What would you do if you had to start your inspection business from zero?
No clients. No agents. No “my phone is ringing off the hook” fantasy. Just you, your tools, your home inspection software, and the big question every new inspector runs into: now what?
In The Ride Along episode 74, Brad and Matt sit down with Abby Bullock of Merit Property Inspections. Abby is a Tampa Bay-area home inspector who started in Texas, has about 1,500 inspections under her belt, and recently leaned hard into social media to help grow her own business.
This episode gets into the real stuff new inspectors face from the get-go: finding clients, figuring out what marketing is worth your time, answering the phone from wherever you are, and learning what actually matters when you’re trying to build something from scratch.
It’s honest, practical, and exactly the kind of conversation you want before you spend three days perfecting a website nobody seems to read.
If you’re a new inspector, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons from battle-tested inspectors. Better yet, consider signing up for an upcoming session of the ISN First-year Masterclass – the program kicks off on July 8! Brad and Inspector Empire Builder Mark Hummel CEO Mark Hummel will cover:
- Why purpose is the foundation every business decision gets built on
- How to define who you are, what you’re doing, and who you’re doing it for
- A framework for turning that clarity into real forward momentum
Want episodes like this delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe to The Ride Along newsletter and never miss a new conversation.
Transcript
Brad Lowery
Matt. Matt, you ready or are we doing this thing or what? Okay, okay.
Matt Brading
Mm. What? yeah. Yeah. Here we go.
Brad Lowery
All right, Matt, I’ve got a question for you, dude, which is just simply this. If you were to start over from scratch, day one as a home inspector, no clients, no agents, no nothing, what’s the first thing you would do and why?
Matt Brading
Man, I’ll have to think on that. But it’s an interesting question, you know, because you know they you know
Brad Lowery
It is. It is. And it’s one we’ve got to be talking about a lot in the months ahead.
Matt Brading
That’s right. That’s right. Yeah. And I mean, like, yeah, I I agree. Like what would happen? Like what’s the biggest mistakes that you make, like as a as a new inspector coming up? You know, what are some of the things that that I I did that maybe I would do differently or that I wouldn’t have done? Yeah, there’s definitely some things for sure.
Brad Lowery
totally. I mean, like for me, I would not leave the manual for an oven in the oven on my very first inspection ever. I would double check that thing so I don’t, you know, light it on fire. Yeah. Mm-hmm. I’ve never done it since, you know, that was a one and done mistake and it’s never happened again. But there’s so many that are like that. And dude, we know so many inspectors because we get messages from them, we get emails and stuff where it’s like they want to know, hey, I’m just starting out in the field.
Matt Brading
Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Although look where you are now. So I mean yeah. Maybe maybe there’s
Brad Lowery
We listen to y’all’s show. This has been super helpful. And we have some special stuff coming up in the months ahead for all you guys. It’s gonna be really cool. Yep. It do you want me to tell them about it or or do you want to preview it?
Matt Brading
True. Yeah, that’s true. I mean, I feel like you kind of teed it up there.
Brad Lowery
I did. Okay. I put the ball on the T for myself on this episode. Yeah. So, guys, this is going to be called the Inspection Support Network first year masterclass. And it sounds like a lot to say. It is, but essentially it’s just this. This is going to be a webinar series for you guys that are brand new inspectors or just starting out in the field or just starting your own business. Maybe you’ve been working for somebody else, but now you’re starting your own business. And you have all the technical knowledge, but you’re like, I don’t even know what. My first thing should be, or my second thing should be if you’re just launching your business for yourself. So we have this master class series coming up for you. It’s gonna be at the link down in the bio. You can register there. It’s gonna be starting on July eighth. And then it’s gonna be twice a month every month all the way through September. And then we got a second cohort that we’ll do from October all the way through Christmas. It’s gonna be awesome. We love you guys to come be part of it. But Matt, I’m even more excited about the guests that we got on today to talk about that very thing.
Matt Brading
That’s right. That’s right. We have Abby Merit of Merit Property Inspections. Welcome, Abby. What I’m sorry I’m sorry, what says Abby Merit there?
Brad Lowery
Abby Bullock, I think it is, right?
Abby Bullock
I’ll Bullock with Mary.
Brad Lowery
She’s Sandra’s cousin.
Abby Bullock
It’s always gonna stick. Aunt Sandy. It’s part of me now. Hello, thanks for having me. Yeah, I don’t know who did that.
Matt Brading
Says Abby Merit. So I’ve been trying not to call her Merit the whole time, but it says Abby Merit. Who typed who typed your last name wrong?
Brad Lowery
That’s it. But now Abby, welcome to the show. It’s automatic sometimes. But yeah, no. So Abby, you are down in the Tampa area, my old stomping grounds, but you’re not originally from the Tampa area. And your inspection story is really cool and it kind of lines up with ex everything that we’re planning in the months ahead. So tell the audience a little bit about yourself because not only are you just starting out, but you’re blowing up on socials right now too.
Abby Bullock
Thanks, yeah, it’s been awesome. I started in the industry getting my license in central Texas about like 2022, four years ago, I guess. Got my experience there and then I moved to Tampa Bay area where, yeah, it’s a good area. I love it here. So now I’m like four years in, I’ve gotten like 1500 inspections under my belt and do all the…
Brad Lowery
Love it.
Abby Bullock
The add-on services and just started social media probably like really leaning into it about three months ago. And it’s been really changing the trajectory for getting clients for my business. So it’s been awesome. Yeah.
Matt Brading
That’s great. That’s great. Yeah, it
Brad Lowery
So strictly
Matt Brading
can really do that.
Brad Lowery
from social media.
Abby Bullock
Yeah. Yeah. So I started getting some here and there whenever I started doing videos. So then I just started doing a lot more videos and, you know, doing ads for some of them. And then I just get more followers because at the time starting out, I would try the method of paying for leads like Angie or Google ads and stuff for marketing. Those are tough. So instead of doing that, would just pay for ads marketing. And then that way you’re also getting followers. then they like to watch you work. I remember one time I did a new build for a couple and they’re like, yeah, we already had an inspector hired, but we came across your videos and we could watch you work. Like they felt like they understood me or like knew me. And they’re like, yeah, we wanted to hire you instead because we have watched you work in a way. Yeah, that makes sense. It gives you some credibility.
Matt Brading
not really surprised that you’re finding some success with social media marketing because I’ve seen some of your videos and just the only way I can really describe it is you come off very authentic. very there’s an authenticity that’s there. Like you’re not trying to be somebody else. You’re not trying to be smart. Some s you know there there there’s some people that come off too I don’t I don’t mean you’re not smart. I don’t that, but I’m telling you there’s some people that come off like a know it all. You know what I mean?
Abby Bullock
No, know. Yeah, okay. Yeah.
