An AV and integration-focused podcast broadcast weekly

This week's episode of Automation Unplugged our guest is Richard Quinones, Visionary CEO of SB Comm.”

About this episode:

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Rich brings old-school values of trust, respect, and hard work to everything he does. A devout Catholic and a self-proclaimed technology nerd, he’s spent the past 25 years merging his love of tech with a mission to help others.

He’s the Visionary CEO of SB Comm, a thriving integration company serving the Atlanta market with a focus on both residential and commercial projects. In this episode, we talk about the journey—from humble beginnings to building a business with purpose.

In this webinar, we’ll cover:

• How Rich is leveraging smart tech to transform apartment living and streamline property management.
• Why he chose to implement EOS to scale his business and empower his team.
• The importance of leading with service, honesty, and vision when selling technology.

SEE ALSO: Maximize Your Marketing Dollars: Smart Strategies for Growth with Lutron and One Firefly

Transcript

Ron:

Hello. Hello there. Ron Callis here with another episode of Automation Unplugged. Automation Unplugged, as always, is brought to you by my day job over at One Firefly and now also Amplify people. So you guys have probably heard the Amplify People commercial now in some of the Automation Unplugged episodes. It's an exciting new business where we're helping the AV and integration space with their hiring and talent placement needs. So definitely reach out to us, , for that. Actually, that website, that's brand new, we just launched it last week , is amppeople.com. Now, that business has been going for just almost two years now, but the website is brand new, so you might wanna check that out. So today I am very, , I'm very happy and excited to bring you a great guest, a guest out of the Atlanta market. And, , I think you're gonna have a lot of fun learning about his business. I'm bringing you Rich or Richard , Quinones. And, if you know him well, you'll call him Q or Mr. Q. And , let's go ahead and bring in Rich and, , let's say hello and see how he's doing. Hello, rich. How are you doing?

Richard:

Good, Ron. Appreciate the invite to this podcast.

Ron:

Oh my pleasure. And , rich , where are you coming to us from?

Richard:

, I'm coming to you from my office in Snellville, Georgia. That's where our main office is. , But it's pretty much 20 minutes outside of the Atlanta market.

Ron:

Okay. Is it north, south, east, west? Which is east. East of Atlanta. Yeah. Okay. East of Atlanta. What, what type of work does SB Comm do?

Richard:

Well, the easiest way to explain it is that we integrate spaces with technology and try to make it a seamless experience for residential and commercial spaces.

Ron:

Okay. , So would you describe, let's just look at the calendar year 2025. What percentage of that work do you think will come from residential type projects versus commercial projects?

Richard:

Well, so our focus is definitely residential in the new construction market. Um, we definitely focus on that,, , organically we have moved into apartment complexes, um, and integrating technology into those spaces too. Um, you know, it's 2025 and we're seeing a lot of. Consumers and, you know, tenants or homeowners, I mean, technology is more utility now versus, you know, a luxury as it used to be. So, you know, it's, it, it's just a no-brainer to go ahead and enter that apartment complex area so that way they can increase their tenants and keep it long-term. 'cause they're able to integrate those spaces with technology.

Ron:

That's, I'm super curious. So what type of technology are you generally putting into the apartment projects? Is it just in the common areas or is it in the actual units?

Richard:

, It's in the units too. Um, this is something we came across organically, , through another residential project and it's a really unique product. Um, and what we do is we implement a hub into each unit, right? It's connected to the full community network. So a lot of the, , new construction communities are managing. Network through a service provider. Um, and then we actually integrate these individual hubs and the assets we put in by default, which is like a leak detector for, you know, the washer or the, the water heater, right? Some of those high liability risks as well as the door locks, um, and thermostat control for, you know, energy efficiency. And what's really unique about this is we integrate that into the property management software. So, you know, like one of the big names out there is Yardi or RealPage. , So all the property management team needs to do now is move in the tenant by default. The tenant now gets a welcome email, a programmed code gets put into the door lock. Um, if there's access control in the building with a video intercom, that name shows up for that unit. Um, and now they have an app that they can control their apartments. They can control the thermostats, they can, you know, receive notifications. So let's say, , a leak detector right, detects water and you're at work and it's coming from the washer, right? So that's a big liability risk for both property management and for yourself as a tenant. And it will immediately generate push notifications to the property management team. It will give a temporary code to the maintenance guy so he can gain access. The tenant gets notified via notification all at the same time, as well as when the maintenance guy is in there, whether they're resolved it and then fixed it. So it's really, really unique, um, and informs all parties, , in real time of what's happening.

Ron:

I, this is the first time I've heard of this in an apartment project. Actually. People are listening, probably going, Ron, this has been happening for years. It's the first time I've heard of this happening. How did this demand get created? IE How did, how did the project get sold? Did you sell this developer on this tech or did they come to the table with a specification and then you met that specification? How did it come about?

Richard:

Yeah, so it started with a community that we were doing in Atlanta , called Eastwood. And um, it was through a residential builder and we created a package of what that property management team wanted. At first it was just amenities, right? Access, control and community surveillance. They wanted to monitor that area, monitor the garage doors, the way the floor plan was laid out. Um, they came across another platform that's more commercial based, designed for property management and. They asked us to fulfill it because we already had the contract. So we did some interviewing with those companies, um, to figure out what that channel partner agreement will look like. And when we saw it, we saw an opportunity there to say, well, that's what we do. That's our core focus, right? We want to integrate spaces with technology. And in that commercial space, you typically have your access controller, voltage contractor, then you have your surveillance low voltage contractor, your IT contractor, your audio video contractor. So in that commercial space, they will deal with anywhere between seven to 10 different low voltage contractors. And they all have their own scope. So when they met us and they were like, whoa, one company to do it all, I felt like it was Lord of the Rings for a second. Ah. And um, you know, so, you know, we continued that conversation and we created the channel partner, um, relationship and, you know, that led to other projects. So, you know, now we're currently negotiating with, , other commercial properties and developers that deal with that build to rent, , environment. And that's where we see the market going. So it's, it was just a no brainer for us to say, yeah, let's, let's jump on this. It's, you know, that it's in our wheelhouse. I mean, there's nothing new to learn. , If anything, we know more than they did.

