Few days ago we had the pleasure of interviewing Aaron Regev of Total Home Protection.
Aaron Regev is the sales manager of Total Home Protection, one of the fastest growing home warranty companies in the USA.
He came to the US after his parents immigrated from the Middle east. Aaron had a very strong work-ethic and mentality. Through his hard work and persistence he managed to make his way to the top of the industry as an award winning salesman who has helped hundreds of customers get peace of mind by protecting their homes against hidden damage that can be costly if not discovered quickly enough.
Thanks to Aaron and his employees, Total Home Protection is becoming one of the industry’s leaders.
In this featured article, Aaron talks about his life during the pandemic, shares his thoughts on leadership, delegating, and the importance of values especially for a company that operates in his industry. He also shares some of the best and worst advice he’s ever received and has some great tips for our young readers looking to start their entrepreneurial journey.
“You need to really work on the career path that you want to follow. You need to understand how the industry works — and how the business world works in general.” – Aaron regev
How has the pandemic affected your life?
Aaron Regev: Personally, the pandemic has affected my world just as much as everyone. I pray for everyone and their health. And I sincerely hope that we get through this with everyone smiling.
As for the company, the effects have been primarily positive — as positive as things can be during these times. We’re an online-based company so, in that respect, the effect has, of course, been very positive for our growth. But, even more than that, with people worrying about expenses, affordability, things breaking down at home, etc. we’ve been generating a lot of new business.
What type of leadership style do you practice?
Aaron Regev: That’s a tough question to answer because my leadership style has always been tough but fair. I was taught tough love from a very young age. And I’m a firm believer that, sometimes, people need to hear what they don’t want to hear — and sometimes, that means that I have to be a little stern to make sure that the message comes across in the right way.
As a rule, I try not to treat my people with kids’ gloves. I’m very real with them. Of course, I speak to them respectfully and I never degrade anyone — that does nobody any good. But, if they’ve done something badly or incorrectly, I make sure to let my displeasure show while telling them where and when they went wrong. So yeah, I guess I’m a bit of a tough guy sometimes. And I’m not always the easiest person to work with, but you know what? My team loves and respects me, and I love and respect them right back.
Going back to my analogy earlier with how I was raised. I liken my treatment of my team much like how my parents treated me when I was younger. They didn’t let me break curfew, there was no talking back to my mom and dad (they were definitely the top dog in the home), and I wholly embody that kind of presence in my style of leadership. It’s not without its disadvantages, but it works for me 99.99% of the time — it’s really all about being stern but fair.
Mission, Vision, or Values? Which is most important to your organization?
Aaron Regev: For us, values are the most important. We work in the home warranty industry, so we have to have strong values — which, for us here at Total Home Protection, is to assist our customers 100% of the time.
That’s not to say that we don’t have a vision. We’re vision-driven in the sense that we want to reinvent the industry to make life easier for our customers. And the mission is not to be left out either, of course. My personal mission, for example, is to instill those values to my team (which I do by encouraging them to treat the situation by imagining that it’s happening to them, that our customers’ pain is theirs so that they can do their utmost to support them and help them find relief.)
Delegation is, of course, a big part of being a leader. How have you guided your managers to be valiant leaders in their own right?
Aaron Regev: One of the things that I found has really worked for me is that I’m not afraid to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty. Anything that my managers do, I can do as well — which allows me to stand tall behind them while I guide them through their everyday responsibilities.
I don’t just sit in the silence and pass down directions. I work with them (and even the people below them.) I treat them with respect, and I listen to their ideas. So, in all, I make sure to instill confidence in them directly — so that they know that I always have their back. In that way, I get more free-thinking managers who are quicker to learn how to make their decisions on their own (to learn how to make decisions like I do, in fact, which I love.)
Of course, even then, I make sure that my door’s always open (literally!) My door is always open because I want everyone to know that they can walk in and disturb me no matter what I’m doing to get help in whatever it is that they’re struggling with — big or small.
What advice would you give to our younger readers who may want to embark on a journey similar to yours?
Aaron Regev: The advice I would give them is simple: It’s not easy out there and competition is fierce, so get educated. You need to really work on the career path that you want to follow. You need to understand how the industry works — and how the business world works in general.
Unfortunately, that’s not really something that you can study from books or even at school. But learn as much as you can from the beginning so that when you’re in the game, when you’re in the real world dealing with real people, you can become a good entrepreneur. It can be a bit scary to branch out and learn things on your own, but get it done anyway because it is the entrepreneurs that start off as the most indispensable that achieve the most success.
This might be a bit weird, but what’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?
Aaron Regev: The worst advice I’ve ever received is, unfortunately, from an older mentor. He was always of the opinion to ‘screw the next guy’ — which worked well enough for him, I suppose, but it did not work for me. That kind of thinking just doesn’t vibe with me overall. Screwing with other people is just asking for trouble. So, I never listened to that advice. And I would advise you to do the same.
Instead of worrying about other people, concentrate on yourself. Build yourself up because breaking people down isn’t going to actually help you get any better.