PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Ian R.: So welcome everybody to our podcast. I am one of your hosts, Ian Robertson, and this is Beon De Nood. Not pronounced Beon De Nude, but Beon De Nood.

Beon: That’s right. So we know what we’re doing here? Absolutely not. But we know what we want to talk about, so I guess that’s the whole reason for trying this thing out and seeing how we do.

Ian R.: Yes. You fake it till you make it, right? You just kind of throw yourself in there and see if you can swim. But for those of you that don’t know what inspector toolbelt is, we’re a team that works on inspection software.

Our inspection software has been on the market now in one form or another for almost three years. We have a lot of users, and we really enjoy helping the inspection community. This podcast is more about you, the inspector, how you can grow your business, different aspects of the home inspection industry.

Me myself I’m a home inspector, have been for over 15 years, and I own three inspection companies. But more importantly than that, I’d like to get to know Beon a little bit better.

Beon: Well, we’ve known each other for goodness; how many years now?

Ian R.: 20.

Beon: Goodness me, 20 years. Well, just this last week, you found out how to pronounce my last name, so.

Ian R.: Or maybe I just purposely pronounced it wrong.

Beon: Well, who knows? But as you were talking about the reason for creating a podcast. I mean, you do something like this; you’re putting yourself out there a little bit.

The question you always ask yourself when you do something is why? What is the motivation? Just to what you said, I think over the years, one builds up knowledge in your trade, in life in general, and maybe all of us don’t kind of realize what you’re sitting on, that that’s maybe valuable information that somebody else would want to have access to.

So I guess we’re kind of putting it out there. For myself, I’ve been a computer programmer in the tech industry for just over 20 years and learned a thing or two. Been working with some big utility companies in the northeast part of the United States, and we’ve been doing a lot of survey applications, field survey applications.

Of course, that translates nicely into the product that we’re doing now with inspector tool belt, where we’re helping you guys with your inspection reports and scheduling. So that’s kind of where I’m at, and yes, looking forward to this.

Ian R.: Yes. If I could just add on to Beon story there, it’s not just an app that he’s made for utility companies. When you see companies like national grid walking around with a tablet, doing their inspections, very likely you’re seeing them use Beon’s work.

He really built some amazing software, and that’s really translated into how our software has developed. Also, on a more human level that many of us as home inspectors can relate to, you grew up in the construction industry. Basically, that’s how we originally met, right, Beon?

Beon: Yes, that’s true. Before I got into programming, we were throwing up drywall and doing whatever else we had to do to keep going.

Actually, I remember back then when we met each other, the conversation you and I had, and you were talking about the different types of masking tape and the glue cure times or something, I had no idea, something, I mean it was tape, right? But it gave me some insight into your personality right off the bat there.

Ian R.: I think that translated well into home inspections for me. But yes, so you kind of know what it is to be in the field, to work on homes and to find and fix problems, which is what we do as home inspectors. That translated well into how you wrote the app. So how would I do this? How would Ian do this?

Beon: Yes, well, that was a valuable question right there. I think one thing that’s been very beneficial is with your background and your experience, not only as a home inspector but as a successful entrepreneur.

We’ve been able to take both those ingredients, add them to the technical expertise that I have on the one end. I mean, we’ve got a great team too. I can take all the credit; our programming team they’re a great bunch of guys as well.

But all of that has made for a really good mixture or formula to end up with a product where we’ve concentrated on features that are really the most beneficial, that give you the biggest bang for the buck, that the guys are really looking for.

Now, of course, it’s an initial version, we’re looking to add a lot more to it, but we’re really proud of what we’ve put together so far.

Ian R.: Yes, I am too, it’s really a fantastic product. I often tell guys the program works how I inspect. I didn’t have to force it into that mold; it was already like that. So it’s a good way to start off with it.

The burning question, though, is where’s the accent from, Beon? I know the answer to the question, but how about for the listeners?

Beon: Well, I live in Florida, but it’s not a Floridian accent. I’ve spent some time in New York. But I was born and raised in South Africa, actually.

So even though to a South African I don’t have an or I do have an accent, I guess, to them, I sound like I’m from the U.S. But we always tell people we’re from all over.

Ian R.: Yes, it’s definitely a combination. You guys have spent some time in quite a few places.