Ron:

I dunno if you're privy to this, but I'm imagining that if the developer puts this tech into their rental building, it would probably change the liabilities. Like the, um, the protections or the insurance requirements within the building. I would imagine that all changes now that there's more technology to ultimately protect that asset.

Richard:

Oh, absolutely. And that's, that's why if you heard me say it earlier, I said we put the asset into the units because everything we're determining is based on liabilities. So the return on investment is through the roof. Even just energy saving, right? If you have, let's say 10 units in a building that are empty and it shows vacant in the property management, then that thermostat automatically went to energy efficient mode, right? Where it only recognizes the maximum points in either heat or cold, saving you a ton of energy. Um, so yeah, it is, it is definitely a game changer and a huge return on investment. You know, I could only imagine paying the electric bill for, you know, a 300 unit community, right? That's it. Through the roof, right? Gotta be

Ron:

for real. Yeah. On, on the residential side or the single, um, you know, residential unit type project, what, what are the typical types of projects you're doing? Like, what's a, what's a small, a medium and a large project for you? Typical?

Richard:

Yeah, so that's a great question. Um, the smallest we go down to is networking and security, right? So, um, networking, because that's the foundation, right? Like, if you're building a house, you're not gonna build it on dirt, right? Your house will fall, right? So we start there with the network infrastructure to make sure it's solid, even if it's for a bunch of DIY equipment, whatever that case may be, that's where we start. Um, and then same with security, right? We wanna be able to say our customers are protected in their homes. So that's where it starts. And then it goes all the way up to, you know, being Iron Man and having Jarvis in your house. You know, it's, it, the range is huge. Um, it, what I always tell our clients is your limitation is your imagination.

Ron:

Yeah. That's in terms of Jarvis. Now Jarvis is inferring AI. Do you do AI, do you do like voice control of homes or do you stick to touch panels and, and keypads?

Richard:

No, we definitely use ai. We use voice. Um, we also design with redundancy, so that way if whatever particular technology might fail, you'll have a diff different path for control. Um, and then the other thing we do is we call it overriding, right? It might be a default schedule to do X. Well, we want you to be able to easily override that and voice seems to be the way to do that. , So we utilize Josh AI for that. Um mm-hmm. And then depending on how that system is designed, , it might be controlling a control four system, or it might be independent. It all depends on the scope and what that vision is for the customer.

Ron:

Got it. Rich, take us back in time. Help us understand your background. Where'd you come from?

Richard:

Well, let's , yeah. Um, I feel like I'm, we go

Ron:

back as far as you're comfortable. Go back to elementary school, maybe high school. You, you tell us.

Richard:

Well, if we go back to elementary school, that was the first time I played Mort Kombat in Bodega on the corner of Brooklyn, outside of my elementary school

Ron:

Mortal. It's funny, I used to go to, , we used to have to, when I was in high school, so this was in the mid nineties, , we used to have to go to a a, a McDonald's and a Hardee's. Fast food restaurants and they had Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. Yeah. And me and my buddies would go into the, , into the, I think it was a Hardee's that had Mortal Kombat, and that's how, that was our exposure to video games.

Richard:

Yep. Yep. That was my exposure. , That and Nintendo, of course, I'm an eighties baby, so, yep. , Nintendo is, is near and dear to my heart, but, um, yeah, going back in, you understand how I got into low voltage. Um, I've always been, and that's why I tell my customers I'm your nerd. Um, I love technology. That's like a big passion of mine, um, and how it helps save on time for processing whatever the task is. So I'm very process driven in my brain. So I really, I noticed that when I was younger. Um, and then it started with me actually breaking my mom's Windows 3.1 computer. Um, because I took it apart. 'cause I wanted to understand why it works the way it works. Needless to say, punished and had to rebuild that computer to get out of punishment. That lesson brought me into, okay, I was able to accomplish this, what's next? Um, so ended up going to college, , for Dev Dubai University, , for electronic engineering. Um, and realizing that that's, you know, I really like it. We converted that to Bachelor of Science and Technical Management because my brain is very process driven. So I felt like that would be more useful. Um, but during that time, , we were going through some personal financial issues and came across a low voltage contract, , installation company that did cable modems. So for everybody to know we were on doll up in the nineties. Cable modems were brand new. Three megabits download what? And , it was the latest and greatest thing, but computers didn't have network cards to connect. So that became my first job to help my family out. Started making a bunch of money doing that on a contract basis. And, um, the companies realized, well, we got one technician doing wiring, one technician doing computer stuff. What if we merged that? So they approached me. This was in, , again, all in New York where I was raised in Brooklyn. Um, and they approached me and asked me, you know, would I be interested in running wires? And I was like, sure, you know, let's do it. And started learning low voltage at that point. Um, and then it, you know, it just went from there. Started traveling up and down the East coast for many years. , I pretty much hit every state at least three times. Were you a

Ron:

sole proprietor doing this contracting or you worked for a contracting company that would sub under other companies?

Richard:

I was a sub. Under a sub, yeah. , Definitely working for a contracting company who had the major contract and then I was that subcontractor underneath it. Okay. Um, so I was just dispatched to work orders at that time. Um, so I traveled up and down the East coast, like I said, , seeing different cultures, seeing different people, , different perspectives. Right. , But then I, one thing again, with that process, part of my brain was like, oh, resource hours are being drained here or here, and I'm. Hey guys, we can all the

Ron:

inefficiencies in the system.