Matt Brading
You’re coming across very genuine, very authentic and very informative. and there’s something very relatable to it that I think I I can I can see why you’re your you know people are picking up on that and why you’re having some success there. Yeah, I don’t I I don’t mean it like, hey, she’s not smart. No, no, no. I clearly like clear you are by your videos. Yeah, I didn’t mean it to come out with it. But I mean like no no no. I mean I I just there there’s people who won’t name names, but I mean like, you know, there there’s some people out there, respective friends of mine.
Abby Bullock
I thought it was funny.
Brad Lowery
Yeah, you’re backtracking real hard, dude. Like
Matt Brading
That that put together content, but it’s just like, I don’t know, I kind of when I when I see it, I’m just kind of like, it’s like they come across very egotistical. and it’s not that the information that they’re putting out there isn’t useful. but they just come across, they’ve had they’ve got a harsh way that they come across. And coincidentally, some of those people that I’m speaking of, they don’t have as good a success either. But there’s a genuine quality to what you put out there that I appreciate. And I think that’s probably lending itself to you having some success advertising on social media. So congrats for your success.
Abby Bullock
Thanks. Yeah, I appreciate that feedback because I don’t really know why it’s working out, but it is. So it’s good to hear that it can be relatable.
Brad Lowery
Well, I think this is really good for people that might be interested in starting out in social media, but they might feel like the industry’s saturated. I’ve heard that before too, where it’s like, there’s just too many voices out there now. The home inspection social media industry, there’s all these personalities. It’s it’s too late in the game. And it it’s just not because there’s always room for a fresh voice and you’ve brought that and you’re seeing it take off. I mean, the Tampa area specifically, like we’ve got some influences are influencers that are around there or just north of it but i i think the biggest real estate social media influencer in the Tampa area is like it’s that lady on tick tock that does like the really off color listings you know what I’m talking about dude she is funny i mean we can’t even repeat them on here because HR will get mad big time but like it’s it is funny stuff but like again if you can bring something that’s fresh.
Matt Brading
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hilarious.
Abby Bullock
Yeah, I do. Yeah.
Brad Lowery
in an area that people are just starting to get to know you. I mean, social media is so good at at showing you, not just to people abroad, but to people in your area now, that yeah, I mean you’re gonna you’re gonna see that pay off. So it’s never too late to start, you know?
Abby Bullock
Yeah, for sure.
Matt Brading
Well, yeah, you’ve certainly done good there. Now, today our topics are like kind of not that you’re a new inspector, but we’re talking about if you can remember when you were a new inspector and some of the things and some of the challenges and maybe some things that you would have done differently. I definitely know there’s some things that I would have done differently. And that’s why like the webinar makes sense to bring up that during this podcast as well, because you know, coming out of inspection training, you said you trained in central Texas. Whereabouts was that?
Abby Bullock
Well, mine was online. So even my field requirements was online at the time. I think it was because of COVID. wasn’t like that. Yeah. I was in Dallas at the time. Yeah.
Matt Brading
Right. Yeah, I think it was COVID too. But where were you in Texas? Okay. So where did you get your training? What school did you train at?
Abby Bullock
Eww. Maybe ATI? Does that sound like one?
Matt Brading
Okay. Okay. Or a hit, maybe. I yeah, it’s okay. But I mean, like anyway, whatever it is, like, and it doesn’t matter because I tr I was at Champion School of Real Estate. But what wherever you train at and like whether it’s all online, because like you said during COVID, it like all online. I did like 75% of my stuff was in person. and then like part of it was online. But anyway, it doesn’t really matter. Whatever it is, when you get out of that.
Brad Lowery
I hit.
Abby Bullock
It was a while ago. Yeah. Mm.
Matt Brading
And you go into home inspection, like as much as you’ve learned, you don’t know anything. And you certainly don’t know how to actually like go in there and do the job. You know what I mean? Like they might they might have shown you what a report looks like. You might have seen a couple of them. but I mean, like to get out of every single house is different. And so, especially when you’re new. And so to get out there and to get started on your own, you know, it’s something different. So, you know, this is this is a time to kind of dial back to
Abby Bullock
That’s a big learning curve. Yeah.
Matt Brading
that energy that we felt whenever we first got started and kind of discuss some of those pain points that we had and also you know talk about you know some things that we maybe would do differently or not do.
Abby Bullock
Yeah, that’s I say because it feels so independent when you’re out there inspecting it’s almost like, all right, here you go. Like almost sink or swim sort of way. The biggest thing I would change would be the whole social media thing because then you’re not really alone when you have those connections. So there’s been a lot of support that I found that I wasn’t using before I started using social media a few months ago. So like other inspectors also just watching videos like your videos, if I was watching that the past few years, that would have helped, you know. And then, yeah, like I said, there’s been inspectors that reach out or if you’re posting, you know, you might have a question or you might be inspecting something HVAC and then an HVAC technician of 20 years can comment and then you learn something. So the more you put yourself out there, the more you’relearning quicker rather than staying kind of independent in that way and isolated and learning the long way, let’s say.
Matt Brading
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I definitely will admit that like I’ve been wrong many times. I mean, I’m not I don’t know everything, so I’ve been wrong many times about things I put a video on, but I have learned a lot from people that are there’s people that are brutal in the comments. And sometimes there’ssomething to be learned there. But there’s actually some people that are not so brutal and some people that are knowledgeable and understand that, okay, you don’t know this. Let me teach you this. And I have learned so much from that. But I I I’ve had people for years, because I’ve been making content since like 2018. I’ve had people come up and tell me for years, either in my in my DMs or whatever. And they’re just like, you know, I’ve learned I learned so much from your videos or where do I learn to do what you do? And I and I’m like, stick around, you know, like I you’ll learn way more watching the videos of inspectors that are in houses every day than you ever learned at training or at school. I mean, you have to do that stuff. There’s that’s a different thing. You know, they’re training you to take the test or training you to get licensed, all of these things. it’s important stuff. Learn a lot of code. But it’s like if you want to learn what it’s like to do the job, you know, watch some guys doing the job, watch some girls doing the job, and and that way you can figure out exactly, you know, what it is to be out there in the field. Now they still don’t feel the heat. They don’t feel the youknow, the sweat driven down their brow whenever they’re in the attic or on the roof. You know, they’re not on their feet all day, but they can get an idea, a little bit better idea of what it is to actually do the job. Now, if I had to do something different, now. Let me ask you a question. You started in you you s you started inspection in in Texas and then okay. So you and were you working for a firm then? Okay.
Abby Bullock
Texas, yes, and Dallas. Yes, I was working for, yeah, firm, guess, a company.
Matt Brading
Okay. So you had some support. You had you had some people. So if you had a question, you had somebody to bounce something off of, somebody probably supplied you with maybe some things, tools, insurance, software, things like that. Cool. I think if I it’s hard for me to say this because if I had to go back and do it again, I actually wouldn’t change this for me. But it used to be when people would ask me how that how I did this and how they do it, I would say.
