how to do more, you want to do more, you want to understand it better and you have a willing heart to learn. Yeah, you should have that access.

Laurie Washburn: 55:25

Right, especially when you're, especially when you're like a little bit older. You know some of these, some of these younger people. You know they, they know all these terminologies that they, they spit out SEO and you know, you know a whole, much more than I'm thinking. I just need like a dictionary like that says SEO and what is that? You know, I think someone we were, uh, stormor is really good. Like one of the things that that they just do so well is that they um, you know that they're really trying to tap into a lot of marketing and help their dealers out with that and they do have like a Facebook page, that, where dealers can kind of uh support each other and talk to each other, which I think is great.

Laurie Washburn: 56:10

And, um, I was talking to one of these, these girls, and she was a young, young girl and she's throwing all this web, hooks and things like that and I'm going what is that? I don't even know what that is. So, as older people who who, uh, struggle with the terminology of marketing, like we need you, shannon, help us.

SHED GEEK: 56:30

Well, I'll tell you what's funny is it's it's not always been my certainly my strong point, but I'm I'm lucky enough to partner with people and I found that that's kind of my strength is connecting the right people, uh, to be able to do those tasks, because I'm not always you can't put that down on a resume, uh, sometimes you can't even keep a job if, if, if that's your strength. Uh, it takes a little bit of time, but what I would say is, like it's, if you connect the right people, it matters, um, and, and I just happen to find people that are passionate about what they do and try to make it so they can do that better, and that's sort of my strength. It's kind of an odd strength, but I'm I've just been really but really good at connecting people so far, uh, so I'm probably not the one I can. I can give you my broken explanation of a web hook and I can tell you that search engine optimization is SEO, and I can tell you that there's on page, off page, and I can tell you that there's local and SEO and organic SEO and paid for SEO and all these different things, but I don't understand them.

SHED GEEK: 57:33

On the deep level. What I am good at is connecting the people that do understand them to the people who don't, and somehow speak a language that crosses that path between both, and that's what I've been good at. So you'll get there, and it sounds like you have a great ecosystem with store more to help you. Help get you there. And I know they're going to do that because they're just popping up everywhere. They're a great company, they're doing a great job, so so good for them that they're investing.

Laurie Washburn: 57:56

Yeah, they are doing a really good job. We're, we're really happy with them. They've they've been good to us and and so we're we're enjoying their product and we're enjoying getting it out there. So, um, we definitely we're enjoying that. But I know that your listeners would want the definition of a web hook, because I think I think he kind of danced around that a little bit. So, give us your definition of a web hook.

SHED GEEK: 58:23

So my my broken definition and what I've seen at most in particular cases that we focused on is is in the 3D modeler. A lot of times in the 3D modeler we I know we encourage this and in our own marketing practices If you can capture the information and the data ahead of time, so if you can capture four categories, we usually look for name, phone number, email and zip code zip code really important because you need to know if you service that area. So if somebody's building a 3D modeler, shed a 3D shed on your own on the on the modeler there they they might not service that area. But here's the larger question is what if you get 600 people to your website to build and only I don't know 20 of them actually capture that information? Do you assume that those other 580 are uninterested in party that can convert into sales, or are they? Are they potential clients? So we've asked for that ahead of time. And then basically one of the one of the larger 3D modelers that's out there currently would would talk about creating a web hook that you can. They would do it in a really fancy way, I don't understand, but basically install a widget so that they could capture that information ahead of time and you would still be able to collect the data. So for those of you who want to do drip campaigns, those of you who want to do emails, email campaigns and have that data to be usable to target and retarget so it's basically what I understand the way I would explain it anyway to be is it's a way to capture that information ahead of time without actually putting a lead form at the beginning of that 3D modeler. So that's probably where you maybe have heard the.

SHED GEEK: 1:00:17

I know we've been rattling cages trying to get that that done and we finally worked with a 3D designer that said, okay, we're going to go ahead and create that because of some of the clients that we've been bringing on. So we're trying to capture that information ahead of time and those who embrace those things are going to. They're going to do really good, right, because now, what if you got 600 people coming to your site? You at least have their data and people say, well, I don't know if I want that. Well, that's how all all of us get shopped right now. Currently, facebook, google, they know everything we do all the time, even if we don't like it. If we're going to use their platforms, we're going to give them permission, in most cases for them to to do that. So they use that data is all they do.

SHED GEEK: 1:00:59

Geofencing yeah absolutely All those things come up.

Laurie Washburn: 1:01:02

I know big words.