Richard:

Yeah. It was driving me crazy. Um, so I kept bringing it. I, I see everything as a partnership no matter what it is. So, and , I got that from a book I read called, , the Leader who had no title right. Um, by Robin Sharma. So that's been a part of my internal core values is to always be a leader. And, um, so kept bringing it and it kept it being received as nagging. Um, so then I finally went to the West coast to see what that culture looked like. , Again, contracting and stepping into $50 million homes where 13 master bedrooms and each one has its own garage. I mean, mind boggling, , homes. And that's when that, that's when I fell in love because the first thing I noticed was this is all logic. Oh yeah. That's exactly how I think, right? If this, then that, if this, whatever, this variable's here, then you gotta do this. So that's when I, that was it. I was married to home automation at that point. We were married. And , that's

Ron:

ama. When you were working all that contracting work on the east coast, were you doing a mixture of resi and commercial and industrial or, or, and, and when you went west, is that when you were in the big luxury residential? Is, is that the shift that happened for you, at least in terms of your exposure?

Richard:

Yeah. Yeah. Resi commercial here on the East coast. Um, audio video mainly, and networking, again, back from my history, right, doing cable modems and networking, setting up different type of network infrastructures, , had to become a plus, you know, network, plus certified, all those kind of things, , at that time. So it infrastructure has been where I started, right? So. When I started going into the luxury, and then I was like, well, this is all starts with the network infrastructure, right? So that's where those companies were like, wow, you're not an AV guy. You're an IT guy that loves this world. So they got me involved. Um, so then after that, , you know, and seeing all these inefficiencies again, I, I wear my heart on my sleeve. , My team knows it, and if I see something, I'm gonna say something. And it's not to say you're doing an awful job, I just think of it as productive conflict. Hey, that's the only way we're gonna get better is, you know, by identifying issues and let's just tag up and solve them. So, um, but finally in 2011, , my wife and I were having a really heart to heart talk. , 'Cause I, I was down and out. I was like, oh, I, I want to help. I. That's just my nature, but nobody wants to help because they see as the contractor. So my wife and I made, you know, a bunch of prayers. , You know, I'm a devout Catholic. And we prayed on it. We spoke about it, and she's, she's my rock, right? , And you know, that's when we were like, she said, you need to do this. And, you know, in 2011, we made that jump and said, all right, we're gonna do it. So it, in all honesty, it was 200 bucks in the bank account and a lot of praying.

Ron:

What, what was the business plan? So the business that you launched in 2011, that was SB Comm, the same business that you have today?

Richard:

It was SB Comm. Um, at that point we were an LLC, um, just to launch h. Um, the initial plan was to no longer be the sub under the sub. Right. And, you know, I know that world very well. So to be the direct subcontractor and then build the team, um, that would produce the revenue, right, to continue to build and grow. But the full picture was to eventually be direct contract, right? Direct contract to the consumer, to the customer, to the builder, to the architect, , you know, interior designers, et cetera. So that was the goal. And, um, that, that shifted three years later. Finally, in 2014, again, my wife and I praying and, you know, she said, it's time. And I was like, I agree, it's time. So we cut the cord and went all in to go direct to the, you know, builder market. Um, by that time we had our first daughter, , in 2012. Um, I. Just to

Ron:

add a little extra, you know? Yeah. Let's just, let's just add responsibility to your obligations, right? Oh, yeah,

Richard:

absolutely. Well, again, we, we didn't see that. We see it as a blessing because anytime God brings a child into this world, yes, a miracle happens. That's much better

Ron:

said than what I just said. Yeah.

Richard:

So that's the way we saw it. Like, you know, she was our miracle. Um, and during that time we had two conversations, conversation. One, we were living in LA at that time, and we said, okay, we, we launched this company. Um, this is great. , However, we don't wanna raise our child in la So we, we met here in Atlanta at first, and um, we both said it, we were like, yeah, we're gonna go back to Atlanta. So we just jumped and went to Atlanta. Um, I. And built it from there. Got the contracts going again, still on that contract level. And then, like I said, in, in 2014 was when we said, all right, we're, we're gonna, we're gonna do this. And we started doing direct reach outs. We started getting, you know, direct, you know, contact with builders and they were interested in what we were doing and the process we had. Um, it was a unique process at that time in, in, you know, 2014. , They, they loved it. They loved the communication, the proactive approach that we have. And were you

Ron:

generally going directly to builders, or did you, like when you moved to Atlanta to set up shop, what, what was your go to market? Who did you plan to solicit business from?

Richard:

We planned first with the builder market. Okay. All right. We wanted to get into, um, either semi luxury, which at that time right times have changed. This is a pre covid time. , The pricing at that point when it was that semi luxury was in this market. You know that anywhere between seven 50 to 1 million mark. Um, we could see technology being integrated at, at that level. Mm-hmm. So that was our original target and we did reach out finding smaller communities, you know, small niche communities. Um, for example, one of them was Kenya Estates in Cumming. It was only 13 houses. Um, and that was really unique because we, one of the things and one of our three uniques is having that personal touch and making sure that the customer knows we are here. Right? We always approach every project with how we're gonna help service the technology long term. So that's what we wanted to stick to. So, and that was our approach to the builders. Hey, you now have a technology expert in your pocket, right? All we need to do is create the introduction at the right time. And that's how we approached it. Um, a lot of builders loved it. They loved it. They could let it go. Of course proof is in the pudding, right? They didn't let go right away, but we had to show it with our proactive communication. And once they saw that, we were very proactive and we were very communicative. Um, that's when they just let it go. They're like, yeah, meet, meet this, meet SB Comm. They do our low voltage work. Just talk to 'em. Yes, you have to use them. And that was it. So, and then I created the relationships with the clients, um, and the trustworthiness there. , And then, you know, with time we just continued to grow and, , continued to sharpen our knives and sharpen our process.

Ron:

How has the business grown? So that 2014 where you set up shop in Atlanta to the present, so say over that decade, what was it like? What was your growth trajectory like? Was it straight up? Was it up and down? You know, was it a roller coaster? What'd you go through?

Richard:

Are we talking revenue or emotions? ,

Ron:

Any entrepreneur relates to that statement.

