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The Fab Lab is Back! Update and New Season Teaser

After a very eventful year, the host of Fab Lab, Aaron Crowley, is back behind the mic!  

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I Sold My Stone Shop and Why

In this episode I share the 3 big reasons I decided to sell my stone shop.   You can watch the video on youtube: Ep: 116 "I sold my stone shop and why" on YouTube   Need help?  Visit aaroncrowley.com

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How I Sold My Stone Shop

In this episode you will hear how the buyer for my stone shop materialized and how the process unfolded…from the day we received the official letter of intent to the day we closed.   You can watch Fab...

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The Psychology of Selling a Stone Shop

There is an emotional toll and mental strain that is overwhelming at times when selling a business.  In this episode, I describe the 3 most important ways to prepare mentally for “selling out”!   Make...

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Reducing Costly Mistakes

Do you have costly oversights, mistakes, and remakes in your stone shop?  Of course you do, every stone shop does. The question is how long will you tolerate them… In this episode we set the stage for...

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Mindset for Mistake Management

If you’re dealing with oversights, mistakes, and remakes…your current mindset might lead you to Emotions, Conclusions, and Actions that prevent you from overcoming those very mistakes. To truly reduce...

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Interview – Slippery Rock Gazette Editor - Larry Hood

In this episode, I talk with my old friend Larry Hood who is the editor at the Slippery Rock Gazette.  He takes us back to the beginning, how the SRG was started and how it has evolved and stayed...

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A Tale of Two Owners

Delegator or Doer… Which owner are you?  Which do you aspire to be? The difference between a “delegator” and a “doer” has massive significance to your business and your quality of life.  We talk about...

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Interview – All Slab Fabber Founder – Chris Hildebrand

Chris Hildebrand is a very busy guy, he runs the All Slab Fabbers, reps for 2 different equipment manufactures (Sasso and BBM), and oh by the way, he also owns a very successful stone shop in Aitken,...

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Costly Mistakes - Reaction vs Response

There is a huge distinction between a knee-jerk reaction and a conditioned response when it comes to overcoming oversights, mistakes, and remakes. It’s the difference between chronically fixing the...

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Interview – Economist Eric Post of ITR Economics

Interview with the Director of Research and Development, Eric Post of ITR Economics Want to know what's happening and what’s going to happen?  We don’t have a crystal ball, but we do have a great...

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Leading Indicators and Crystal Balls

Economic forecasts are essential and smart business owners pay attention to them. But those forecasts can be too general and there can be enough lag in when they are made available to render them...

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Shrink and Grow Rich

High demand and lack of labor running you ragged as you make up the difference?  Thinking that growing might be the answer to your challenges?  It might be. But what if there is another way to reduce...

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Your Business – Engine For Wealth Creation

Your stone shop is an incredible asset.  It is an “engine” that has the potential to provide you with massive wealth creation opportunities!  But it must be maintained and cared for.  Is your stone...

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Are you Redlined? – Pt 1

Are you a doer, director, or dictator?  In this episode, we assess each stage (or gear) and how the redline effect happens at each stage.  We also discuss how to escape the redline experience so you...

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Redlined to Relaxed (Are you redlined? Pt 2)

Ready to grow beyond the “redlined existence”?  Would you like a more relaxed pace as you lead and manage your stone shop?  The way you get there is to first operate the engine at the Power Band...

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Interview – Pricing Your Work with Ed Young – Fabricator Coach

Have you raised your prices?  Are you raising your prices?  Does the topic of raising your price cause you to sweat and worry about what your customers might say? Well, no matter how you answer those...

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How to double your profits without adding another job (or grinding your...

Want to grow your profits without growing your headaches?  Want to grow your profits without growing your business? The fact is you can and its easier than you think! In this episode we cover the...

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Beat Your Competition to the Punch – 3 Simple Steps to Turn Existing Quotes...

Would you like to put more jobs on the calendar without having to generate more leads and produce more quotes?   You can, if you follow the following 3 techniques explained in this great episode of the...

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How to Close More Biz Doing Fewer Quotes

This may sound too good to be true or counterintuitive.  Or it might sound crazy…to choose not to quote someone’s project.  But the fact is, opting not to quote work that you’re not likely to get is...

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What’s the Octane of Your Business? - Guest Host Ed Young

Are you ready for whatever this next recession or ‘soft landing’ is going to bring?  Do you know where you should spend marketing and ad money for the best impact?  Can you quantify which market...

