LEE THOMAS, LPBC

Hi -- I am Lee Thomas - a lifer in the construction industry, and a 25 + year industry veteran. I found a fascination with building/home remodeling at a young age. I can remember following workers around our house that were making improvements or going to home building sites in the neighborhood, and I was always asking questions and I would go and check things out after the workers went home.

While in high school, I finished the attic of our family home to create a bedroom for myself. I started a summer business painting houses, and to generate business I went door to door offering free estimates. I didn't know anything about business - but I made it thru.

I had planned to go college and attend medical school to become a doctor. At the time, I simply couldn't bear the thought of 8 more years of school when I could go to work and do something that I enjoyed so much. It always came easy to me, and I found a job as a carpenters' helper. My construction career was off and running.

I soon was able to work my way up to carpenter. Within 3 years my hard work paid off and I became a project foremen working on commercial building projects. I then became the home building supervisor. I always enjoyed the challenge of taking on more responsibility and working thru problems and challenges.

By this time, I figured I knew it all and ventured out on my own and started my own business. There were 3 things I knew: get the work, do the work and collect the money. It's pretty simple formula, and to some degree, it still holds true today. What I didn't know was all the business things that happen in between those 3 things. Ouch. My business started slowly and with plenty of scrapes and bruises - but I made it.

During my business career I have built homes, general contracted residential and commercial projects, worked as a sub contractor, performed general home improvements, done design/build contacting, operated a kitchen and showroom business, and even operated and sold wholesale building materials company. This has allowed me to see and be involved the industry from many different viewpoints.

Along the way, I have been influenced in big ways by a lot of great people (although I didn't always see it). I realized early on that to reach any level of business success I had to learn a lot more. I soon realized that there was quite a bit I didn't know. My father once told me "keep your mouth shut and your ears open and you will learn something." I began to go to seminars, read books, joined industry groups like NARI and peer groups etc. I was on a continuous quest to learn more and be a better business owner. I would apply my newly attained knowledge to my business immediately. All the things I learned were great, but I still had to figure how to make all these things work together. It always seemed like the information was great but it never quite fit my business exactly, which was very frustrating. As all this happened, my business continued to grow, but it became harder and harder for me to manage. I never felt like I had a grip on everything.

I went to the school of hard knocks, making a lot of mistakes. I never had any goals or direction, I only knew that I wanted my business to keep getting bigger and better. I had surpassed my dreams of what I wanted to be when I started out. It was in 2002 when I met a professional business coach that things started to change. Business coaching was very new back then. Although I was somewhat skeptical, I figured I had nothing to lose. He helped me get my arms around things, get clarity, set goals, install operations, procedures, and systems to make the business run without me. I began to get my peace of mind back and business was fun again. There were still challenges, our country had just gone thru the 9/11 terrorist attacks, everybody was being more conservative, unsure of the future, but I was able to adjust quickly with more confidence than ever before. I had reached the point where my businesses were working without me; I could step away from the day-to-day activities.

I didn't see it happen while it was happening, but I had evolved, becoming more of a teacher than a student. People (even my competitors) in the industry would call me for advice and help. I was being asked to give presentations on things I knew about the industry such as operational procedures, techniques etc. Through this, I realized that there were many owners that needed help. Although a lot of material was available, there wasn't anybody helping people make it work for their business. I began thinking about helping other business owners; I really enjoyed the teaching part, I knew I could make a difference by helping business owners get all that they wanted out of their business.

I know that there are ways to help other guys like me. Perhaps even you. Shoot me a note or give me a call, and I'll be happy to see if we are a good fit. I look forward to it!

Accreditations

• NARI certified Remodeler
• NARI certified lead carpenter
• Past president of NARI Chapter
• Licensed business coach
• Sandler Presidents club

A little about me - on the personal side: I'm a Buckeye, I was born and raised in Canton Ohio where I still reside today. I am the oldest of 4 children; I have 2 brothers and 1 sister. For 17 years I've been married to my wife Karen, and have 1 son, Tyler, who is 12. In my spare time some of my recreational activities include playing golf (which keeps me humble), gardening (a great stress reliever) and watching football. I try to lead a balanced life by being involved with my son's activities. I do some volunteering to help coach youth sports, scouting, church.

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John Deagan is one of the most widely known and recognized business coaches in the nation. For the past six years, he has coached business owners in many different industries through his company, Deagan Business Development. He also is the founder and president of the Professional Business Coaches Alliance, a training and support association for more than 100 professional business coaches across the US and Canada.

John works one-on-one with business owners to help them to define exactly what they want their business to be, and then he works with them regularly to make it happen by delivering world-class business tools and advice. The process is individually tailored to each individual business and each individual owner, since all businesses and people are different.

John's proudest achievement is a 100% success rate with his clients!

Background

John's undergraduate degrees are in accounting and finance. Following graduation, he became a CPA and entered the world of public accounting. He left the profession because he wanted to learn more about the front-end of business. Over the next seven years, he managed a mid-sized business (160 employees), was a Vice President of Marketing for a local company, and performed sales duties as well.

Given this diverse background, coaching business owners was a natural fit. Following extensive training, he opened his business coaching firm in Canton, Ohio. He quickly became recognized as one of the top coaches in the nation, and is currently training other business coaches as mentioned prior.

Other Activities, Awards and Designations

John is a CPA and a Licensed Business Coach with the Professional Business Coaches Alliance (PBCA). He also is a Past-President of Toastmasters International #3342, where he has received the Advanced Toastmaster designation. He is the Immediate Past-President of the Rotary Club of Jackson Township, and is an active member of the Jackson Township and Canton Chambers of Commerce. He has also been a volunteer with Junior Achievement.

John is a life-long resident of Northeastern Ohio, and has lived in Cleveland, Canton, and Youngstown, as well as worked in Akron. He is married to Sharon Deagan, and has three children: Kevin, Katie and Tyler.

Do you want to learn more? Go to our Contact Page to either call us or to shoot us a short note so that we can talk.