Richard:

So on a revenue wise, , we had constant growth. It was mind boggling, , the growth that we had all the way through until, , COVID, um, and even through Covid, we, we kind of plateaued a bit. Um, and then it took a small dive. Um, but in all honesty, the relationships that we build and the service side of our business through Covid really just let us coast through it. Um, it was really unique. Um. We took a big dive in 2023 when that 8%, , interest rate kicked in. Um, a lot of developers at that time that we had contracts with decided to say, well, it's cheaper to wait than to build. So we took a, a dive in 2023, but then kicked it right back into 2024 when all the contracts were saying, Hey, we're doing that. And the contracts we landed we're doubling up. , Then we went, what? A 47% growth spurt from 2023, which was a huge taking on the team, you know, and as an owner, right? Making sure that my team has what they need. , Emotionally, it was an absolute rollercoaster. , You know, I talked to a letter, a bunch of other business owners and, you know, I, I think we're all on that same boat, and you get your highs where you're like, full throttle, let's go. Um, you know, as a visionary, you get 20 ideas a day and. You know, you have all these crazy things and you feel like all of them are great. Um, and then you get your woes. Um, you know, and that, that triggers some emotional states, , in your brain, you know, and trying to make sure that you're handling not only family life, right? Um, 2015, so remember in 2012 I decided, hey, let me add fuel to the fire and have our first child. In 2015, we decided to cut the cord and knowing we're gonna have our second child in March of 2015. So removing all the contract stuff, um, that was pay the bills kind of work and, you know, going straight to consumer market. Um, that, and juggling that with a newborn and a two and a half year old

Ron:

sounds like a burn. The ship strategy, burn the ships got nowhere to go, but figure this out.

Richard:

You know, it. Again, I, I, I, I bring it back to my faith, you know, I know God's there and I, I say it to my team all the time. , This is not my company. This is God's company, and I just have to figure out how to serve him using it. Mm-hmm.

Richard:

And that's why I tell my team all the time, you know, and we talk about our five core values, , you know, and they see that, right. So, , but yeah, you know, that was a really big rollercoaster. Covid was a scare. A hundred percent scare, but it was a scare. But it turned

Ron:

out good. Right. I mean, didn't your business end up popping pretty good? It did. It did. You know, maybe after the spring of 2020, you, you would've seen a rise by summertime, right?

Richard:

Yeah, it was, it was weird. , That's the, that's the easiest single word explanation I can give. Yeah. Of what happened during Covid was I. That was weird. Um, we thought

Ron:

the zombie apocalypse was upon us, and then suddenly we have it raining gold bars from the sky. It's like, this doesn't make sense.

Richard:

Yeah. , When we got it depends on the

Ron:

industry you were in, of course, because that's very, a very selective statement. Some industries felt that many did not.

Richard:

Yeah. I think again, you know, when we got flagged essential right? Um, but even the projects weren't there. Like, for example, I used to do about 20 theater rooms a year, minimum when Covid hit. I think last theater room we did was about two years ago. You know, like full on legit theater room. Um, you know, it's been more media room ish or, you know, media room slash office ish or you know, whatever the case may be. Um, but the, the, that category went down. But again, with having all the different, you know, diversified funnel of different categories. We were getting a bunch of other different things in, um, that helped us, but mainly service because the customers knew we're always here and they would always call us if they had an issue. And we were there, we were able to service, you know, , even if they needed remote support. So all those things helped us get through, um, that time.

Ron:

Right now we're in the spring of 2025, , when we're recording and when the show's gonna air, what, what are you seeing the economy like right now for you in the Atlanta market

Richard:

right now? You know, in the Atlanta market, I'm seeing, again, developments going up. I'm not seeing a lot of home owners per se. Um, either they're purchasing a single family home or purchasing even like a duplex, right? , In Atlanta to do Airbnbs, um, and things of that nature. So I'm seeing a lot of build to rent. In this market currently. Um, and that organic shift of what we talked about earlier, you know, that's what made us jump on that horse and go, because we're seeing that shift happening where, you know, a lot of different builders and developers are going to that build to rent model. Um, especially in the Atlanta market, um, that metro area, , the outskirts more, you know, still single family stuff and, and going in that realm. So that's still good, but that's what we're seeing a lot more of is the built to rent.

Ron:

How, how is the, the, at the moment, as of the time of this recording, , Trump's tariffs are in force, , with Canada, Mexico, China, Europe, I mean, they're in, they're in full force. , What, what impact is that having on your business, if any?

Richard:

To be honest, I don't think we had an impact. Um, and the reason why I say this, and I'm pretty confident in saying this is our proactive approach. So when we started to even hear that this might be happening, we knew the vendors that are out of the country. , I'll use one as an example. , Totem acoustics is outta Canada and. We know the projects we have that are specified with totem acoustics. So what we did was we just proactively reached out to clients saying, Hey, this could be potentially happening. Yeah, we won't install this soundbar till nine months from now. I get it, but it's a 25% increase. I think we should just go ahead and purchase this now and not risk the increase in pricing. And we did that across the board, , in 22 total different active projects that we have right now. Um, looking at these projects and saying, all right, this is coming. How do we help our clients right? And keep that budget where it needs to be? And that's what we did across the board. Not to say we got every single one, um, but we did mitigate a lot. I think there was only one project that we ended up having to pay the tariffs. I. , That was only because of, you know, backlog of logistics to be able to get to that ordering and procurement process. It didn't happen on time.

Ron:

If you look in your Magic eight ball, do you have any forecast on how long you think these tariffs stay in place? Do you think this is a short term thing or a long term strategy?

Richard:

Um, I'm not, I'm not a fan of predictions. Um, you know, but if I were to, I think this is probably gonna be at least a year, and I think it's just a, Hey, I'm here, listen to me. And if you don't want to negotiate, then you find another bus to ride. So I think it's a tactic in my opinion. Um, and, , you know, any business owner knows, sometimes you gotta put the foot down, you gotta put the line in the sand and hold them to it. There is, , in a book called Good to Great by Jim Collins. He references the CEO of Southwest Airlines of somebody who constantly sent a letter complaining about the outfits, about the, the environment, how they joke, et cetera. And I still, to this day, I remember, it just triggers in my brain, his response was, we will miss you. He wasn't gonna change his core values. He's, he put the line in the sand. He knows his team did what Southwest Airlines want them to do. Right? So that's what I believe this is, it's a tactic and you know, it's playing chess. You gotta, what's the next five moves? So that's what I see.

