Podcast
Charting The Northwest Passage
Hosted by Landon Blake · EN
“Charting The Northwest Passage” is a mentoring group for land surveyors and similar professionals who want to improve their business expertise.
We will meet once a week for 30 minutes to 45 minutes to discuss a specific business question or topic.
The Northwest Passage was a shortcut across the North American continent promising a short overseas connection between Europe and Asia. Several explorers searched for this passage. Turns out, it ran through the polar ice cap – which isn’t very helpful for sailing ships.
The group name “Charting The Northwest Passage” was chosen to reflect the challenge of learning how to run an effective land surveying and mapping business. It is – in essence – like trying to chart a sea route that doesn’t exist.
3episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
CTNWP Meeting #3: Tips For Making Small Land Subdivisions More Profitable
Feb 24, 202500:37:56Tap to summarizeLandon hosted the third "Charting The Northwest Passage" meeting, diving into the nitty-gritty of making small land subdivisions profitable for land surveyors. Surveyors Kyle and Landon tackled the challenges of California's complex subdivision processes, highlighting the wild variations in jurisdictional requirements and the need to manage client expectations. They both agreed on avoiding firm, lump-sum prices for entire subdivision processes due to the unpredictable nature of the work involved. The discussion emphasized educating clients about the true costs and implementing strategies for tracking and billing time spent on research, coordination, and, most importantly, problem-solving.Kyle and Landon also debated the surveyor's role in land use planning, with Kyle steering clear and Landon diving in. Landon shared a cautionary tale about not becoming a free consultant, emphasizing the importance of retainers to cover those "extra" client requests. They also explored ethical ways to educate clients about the complexities of subdivisions, ensuring everyone's on the same page from the get-go. Landon even shared a form they send out with land development proposals outlining potential pitfalls and the need for other consultants. Overall, the meeting provided practical advice and food for thought for land surveyors navigating the tricky waters of land subdivision.
Transcribe →Meeting #1: Determining When The Economics Of A Potential Project Don’t Make Sense
Feb 1, 202500:48:21Tap to summarizeDuring the first "Charting the Northwest Passage" meeting, the host discussed the importance of "napkin math" for quickly assessing the feasibility of a project. He shared a story about a potential client who needed a million utility poles inspected by UAV, but was only offering $5 per pole, which was far below a realistic rate. The host demonstrated how to do some quick calculations to determine the offer was not feasible, stressing that it's vital to know if a potential job is "even in the baseball stadium" before investing time in a detailed proposal. The host also emphasized the need to identify critical assumptions when doing this type of calculation. He also discussed how he has become more selective about the proposals he creates.The host also presented a second example involving a client who wanted a land survey for a 9-mile route in Nevada, with a budget of $80,000, far below the estimated cost of around $200,000. This example highlighted how quickly costs can increase when considering all the factors involved in a complex project. The host emphasized that being able to do "order of magnitude" estimations is crucial for avoiding contracts with unrealistic budgets. The meeting was interactive, with participants sharing their own experiences.
Transcribe →Meeting #2: When do you start to delegate tasks in your surveying business or organization?
Feb 1, 202500:39:55Tap to summarizeLandon initiated an energetic conversation about delegation, using his own experiences and those of other surveyors as examples. He recounted a story about a friend who was so behind on billing that he was losing money, highlighting the importance of knowing when to delegate tasks. The group discussed why delegation is vital for business owners, pointing out that it enables them to focus on their strengths and avoid getting stuck in areas where they are less skilled. Landon also touched on the tendency to overhire after the first employee, and the need to find a good balance. The discussion continued with the question of what tasks to delegate first, with some suggesting administrative tasks before technical ones. However, others, including Landon, started with technical staff. Landon described his personal experience of discovering what to delegate by hiring people who excelled at specific tasks and letting go of those he wasn’t as good at.The group also explored the difficulties of knowing when to delegate and the tasks that are hardest to let go of. Landon mentioned how his partner reminds him to concentrate on high-value tasks and avoid getting caught up in lower-value ones. He stressed the importance of paying attention to work-life balance and sleep as indicators that it may be time to delegate. Other participants contributed their experiences, including a surveyor who involves a new employee in the estimating process, which was a different approach that Landon found interesting. The group also talked about making the scope of services and fee estimates available to all employees, and how that promotes greater awareness and understanding.
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