Abby Bullock
I did. Right, yes, yes. Yeah.
Matt Brading
Find requirements in your state, go get license and go do it. You know, you can do this. I encourage people to do this, to start their own business, like I did. But I wouldn’t do that now. Looking back, looking back, it was just a tremendous amount of liability. And I think there’s a lot that new inspectors don’t realize whenever they’re going into it. First of all, I don’t think they realize the weight and that they’re carried around with the liability. I don’t think they really realize what.
Brad Lowery
Why would you not?
Matt Brading
They’re actually responsible for. and with your without a strong support system of people to bounce questions you don’t know everything. Without a strong support system to bounce questions off of people or get someone experienced to help guide you along the way. Cause just because you got out of school doesn’t mean you can go do this job. I mean I did, right? But I mean, now when people when like when my guys work for me, they get out of school and they there’s a whole different training session that they have with me. That goes on for a long time. They learn stuff that they never would have thought of learning. and that way they’re ready to go out there and do these inspections. I didn’t do it, but I don’t think, and I it’s not to say that there aren’t some people that would benefit by starting their own company. I do think it’s the right move for some people, but I don’t think it’sthe right move for most people. and also like I don’t think people realize how slow it is in the beginning. I’m sure whenever you moved to Florida, it took you a while to get some traction.
Brad Lowery
Mm-hmm.
Matt Brading
And really get the business moving. Like I thought to myself, I’ve said this on the show before, but I thought I remember the day I created my own Facebook page for my company. And I thought when I hit publish that the phone was just gonna start ringing. And it did not, you know. I was more scared of it. I was actually glad it didn’t start ringing. I was more scared of it ringing at the time. I had another job and I was like really nervous about, you know, my ability to do the job.
Abby Bullock
Thank
Matt Brading
At the time. And so I’m glad that it didn’t just ring like crazy. But like it took year a couple years to really get moving. And I think that that’s pretty common in the industry. and so I think like these are things that people don’t know. When you work for a company, they’ll s they’re gonna supply you with a lot of that those things that you’re gonna you wouldn’t have to, you know, you would have to buy yourself otherwise. Tools, internet, software.
Brad Lowery
Well that’s – Yeah, that’s where but that’s where Abby, I’m curious, what was your experience in terms of like when you first moved to Florida and at what point did you feel comfortable jumping out on your own? Being like, Okay, I’ve got enough coming in now. I think I know enough that now I can I can go out independent. What when did you make that move and when did you know?
Abby Bullock
Well, I made that move. I technically formed the LLC like a year and a half ago, but yeah, I would say then, but I didn’t really start full time for myself until recently just because like you said, it’s hard to get clients until you figure out, you know how you’re going to get them. But I first moved to Florida working for a different company. So I was getting a bunch of inspections, of course. So which I enjoy it because I’m getting a bunch of experience under my belt doing to a day. And like you said, I was under their insurance and the main tools and they also supported growth and learning. I, you they’re the reason I was doing my got my mole assessor’s license and just learning a bunch of things. So very helpful before. And then I just kind of a few factors has made me want to go out on my own and start my own thing. And at first it was just an idea. like, okay, I’m going to form this LLC, make a website, kind of step at a time until I’m like, it’s time to get like trying to get leads now. And then, then I was working full time and the part is just like a lot. until, until I just kept getting clients, I was like, okay, this is, it’s pretty clear switch for me because of how busy it got once I started the videos. So.
Brad Lowery
Yeah, yeah.
Matt Brading
So I mean, was there anything that like when you started your business, like and and how long ago was it that you started your own business?
Abby Bullock
Like a year and a half.
Matt Brading
Okay, okay. So is there anything that like has proven to be completely different than you expected? and and it and like how? If so.
Abby Bullock
Yeah, let’s see. It was just, I guess, a lot more work behind. Like I had to, like I said, build the website from scratch. I made the templates on the software we use for reports. And also I started the business without a saving. So I was just in debt and it was like, I’m going to figure it out. And I did, I paid it off and then I had to get more in debt and paid it off.
Matt Brading
No.
Abby Bullock
And now I’m good. So, you know, I feel like there is, but that’s kind of the thing that it may be not for everyone because you have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable for a bit. You have to believe in it and work a lot. Because would I have worked that hard if I did have a savings and stuff? No, I needed to make that money back. So I worked really hard on the business and it paid up. So what else I would say? Yeah. Another thing would be
Matt Brading
Yeah.
Abby Bullock
I was looking into hiring. that was something that you said you would be in the class, I think. And that would, I could benefit from that because it can be confusing between the 1099 versus W2, which is kind of when you have more inspectors, it seems like, and then writing up contracts and it’s all out of my depth. I’m just like learning how to do it as one does when starting a business. But yeah, those have been some.
Matt Brading
Yeah. I I just brought
Brad Lowery
Well that’s
Matt Brading
Somebody on like two years ago, so it’s a relatively new thing for me as well.
Abby Bullock
Okay, cool.
Brad Lowery
No, it’s interesting that again, it sounds like with a lot of entrepreneurs, you just jumped in and kind of figured it out as you went. what would you say to people that are kind of hesitant to make that commitment? Because there’s a lot of folks out there, and I’m I’ve fully been in this camp where it’slike until I’ve got the capital, until I’ve got the experience, until I know exactly blah, blah, blah, blah. And I listen to people like that and they know a lot more from books than they do from experience. But there’s an old saying that I’ll I’ll always trust the opinion of a man with experience over the man with an just an idea, you know? And so for someone like you that’s done this, that’s, you know, gone in the hole to get started, paid it off, you know, you’ve taken big risks. What would you say to people that are interested in jumping in but they’re risk averse?
Abby Bullock
Right. I don’t know, maybe it’s not for everyone. I think something that really stuck with me one time is that I have a cousin I’m close with and I was just really frustrated with inspections and just like, I think it was my first year and it was like, man, I was just complaining and he was like, well, maybe it’s not for you. And was like, and then it was like, no, this is for me. I’m gonna do this. So I don’t know, I think it just comes with decisions within, I guess, of, you know, what do you really want to do with your life? Or if that’s something you really want to do, you should do it.
Matt Brading
There ever a moment like in that first year and a half that you thought maybe I maybe I made the wrong decision? Whether it’s inspection or whether it’s starting your own company or anything? Was there every one of those moments?
Abby Bullock
I think I did question it. Yeah, for sure. If doing inspections was for me. I, so my background is that like I got my degree and then I was going to go back to school for nursing. And then I was kind of in the spot where I was like writing the essay of why I want to be a nurse. And I was like, I don’t think I want to be a nurse. I just never wrote the essay. I was like, I need to do something else. And I, that cousin I spoke of, he’s in the home inspecting field, which is kind of how I got into it and made that switch. And so I wouldn’t say I ever felt like it was a wrong decision because I knew the other one wasn’t for me. But I did have a hard time. think part of it is being new and part of it’s being young as an inspector, because it’s true, like you’re not as experienced and you have brand new tools showing up and you know, so how that goes.