Ron:

Makes sense. , You, you mentioned core values. You mentioned mission and vision a few times. I, I know just from, from chatting with you that, , some time ago you started implementing EOS. The entrepreneur operating system? Yes. There's a famous book by Gino Wilco. What is it, Gino? I have it right here. Gino. , Gino Wickham. Yep. , Traction. , Here, I'll, I'll I'll grab the book. There you go. There's the book, Gino Wickham Wickman Traction. So you, you read this and you started implementing this book. I just, I want to start, first of all, why did you decide to do that?

Richard:

So, you know, being in a business over 10 years and managing different cult, different teams, different personality types, I was trying to find that sweet spot and it was a very difficult thing to do. And it, I felt alone. I was like, it is all on me to figure out the puzzle of life and how to be a part of. Different personality types and, um, at that time, , still trying to figure all that out. Actually, a friend of mine, I, I call him a friend, um, he's provided me a lot of guidance, um, is, , Joey actually from One Vision Resources. Sure. And him and I were just chatting it up and he said, rich, you're ready for this book. I'm gonna give you a book. And he actually sent me the book and then I read it and it was a page turner for me. , Again, I'm very process brain, right? So it was a page turner. I was like, I felt like I unlocked Pandora's box and I knew exactly what the answer was. Like, oh my gosh, this is the answer. Um, so I initially tried to self implement, , this process thinking I can do it. And I quickly realized this is a bad idea. , So, and I decided to hire a Eeo s implementer. Um, you know, his name is, , what year

Ron:

was this? What month or year did you make that call?

Richard:

Oh, I made that call August, 2023.

Ron:

Okay.

Richard:

Yep. And August, 2023. Um, and yeah, it was August 6th to the date. I still remember it.

Ron:

I, I made the call August, 2019. Nice.

Richard:

Yeah. So, , in August, , 2023, like I said, , we, we were interviewing for in, , implementers and, , we came across Brent, Brent Stromal, and, , he's here in, , Gwinnett as well. And we just hit it off. , So we decided to say, let's do this. And, um, here we are.

Ron:

It's, it's a financial commitment to do that. I mean, not only in your time and energy, but you, you have to pay a fee for this implementer to come in and spend time with you and your staff.

Richard:

Yes.

Ron:

That, that's a hard decision for, for some business owners to make.

Richard:

Yeah. It, it is. , You know, if you look at it, you would definitely get sticker shocked. Um, but after, again, I prayed on this and said to my wife, and, you know, we, we decided to say we're gonna do this. Um, because at the end of the day, I'm one person and I don't know everything. Nobody in this world knows everything, right? Even you could find people that have been hugely successful in business and they're retired and you can talk to 'em, they don't know everything. So, um, we decided to bring in that third party business coach slash implementer to provide that perspective of a, I'm not the leader in the room, I'm now a participant. Um, the co the commitment of time is every quarter, full day meeting eight hours with me, the leadership team, um, and our implementer, right? Just working on

Ron:

the business,

Richard:

just working on one whole day dedicated to work on the business. And that's what I found and why I wanted to do this is because a majority of everybody's time was working in the business. Mm-hmm. How can we get, or how can I get my vision onto paper and have my team buy in on it? And I never knew how to properly communicate that. I always had this vision in my brain, but nobody else knows, but nobody's a psychic. So, you know, we decided to, to take that leap of faith and, and go all in. Um, and you know, it also becomes a weekly commitment. A 90 minute L 10 check in meeting with your leadership team. And if you're bigger, you got, you know, departmental meetings, um, that happen to keep that wheel moving in the right direction. So the, the amount of growth we had from 2014 even to 2023, we had, like I mentioned, 2023, we had a 47% growth with this process in place, and I didn't feel it was all on me. Mm-hmm.

Richard:

My team bought in. I am so blessed to have my team. Um, you know, my leadership team is, they're, they're rock stars. Um, and 2024 now going into 2025, we're looking at another almost 30% increase with contracts that already, so the growth is exponential, but we identify, I. Everything, whether we're beyond capacity in the seat that we're sitting in, you know, and it, the culture now is very open if there's an issue. Let's slap that on the table. Let's, let's discuss it. Talk

Ron:

to me about healthy conflict.

Richard:

Oh, I love healthy conflict. I absolutely love healthy. What,

Ron:

what, what is that? And, and what does that mean for your business?

Richard:

, Healthy conflict, I, it starts with one of our core values. One of our core values, um, is, you know, being humbly confident. And what that means is to go ahead and if you feel this is the rightest decision for the company, for SB Comm, we, we, we consider SB Comm as a person, right? So we feel this is best suited for SB Comm. We're gonna make that executive decision, right, for the client in SB Comm and, and call that done. But let's say that decision's wrong. Okay? We learn from that. That's another core value of eager to learn, right? We learn from that so we could build a bigger and better tomorrow. So healthy conflict for us is. If you have an issue, everything for us is an issue. It might not be an issue, right? But there's different types. Is it informational issue means you just want to put this out on the table and let people know of a particular topic, a decision feedback, or, Hey, this is a problem. So we utilize a tool in Eeo s called IDS, um, for our issues. So every week we spend 60 minutes on that. We have a list. We pick three of the most important that we feel is the most important that we need to solve right away we identify it, right? So, um, that's the, it's a format, right? Whose issue it is, who are you speaking to, , what type? And in one sentence, no politicking, no, you know, Hey, my way's better than your way. No one sentence, state your issue. And then we spend about five minutes just asking questions, trying to drill down to get to the root cause of the issue. And if we feel like we got there, then we even verbalize is this, is this the root cause? And then if we do, then we move to the next step of discussing and solving. But when it comes to conflict, you, you can't be fearful. You throw it out there. And I tell my team all the time, the same thing. Hey, if, if I did something and it was wrong, call me out on it. That's okay. I, I, that doesn't phase me because I'm gonna take that information, I'm gonna learn from it, and then we're gonna figure out how to resolve it permanently. So that's how we utilize that conflict. Um, and Ty, typically when we state the conflict, we state it in a particular way. There's four steps. This is the fact, and it has to be a fact. This is my thought on the, the particular situation. This is how I feel about it. And this is what I want. And that helps create that healthy discussion. Without the politicking, without the emotion, will we get emotional? Yes. I told you I wear my heart on my sleeve. I'll get emotional. Right? But I'm okay with people putting me in check and saying, Hey, you're getting emulsion on this. Right? So that's fine. So that's why we use those four steps in outlining how we wanna speak. And it it, it's a thing that it just takes time. It's takes practice, you know, takes practice. Um, that's why I was super excited that nine months from now, hopefully we will be graduating, um, the EOS. So what, what does that mean?

