Reid Lambright, president of Lambright Flooring and chair of NWFA’s Emerging Leaders Council, joins Stephanie Owen and Chris Zizza to share his experiences with the council and why building relationships in the industry is key to growing a succ...

Chris Moran of Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company joins Stephanie Owen and Chris Zizza to talk about what to look for when choosing insurance for your hardwood flooring business. He highlights common hazards contractors and manufa...

Stephanie Owen and Chris Zizza are joined by Doug Howard of Growth Team Strategies and Jon Czeranna, co-owner of Wit & Craft and creator of the Brand Lab, to preview the Real Answers Small Business Workshop on October 16. They explore brand...

Chris Zizza and NWFA President & CEO Stephanie Owen are joined by Doug Howard of Growth Team Strategies and Lynette Watson of the University of Missouri Extension-Small Business Development Center to talk about running your business proacti...

Chris Zizza and NWFA President & CEO Stephanie Owen talk with Doug Howard of Growth Team Strategies about the upcoming NWFA Leadership Development Summit on October 15-17, 2025, at Live! by Loews – Ballpark Village in St. Louis. Tailored fo...

The annual Hardwood Fly-In to D.C. is quickly approaching! This year, we will meet in Washington D.C. from May Tuesday, 13 through Thursday, May 15, to take our story to the Hill. Please make plans to join us as we advocate for the U.S. Hardwoo...

Michael Martin and Chris Zizza chat with Ryan Jazdzewski of Jazz Custom Wood Flooring about growing a wood flooring business, the importance of networking, using credit to your advantage, good debt vs. bad debt, and more.

Michael Martin and Chris Zizza chat with Dana Cole about the outcome of the 2024 presidential election last week. Dana Cole is the Executive Director at the Hardwood Federation, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association that represents and adv...

In this special summit wrap-up episode of the Real Answers Podcast, Chris Zizza and Michael Martin recap the highlights, insights, and impactful moments from the NWFA Leadership Development Summit. From expert presentations on marketing and bus...

Chris Zizza and Michael Martin chat with Steve Haren, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Ring Ring Marketing. Steve shares valuable insights on how to effectively run your hardwood flooring business in today’s digital age. Learn why dig...

In this episode of the Real Answers Podcast, Chris Zizza and Michael Martin sit down with Chris Ruzicka, Director of Business Development at Carmody MacDonald P.C., a renowned St. Louis-based law firm. They dive into the essentials of creating ...

Michael Martin and Chris Zizza sit down with Chris Friest, Director of Client Relations at Floorzap, a sponsor of the NWFA Leadership Development Summit. In this episode, they discuss how Floorzap helps small businesses streamline their operati...

In this episode, Michael Martin and Chris Zizza are joined by Caleb Unruh, Director of Marketing at RW Supply + Design, a sponsor of the NWFA Leadership Development Summit. Caleb shares insights into the company’s mission, its commitment to giv...

In this episode, Michael Martin and Chris Zizza welcome Thomas Meyer from SCORE.org. Meyer provides a sneak peek into the essential strategies and tools he will be sharing at the NWFA Small Business Summit this October. Tune in as he breaks dow...

Michael and Chris sit down with Lynette Watson from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to dive deep into the financial strategies and key skills that can make or break your wood flooring business. Lynette shares her expert insights on...

Join Michael Martin and Chris Zizza as they chat with Thomas Yochim, Deputy District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration. In this episode, they dive into essential topics like securing loans, accessing resources for starting and ...

Join Michael Martin, President/CEO of NWFA, and Chris Zizza, owner of C&R Flooring, as they talk with Doug Howard of Growth Team Strategies to discuss key strategies for growing your wood flooring business in 2024 and 2025. In this episode,...

Chris Zizza, Michael Martin, Steve Brattin, and Doug Howard discuss the upcoming NWFA Leadership Summit this October and guide a caller through his questions about employee staffing, compensation, organizational charts, and expenses to ensure h...

Chris Zizza chats with new NWFA members at the NWFA expo to share concrete steps on how to grow a hardwood flooring business.

Michael Martin and Chris Zizza provide an overview of the upcoming 2024 NWFA Expo in New Orleans. They also delve into practical tips for enhancing your business during slower periods.

Elliot Eisenberg, the Bowtie Economist, joins Michael Martin and Chris Zizza to discuss the state of the economy, labor and supply chain issues, inflation, and advice on reducing risk and staying ahead of the f...

Michael Martin and Chris Zizza chat with Dan Pratt, co-founder and CRO of Broadlume, about the importance of having a good website for your hardwood flooring business.  They discuss do's, don'ts, what a good website should contain, and whe...

Michael Martin and Chris Zizza record on location at SVB Wood Floors in Kansas City.  A trio of special guests joins them to discuss balancing marriage with building a successful wood flooring business. 

Michael Martin and Chris Zizza chat with Dan Gorsegner of Gorsegner Brothers Hardwood Floors about the importance of following up on estimates, modern customer expectations,   prioritizing customers, handling scheduling mishaps, margins, s...

Michael Martin and Chris Zizza have an in-depth conversation on costs, margin, and building profitable long-term customer relationships with Sam Cobb from RW Supply+Design.