Matt Brading
There’s times where I think I made the wrong decision whenever it’s a hundred degrees outside and I’m sweating through my clothes. But honestly, I mean I love my job. I mean, there’s a lot of pain points and frustrating points when it comes to clients. you know, the heat, the cold, the conditions sometimes. I mean, but ul ultimately at the root of it, I really do like my job. But I mean, like, you know, looking back, like I had doubts going in. Like, I thought
Brad Lowery
Yeah.
Abby Bullock
Hahaha
Matt Brading
At first, that this was going to be like a side gig for me, which I think a lot of people actually want to start this as a side gig, a side hustle is what they always like to say. And I while I tell some people like you know it kind of depends on where you’re at or whatever, but I actually don’t think it’s a great side hustle because like I think the more you do, the better you get. And I even whenever I take vacation or when I
Brad Lowery
Mm-hmm.
Abby Bullock
Yeah.
Matt Brading
I don’t I’m not in the field as much as I used to be because I got some guys out there doing that. I’m doing other things. Like when I get back out there, I’m not as I mean, I I s my reports are still what they used to be, but like I’m not as proficient and you know, quick and sh I don’t want to say sharp, but like I don’t I don’t move as fast as I did or or you know, collect data as fast as I did at one time, whenever I was doing two a day, you know, five days a week. so I think like the more you do it, the better you get. The more you do it, the more you see, the more experience you get. And honestly, like, you know, in states that require, you know, licensing, you know, they’re gonna require insurance and things. And now you’re paying for all this stuff. It’s kind of hard to, you know, just have a side gig and think that that you’re gonna actually be profitable whenever you have to, you know, pay at least some amount of overhead. Plus, it’s like we’re most of our business, most of it, at least historically, has come from real estate agents and they don’t want things done what you know next week, whenever you have a day off. They want things done tomorrow, you know? And so if you if you don’thave that time available, you know, I don’t think it’s a a really good for a side hustle. But for me, that’s what I thought I was going to do in the beginning. Now, I mean I always take everything to like excess, right? So as soon as I started, I started thinking like, well, how can I make this profitable? But I was like totally doubtful that there was enough work to make it like profitable for a business. I mean, I saw people that did it.
Abby Bullock
Hmm.
Matt Brading
But I was having trouble like with the idea that I would get because I started going, okay, I’m gonna have to do like 350 inspections a year to make like because I had I had a full-time job. I was gonna have to do like 350 inspections a year to make what I was making or close to it, make enough to like feel like I could get by. And that seemed like such a crazy amount of inspections to try to get as just one single man operation. here I am, like, I don’t know. Almost ten years later. And I mean it’s it’s not a not really a problem, you know, but I didn’t know that going in. So I think but looking back I would tell myself like it’ll be okay. It’s just gonna take some time. But you gotta you gotta the hustle, it’s not the side hustle. It’s like the hustle is the marketing, you know, getting out there and getting clients. You gotta get that done.
Brad Lowery
So Abby, what’s proven the most challenging thing then? I mean, a few months in and hey again, we’ve asked the question, you know, w was it what you thought. I really were more interested in like what’s been the scariest part of it or the worst part of it in a sense? Like the biggest pain point that you’ve had.
Abby Bullock
All right. The past three months. The past three months been great. Let’s see. Yeah, the first month I switched. I was like, okay, I’m doing my business full time. Second month, I said yes to absolutely everything. And I was doing like three inspections a day. Like, like I said, I was in debt. I was in debt for so long that I was like, I can make my money back. Oh my God, I’m yes to everything.
Brad Lowery
Yeah. That’s wild. That’s a good number, yeah.
Abby Bullock
But that’s not sustainable long-term. So that’s when I was looking into hiring and ultimately I was just like, was not prepared. So I need to take a step back and, you know, cause you don’t want your reports to, you know, be less quality or anything like that. So it’s like, okay, we’re going to take a breather. Yeah, I don’t know. think if I’m thinking of the hardships over my pet, like whole career, the last three months wouldn’t be included. That’s like the best part.
Brad Lowery
Yeah, no, it’s all been roses so far. No, that’s fantastic.
Abby Bullock
Yeah.
Matt Brading
Well, I mean, that that’s been the last three months, but I mean, you’ve been you know, a business owner for a year and a half. So like before the last three months kind of started to take off and you started to get some l a lot of leads from social media, like let’s for the people listening that are maybe, you know, don’t have that going or don’t have that going just yet, what percentage do you say of time of your day or time of your week? Like what what was the balance between growing your business and doing inspections?
Abby Bullock
Right. Yeah.
Matt Brading
Like with was it was it an even bound? I mean, obviously it seems like you’re not especially if without the social media thing, if you’re not working on bringing in clients, they’re not coming in. So
Abby Bullock
Bye-bye. Yeah yeah. I was working a lot for a long time and I’ll kind of go through phases of like, okay, I need a little bit of a break. yeah, mean, building the website took a long time. If I could go back, I wouldn’t spend much time on that. Because when you look at who actually looks through your website, it’s not many people, it breaks my heart. So it’s like they’re only looking at your landing page. Yeah.
Matt Brading
Right. That’s good information.
Abby Bullock
I don’t spend too much time on you got to prioritize what actually matters, which end of the day is clients and marketing. So that’s the biggest thing. Don’t try to avoid it.
Brad Lowery
Getting work, yeah.
Matt Brading
How did you acquire a client before social media? How were you acquiring customers?
Abby Bullock
I was doing, Angie, which is like, you pay for leads per month and that’s very tough. It’s not for the week. It’s, yeah, it’s kind of like you’re out lower bidding other inspectors. So, but you know, I needed like reviews. I needed experience of using my template and representing my company and,managing it. So.
Matt Brading
So did it for the right reasons. It’s just the same way as like inspectors that maybe have lower prices when they’re new. because that’s the way that, you know, you can get the job.
Abby Bullock
Well, that’s exactly what it is. Yeah, you’re not really bidding. You don’t know what they’re doing. You just have to say a low price for them to use you basically. So Angie.
Brad Lowery
And everybody’s done that. I mean I’ve you know, Matt, I won’t I won’t name him lest to hear it and be pissed that I said it, but one of our good friends, in the Tennessee area, he did he told me he did that very same thing where it’s like, Hey, fifty bucks for your first inspection, you know, kind of stuff, just to to start getting traction, you know?
Abby Bullock
Can’t go that way. But yeah.
Matt Brading
I never did Angie’s and it but and I did but I did I know I researched my area whenever I started and I went in at the lower at the lower side. I felt like I had to. I mean you gotta do something, you know. You gotta do something.
Abby Bullock
Exactly. Like what else? You don’t have a ton of reviews. Like you got to start somewhere.