SHED GEEK: 1:01:03

Yeah, hey, you got it. You got it. It's, it's, it's understanding all those big words and then it's understanding how those things work and you might be surprised that, like very successful companies in the shed industry maybe don't understand it perfectly or well enough. So that's what provides others with opportunity is embracing these new ideas. And for some who say I just I never want to learn it, I mean they're probably still going to do fine and make a living I just do tend to think that those who go out and capture those 600 leads just imagine if you call all those 600 leads and then you actually have the opportunity to sell to them. They were, they were excited enough to go onto your website and actually click on something and build something.

SHED GEEK: 1:01:43

I don't know how much warmer of a lead you need, but that's somebody who's interested in a in a shed. So if you could have that information ahead of time and then you could follow up with them, create email campaigns, text them, have conversations with them, those people who have a defined sales process tend to I feel like they tend to fare better in the end. So these are the types of things that we would want to have a conversation on and we just need to organize it in a way so that it can help people understand. But in the meantime I'll do a shameless plug and say, if you want to know more, I'll get you in touch with all the personalities that should get marketing. So it's not just me and my broken explanation, but it's it's really capturing the minds of you know we work. We have 11 people that work with us, so it's, you know, three or four of us that would really talk on the more specifics of it. So anyway, I hope I made some kind of like connection there.

Laurie Washburn: 1:02:40

Yeah, you know, I heard a couple of words in there that I actually understood. So I think I think you did a great job explaining that, shannon. But definitely, you know, I think I think really it's a no brainer. I think that you know, if you, if you love this industry and you want to grow, if you want to grow your business, I think marketing is, is most definitely where it's at, and so I think that I'll plug for you If anybody needs to know about marketing, nobody needs to know about marketing. I tell you what there's. There's nobody that's think more around this industry than you guys are. So I think y'all are kind of one of the leaders in this industry on information for sure.

SHED GEEK: 1:03:22

Huge shout out to Dylan Street. Dylan takes care of all of our marketing and I just don't think he's the, he's the president and he he funnels the information so that it goes to the right places and he's just really, really sharp at being able to relate to people in that, in that particular niche, and he just does a good job. I don't know, just very matter of fact, he's got a good, good story, good testimony.

Laurie Washburn: 1:03:46

Even with old people like me.

SHED GEEK: 1:03:48

Well, hey, I mean, I mean you're the same age now but, yes, yeah, he does. He does a good job in explaining it in a way that's understood. And we've done that. We've, we've increased our customer acquisition time for that very purpose that we like to take the time to educate, so that people feel like they trust you and then, when they trust you they'll, they'll work with you and your services.

SHED GEEK: 1:04:08

We could come in and just like, give all these false, like quotes that's like really high and inflated. Oh, you make, you know, you make a lot of money. Where's the sustainability in that? Where's the where's the merit in that? Where's the integrity in that? So like, if you can trust that, if we're going to like offer you a quote or, you know, suggest a service, that it's. We feel strongly about it. But what I found is like we have to educate our, our base. Not all there's. There's a lot of people that we've learned from as well too, and we're appreciative for that. But we find that in most cases, you just need to take the time to meet the person where they are. That kind of comes back to ministry. That has nothing to do with marketing. Just stop and be quiet and listen to a person and hear what they're saying. They'll tell you what they're struggling with. You just got to just have the ears to hear 15 minutes.

Laurie Washburn: 1:04:54

That's what you need, right.

SHED GEEK: 1:04:56

Just be quiet long enough to listen and they'll tell you. And if you have the answer, you can sell to them. If you don't get them to somebody who can we even work with other marketing companies or will, if there's something we do that they don't? We tell them all the time like, yeah it's, we'll, we'll pick up the outside and we'll stay away from your client. If they were decided to get away from you, maybe we have a chance to work with them, but we won't come poach them strongly, you know like we don't. Anyway, we'll get away from all that.

SHED GEEK: 1:05:23

We're happy to work with people, not against them. So never done this before, never. I've never asked this before, but as we're wrapping up, a lot of times we'll we'll pray on the show, as you know, but I don't think I've ever had asked a lady interview, a lady interview, to pray. Would you pray over the shed industry?

Laurie Washburn: 1:05:50

Sure, I'll be quiet too. Good Lord, we just come to you as we're wrapping this up. Father, we just pray that you would touch each individual facet of this industry, no matter if they are dealers, no matter if they're drivers they have a plant, they're corporate, if they are wholesalers, no matter what they are doing. Lord, we just pray that you would have your hand upon them, that you would bless them, lord, that you would just give them mercy and grace. And, lord, we just pray for Shannon, the whole shed geek team. Lord, that, as they're traveling, lord, we just pray for traveling mercies over them, over their vehicle. And, lord, we just pray that you would just richly bless them and that you would bless them with the knowledge and the people that they need to meet to make a difference in life and in this industry. In the name of Jesus, we pray Amen.

SHED GEEK: 1:06:48

Thank you so much for that.