If you watch enough TV, especially reality TV like Naked and Afraid, Bear Grylls, or maybe even Survivor, you may have heard the phrase “prepare to self-rescue.” Self-rescue means being prepared for the worst and knowing that no one is coming to save you. It’s a mindset of personal responsibility that climbers, wilderness adventurers, and military personnel live by—and business owners should, too. Just as survival experts prepare for the worst, restoration business owners face unpredictable demand, regulatory hurdles, and high-stakes projects. When things go wrong, the only one who can save the business is you.
Today’s Resources Are Abundant–Are You Willing to Use Them?
We deal with unpredictable demand, regulatory requirements, client relations, and high-stakes projects, so this mindset is crucial. Owners who adopt a “self-rescue” mentality are the ones who don’t just survive; they thrive. With all the resources available today, if a business is struggling, it’s not a lack of help but often the owner’s failure to take full responsibility and action.
Throughout history, business leaders had to rely on limited resources like books and printed materials to guide their decisions. Yet despite these constraints, empires like John D. Rockefeller’s were built. Rockefeller, who commanded an empire worth approximately 1.5% of the U.S. gross domestic product in 1937, achieved this with a fraction of the information we have at our fingertips today. To put it in perspective, the combined wealth of Bezos, Musk, and Gates today accounts for only 0.0221% of the 2024 U.S. GDP. With the invention of the internet, social media, and smartphones, there’s now more data, knowledge, and guidance readily available in the palm of your hand than Rockefeller could have ever imagined. The tools you need to build something great are not only accessible—they’re abundant. The question is: are you willing to use them?
Evolve to Survive
Business success starts with leadership. Yeah, clients shape demand, and employees drive execution, but it’s your responsibility as the owner to build a business capable of adapting to these forces. With the abundance of resources available, failure to leverage them is a conscious choice.
Running a successful restoration business is hard. The market is competitive, and the stakes are high. However, with the tools, technology, and industry support available today, there’s no reason a restoration company can’t thrive—if the owner is willing to take full responsibility for its success. I’ve often said that good contractors don’t go out of business because of the quality of their work. They go out of business because they don’t transition from a contractor to a businessman. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some true master craftsmen in my career. I had a trim guy who built amazing furniture on the side; you could barely see the joints when he was finished, but his business failed because he never learned how to plan or manage finances. If he had taken the time to learn basic financial management, used free online accounting tools, or sought mentorship from industry peers, his business might have survived.
To survive, we have to evolve, and today’s tools make that easier than ever before. I’m pretty sure that if you looked hard enough you could find a Youtube video to walk you through every step in running a successful business. Then if you add in all of the educational platforms, industry publications, member organizations and industry groups there is no shortage of information to guide you. If your business is struggling, it’s not due to a lack of help but often a failure to seek it out.
In today’s restoration industry, there are no excuses. The tools, technology, and support systems are there for anyone willing to leverage them. The only question is: are you willing to take full responsibility for your success? Adopt a “self-rescue” mindset, embrace the role of business leader, and use the abundant resources available to you.
Prepare to self-rescue, and watch your business not just survive, but thrive
Jason Gilstrap
Jason has over 25 years of experience in construction and restoration. He started out pushing a broom and swinging a hammer in high school, eventually growing to hold more advanced roles in the field. He has been involved in project management for 25,000+ square foot custom homes, multifamily developments, and commercial construction. He eventually accepted the challenge of starting his own business and self-performing general construction projects. In 2008, Jason began working in restoration as an independent contractor, working with restoration companies as a traveling large loss project manager before becoming part of a national catastrophe team that responded to natural disasters nationwide. Jason currently serves as the Senior VP of Operations at CORE, where he works to support CORE members by helping them develop new growth strategies, champion employee development, and discover lost efficiency.
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