Phillip Norris, Founder, Elevated Safety Professionals, based in Peoria, AZ. (Image provided.)
Handshakes and No Breaks:
How Phillip Norris Built a Business at 2:00 A.M.
When I recently asked Phillip (Phil) Norris what inspired him to start his business, Elevated Safety Professionals, he explained a massive problem in the construction safety industry. Over the last decade, he watched several large staffing agencies simply check boxes and assign unqualified safety representatives to job sites. Many of those safety reps had little to no experience and were technically more of a risk to everyone on the site than they were helpful. Phil also observed many veteran safety professionals who lacked the commitment to keep learning and improving their skillset.
After several years of witnessing these things, Phil developed a desire to build a better company. He envisioned an operation filled with people who actually know what they’re doing, take pride in their work, and refuse to quit when challenges arise.
A photo of a construction worker wearing fall protection gear (left), and a photo of a large crane during operation (right). (Images provided.)
2:00 A.M. Foundations
Building Elevated Safety Professionals took an incredible toll on Phil. For a year and a half, he maintained a brutal schedule.
Phil was working up to 72 hours a week at his day job. Despite those hours, he woke up at 2:00 a.m. every single morning to study business management, taxes, and payroll. He typically left for work at 4:00 a.m. and returned home around 5:00 p.m. His evenings consisted of helping around the house, spending time with his family, and tackling even more business admin tasks until going to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m.
INSIGHT
According to small-business economic data, founders who build their companies while maintaining a primary income stream have a 33 percent higher survival rate. Developing a business in the margins forces strict financial discipline and prevents the desperate, rapid scaling that bankrupts most startups in their first year.
Boots on the Ground
That level of sacrifice eventually forces you to see things clearly. As Phil transitioned into focusing solely on ESP, he asked me to sit down with him to dial in his growth strategy. In doing so, we quickly agreed on one reality. Construction safety cannot be outsourced to a purely digital marketing agency. It is a handshake business.
After cutting ties with the two marketing entities he previously worked with, Phil pivoted entirely to in-person networking. Since then, his experience has echoed the exact lesson that local magician David Feather shared with us a few weeks ago. Trust is built face-to-face.
With a little help from a solid wingman during his first few networking events, Phil eventually took complete ownership of his outreach and started shaking hands himself. As a result, the difference in response from industry peers has been night and day.
Within weeks, ESP secured more than a handful of good-faith handshakes for future contracts with reputable contractors throughout the Greater Phoenix market.
Higher Standard
The same standard of trust Phil is building through in-person networking extends directly into his operations as well. ESP does not just hand a clipboard to anyone with a pulse and an OSHA 10 certification
Phil maintains a rigorous vetting process for all safety representatives under the ESP banner. For starters, he requires at least 3 years of experience on high-risk projects before he’ll even finish reading a resume. Because of this, Phil has built a black book of seasoned veterans who share his exact values and actually care about the work they do.
Discipline
Among the many small business owners I’ve worked with over the years, I can safely say that Phil’s devotion to self-sustaining growth is extraordinary.
Phil is incredibly disciplined with his capital. To ensure steady, calculated growth, he faithfully reinvests over 40 percent of ESP’s monthly revenue right back into the operation. When you look at the actual numbers, it is easy to imagine all the luxuries he could indulge in by spending versus investing. But Phil sees things differently.
“I am not concerned with looking back and seeing how much money I have made or how big the company has become. I just want people and companies to want to work with Elevated Safety Professionals because they know we care.” — Phillip Norris
Phil anchors his business on the principles found in Proverbs 4. This means he focuses on guarding his heart and treating every worker with absolute respect. He does not care about becoming the biggest corporate entity. He just wants to bring people home safely.
Follow Elevated Safety Professionals
Schedule an intro call by visiting the official Elevated Safety Professionals website.
Check out the ESP social pages below:
