During the past year, Kurk Lalemand of Next Level Business Coaching has provided coaching and strategizing support in weekly sessions to Denis Landry, Currently President of Landry/French Construction Company, based in Scarborough.
After starting Landry Construction Company on his own in 2006, he began to think about bringing on a partner, and Lalemand, whom he calls “motivating,” became his resource for finding just the right person.
“Kurk was really helpful as far as what things I should look at and focus on in finding a good business partner,” Landry said. “He mentioned things to consider, and the challenges of a partnership after being the only person running the company from the beginning. He helped me consider things before I started the partnership, instead of after.”
Landry and Lalemand initially agreed to work together for three months to see how things went. The two did a lot of work in that time, Landry said, which was incredibly beneficial to his company.
“This is an evolving process that never ends. After bringing on a partner, I didn’t have a specific goal but wanted to grow my business, so that was the prime focus,” Landry explained. “Kurk helped me figure out how to get there, and how to differentiate ourselves from the competition.”
They also focused on the process of transforming the company over the next several years. Lalemand suggested ways to make Landry/French Construction Company more marketable, and they discussed how the company should look in the next five years.
“Even in a bad economy there’s a lot of good planning to be done. Then you are ready when it is time to implement your plans,” Landry said. “For example, I was ready to create a dress code for my staff but not ready to implement it at that time. We were working on things not necessarily on the front burner, but that needed to be addressed.”
Lalemand also helped Landry determine the need for hiring or not hiring a staff member, including if that hire should be temporary, part-time, or full-time. By having Landry write down everything he did in the course of day, the two determined a part-time administrative staff person would be the most beneficial to the business. Lalemand also assisted Landry with forming just the right interview questions and suggested things to discuss.
Another large project in the works is the development of a procedure manual for the entire company. Landry said Lalemand has shown him the value in a document like this.
“Having a procedure manual will cut down on training time for any position here, and is a great tool and resource,” Landry noted. “It makes the company more marketable, too, so it’s worth taking the time to do this.”
Landry has found Lalemand’s laid-back style to be just as helpful as his suggestions.
“Sometimes when we meet it’s been a really busy week and I am not completely ready with everything we talked about in our last session,” he said. “But Kurk would never sit there and scold me. He just keeps on going and we move onto the next topic. He’s always planning ahead.”
Landry sees the value in Lalemand’s work every time they discuss organization and strategy in business. Lalemand’s strong background in business management and planning provide a solid base for his suggestions and recommendations.
“His vast knowledge of business as a whole and his ability to key in to specific businesses is key,” Landry said. “Kurk has quickly learned what is important to me in my business, and has adapted to my particular situation.”
He also knows he can rely on Lalemand as a resource in a broader sense.
“If I need something I know I can pick up the phone and ask him who I should contact for a particular issue. He would give me not one name to try, but three.”