Matt Brading
Now I tell people not to hire that guy. But it’s just because I want the work. You know what I mean? Like, I I I that’s but I mean it’s true though, you know, like there there’s no what happened? I didn’t have the experience, so I lowered my prices so I could get people that those people that were concerned about price, I wanted to get them. Those were my clients. Now I don’t want those people, right?
Abby Bullock
Yeah. Yeah. Yes, it’s
Brad Lowery
Right.
Abby Bullock
Market. Yeah.
Matt Brading
Yeah, yeah. But I mean, I’m also a much different inspector than I was when I started. So it’s like, yeah, I’m more expensive, but I mean, like, I’m actually a lot better than I was ten years ago too. So I mean, like, you’re getting a different inspector. That should be a different price.
Brad Lowery
Hold hold on. God dang. I’m sorry. I thought this was a great idea doing this outside, but then the dog starts barking to come out. Now he just ran down the daggum stairs. Hold on.
Matt Brading
All right. We’re not gonna cut this out, by the way. This is gonna be the best part of the show. I don’t know why you don’t just make the dog part of the show. The dog’s cute as hell. Just bring the dog on the show. I’ve said this before. I’ll bring my dog in here if you want. He looks like your dog. Got any pets?
Abby Bullock
Bring him on. I got two cats. Yeah, I was pushing one earlier to prevent him from getting on the screen.
Matt Brading
Two cats. I’m surprised I’m surprised you don’t have like a gator or something living in Tampa.
Abby Bullock
Right? I would if I could. I see them in the suburbs, like those ponds. There’s always like a gator. It’s so cool. Doesn’t get old.
Matt Brading
Yeah. Yeah. That’s crazy. I went I drove to Orlando a couple of weeks ago and I saw a few of you know, on the on the trip there, just off the side of the freeway, just in the, you know, marshes and stuff like that. Saw a few of Yep. That’s pretty wild to just look out there and see that, you know, like a seven foot creature. Yeah, not just I mean like this the the one I saw a couple of them moving, but like I saw like one that was like
Abby Bullock
Cool.
Brad Lowery
Just the eyes looking at you? Yeah, yeah.
Abby Bullock
Yeah.
Matt Brading
I mean, like I say, it about seven feet. You could see his whole body, you know, like not not out of the water. He’s in the water, but you can see his the ridges along his back all the way to his tail. And it’s like, you know, sometimes if you’re looking and you’re like, Is that a gator? you know, questionsometimes. This was like, Nope, that’s a gator. Like there was no questioning
Brad Lowery
Yeah.
Abby Bullock
Yeah.
Brad Lowery
We talking about before the dog left?
Abby Bullock
We were talking about Angie of like how I was getting leads. I then went to Google local ads, which is kind of similar. Like their ads, their leads that are calling you. but you know, you don’t have to, there’s not as much competition for that market anymore for the low prices. but yeah, something about that is that I was, you know, working full time, but also for merit. So I would get a call.
Brad Lowery
Yes, that was it.
Abby Bullock
And I’m actually still in this phase where I’m just 100 % responsive. Like if I’m in an attic, I’m answering or like if I’m in a drive through, I’m answering like I’ll schedule them right there. So yeah.
Matt Brading
It ever so I did it. I did it. It’s rough. I did it for too long. So I that that’s another thing. Like there’s some advice for for newer inspectors. Like, obviously, if you’re running your own business, you know, it’s one thing if you’re working for somebody that that you know, an inspection company that’s answering their phones and just making appointments for you and everything, then there’s a whole bunch of advice I have for you. But this show is, I guess, more geared towards those people that want to start and grow their own business, whether you’re a new inspector.
Abby Bullock
And
Matt Brading
Or whether you are an inspector that’s stepping out on your own, you know, when you start, you have to answer your phones, right? And you don’t have to answer your phones, but it’s because there’s certainly services out there that’ll do that for you. but it’s costly if you’re especially if you’regetting started on your own, like I said, it takes a while for things to really get rolling. So one way that you can save a lot of money up front.
Brad Lowery
Yeah, no, a hundred percent.
Matt Brading
Is to answer your own phones, but you gotta do that. And it doesn’t matter if you’re on the roof. And it doesn’t matter if you’re in the attic. And if you don’t answer that phone, you have to treat it like if you don’t answer the phone, you don’t get a job. And so but I will say as a piece of advice for anybody that’s thinking about going out on their own or thinking about, you know, or somebody that maybe recently has or has been for a while, you’ve got to give yourself a timeline where you’re gonna stop doing that because it gets to be too much.
Brad Lowery
Yes.
Matt Brading
I can remember talking to clients, talking to real estate agents, you know, taking too long on inspections because I have to, you know, handle these phone calls, then coming home and having to spend a bunch of time scheduling some of this because I just take notes, then come home and schedule some of that stuff as I got home after I got done doing my reports. I mean, it was too much for way too long. And so finally you know, my wife started taking the my phone calls and emails and stuff like that over a year ago now. And it’s just been a a lifesaver for me. It’s actually donewonders for my company because we answer more phone calls, we get more jobs, and it’s been great for getting my guys out there in the field doing stuff. So if you’re if you’re out there answering your phones, just like Abby is, try to make sure that you know, you know how like it’s kind of likepricing. When you start at one price and all of a sudden you’re booked out and you’re like, okay, it’s time to raise my prices. There’s a threshold for when you need to stop answering your phones and you need to go ahead and let somebody else do it. It’s a
Brad Lowery
Mm-hmm.
Matt Brading
Really hard thing to give up for most people. it’s a control thing. You probably feel it right now that you can sell your services better than anybody else. And to be honest with you, you probably can. But at some point you’re going to need to balance that out and buy some of your time.
Brad Lowery
Yeah. And it’s either it’s one of one of two things. Like there’s people that would prefer to build a team and they run the business side, they do the phone calling, they manage the books, they want to focus on all of that, but you can’t do that as much when you’re out in the field. So you either need to hire people to replace you in the field and you’re taking a cut of what they’re making, or you find somebody to handle the office side while you’re out in the field, right? There’s multiple ways to skin the cat. But I I I think it’s really important to
Abby Bullock
Right.
Matt Brading
I don’t think you should say that. Maybe you should say maybe you should say skin the gator.
Brad Lowery
Yeah, she is a cat owner. Yeah. I mean, this if this
Abby Bullock
Yeah.
Brad Lowery
Dog keeps barking, I mean he might get skinned, but seriously, just over here barking the entire time. it was just such a nice day, beautiful aesthetic background. No, it’s been chaos trying to record this outside. anyway.
Matt Brading
We’re skinning all kinds of help.
Abby Bullock
Thanks
Matt Brading
I can create some chaos in here, man. I can like bring my dogs in here, bring my kid in here. We can have all kinds of stuff going on back up here. Free for all.
