E-Myth Company Story of the Month January 2012

Company Name:	Steamatic of the Red River Valley
About the business:	Provider of 24 hour emergency restoration services for fire, water, and mold catastrophes
Location:	Grand Forks & Fargo, North Dakota
Owner:	Marcus Benoit
Year Founded:	1998
Number of Employees:	32 full time, benefited employees
Website:	http://www.steamatic.com/rrv/
Achievement:	Steamatic Presidents Cup Winner 2010 and multiple "Outstanding Contractor" awards
E-Myth Program:	E-Myth Mastery

Free from Catastrophe

by Marcus Benoit

I have always had a very strong entrepreneurial spirit and desire to control my own destiny.

In my mid 20’s my wife and I left a very comfortable and secure lifestyle in search of a better future for our children and family.

I have enjoyed the pride of ownership, the freedom of being my own boss and the thrill of competition.

Most importantly, I enjoy the rewarding feeling of exceeding the expectation level of our clients.

Whether we’re helping to improve the air purity in their home to provide relief from asthma and allergies or helping them recover from a traumatic house fire or other damage, it’s a fulfilling experience.

But you can only rely on that feeling for so long.

I soon became consumed by my business, was always bringing work & stress home at night and couldn’t get away from the work I had to do. These destructive habits were affecting my relationships with friends, my home life and I was unable to create the quality time needed to spend with my family and friends.

I felt trapped in my role of working for the business. It was like being in a squirrel cage with no apparent solution in sight. I always assumed that this was a normal role for a business owner and that it would be like this for the rest of my working career.

It was at this point that I knew I couldn’t continue on by myself.

While in the E-Myth Mastery program:

• I have been able to reduce my at work hours per week from 60-65 hours down to 45-50 hours.
• I very seldom ever bring work home now, I leave work at work.
• Our gross profits increased 10% and net profits increased 5% in one year.
• I feel like the business is now working for me versus me working for the business.
• I have created a clear vision of where the company is going in the next 5 years.
• I am able to articulate my vision to our employees.
• I structured our organization and provided new position contracts for all employees to clearly outline expectations.
• I am now able to organize, delegate and realize the true potential in my employees. The results are amazing.

My coach has been awesome! She has helped me work through decisions that I have struggled with for years. I feel that I have been set free to achieve my full potential as a business owner, father, and husband.

I am now able to let go of duties and responsibilities that I thought I was the only one capable of performing. The results have been amazing both personally and professionally.

My employees and family are now part of decision making process and are excited about performing the duties required to reach our goals and objectives. These changes have brought a whole new level of excitement to my daily life.

The company has very aggressive growth initiatives of 15% per year. We will accomplish this growth by systematizing our business from end to end with the E-Myth business practices, adding more physical locations and continuing to increase our expanding line of value-added services. I am very excited about the future of our company and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.

I recommend the E-Myth program to everyone, whether they are starting a new business or have been in business their entire life. This program has been a life changing experience for me.

"I feel that I have been set free to achieve my full potential as a business owner, father, and husband."

—

Marcus Benoit,
Owner of Steamatic of the Red River Valley