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Guest Host Ed Young - Interview with Gina Gardner

When you start digging, it’s not hard to find what I call ‘Unsung Heroes’ in our industry.  In this episode, we talk with Gina Gardner who has worked with Cosentino, the Artisan Group, is a mentor for...

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What’s the best solution? - Guest Host Ed Young

Have you ever had a problem in your business, and you took action to solve that problem only to find out later that you still had the same problem?  Do you find yourself saying things like - I thought...

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Turn Stress into Strength!

Stressed out?  Pessimistic or Negative thoughts creeping in?  Disappointed over something?  If so, you’re just like me😊  But be encouraged, there is much you can do to transform that experience into...

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Trust the People – Trust the Process

When your team is working at their maximum potential, everyone wins!   Your customers win, you win, and your team wins!   In this episode, we discuss two dimensions of trusting your people:   Believing...

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Remind, Insist, Demand – Real World Implementation of the PROcess

It would be nice if we could just throw a document at an employee and magically see flawless execution…But that’s not reality and it's not a fair expectation. Furthermore, if that is our expectation we...

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#1 Danger in Delegating – Giving Up (Not Letting Go)

Breaking out of the “doing it” mentality and into the “delegate it” mindset and practice is HARD!!! No way of getting around that fact…   In this episode we discuss 3 simple principles to help you...

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Freedom Now or “Maybe” Later – Blowing Up Conventional Wisdom

Conventional wisdom says we have to wait until we build and sell our business for millions before we can have the time and money to do the things that are important to us. In this episode, I challenge...

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The Simple Path To Taking Time Off (Freedom Today Instead of Later)

What if you could leave for lunch and not get calls from the office or the crew?  What if you could take a day off of work and not spend half the day on the phone or computer putting out fires and...

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Part 2 – Simple Path to Taking Time Off (Without Interruptions!!!)

Imagine what your family and friends will say when you tell them you’re taking a day off to spend with them and that you won't be on your phone! Once you’ve mastered the art and science of taking lunch...

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The 6 Stages (AKA the 6 D’s)

The journey of a stone shop owner can be exhilarating and marked by success and profits.  Along the way, there can be roadblocks that either wear us out or prevent us from continuing the journey. In...

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Storm Tactics - 3 Part Plan for Preparing for an Economic Storm

Better to have a plan and not need it than to be caught unprepared!  The simple principles in this episode will serve you well if an economic storm hits your business.  They will serve you well if a...

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3 Tips to Getting Paid - Economic Storm Series - Collections and Receivables...

If you're doing work for builders or remodelers, you're waiting to get paid.  The longer you wait the bigger risk you take, especially if your customer experiences a decline in sales and revenue. The...

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5 Best Gifts For Stonecutters (AKA Your Employees)

Gift cards, hams, and Christmas bonuses are GREAT ways to show your love your employees and share the fruits of their labor. But there are 5 other gifts that are worth their weight in gold, and it...

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Why Is This Business So $#@! HARD?!?!?!?!?!?!

Running a stone shop is HARD!!! On its best day, its more difficult than just about any business you could run. As such, you deserve MASSIVE credit and honor for succeeding! In this episode, I rant and...

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The Stone Business is HARD, Here’s What to Do About It

In the last episode, I detail a list of the ways the counter fabrication business is just plain hard.  In this episode, I share the 3 most important tactics for positioning your stone shop to overcome...

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A Riff on an IDEA That Would Make the Stone Business Less Hard!

In this episode, I share an idea I was exploring prior to selling my stone shop...Its unconventional, its out of the box, its a "blue ocean strategy" if you will. I dont suggest you should consider...

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A Bit of History

This may sound crazy, but starting a side hustle can contribute massively to making life easier in your stone shop...I know, I know, that does sound crazy, but it may not be as crazy as you think,...

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5 Reasons a Side-Hustle Makes Sense

Please consider donating to Rancho Santa Marta! Your donation will fund the work at this amazing orphanage in Baja Mexico.  RSM was the first special needs orphanage in the region and they care for...

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The Best Business Model in the World!

Please consider donating to Rancho Santa Marta! Your donation will fund the work at this amazing orphanage in Baja Mexico.  RSM was the first special needs orphanage in the region and they care for...

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Banking Crisis Protection - Stone Shop Owner Edition

In this episode, I explain what happened with SVB - Silicon Valley Bank - and its failure over the weekend. What does it mean for those of us in the stone industry?  Well, we get into that in this...

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A Bit More History

There are some important elements to starting a successful side hustle and I share them in this episode.  The good news fellow fabricator is that you already have them! 1. Examples 2. Practice 3....

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