Ron:

Graduate from E os?

Richard:

So typically what they say is, you know, it takes around 18 months to two years to graduate to learn all their tools and even to be able to continue the company utilizing this operating system of running a company. Um, you could move away from an implementer at that time and, you know, be self-sufficient. Um, and that's the goal, right? Because it's a heavy investment. However, we, we found the investment to be a really big return on investment. So honesty for us, I, I think we're gonna continue that journey with our implementer. , It's, it's a relief to the team, to the leadership team. It's a relief to, to me as a, as a CEO. Um, so we might continue that. We haven't really fully decided what that means, but what the essential definition is you utilizing all the 20 tools that they, they teach you. You are utilizing the structure and the whole team is utilizing it, and it's called followed by all.

Ron:

Paul by all. So for people that are listening and they're just, they're curious, they're leaning in, they're really, maybe they're even replaying some of the, the, the last few minutes hearing you talk about this IDS function. What type of business leader should, , potentially lean into, whether it's EOS as a business system or another system, there are other systems out there, but where, when is it right for them to maybe pursue something like EOS? Hmm.

Richard:

So it, you know, one is definitely the financial commitment, right? So like, if you're a startup, it's gonna be really hard unless you plan ahead to budget for it. Um, my suggestion is if you are creating a business plan right now, budget for it. Mm-hmm.

Richard:

By far you will see how much should they

Ron:

plan to spend a year?

Richard:

, So our, you know, it,

Ron:

it depends on implementer. There's, depends and like approximately,

Richard:

I would, I would probably say keep it at a range between 35 to 50,000 a year, depending on the implementer. Um, but that's what I would Go ahead. If you're creating that business plan, start budgeting for that. Start budgeting for that, um, right away because it will be a game changer, um, in creating the business with starting off with your core values, your 10 year target, you know, the, the foundation and the culture of the company. Because every company out here, small, big, corporate, they're all built with people. Mm-hmm.

Richard:

So if you can't get that right and help the people excel, you, the company's not it's gonna, it's gonna hit the ceiling. So the whole purpose of this operating system is to break that ceiling and keep growing. So, and not to say you'll not hit another ceiling, you, of course you will, but you know, then that's something you put on the table and you IDS and then break the ceiling again. Right? That's, that's the whole purpose behind it. Um, so, but I would definitely say that, um, and then. I'm trying to remember what that, the second part of that question was, so, you know, definitely on the startup part, but what was the second part of that question?

Ron:

No, I was just trying to the, the, the type of business leader maybe what might they be going through, where they feel like they're hitting a ceiling, where this might be the right answer for them, whether they're right at, you know, their first year or two in business, or whether they're 15 or 20 years in business. Is there, you know, is there a type of scenario or situation of how that CEO or that business leader, founder, what they might be feeling where maybe they don't know about this, that this might be an answer to some of their problems?

Richard:

Yeah. If, if you, it doesn't matter how long you've been in business, if you're feeling like it, it all that weight's on your shoulders. You need to retraction a hundred percent. , And I, I hear it from other business owners, , where I have actually personally shared the book with them as well. Like, you know, ship 'em the book or whatever it is and, you know, 'cause it happened to me. So, you know, I felt like that's that need, I need to pass this information on to someone else. And, you know, and I will be happy to do that. Um, but you gotta, you gotta be humble. Don't, don't say, oh, books make me go to sleep. You know,

Ron:

all I don't read read books. Yeah, you can listen, you can listen to a audio version. Yeah. And

Richard:

then listen to an audio book or put yourself in an environment besides on the bed at 10 o'clock at night trying to read a book. Yeah. You'll be, I'll be asleep in five minutes myself. You know, then put yourself in a coffee shop. , You know, take a clarity break for an hour, you know?

Ron:

Yeah.

Richard:

Set yourself a goal. I'll read a chapter a week. Do something. To learn more. There is never a cap of knowledge. And that's why I fell in love with this industry because technology changes so much. Every day I learn something new, right? That's, that's exciting. But you have to have that level of excitement to learn to better not only the company, but to better it for your team. 'cause once you have that happy team, man, sky's the limit. So sky's the limit.

Ron:

Yeah. Speaking, speaking of sky's the limit, you have some beliefs around sales and sales methodology in particular, rich around, you know, letting the, the, I guess not holding back from the customer what's maybe in their best interest. You know, maybe, and you'll put it in much better words than mine, so you can describe for me some of your belief systems or maybe some of the common fallacies or errors that salespeople in our industry make.

Richard:

Yeah. , So our process, we have a five step process, um, for sales process.

Ron:

Yep.

Richard:

Okay. It, it, we call it the, the customer journey, right. Or the proven connection process is what we call it. Um, and that's that journey for the customer. Um, so the first step is to identify the vision. So we want to be their nerd. We want them to trust that we're their nerd. We're gonna give them the best information and help them make a decision. We're not making the decision for them. We want to help them make the proper decision. Right. Very similar to how my implementer helps us make decisions for the company. Mm-hmm.