Brad Lowery
Hey, you know what’s gonna be beautiful chaos, guys? Inspection Fuel twenty twenty-six. And this is a great way to lead into our drink of the day because I’ll tell you, dude, I’ll tell you what, if you’re a home inspector, one of the best things being out in the field is when you come home and you get a nice cold one waiting for you while you’re doing your reports, right? And we’re gonna all have a nice cold one together at Inspection Fuel 2026 in Louisville, September 28th to the 30th. Make sure you sign up. Link will be down in the bio. But Abby.
Matt Brading
I’ll drink for that.
Brad Lowery
This is gonna your first drink of the day. So kick it off. What are you sipping on?
Abby Bullock
I’m sipping on some Trader Joe sparkling water. It’s watermelon lemonade.
Matt Brading
Well that sounds delicious.
Brad Lowery
You know, Trader Joe’s also has two buck Chuck and you don’t sleep on that, man. That’s good stuff. That’s their cheapo wine and it’s honestly pretty good. Yeah. So you got the sparkling water, Matt, what do you got?
Abby Bullock
Sometimes. I don’t know what that is.
Matt Brading
Ha ha. Yeah. I’m gonna take since I also have sparkling water, but a l a little bit a little bit of a kick. I’m gonna take it. So I I made I call it a false old fashion or a summer old fashion. I think I’ve had these on the show before, but I take well this today I’m having Smoke Wagon, Smoke Wagon bourbon and Liquid Death cherry. And then I just throw an orange and a and a cherry in there and it’s like a light, bright, old fashioned sort of. New fashion. It’s delicious, man.
Brad Lowery
Hello. I like that, man. It looks good too.
Brad Lowery
And I’ve just got good old course Banquet in my koozie right here. So there you go. Drink of the day. Sound off in the comments with what you’re sipping on. It’s hot, guys. It’s summertime. We know y’all are enjoying that. Now, here’s something else too, since it is summer. Abby, you were talking about knowing that you didn’t want to be a nurse. And honestly, the first two sessions of the inspection support network masterclass that we’re gonna be doing.
Matt Brading
Nothing wrong with it.
Brad Lowery
Are about why knowing what you want for your life, knowing who you are, what you’re about, and what your purpose is, is critical to defining the one year one three and five year plan, not just for your business, but starting with yourself. So what is it about being a business owner that helped you achieve the life that you feel you’re meant for?
Abby Bullock
Yeah, I think part of deciding who you are is deciding who you’re not. So that can help narrow it down. What was the question again? How I decided?
Brad Lowery
Yeah, how does it support the lifestyle that you want for yourself that or who you feel you’re called to be and meant to be? Yeah.
Abby Bullock
Okay. I think it starts with in a little bit because there’s something that I love just about growing and learning. And that’s why like home inspecting as well, just endless things to learn about each, you know, part of the trades and same with business owning. There’s ample, it’s kind of like an endless ladder that you’re climbing, you’re just figuring things out. So that’s why I have a love for it. But also, it aligns with me and my lifestyle because I grew up on a ranch and doing blue collar work. So it’s just who I am. And I enjoy the heat. know, I’m used to the Texas heat. I like the freedom and independence a lot of the job. And yeah, just growing a love for it, I guess. I didn’t know when I switched into the career that I would like it as much as I do now and how passionate I am about it now. So kind of figured it out.
Brad Lowery
It’s fascinating. Yeah, for me it was definitely like being able to have flexibility of the schedule. being able to make a living wage while also being able to do the things that I was passionate about, which back in the day was working with teens and you know, I still volunteer with a nonprofit that works with immigrants and immigrant families here in Nashville and also down in Mexico. And it’s like having the ability to afford to do the things that that matter to you. It’s huge.
Abby Bullock
Yeah. Right.
Brad Lowery
So but knowing what you’re not, that’s big.
Matt Brading
I mean this.
Abby Bullock
Yes.
Matt Brading
People say this stuff all the time, like I you know, the flexibility and everything of hours and everything. But man, you and you said it yourself, Abby, like you know, you start working for your own business and there’s no flexibility – your flexibility, yeah. I mean, yeah, you can take off, but you don’t, you know, like you work double time. I work way more than I did before whenever I was you know, employed by someone. Like, you know, I had a time that I clocked in, a time I clocked out, you know. But
Abby Bullock
Don’t to.
Matt Brading
But now I’m kind of always on, you know, reg regardless of what it is. And that and that’s even not answering my phones, because there’s still a lot of things going on that run my business. Of course, my business has become a little bit more than just a home inspection business at this point. Sothere’s a lot more going on there. But I mean, even if it’s just home inspection, especially when I was answering my phones, like I was always on. But you know, I want to I wanna take it back a little bit to like you you were talking about like Angie’s and stuff like this. And I think
Abby Bullock
Yeah.
Matt Brading
You know, for new inspectors, like one of the traditionally the biggest way that we acquire clients is to work on developing relationships with realtors. and but maybe it was different for you. It certainly probably is now because I know that like one of the benefits of social media advertising is its ability to advertise direct to the consumer. And so we’re not necessarily working for a realtor at all. not that we ever really are, but I mean like you know, you you do want to get referred business. but and and we don’t want to have that, you know, it’s not about deal killing or anything like that. Like I don’t I’m not trying to please the realtor, right? But I do want to work on relationships, it’s about building trust and working on relationships with them. I don’t know if you really had to do that much since a lot of yours was coming from first of all, you were working for a a company that was providing you jobs, and then you had Angie’s, which was I think more direct to consumer.
Abby Bullock
Yes.
Matt Brading
Not really working with realtors. So have you had to work much with agents or develop mu much of a of a rapport with real estate agents out there? Or did you just bypass that altogether?
Abby Bullock
I mostly bypassed it. I mean, I was planning to go into real estate agencies and introduce myself. I worked a lot with agents when I worked for the company. So most of my experience. But for Merit, I basically bypassed it. I have had real estate agents who see me because I’m popping up on social media and they recognize me and they’re like, I’ve worked with you before. Now I’ll hire you through merit. So they just kind of followed me. But it is, like you said, it’s nice. You can kind of skip that. And the real estate agents that I do work with, you know, I’m kind of, they’re the right ones. It’sattracting the right crowd, you know, because it can be, yeah, but it makes you, it’s a more pleasant experience, you know, so.
Brad Lowery
That’s huge. So much.
Matt Brading
So looking back, like doing it the way you did it and like going through Angie’s and not really going through the traditional channels of trying to develop real estate relationships, would you do that differently if you had to do it again? Or would you do it the same way?
Abby Bullock
It’s hard to say because I never did that way. So maybe that way could have worked out, you know, better for me. did take me a while before I figured out how to get my own clients. and it’s not like Angie was a seller experience. It was, you know, low price, different types of clients. So it wasn’t the best. So.
Matt Brading
Yeah. It’s costly, right? But so is trying to develop relations relationships with agents because you just like you’re just buying them things. Usually, you know, like or showing up at their events pretty much. Yeah. yeah.
