Ep 225 - "Building Champions, with Clinton Tierney"

If you’ve ever wondered what makes a great consultant actually great, spend an hour with Clinton Tierney. Clinton has been in restoration for 21 years, worked literally every role in the industry from technician to VP of sales, and has been part of the Floodlight team for a year and a half now, bringing the same intensity to our clients that he brought to two companies he helped grow to 50 and 60 million dollars. In this episode we find out why. Clinton coaches his kids’ travel baseball and softball teams on top of a full consulting schedule, and what started as a question about why he commits that kind of time turned into one of the clearest leadership breakdowns we’ve ever recorded. He walks us through the coach who shaped him as a catcher, why practice should be relentless and games should be fun, and the uncomfortable gap between how athletes train and how most trades businesses prepare their field teams. Then we get into standards: the uniform story that changed his sales results, and the real conversation he had with an owner about something as simple as wearing shorts that ended up shifting an entire company’s culture. This is the same mindset Clinton brings to every client he works with at Floodlight, and if you want a taste of what it’s like to have him in your corner, this episode is it.
Enjoy the show - Brandon and Chris
Restoration, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, landscaping. If you build it, fix it, or maintain it, this show is for you.
Why You Should Listen:
[~2:00] 21 years in restoration and every role in between: why Clinton’s experience makes him one of our sharpest consultants
[~4:00] The coach who shaped Clinton as a catcher, and why being hard on someone can be the biggest vote of confidence
[~16:00] The practice to game ratio: what sports teaches about training that most trades businesses never apply
[~24:00] 2,000 field recordings later: what Floodlight found when they actually listened to how technicians talk to homeowners
[~38:00] The uniform story: how dressing up changed Clinton’s sales results and shifted an entire team’s culture
[~46:00] The shorts conversation: Clinton calls out an owner, and the standard that changed because of it
[~53:00] What makes Clinton a great battle buddy for owners: knowing how big to be, how loud to be, and when
About the Show
Head, Heart, & Boots is for the men and women who build things for a living. Restoration, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, and every blue collar trade in between. Hosts Brandon Reece and Chris Nordyke built and scaled real companies in the restoration industry, and they have carried those hard-won lessons into every blue collar trade they work with today. Every week they dig into the head (strategy), the heart (culture and people), and the boots (execution) of running a business worth owning.
This show is the front door to Floodlight Consulting Group, where Brandon, Chris, and the team help trades businesses find the money already sitting inside them and build companies worth far more than the day they started. Same people, same mission, whether you are listening or working with us directly.
Ready to see what that looks like in your business?  Start Here! https://www.floodlightgrp.com/
Owning a business in the trades can be the loneliest job there is. Head, Heart, & Boots exists to change that, because the best leaders don't go it alone, and neither should you.