Richard:

So we provide that guidance with identifying division, set some expectations there. , And then we'll recap that to make sure, hey, we got this right. The next step is, um, we identify a scope of work and a budget behind that scope of work. So the scope of work is a really detailed scope of work, and essentially you're reading a story and it should portray your vision. And if it does, this is what the budget will entail. Um, to make that vision come to reality, that what we call it, we set the bumpers on the bowling alley so that way we can engage and move to step three, which is designing the system. Now for us, I, we don't care if it's a $5,000 system or a $500,000 system, we're gonna design all of 'em. We wanna make sure we're providing that level of service throughout. We don't, we won't discriminate that, right? We'll design the system and provide those submittals to, , the customer. And then what makes us unique in that world, which for a lot of integrators who do offer design services, we could take it to implementation. Right. Dealing with interior designers, dealing with architects, specifiers, they'll provide these beautiful plans, right? And there could be hundreds of pages and, you know, great details and all that information. Um, however it turns into, Hey, contractor, do this. So we, we provide that transparency. We will provide that implementation process as well. Um, if you don't want us to implement, that's fine too, right? That's why our process exists. Um, but we can move into implementation. And then finally, step five, which is part of division and step one, , how are we gonna service that technology? Mm-hmm.

Richard:

So that we find most important. That's, that's really important to our hearts. We make a joke with our clients, , all the, all the time. Hey, get ready if you're gonna get ready to start designing. We're about to get technology married. Right. Technology.

Ron:

Married,

Richard:

like Trademark Rich Q and sb. That's right. We're about to be technology married and , like you heard, I'm a Catholic, there's no divorce, so, you know, but we wanna set those expectations because you go buy a car. Yeah, you could go buy a hundred thousand dollars Tesla right now, but did we really, when you went to go buy that, did the salesperson say, Hey, by the way, you know, by this time you're gonna have to replace these batteries for X amount. Did, did you go through that? No. We are gonna go through that with you and that's why we are a nerd.

Ron:

At what point in the process do you go through that, like that pain, the, the obvious realities that some of this tech is gonna break down over time and need to be serviced, need to be replaced, need to be software upgraded. When do you have that dialogue with, with clients or prospects?

Richard:

Step one.

Ron:

So right up front, right up front, you let them know.

Richard:

As soon as I understand their vision of what they're trying to accomplish, if there's technology involved, I immediately turn into, okay, there's technology in these categories, how are we gonna service that? And then we dive into that conversation and I, you know, at that point you get that person of touch. I get to understand who the customer is, you know, whether they're tech savvy, whether they're not. You know, I've had customers that work directly for Google. They're obviously super tech savvy, right? So then they might not need a higher level of service from us. But it could be somebody who's not tech savvy. It could be a really unique home that has pressure sensor floors and all this kinda logic. And they might want to change the routine. Okay, well then let's talk about how we're gonna change those routines as your routines and your life change. Mm-hmm.

Richard:

We discuss all that. 'cause that's part of the vision. That's the only way you're gonna paint that full painting is to understand how we're gonna service it.

Ron:

So what, a broad question. What percentage of your clients that you're doing tech installations for end up signing up for some type of service or maintenance agreement post-sale?

Richard:

, I know the numerical value of how many sub subscribers we have, which is 59 right now. Um, out of, I would say about close to 400. Um, but a lot of those, you know, the newer projects, I would say the conversion rate is around 75 to 80%.

Ron:

So it's like your conversion rate on that, that service and maintenance conversations getting better and better as time goes on.

Richard:

Yeah, it, it, it all is a matter of, I am gonna quote a customer of mine and I took it from him. I even posted it on social media. He used the, the term ROE, return on enjoyment. Ooh. I was like, I'm stealing that from you. 'cause that's beautiful. 'cause in the business world we talk about ROI all the time, right? Return on investment. But in that residential environment, what's my return on enjoyment? Yeah,

Richard:

return on enjoyment is okay, we need to understand how to service you. So that way, when something's wrong, how fast do you want us to respond to it With onsite, if it's needed, you obviously can have 24 7 remote support from us. You know that we can resolve things. It could be Christmas day, two o'clock in the morning if your music system stops working. You got us on the phone trying to troubleshoot this for you remotely. So

Ron:

what has resulted in your close rate on those plans in the last, I'm gonna say the last year or two being better than the, the close rate. In the last 10 years, what's changed in the way you dialogue with your clients?

Richard:

What's changed is the, again, that five step process that we talked about is the EOS way. So that's changed, um, making that transparent. And what's also changed is again, learning. To stop thinking like what I, how do I explain it? The best way to explain is we get in the way of what the customer needs because we're the nerd. And then we start thinking about these different bandaids that we can do, um, to keep the budget low, but still provide what the customer think with their own wallet you

Richard:

want, right? But then in reality, it's a bandaid that could potentially cause future issues and cause a bad taste in that client's mouth. Understand the vision, get outta your own head and provide what the vision needs.

Ron:

Before we started recording, you were telling me a story about one of your clients that had a 15-year-old projector. Oh yes. And maybe expound on that, 'cause that kind of illustrates the point you're making now. Yeah. The idea that they could put that bulb in there, but they'd probably be better served with newer technology.

Richard:

Yeah. So, um, she's a fantastic lady. Her name is Sharon. Um, it was actually a takeover at one point. Um, and she couldn't get ahold of her integrator anymore to service her. Um, so she found us, um, through web search and then I personally went out there. I

Ron:

hear that she found you through this dirty word called marketing. She found you through the internet. Oh my gosh. Did you go there? Okay. Yeah, I did proceed. Okay.