Abby Bullock
Yeah. Yeah. Or just like showing up. Yeah, the time. And I’ve been to like two networking events. I just never really explored that too much, I guess.
Matt Brading
It’s hard because you walk into them and they feel clickish. You know, I I I I don’t really have I I don’t I do really good whenever I I’m actually getting back. I haven’t done any agent marketing in like six or seven years. It’s all been social media and that’s it, right? and so I didn’t have to, so I didn’t do it. But now I’ve got myself and two other guys, you know, we we we’re trying to get the phone to ring. And so I’m like, hey, let’s start exploring some avenues. And plus I actually like going and talking to anybody really. I mean, I like going and trying to teach. I put on some classes, things like that. I don’tmind doing that kind of stuff. I actually kind of enjoy talking to these folks, whether it’s real estate agents or students or whatever it is. And so I wanted to get back into that a little bit. but going to and not that I mean I’m a I’m a sucker for a happy hour. That’s great. But it’s like I’m there I’m there for the drinks, not really the social aspect I feel awkward in those things. Like I don’t really I usually like find like the one person that’s feeling as awkward as me and just hang out with that person the whole time. Yeah. Are you yeah, are you are you are you feeling as well? Yeah, okay, cool. Like let’sjust hang out here together and we’ll just go home. Like I mean I I just don’t really feel good in those environments.
Brad Lowery
Just go stand by them be like, is this where the cool kids hang out, right? You know? Yeah. Yeah. No, I totally get. It’s well, plus it’s like you’re in the South, Abby, and and I’ve explained this to people before, but folks in the South, they will they’ll be nice to your face and they’ll be honest about you to somebody else behind your back. Right. And you know, so I I went to a real estate happy hour here in Nashville, within a few months of moving here. And it was it was a great experience. I thought I was gonna get calls for days out of that because I we’ll totally give you a chance. absolutely. You know, we’re always looking for a new inspector. And you know, I didn’t hear from a dad gum. Actually no, I heard from one, but it was that one was because of a happy hour. Or not a happy hour, I’m sorry, an open house. but
Matt Brading
I figured was gonna be the realtor’s own house. I thought that was it’s always what it is. They always give you a chance whenever they’re getting their own house.
Brad Lowery
Right. Yeah. But it’s but how many times in in the course of that happy hour did I hear, you know, well we’ll give you a shot. we’ll give you a shot. Yeah, yeah, we’re always looking. What’s your card? And then this is why it’s like as i tell inspectors this, you’ve got to do follow up, right? You can’t just put the business card in somebody’s hand and then walk away. You’ve got to get their business card as well, be like, Yeah, I’ll let’s get coffee sometime. And then you need to call them two days to five days later, you know, no really longer than that. add them on social media, you know, text and say, Hey, it was so great to meet you. you know, just multiple points of contact because it used to take I it was like seven to nine, they used to say in business back in the day. Like seven to nine points of contact. It wasn’t six, seven. I know that. but now it’s like thirteen to fifteen or more than that. Like it’s just everything is so in one ear and out the other with folks. and attention span is so short that you know, unless you’re doing exactly like what you’re doing, which is putting yourself out there on social media, then you know, it’s it’s still to do the actual legwork gonna take multiple encounters with somebody before they’re like, yeah, that that person, I need to call them, you know. So, but with social media, so I was thinking about this earlier. Did you start filming before you were, you know, bringing in a ton of jobs? Because like Matt’s on job sites all the time, so he has a wealth of content. So did you have to kind of I’ve heard people had to fake it till they make it sometimes, when it comes to finding things to film, or did you wait until you know you had like you were using the old jobs that were being provided to you for the content that was feeding the new job?
Abby Bullock
Yes, I did. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, it was in my head. I’m like, I’m married. I’m doing the inspection. I’m gonna point this out, you know. So yeah, that’s definitely part of it. You manifest it.
Brad Lowery
Right. Did they know that Merit was doing the videos on the jobs that they were giving you?
Abby Bullock
I don’t know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I, I once changed shirts in a crawl space to do a video. I was like, yeah, you gotta represent.
Brad Lowery
Yeah. Hey, it ended up working out.
Matt Brading
Didn’t it doesn’t matter now.
Brad Lowery
It doesn’t matter now. There’s no looking back. That’s awesome.
Matt Brading
Dude, I totally did that stuff. I made videos in my own attic.
Brad Lowery
Yeah. Whatever it takes. Heath. That’s savage. That is so savage.
Matt Brading
Nice.
Brad Lowery
I mean, literally taking off, like you they say don’t bite the hand that feeds you, but it’s like, well, what if that hand doesn’t even see what I’m doing right now? Like, yeah.
Matt Brading
Yeah. You gotta do it.
Abby Bullock
People who the no, they did know they did know. So they also support you starting your own business. I know a lot of businesses don’t allow like competent like, you can only work for me, but they were fine with it. And they Yeah, so that was all good. Yeah. The main thing was, don’t steal a client or give your card out or have your name on the car while you’re at an inspection, then I would get fired. So but
Brad Lowery
They did. Okay. Good, okay.
Matt Brading
Interesting.
Brad Lowery
Okay, good. Okay. And did I hear you say earlier that you were doing like paid boosting on the videos?
Abby Bullock
So that was… I did, yes, yeah. So that’s been huge for me. Because like I said, I didn’t have any followers. So like, no one’s going to see this. So I’ll just pay. And it’s expensive. But I think I have this muscle that I gained from the whole starting the business and being in debt to where I’m like, I’mgoing to take that risk. I’m going to boost it. It takes time to get make some.
Brad Lowery
Okay. Yeah. Takes the money to make the money, yeah. That’s huge.
Matt Brading
So that that kind of leads into a question I wanted to ask. So like I I know that, you know, if looking back, like if there’s something that you would change, you would get on social media sooner. Right. so I you know, I wanted to ask you like, you know, from a marketing standpoint, like what you wish you would have done sooner from a marketing standpoint, but really, I mean, I think that’s the answer. but if you had if you had a a a cool grant just to do whatever you wanted in terms of marketing. Like l take it back a year and a half when you started your own business. Where are you putting that money?
Abby Bullock
That’s good question. Yeah, because I didn’t have that. don’t know. think, yeah.
Matt Brading
Marketing standpoint. It’s a tough one, right? Because like for me, like I I think for me it goes straight to realtor relationships, right? Because like I had to buy them breakfast and things like that. So I feel like I would I would do that. I I wonder about like paid marketing, like paid ads on social media. I used to do it, but not to any like real capacity that I felt like was very very effective. ‘Cause it can get very expensive very fast. I wonder sometimes about like Google, and I wonder if it’s the same cause you know how you can pay for Google Space or something like that and they can put you high in the rankings or something like that, and people find you that way. But I wonder if that’s pretty much the same thing as Angie’s.
Abby Bullock
No, that’s a bit different because I think that’s like search engine optimization rather than the like ads.
