Homestead Post

An open invitation to share your thoughts and ideas with us.

Thank you for reading our newsletter and blog, attending our Business-Building Breakfasts, and being a loyal Homestead Outdoor Products customer!

As we consider future article topics and what to discuss in our 2026 breakfast sessions, we welcome your feedback and ideas.

• What real-world challenges would you like us to delve into?
• What questions do you hear from customers that we might help you answer?
• What product features and installation tips would you like to learn more about?
• What information can Homestead Outdoor Products and our product suppliers provide that will help your business thrive and grow?

It only takes a few minutes to make your voice heard. Share your thoughts here.

Same location. Brand-new building. More space.

We’re thrilled to unveil our new office and showroom! Our beautiful new building features some of your customers’ favorite exterior products.

• Wolf® Portrait Siding Color: Pearl White
• UFP-Edge Siding Color: Lost Trail
• Evolve® Stone Color: Phantom Shadow

Visit us and check out our new space!

Our hours remain the same as before:

Monday–Friday: 6:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday: 7–11:30 a.m.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

A beautifully understated and sophisticated addition to Keylink’s sleek vertical and horizontal cable railing offerings, black cable railing is a perfect choice to satisfy customers’ functional needs and aesthetic vision.

Available for the Chesapeake and American railing series in textured and matte finishes, black cable railing is offered in 36” height with 6’ and 8’ length options. It provides the same high quality, durability, and versatility you expect from all Keylink cable railing products.

• A timeless look with less reflectivity preserves views and sightlines.
• Weather-tested, it’s proven to last.
• Ease of installation saves your team time and effort.
• It’s an ideal product for residential and commercial* projects.

Call us or drop by for more information to find out what we have in stock.

*Note that 36” vertical cable does not meet all commercial standards.

Showing vulnerability is essential for fostering a collaborative and cohesive company culture. Daniel Coyle’s book “The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups” discusses ways that leaders can earn trust and motivate their team members by demonstrating and encouraging vulnerability rather than running away from it.

Here are some takeaways from Coyle’s insights:

1. Lead by example.
Leaders who own up to their mistakes (even the best of us make them!) encourage others to be more transparent and accountable. Taking responsibility for our errors shows strength, not weakness. Don’t be afraid to say things like . . .

• • “I messed that up.”
  • “What could I have done better?”
  • “What can I change to help you work more effectively?”

2. Deliver negative feedback face-to-face.
While this may feel awkward and stressful, it minimizes misunderstandings and facilitates connection. In-person feedback shows that you
value others and care about helping them improve and succeed.

3. Practice trampoline-style listening.
Coyle recommends that leaders “listen like a trampoline.” That involves interacting, asking questions, challenging assumptions, and making suggestions that can lead to other pathways. The trampoline effect comes into play when you absorb what others tell you, support them, and add energy to the discussion—and then use repetition to explore the same issues from different angles.

4. Encourage candor through consistent debriefs.
Regularly reviewing completed projects (after-action reviews) as a team establishes a routine for self-assessment and honest communication about what went well and what should have been done differently. It helps individuals become more comfortable talking about their successes and failures and fosters an atmosphere of support, not blame. Coyle stresses that successful reviews should include constructive candor, not brutal honesty that comes off as a personal attack. The goal of consistent after-action reviews is to forge a path forward as
a group while helping individuals achieve their potential.

Next in our series: Share Vulnerability (Part 2). Did you miss our Building Safety articles? Read them now:  Building Safety: Part 1 and Building Safety: Part 2.

Join us on Thursday, March 27, at New Holland Coffee Company from 7–8 a.m. for a FREE breakfast and helpful decking insight from Wolf® Home Products.

Attending this session certifies you as a WOLF PRO contractor, giving you access to game-changing benefits, including:

• Extended Wolf PRO Labor Warranty
• Designation on the Wolf website to help you generate leads
• Purchase incentives
• Exclusive marketing tools
• Product literature and samples

RSVP to reserve your seat! Hurry! Space is limited to 30 guests per session.
Send an email to sales@homesteadoutdoorproducts.com or call 717-656-9596.

The concept of an “Ideal Customer Profile” (ICP) is nothing new, and most companies have in mind the qualities they’re looking for in a customer. Identifying your ideal customer helps you home in on which projects to pursue to get the most bang for your buck. 

So who is your ideal client? Rather than starting with the question, “Who are they?”—ask “Who are we?” first.

Who Are You?

Companies often miss a critical component when forming their ICP—they neglect considering who they are as a vendor!

Not only ask yourself, “What customers do we want?” but also, “Who can we serve best?”

Answering that second question requires knowing your strengths and weaknesses. For example, a small contractor who is exceptional at building decks to elevate homeowners’ outdoor living spaces, probably shouldn’t be marketing bathroom remodeling services to large hotel chains.

• Which projects are most profitable and get the most positive customer feedback?
• Which projects require more time than they should or result in rework?

Questions like these can help you zero in on your ICP. And you might discover that your ideal client is someone other than you previously thought. If you’re encountering do-overs, missing deadlines, or are repeatedly overbudget—you might be targeting the wrong customers.

Can Your ICP Evolve Over Time?

