Ep. 322: Built to Weather the Storm: Business, Faith & Legacy with Bill Derrick

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As business owners, we're used to figuring things out.

Something isn't working? We change the strategy.
Revenue is down? We look at the numbers.
There's a problem? We find someone who knows the answer.

But what happens when there isn't an answer?

What happens when you're facing a storm in your business—or your life—that no amount of strategy, hard work, or Googling can fix?

Today's episode of The Visibility Podcast is a little different.

I'm sitting down with Bill Derrick, President of Derrick Companies in New Richmond, Wisconsin, and author of Restored by the Storm: Navigating Through Life's Unexpected Challenges.

Bill has more than 50 years of experience in the construction industry and has spent the majority of his career leading Derrick Companies.

In 2008, Bill helped lead the company through one of the most devastating economic downturns since the Great Depression. For five years, they navigated an incredibly difficult business climate, not knowing exactly how—or if—they would come through it.

And just as the storm began to clear, Bill and his family were hit with another one.

Bill was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer.

Today, Bill can look back at these seasons with a perspective he couldn't possibly have had while living through them.

And that's what we talk about.

This isn't an episode filled with five-step strategies or another list of things you need to do.

It's a conversation about:

• Leading a business when you don't have all the answers

• What the 2008 recession taught Bill about leadership and perseverance

• Walking through fear and uncertainty when the outcome is beyond your control

• Faith and learning to trust when you can't understand why something is happening

• How life's hardest storms can change the way we lead and live

• Building a business and reputation that lasts for generations

• Succession and what it means to hand something you've built to the next generation

• How Bill's definition of success has changed after more than 50 years in business

• Finding meaning and purpose in seasons you never would have chosen

• The legacy we leave behind,  not just through our businesses, but through the people we become

We do talk openly about faith in this episode.

I'm not here to preach or tell you what you should believe. But faith plays an important role in my own life, and I've experienced seasons when I've been brought to my knees asking questions I couldn't answer.

Sometimes we don't get to understand the why while we're standing in the middle of the storm.

Sometimes that understanding comes much, much later.

And sometimes leadership isn't about having the answer.

Sometimes it's about continuing to show up, leaning on the people around you, trusting, and taking the next right step—even when you can't see where it's leading.

Whether you're in a beautiful season of business right now or navigating a storm of your own, I hope you'll make some space for this conversation.

Connect with Bill Derrick

Your GO-TO LINK for all things Visibility-: Local Visibility Optimization, Your Visibility Audit, Your Rebel Woman Life Map™  and Your Sweet Spot Assessment. 

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In 2009, Melissa Rose started her business, The Dancing House, in the basement of her home. There, she taught the art of dance to students of all ages while her babies were right along with her, in the pack and playing.  With passion, resilience, and tenacity, she created a business that has become "The Highlight of Your Week" for her tribe, her team, and her community, along with running a successful brick-and-mortar business and an online dance membership.

When she’s not leading her studio team or recording The Visibility Podcast, Melissa helps business owners stop spinning and start positioning, so they become the clear, confident choice in their community.

Off the clock? She’s clinking glasses of Sauvignon Blanc with her partner, loving on her five amazing kids, hiking the trails, or digging in the dirt. 

EMAIL TO COMMUNITY incase I write a book…

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending ProfitCon with Mike Michalowicz.

And I'll be completely transparent: a few days before I left, I was asking myself, Why am I going to this again? 😂

ProfitCon is primarily for bookkeepers, CPAs, and accounting professionals; which, last I checked, I’m none of those things.

But I was invited because I'm a Certified Pumpkin Plan Strategist, and if you've followed me for any length of time, you probably know I'm a bit of a Mike Michalowicz fangirl. Pumpkin Plan. Profit First. Clockwork. Fix This Next. I've read the books. I've implemented the strategies. I've even had Mike on the podcast.

And I thought, Melissa, just go.

Because to borrow from Hamilton, “I’ve got to be in the room where it happens.”