Richard:

So, , I, I personally went out there, um, and in looking at the space and seeing what it was, , her theater room stopped working and I realized it was a control four system. I realized at that time, at that time, in all honesty, I was a total control dealer. I was not a control Ford dealer at that time. So this would've been a swap for us. 'cause we, we try to keep everything focused. Um, but I realized as with my previous experience with Control four, I was like, oh, the only thing that didn't happen was the projector didn't turn on. And I looked at the projector and ir, you know, blaster was hanging and all I did was go, Hey, it's all fixed. And then she was like, so at that point she was like, I want to use you guys moving forward, you know, to service me for any technology. , And I was like, that's fine. I just wanna forewarn you. We cannot troubleshoot your control force system. , You know, but she, she's like, no, I appreciate the honesty. That turned into years later. Now we are control four dealers. We've been control four dealers since, , 2019. Um, we made the jump, um, and I informed her, Hey, we're control four dealers now by email campaigns marketing. I. Um, and so she was aware of it. , And just recently she wanted to cut the cord. Um, so we went out there to cut the cord, get her set up on different streaming services, get rid of live tv, and her theater room's been down that whole time. She didn't want to invest on that at that time, and she finally said, I wanna get my theater room up and running. So we set it up as a service call. We went out there and um, well, , my team went out there and was like, okay, we got it up and running, but the projector's giving us an error saying, you know, it needs a new bulb. , Well it wasn't projecting, right? So they're like, it needs a new bulb. Bulb's dead, but it's powering up up. So I heard the information. We use Slack very heavily. Um, so I saw it in the channel and I was like, Hey, from what I remember that, that's a really old theater room. I think we should just have the conversation with the customer. She clearly wants her theater room again, and that was from 15 years ago. Technology has changed. We should definitely at least have the discussion so the customer can make a decision. And they came in like, well, no, I, you know, I was on site and I, you know, I don't know, you know, so we're just gonna replace the bulb. I think that's it. Okay. You know, and, you know, I want my team to learn. So they went out there, replaced the bulb, got an error code, needs a filter. So my team once again posted it on Slack saying, oh, now it needs a filter. We need to make another return trip. And I heard, you heard me earlier about resource hours. My brain was going, oh my gosh, there's so many resource hours being drained into this. Um, so once again, I posted, I was like, you sure we don't want to talk about doing a theater upgrade? And he was like, no, no, no. I think once we get this filter done, we should be, we should be golden. Well, we went out there, put the filter in, projector, won't display. Oh,

Richard:

it's, it just won't work. So at that point, they had to have the conversation with the customer, um, and tell her, you know, that we would reach out. I sit in the sales seat so that it would be me to reach out. So I did the reach out and I just asked her very open and honest. I said, Sharon, what do you want out of this theater room? What is gonna make you say we have, we, we accomplished this. What, what is that? What's that? What's that look like to you? And she's like, well, you know, I, I, I just wanna be able to enjoy my theater room and watch sports and have my grandkids over and watch movies with them. And I said, okay, you, you are aware that your theater room is 15 plus years old. And she was like, yeah. I was like, and I just gave you the analogy. I was like, look, you can have a 15-year-old car. We can continue to repair these components in the car to keep the car running. But as you and I both know. That's eventually gonna be not efficient, and you're gonna be spending more money on a monthly, bimonthly, quarterly time to continue to service this room. Or we could just trade it in, like you trade in the car, get a new car, and get an enjoyment out of a new vehicle, new experience, less service, less headaches. And she was like, I figured this will be happening. , You know, , I'm glad you were talking about this. And I said, to do this, it's gonna require all of the above. I wanna set the expectations. And I gave her a budget of 33,000, , for the major components that need to be swapped. And I said, but it could, you know, it can go up or down, but we should start designing and get this right. And she said, all right, send me the retainer and we'll get started. I just got out of the way. I asked her, what does she want? That's what she wants, so why not provide it?

Ron:

How did the project finish?

Richard:

, We are in design phase right now.

Ron:

Awesome. So congratulations. What a neat success story on a way to best serve the client, getting, getting out of your own way and just serve the client and, and help, help solve their problems with your solutions. That's, that's awesome.

Richard:

Yeah. If we get out our own heads, I mean, you'll, you'll see the, the client will tell you what, what they need.

Ron:

Rich, it has been awesome having you on Automation Unplugged. I promised you it would go by in a blink. And for folks that want to get in touch with you, , list off all the ways people that are watching or listening and they wanna meet you directly or they wanna learn more about your business, where can we send them?

Richard:

Yeah, our first place would definitely be our website. Um, feel free to visit our website. There's a lot of, , content there. Um, and thanks to one Firefly, , there's a lot more content, um, that's being available on our website, so that's a great source. Um, there's also a form on there you could fill out that will come straight to, , our team and let's give

Ron:

them your handle. It's, , S-B-C-A-T-L. So that's sbc atl.com is the website. That's,

Richard:

yep. , That's our website. Um, and, , another way of reaching out to us is our office, , number, which is 8 8 8 9 3 6 3 2 3 7. Um, that way we can definitely get on, on the schedule and see what you need. Like I said, we're here to help. We're here to be that nerd.

Ron:

Awesome. And then, is it okay if we put out your email? Yep.

Richard:

Yeah. , By all means, if you want to email me direct, you could email me This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Um, that is my direct email. It will come only to my inbox, um, you know, or our generic one, , which is info. So just replace my name with info and you got it.

Ron:

Awesome. I love it. Rich. It's, , Ben, awesome to having you on Automation Unplugged and hearing your stories and your journey. And, , like so many entrepreneurs, it , starts often with a leap of faith, which, , you took. And I know so many of your team and your clients and those around you are so appreciative. Your team here at One Firefly is so appreciative. So, , congratulations on your continued success and thanks again for coming on the show.

Richard:

I appreciate, I appreciate it very much.

---

Ron Callis is the CEO of One Firefly, LLC, a digital marketing agency based out of South Florida and creator of Automation Unplugged. Founded in 2007, One Firefly has quickly became the leading marketing firm specializing in the integrated technology and security space. The One Firefly team work hard to create innovative solutions to help Integrators boost their online presence, such as the elite website solution, Mercury Pro.

---

Resources and links from the interview:

• Richard Quiñones LinkedIn Profile
• SB Comm LinkedIn Page
• SB Comm Webpage

---