Absolutely! As your industry and your capabilities change, so can your ICP. And an ICP can shape your company. If you want to serve a type of customer or provide a certain service now but currently don’t have the skills, equipment, etc., to do that, you can make changes strategically to achieve that objective.

The Bottom Line

Assess your ICP regularly to be sure you’re serving the right customers and capitalizing on your strengths. By getting a firm grasp on your ICP, you can maximize profitability as you focus on what you’re really good at. You’ll save time, use fewer resources, and deliver superior results!

As we continue exploring nuggets of wisdom from Daniel Coyle’s book The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups, let’s dive further into how leaders can build safety into their company culture to help employees feel heard and valued—which is key to motivating them to do their best work.

How to Build Safety (Part 2)   

1. Be painstaking in the hiring process.

Coyle explains the importance of not hastily hiring employees who lack the qualities you need and aren’t a good fit.

While it may take longer to find an ideal candidate, it’s worth the wait and extra work to hold out for the right person because toxic employees can poison a company culture quickly. And if you’ve slipped up and let in a toxic worker who’s bringing down your team, let them go. Ultimately, you’ll be doing the employee a favor because you’re freeing them to pursue opportunities that are a better fit.

2. Overdo thank-yous.

Demonstrating respect and gratitude in every aspect of work creates goodwill and strengthens relationships. Coyle explains that “thank you” fosters belonging, creating safety and connection.

It’s not silly to thank a team member for helping you—whether they’ve handed you a hammer or picked up supplies. Polite responses to show that you appreciate someone’s work and contributions helps them realize their worth and know their position in your company is safe.

3. Pick up trash.

Naturally, leaders must have authority. However, Coyle shares that leaders should not be above doing menial work when necessary to help their team. When a manager or owner empties wastebaskets, cleans out a truck’s cab, or does some other inglorious but necessary manual work, it sends the message that, “We’re in this together.”

Next in our series: Share Vulnerability. If you missed Building Safety: Part 1, read it now.

Please join us for free breakfasts and learning sessions at the New Holland Coffee Company from 7–8 a.m. on select Thursdays in February and March 2025. At each session, a Homestead Outdoor Product vendor will talk about new products, installation techniques, and more.

RSVP to reserve your seat! Hurry! Space is limited to 30 people per session.

Send an email to sales@homesteadoutdoorproducts.com or call 717-656-9596.

Join us!

Thursday, February 6
Superior™ Outdoor Products & PCA Products

Thursday, February 13
Evolve Stone

Thursday, February 27
Fiberon

Thursday, March 13
Keylink

Thursday, March 27
Wolf® Home Products

A SWOT analysis—an assessment of a company’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats—is more than marketing jargon. It’s a simple tool for identifying what your business has going for it and against it. Doing a SWOT exercise won’t magically solve major problems, but it will help you gauge the health of your business and give you useful insight so you can plan a bright future.

What might a SWOT reveal for a small contracting company?

• Strengths—Superior craftsmanship; specialized knowledge of decking; reliable, local suppliers
• Weaknesses—An overwhelming workload; less-than-ideal margins on certain projects
• Opportunities—A lot of homeowner interest in enhancing outdoor living spaces; new technology to make administrative tasks less time-consuming
• Threats—Lack of experienced workers for hire; supply chain unpredictability

Through a SWOT, you can identify factors that are in your control and the influences that are beyond your control. From there, you can begin to think about how to leverage your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses to seize opportunities and minimize threats.

The SWOT concept is nothing new or fancy. It’s a common-sense way to look objectively at your business and recognize its potential. The key is to not just identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats but also to take action on what you learn so your business can succeed.

In his book The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups author Daniel Coyle examines three skills that are essential for creating and maintaining a healthy company culture.

1. Build Safety
2. Share Vulnerability
3. Establish Purpose

In this article and several to follow, we’ll share some of Coyle’s nuggets of wisdom and some practical tips for how you can apply them in your company.

How to Build Safety (Part 1)   

Safety goes beyond OSHA requirements and protective equipment. It also involves making employees feel they are accepted, listened to, and valued so they can focus on their work. Key concepts that Coyle addresses include:

1. Spotlight your fallibility early on.

No one—including the boss—knows everything. Coyle encourages leaders to be up front about when they need help and to use phrases like:

• “I could be wrong.”
• “What do you think?”
• “What am I missing?”

Asking for employees’ input and feedback builds trust as well as helps solve issues. For example, inviting workers’ thoughts and acknowledging their expertise on the best way to tackle a tricky framing problem lets them know you respect their expertise.

For example, “Thanks, Bob. You’re right, I missed that we’ll need additional time for the demo.”

2. Preview future connections.

Give your team a sneak preview of where your company is headed and help them envision how they will fit into those goals. For instance, If you’re thinking of expanding into bathroom remodels, tell your employees. Explain what it could mean for them—such as promotion and skills development opportunities.

3. Make sure everyone has a voice.

It’s important to give all team members a chance to share their insights. And when using someone’s suggestion, give credit where credit is due.

Give every employee room to speak, either in 1:1 meetings or in group huddles. Job sites often aren’t ideal meeting settings because of all the distractions. Instead, consider using your shop, house, or an offsite location.

Next in our series: Stay tuned for more on safety!