Matt Brading
Yeah. Yeah. So that’s a possibility too. Like, like how much do you know about SEO and and would you like maybe put that towards somebody helping you with that?
Abby Bullock
Yeah. True, yeah. I would… Yeah. That’s funny.
Matt Brading
I think that’s a good I think it’s a good option. You got you got you still got chaos out there, right? Yeah, airplanes and everything. Yeah,
Brad Lowery
Can you hear the are you guys hearing
Matt Brading
Yeah, totally. Yeah, totally. Next time you just go to the airport.
Brad Lowery
This? This is ridiculous, man. I’ll never do this again. Yes, I’m just like, there’s been no less than 50 like planes that have been touching down since we started an hour ago. It’s a green pack drop, but I’m talking time all these dad gum tourists coming into Nashville here. So hey, look, if y’all are watching and you want to take a vacation.
Abby Bullock
It looks great.
Matt Brading
Yeah. But the backdrop is stellar though.
Brad Lowery
Go to f go to Tampa. He said, Go visit go visit Abby.
Abby Bullock
Okay. Sure.
Matt Brading
I like I like that the idea of of like like putting money towards SEO in the beginning. I think I think like if you d if you have it, I think that that might be a good place to put it. Because I mean like honestly, I’m still confused by it. I don’t really I don’t really know. I mean I I do I try to do it and nowadays with like Chad G P T it can help you. You know, it can help guide you and to getting things in a little bit better shape that way. But I mean but
Brad Lowery
Huh.
Abby Bullock
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Matt Brading
I think the problem is, and I don’t know if either one of you have any insight on this, but like there’s just so many companies that offer you help with this that I feel like could just be total crooks. I mean, I I I don’t I don’t know. Like I don’t know who to trust. I think that’s the problem.
Abby Bullock
I think they are.
Brad Lowery
I would trust our good friends at Wolfpack. That’s who. Aaron Shashilla and all those guys. See they Yeah, they he’s a Tampa boy too. So good. Here comes another tourist. You hear him guys?
Abby Bullock
I’ve connected with him. Yeah. Was gonna say you could trust me.
Matt Brading
We hear it. We hear it.
Brad Lowery
I’ve got so much I’m gonna have to go back and mute.
Matt Brading
Just don’t even bother.
Brad Lowery
Man. Anyway, yeah, our good friends at Wolfpack. They’ll actually be at inspection fuel as well. And I’m glad that you guys have connected with them, Abby. on that, because again, we’ve been talking about the cost of doing the marketing, of doing the paid, the paid ads and things like that. If there was a entrepreneurial muscle that you’ve grown, to me, it sounds like a financial one in terms of understanding and this is something that a lot of inspectors or just new business owners in general kind of suck at, right? You have to understand you gotta know your books, right? You gottaknow what’s not there and you know it so that you know what you need to make and then you need to know what you need to make in order to get you to the next level beyond that. So what was the what do you feel like was the biggest leap in the financial area that that you’ve made in just in the past few months in starting?
Abby Bullock
Yeah, I would say the financial, sorry.
Brad Lowery
And no, and I was gonna add on, what tools are you using for that as well?
Abby Bullock
To keep track of my financials? Okay. I would say financials, like that muscle kind of falls under the whole like being comfortable with the uncomfortable, like handling risk and stress because nothing, all the big things aren’t actually, yeah, are you okay? Yeah.
Brad Lowery
Yeah, yeah. Sounds like missile coming down, right? So we’re broadcasting live from the Middle East. My gosh. Keep going, Abby.
Matt Brading
So yeah, yeah, you should keep going after that, like sorry, I shouldn’t have done the hand motion. God, this is gonna be funny.
Abby Bullock
It’s distracting. The muscle of the financial thing is kind of like the bigger part of like getting used to. That’s kind of the vibe I was going for. I forgot what I was saying exactly. And then as far as what tools I’m using as far as keeping track, probably not enough. That’s something I could focus on more. Early on, I, well, this is just how I operate. To begin with is like getting my financial setup early of like different credit cards that I use at different types of bank accounts and stuff. But I use my business card for everything business related and then expenses over a hundred dollars. I just keep the receipts in a folder and end up putting that in Excel and kind of the different, like five different expense types that you have to do on your taxes. And then I also use a card that’s only for gas so I can get as much cash back as I can because I’m driving all the time. But that’s kind of it as far as my tools for expenses and financials.
Brad Lowery
So not quick books or anything like that or
Abby Bullock
No, I mean that’s more for if I have an employee, right? Or do people use that for themselves?
Brad Lowery
Well, I highly recommend using the Southwest rewards cards that you too could be flying into Nashville right now. My gosh, guys. Seriously. No, Abby, honestly, it’s been awesome following your rise here. I hope I wish you nothing but the best. I’m actually gonna be down in Florida soon, so it’d be awesome to hang out down there. Always great to see people that are crushing it in Florida. I mean, I hear people say all the time that it’s like – Florida can be a tough place or there’s not enough jobs. And I’m like, dude, there is nothing but money to be made in Florida. So I’m glad that you’refinding success with it. And you know, as with as with any industry, the most successful individuals are the ones that are willing to just go do it and go to work. It’s not the most skilled, it’s not the most knowledgeable. you can have you can have all the book knowledge in the world, you can have all the head knowledge, you can have a degree, but unless you’re willing to take the risk the way that you have and just freaking go do it, you’re not gonna you’re not it won’t matter, you know?
Abby Bullock
Yeah, and you learn a lot more quicker too once you do make the jump.
Brad Lowery
A hundred percent. A hundred percent. Well, thank you so much for joining us. honestly, we’ve got you covered for Inspection Fuel. If you wanna come on out, it’d be great to see you there. So you got honestly, just in a few months, you’ve got more that you could be teaching people than some people that are gonna be showing up. So Yep. So anyway.
Abby Bullock
Yeah.
Matt Brading
That’s true.
Abby Bullock
Thanks. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
Brad Lowery
It’s been a pleasure. And I with that, it seems like the flight patterns have cleared. We love that.
Matt Brading
Awesome. Let’s just redo the whole show.
Brad Lowery
We can, yeah, because now it’s just getting dark. It’s perfect.
Abby Bullock
Take two.
Matt Brading
Completely different ambiance.
Brad Lowery
That’s it. Just chewed up by mosquitoes by the end of it. So, you know, I thought it’d be great to broadcast live from a porch since this is by porch. We’re gonna go back to the studio next time. Good stuff. There you go. We’ll all go outside. Abby, thanks again. Matt, we’ll see you next time. And everybody, thanks for watching. Subscribe to the show. Catch a flight to Nashville. We’ll see you here right on the ride along next time.
Matt Brading
The Ride Along after hours. Right on. Maybe I’ll go outside. Cheers.
Brad Lowery
My gosh. Absolute chaos.
Matt Brading
Chaos. Chaos.