Building a Culture That Actually Drives Growth, Retention, and Profitability
Building a Culture That Actually Drives Growth, Retention, and Profitability
When I sat down with Nicole Greer, I knew we were going to talk about culture.
But I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect it to go as deep as it did.
In the home service space, “culture” usually looks like this:
You grab coffee, bring donuts, joke around with the guys in the morning, and send them off for the day.
And look, I’ve done that too.
But as Nicole and I talked, it became clear:
That’s not culture. That’s just the surface.
People Do the Work, So Work on the People
Early in the conversation, Nicole said something that stuck with me:
You’ve got work to do in your business, but you have to work on your people to get that work done.
That hit.
Because a lot of us focus on:
- Systems
- Marketing
- Revenue
But at the end of the day, people are the multiplier.
If your people get better:
- Your service gets better
- Your customers are happier
- Your business grows
Simple, but not easy.
Culture Isn’t Donuts… But Donuts Help
I asked Nicole what culture really looks like in a home service business.
She laughed and said:
“Hey, I believe in donuts and a good laugh in the morning. You’re not wrong. But we need to add to it.”
That was a great way to frame it.
Because culture isn’t about replacing what you’re doing, it’s about going deeper.
Lead with Clarity (Not Just Vibes)
One of the biggest things she emphasized was clarity.
And not just “hey guys, let’s have a good day.”
Real clarity:
- What does each person do?
- How does their role impact the company?
- Where is the business going?
We also got into something that I know makes a lot of owners uncomfortable, open book management.
Nicole talked about showing your team:
- Revenue
- Expenses
- Profit
Not every detail, but enough so they understand how the business works.
And I pushed back a little, because I could already hear owners thinking:
“If I tell them we made $300K last month, they’re all going to ask for raises.”
Nicole didn’t dodge that.
She said that’s actually the number one concern she hears.
Rethinking Raises
Her response completely flipped my perspective.
Instead of thinking:
“This is going to cost me money…”
Think:
Great, what more value can you create?
If someone wants a raise, the answer becomes:
Awesome. Let’s figure out what else you can take on that justifies it.
That creates a culture where:
- Growth is earned
- Value is clear
- People take ownership
Not entitlement.
The Question Every Leader Needs to Ask
Then Nicole dropped what might have been the most important question of the entire conversation:
“What is it like to experience you?”
Not your company. Not your systems.
You.
Because here’s the reality:
Your team’s effort is directly tied to how they experience you as a leader.
She explained something called discretionary effort.
If someone doesn’t like working for you, they’ll do the job, but nothing extra.
But if they respect you, feel supported, and know you care?
They’ll go above and beyond.
And that’s where real growth happens.
Why Skill Isn’t Enough
We also talked about something I see all the time in home services:
You’ve got a technician who’s great at the job, but terrible with people.
Nicole calls this a character issue, not a skill issue.
And her point was clear:
Personality is fixed. Character is developed.
That means as leaders, part of our job is helping people:
- Communicate better
- Show up better
- Work better with others
Not just do the technical work.
Accountability Without Micromanaging
One of my favorite parts of the conversation was her simple accountability framework.
She said every leader should ask three questions:
- What are you going to do?
- When are you going to do it?
- How will I know it’s done?
That’s it.
And what I love about that is, it’s not micromanaging.
It’s clarity.
It forces people to think instead of just saying:
“Yeah, no problem.”
The SHINE Framework
Nicole also shared her framework for building what she calls a “vibrant culture.”
It’s called SHINE:
- S – Self-awareness
“What is it like to experience me?” - H – Habit work
The daily behaviors that define your business - I – Integrity
Doing what you say you’re going to do - N – Next right steps
Giving people a clear path forward - E – Energy
The overall vibe and momentum of your team
That last one energy was something we spent a lot of time on.
The 6 Types of Energy (This Was Eye-Opening)
Nicole broke energy down into six types:
- Intellectual (learning and growth)
- Emotional (how people feel at work)
- Spiritual (winning, purpose, momentum)
- Physical (health and stamina)
- Social (relationships and connection)
- Financial (results)
And her point was simple:
If you get the first five right, the sixth one money takes care of itself.
Here’s What Stuck With Me
If I had to sum up the conversation in one sentence, it would be this:
Culture isn’t what you do in the morning, it’s how your people think, act, and grow every day.
And that’s something you have to build intentionally.
Not accidentally.