And you guys, I'm so glad I did.

Mike is one of the most gracious and humble people I've ever met, but what struck me most over those few days was his generosity.

Before introducing each speaker, he shared a personal story about them. He knew them. He knew their stories. He knew what mattered to them.

Then, when each speaker finished, Mike had a personalized gift waiting for them. Not some generic conference swag. Something thoughtful that showed he'd paid attention to who they were.

And I kept thinking, THIS is why people want to be in this room.

You don't build a loyal community by constantly asking:

What can I get?

How much can I make?

What's in this for me?

You build it by being interested in people. By asking questions. By being generous. By sharing stories. By showing empathy. By investing in relationships over and over and over again.

Mike talked about many of those ideas through a framework he shared called SPICE, and as I listened, I kept thinking, YES! This is it.

Tell the Stories.

Get in Proximity with people.

Be Interested and curious.

Be Creative about solving problems.

Have Empathy, don't just shout advice down into the hole. Get in there with someone and help them find their way out.

And maybe that's why I made more genuine connections at this conference than I have at almost any other conference I've attended.

It wasn't because of the size.

It certainly wasn't because of the glamorous destination. I mean... we were in New Jersey. 😂

It was the people.

And I believe that came from the top down.

There was a spirit of generosity, curiosity, kindness and genuine interest in one another that permeated the room.

And none of that happens overnight.

It happens through consistency over time.

Which brings me to this week's episode of The Visibility Podcast.

60 years.

Just sit with that number for a second.

Derrick Construction here in Western Wisconsin has been around for 60 YEARS!!

I've owned The Dancing House for 18, and one of my greatest dreams is that someday this business will outlive me. That the mission, values, community and work we've built will continue long after I'm the one standing at the front of the room.

But that doesn't just happen.

It takes intention.

It takes vision.

It takes people who believe in that vision and are willing to carry it forward.

And then, of course, there's that pesky four-letter word that has a tendency to interrupt all of our beautifully laid plans:

LIFE.

Partners. Kids. Employees. Economies. Recessions. Illness. Loss. Change.

For Bill Derrick, that included leading a family business through enormous challenges, including the 2008 recession and his own battle with cancer.

His story is unlike anything I've shared on this podcast before.

Yes, it's a business story. But much more than that, it's a human story.

It's about what happens when you don't have all the answers.

It's about faith, perseverance, relationships, legacy and continuing to put one foot in front of the other when life looks nothing like you thought it would.

I got emotional during this interview.

Bill got emotional during this interview, or as he said, “sweaty eyes.”

And I think that's because underneath all the strategies and numbers and marketing and growth plans we talk about as business owners, there are PEOPLE.

People with families and with stories.

People carrying things we may know nothing about.

People trying to build something meaningful while simultaneously navigating being human.

Maybe that's what these two very different experiences reminded me of this week.

The things that last are built through people.

Through stories.

Through getting in the room.

Through relationships.

Through being interested.

Through creativity.

Through showing empathy and generousity.

And through doing those things consistently, not for a week or a year, but sometimes for 60 years.

I really hope you'll listen to Bill's episode this week. It's a little longer than my usual episodes, so maybe give yourself an extra 15 or 20 minutes on your walk, in the car, or wherever you listen.

Don't rush this one. Soak it in.

I think you'll walk away encouraged not only as a business owner, but as a human.

Have a beautiful week!

P.S. Speaking of being human... we're officially in fall and heading into the final quarter of the year. And I know many of the women reading this aren't just business owners. You're moms. Partners. Caregivers. Leaders. The calendar keeper. The appointment maker. The person everybody seems to need something from.

So I'm hosting a one-day retreat for women who do it all.

It's a day to step away, reset, be supported, and spend some time taking care of the person who is usually taking care of everybody else.

It's $97, I'm bringing in some amazing women to co-host and share their expertise with us, and we're keeping it intimate with only 12 spots available.

I'd absolutely love to have you as my guest.