Beon: Yes.

Ian R.: So a little bit about me, some of you listening may actually know who I am. I’m very active in the inspection forums, on InterNACHI and on Facebook and in other areas. I might have even taught a class or two that you’ve sat through, a home inspection course.

But I own three inspection companies. I’m just a crazy OCD weirdo that really got into it. I also own a company called full view marketing; you may even be a client of that. We build websites and do online marketing and SEO for home inspectors.

That came out of just me again being OCD about marketing. I started marketing my first inspection company, and I just figured out ways that really worked. Then I started a second company, and then I started a third, and then other inspectors asked me to do marketing for them, so I did, and that’s how full view came about.

So you might have seen me around, you might have heard me making some weird joke on a Facebook forum there, or helping a guy out, but that’s who I am.

Beon: Yes. Are you the guys always helping everybody out to make their best ladder selections? Or is that not you?

Ian R.: Or choosing the best moisture meter?

Beon: Or you start designing crawlers; I guess that’s the ultimate when you’re doing the basement crawlers or crawl space crawlers or whatever there.

Ian R.: I’m actually a big believer in the crawl bots. There are some crawl spaces where you really need them, and I have a definitive opinion that will save to a, say, for a future podcast of which one’s the best.

Beon: Absolutely. Yes, to what you were saying, so your background, I’ve worked for large utility companies, I haven’t been an entrepreneur. For you, you’ve started a lot of stuff, really just from grassroots levels.

So I know even with the whole inspector toolbelt experience, that input has been absolutely invaluable.

But yes, we got a lot of topics that we’ll be touching on in upcoming weeks. I don’t know, Ian, you got a couple of, just off the cuff there, just to give the guys some insight into what we’re looking to be talking about?

Ian R.: Yes. We’re going to talk about an amalgam of subjects, mostly focused on how you can grow your business or yourself as a home inspector. Things like how to market the agents fractional marketing content, something that I’ve used for many years to grow all of my businesses.

Phantom marketing, which is just something I coined myself. I love phantom marketing; I use the analogy of the emperor versus Han Solo. So we have a lot of topics that are revolved around growing your business as a home inspector. Then also interviews, we’re going to interview a lot of people.

People that you’ve probably seen around in the inspection industry get to know some of their secrets and who they are and how they operate. Things that you can use to grow your business, but on top of that, subject’s how you can become a better home inspector.

Because obviously, that’s the key to the whole industry. You need to be a good home inspector; we need to be able to figure things out.

We’re going to stay away from data about hydrostatic pressure and the proper relief valve settings and stuff like that. We’ll keep it a little bit on the lighter side.

Beon: Well, that sounds good. But I was thinking to myself, imagine you had the opportunity; I think we got the write-up in our podcast description.

If you had the opportunity to sit down with somebody who’s been in the industry for 20 years and is well respected, as you were saying, I think you’ve been somewhat of an enigma, Ian, because people know your name. But the joke was kind of going around that nobody’s ever seen your face.

So I guess they get to hear your voice now, and on our website, there’s an obscure picture of you. But it’s kind of a running joke, I guess.

Ian R.: Well, that’s where the phantom marketing comes from. If anybody knows Kyle Phillips from Alpha inspections, he calls me the phantom. Because it’s very hard to see me anywhere, so it’s nice to finally be out in the open with it.

Beon: Good stuff. Well, yes, we’re looking forward to it. Being able to share our insights and our knowledge, and hopefully be able to help you guys get your businesses started, or just give them a real boost and get more out of the effort that you’re putting in already.

Ian R.: Yes. Looking forward to all the discussions that we’re going to have, and as always, feel free to contact us. You can go to our website at Inspectortoolbelt.com. You can try our software out, or you can just get in touch with us, and we can talk.

Beon: Awesome. Well, thanks a lot, Ian. Thanks for kicking it around, just to get us off the ground here and looking forward to our first episode.

Ian R.: Same here, look forward to it.

Outro: If you’re enjoying the conversation, check out more episodes at Podcast.inspectortoolbelt.com. We’re also available on Spotify, Google and Apple podcasts.

To check out our website or marketing solutions or even to take our app for a test drive, head on over to our website at Inspectortoolbelt.com.