Hello, my friends! This post marks my 6th “History of Us” blog, which is the mid-point of our journey through past tales. I hope you’ve enjoyed them so far because I’ve certainly enjoyed sharing them with you! If you’re just catching this blog now and would like to revisit the first half, simply pop on our website at www.rrctools, click “blog” at the top of the page and dive in to read and join the comment sections.

In the last post, we ended with the question of human behavior patterns: Do they affect your business? How can you recognize them? And should you work with them or try to fight the tide? Let’s dive into that today.

So, what am I talking about when I say “human behavior”? Why is this important in small business? Well, our journey has placed behavior and psychology into a new light for me. It’s become “the hobby I never thought I needed,” but one I’ve definitely come to enjoy. Growing up in my parents’ small business—a dry-cleaning shop—I often saw examples of quirky human behavior. For instance, after the first snowfall, everyone in town would rush in with their winter coats, desperately hoping for a rush job! Why wait until the last minute? That, my friends, seems to be hive-like human behavior. It affects every business and takes time to recognize with each new endeavor.

In the spray foam business—and likely in insulation overall—there’s a similar common winter pattern: people don’t call for insulation until the temperatures hit freezing. Cold weather jogs memories of drafty spots, looming ice dams, or that man-cave shop that suddenly must be warm for winter projects. The challenge? Some substrates, like metal, become incredibly difficult—or even inadvisable—to foam at low temperatures. Sure, heat can be applied, and workarounds exist, but these solutions involve additional costs, time, and effort to do them with optimal results. The best time to foam metal buildings is during warmer weather—late spring, summer, or early fall. These are fantastic times for spray foam jobs on metal! And yet, most calls roll in when the temperatures drop, and people are already feeling the chill.

We’ve tried running specials. We’ve offered summer discounts. And yet, that estimate we gave in May? The call often comes in November. It’s just the way it goes—it’s how our species operates. So, what can you do about it?

As one of my favorite people once told me: “Carrie, what is IS, and what ain’t, AIN’T.” I’ve come to believe that fighting these patterns with additional marketing isn’t the solution—at least, not in our experience. Our mission has always been to provide the best pricing scenarios for our customers without sacrificing product quality or cutting corners. We’ll stay true to this approach, no matter how projects end up timing out for our customers.

Next Blog’s Topic

Sometimes, unique challenges arise mid-project, and we address them head-on. You’d be surprised at what can manifest—issues that could become detrimental to a home down the road, even though they’re beyond our scope of work. Next blog, I’ll share a story or two about these situations and what we chose to do about them.

Your Turn to Share

What is your self-employment or small business story? Have you faced similar challenges? What human behavior patterns affect your business? Share your thoughts in the comments below—I’d love to hear from you!