I recently sat down with an excellent book written by Simon Sinek entitled “Start with Why”. I’ll be honest, this book has sat on my shelf for some time now, and though I’ve picked it up once before and thumbed through the introduction, I felt that I had more pressing reads to attend to at the time. Titles such as “How I Raised myself from Failure to Success in Sells” or “Fanatical Prospecting” or “Good to Great” seemed to peak my interest more, and make me feel that those books were more relevant to my current situation. Yet, upon the recommendation of a professor I decided that i’d give it a quick read, and WOW! I’m not sure why I let this book sit on my shelf for so long.
Now for a quick detour, the impact that Hurricane Harvey has made on America over the past few months has been horrendous (I promise i’ll tie this back with the opening paragraph and it will all make sense). The lives of people in the Houston community have been changed forever, and life has been lost that unlike material things cannot be repaired or replaced. Not only have the people of Houston suffered in the incident, but the reality is ongoing and the demands on the city and its residents may just be getting started.
My heart goes out to the victims of the storm and the city as a whole. My immediate response was to ask what we could do to aid those in need and help out the community. As home inspectors it is our job to uphold safety, in a sense, in that we are the last line of defence that will protect a new homeowner from walking into a home with a faulty electrical panel, or hidden mold infestation, or life-threatening levels of carbon monoxide. We serve as the standard for what those levels of safety look like in residential transaction everyday.
What can we as home inspectors do to make our communities safer and better places to live? What can we do to give back? What role do home inspectors serve in the community? What can Sterling Home Inspection specifically do to make our communities safer and better places to work, live, and raise families?
As founder of Sterling Home Inspection this company was designed to make this process smoother for the homebuyer. We turn our reports around the same day that we perform the inspection. Our clients leave happy, they feel that the value of our services are worth the effort. We exist to uphold the standard of safety and protection. Yet, we don’t stop here. Our role goes deeper.
The impact Hurricane Harvey has made upon our country has led us to reexamine our business model and ask ourselves what we can do to strengthen our local communities. The answer is this: Sterling Home Inspection will from now on donate a small portion of each inspection fee to a local or national charity of choice on behalf of the client. We have narrowed down the participating charities to the following: Habitat for Humanity, Children’s of Alabama Hospital, Wounded Warrior Project and the Shelby Humane Society.
Each of these charities hold a place in our hearts for several reasons. As a veteran of the U.S. Navy, I’m well acquainted with the severities of wounded soldiers, airmen and sailors. We want to make an impact on those who come home in worse condition than they left. We believe strongly in the impact that Children’s of Alabama makes each day to those children throughout the state who are battling health problems. As contractors we understand intimately that housing can have a massive impact on communities and the people therein, and the contributions we receive will contribute to those for whom affordable housing is unattainable through Habitat for Humanity. Lastly, the Humane Society of America and our local chapters will receive funding in order to help in providing sanctuaries, veterinary programs and emergency shelters and rescues for displaced animals.
We are a community company, and as such we will not only provide assessment and recommendation of the the safety of the houses we inspect, but we will use our revenues to give a portion back to the communities in which we live. We will donate both time and resources to these causes in order to create environments that are proud to call home. With each inspection we perform, the client will choose which of the 4 charities a small portion of the fee will be donated to. These charities as well as the total amount given to each are listed on our website at www.sterlinginspectionservices.com/charity.
“Start with Why” rerouted me back to the reason the company was formed: we exist to make an impact in the life of the community. That is our why. We are, by default, a community company due to involvement in every neighborhood in which we inspect, but still we yearn for more. We are a community company not only by default, but by purpose: we will leave our communities better each day by the actions we take, the money we give, and the standards we set.
Spencer Brothers, CPI
Sterling Home Inspection, LLC
www.sterlinginspectionservices.com