Chris Hoffmann currently serves as the CEO at Deutschmann Lane Holdings (DLH), which operates a family of companies including Hoffmann Brothers, Ferguson Roofing & Exteriors, Deutschmann Lane Real Estate, and HBH Investment Company. Before joining DLH, Chris served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, leaving active duty in 2014.

On this episode, we discuss:

Chris' experience in the Marine Corps

Taking over the family business

Scaling the business

Retaining and training labor

The future of the trades

Scaling acquired businesses


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links:
Chris Hoffmann on X
Chris Hoffmann on LinkedIn
Hoffmann Brothers
Nexstar Network
Tugboat Institute
ServiceTitan

Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:19) - Chris’ time in the Marines
(00:10:17) - Taking over the family business
(00:14:41) - Scaling the business
(00:19:18) - The first year in the business
(00:23:04) - What metrics matter in your industry?
(00:25:25) - Scaling the business after $20mm
(00:27:30) - Successfully retaining labor & Hoffmann Brothers University
(00:32:43) - The future of the trades
(00:34:06) - Purpose-driven ownership vs. PE
(00:41:09) - What questions should sellers be asking buyers?
(00:45:12) - Scaling acquired businesses
(00:48:01) - Call centers
(00:50:34) - The future of marketing is not paid search
(00:51:58) - The importance of Google reviews
(00:52:29) - Is B2C harder than B2B?
(00:54:13) - Recession resistance
(00:57:06) - Business ideas: House managers
(00:59:29) - What do the next 10 years look like for Hoffmann Brothers?
(01:02:40) - The family dynamic within the business
(01:06:19) - Do you have a succession plan?
(01:09:03) - Mistakes made
(01:12:23) - What do you see for the future of your industry?

Support our Sponsors
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd
 
Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts