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Superior Restoration primarily provides water and fire restoration services—though it has more recently added coronavirus disinfecting and sanitizing services to its product mix. The company was founded as a mobile carpet cleaning service in 2010 by Skylar Lewis before he later pivoted to offering higher-margin restoration work.
Even when he first started his business, Lewis dreamed of having his employees take over running the business. “I wanted them to have that ‘Own It’ attitude,” he says. To do that, he focused on building a culture that emphasized empowerment and autonomy. But he recognized that the team was missing something: transparency and literacy around the financials. “They were flying blind,” says Lewis.
After connecting with another restoration company in Chicago, Lewis learned about The Great Game of Business® (GGOB). He moved quickly to hire his coach, Kevin Walter, and kick off playing The Game in the summer of 2019.
The Superior team saw immediate results inside the business—especially when it came to cutting costs and boosting profit margins. The team has continued to build on their early success even through the pandemic as they ended 2020 with a Net Profit of 18%—which led to an annual bonus payout equivalent to 7% of employee salaries. “We never stopped meeting and talking through the numbers,” says Stephanie Suchocki, Superior’s General Manager, who now runs the bulk of the operations inside the company as Lewis has shifted to coaching and mentoring other business owners. “We would not have had as tremendous a year if it wasn’t for playing The Great Game of Business.”
“The Great Game of Business has made a strong team even stronger. It helps new team members (like me) feel important in being part of the team by gaining a line item to report on. It is important to feel respected and trusted in your company and being able to report on a line item is something important to everyone in the company not just one person. When you gain a line item you have the satisfaction of knowing you have a bigger responsibility because everyone is putting their trust in what you’re reporting on.”
~ Helen Bruneta, Mitigation Coordinator
The day the pandemic caused California to shut down was perhaps the hardest of Suchocki’s career. “I was on the phone until 2 a.m. with employees who were worried they might lose their jobs,” she says. Fortunately they were designated an essential business, so they went virtual with their Huddles which allowed them to avoid shutting down. “We went right into strategy mode and tried to find the right pivot we could make,” she says. “GGOB helped our people feel comfortable with the business decisions we were making.” Fortunately, demand for Superior’s services boomed—sales topped $1 million in one month alone—which helped boost everyone’s confidence in the future of the business. “I think everyone began to realize that we were a recession-proof business,” says Suchocki.
The pandemic limited the kinds of MiniGames the team could play, but everyone rallied around the chance to give back to their community. When they learned that their local Make a Wish Foundation needed donations, they built a MiniGame around generating reviews. For every review the team received, the company donated $25 to the foundation. In the end, the company donated $1,500—while sponsoring and fulfilling the wish of child in need over the holiday season. “This was an ‘out-of-the-box’ MiniGame,” says Suchocki, “but this was an out-of-the-box year.”
“The Great Game of Business has affected our company’s culture by enhancing our interaction with one another and creating a team-setting where we have a goal in motion that adjusts our spending, safety, and responsibility for the company as a whole.”
~ Sara Mony, Admin Office Coordinator
Two areas Suchocki would like the team to focus on leveling up in the coming year is getting better at generating more creative MiniGames on a regular basis and driving more financial literacy training to help the team improve the accuracy of its forward forecasts. “The team laughs at me because I focus on forecasting all the time,” she says. “I want everyone to be thinking about the future and that everyone has the power to change it.”
“We live GGOB! It has helped create a culture of accountability and transparency. Our team has embraced it and is competitive with numbers and outcomes. We love sharing responsibility with everyone. It truly brings a sense of ownership to what we do every day.”
~ Patrick FitzGerald, Sales Manager
