Meet John Schroeder

We were lucky to catch up with John Schroeder recently and have shared our conversation below.

John, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
Optimism is my only option. I can’t move forward without it. Where do I get it? Good question! First of all, I’m lucky to have grown up in a home with loving parents who encouraged me to engage in activities that interested me, and who supported me along the way. That’s not to say everything was perfect for me growing up; there were certainly challenges, but the support of my parents went a long way in helping me see the world, and the people in it, as essentially good and positive.

Although I appreciate sarcasm and play at cynicism for fun, my nature is to give people and situations the benefit of the doubt and generally expect them to behave and play out in a positive way. I find that approaching life, people, and situations with a positive attitude usually helps deliver a favorable outcome. So why not be optimistic? As my uncle once said: “I am an optimist—because the alternative is unbearable!” It’s a choice we can all make!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As home inspectors, we are grateful to play an important role in what is often the biggest purchasing decision of a person’s life, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We strive to educate and advise in a way that fosters the peace of mind that provides our clients confident home ownership.

We are part of a franchise system that invests in researching and implementing advancing technologies to separate us from the pack of available home inspection options and deliver a superior customer experience. Over the years, my company, the Pillar To Post Schroeder Team, has continued to add services so that we can offer our clients various options to investigate a property in greater depth, depending on their specific needs and concerns.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Personability, meticulousness and doggedness. It’s crucial to treat people as though you really care, even if you don’t. But it’s much easier to do this if you actually DO care, so I highly recommend that option! If you aren’t a detail person, it might be good to partner with someone who is, as that’s very important. And remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Establishing a business is a long game, and you have to be prepared, both mentally and financially, for a lot of ups and downs. Set long-term goals and keep your eye on those to help keep from getting discouraged.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Currently, our biggest challenge is the downturn in the housing market. Ironically, the pandemic was great for us, as there was a surge of home buying during that time. I didn’t need to or even have time to market the business, which was fine with me, as I generally prefer inspecting to prospecting.

Now, my two inspector employees are barely working part-time hours most weeks, but I’m committed to keeping them paid on a full-time basis to make sure they can pay their bills and provide for themselves and their families. So I’m working extra-hard to increase our share of the market for home inspections.

The alternative is to close up shop or lay off employees, and I don’t consider those to be options right now. I figure if I can increase market share and survive the downturn intact, we’ll be in good shape when the next upswing arrives, as we’ll have more business than ever. We just hope that’s sooner than later!

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Portraits of Resilience

Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our

Productivity
Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,

Confidence
Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move