When Values Cost You Something — Lessons From Restoration Leaders

“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you,” wrote C.S. Lewis. He likened belief to trusting a rope—it’s easy to say you trust a rope to be strong and sound as long as you’re merely using it to cord a box.

But suppose you had to hang by the same rope over a cliff; wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it?

In business, values face a similar test. It’s easy to claim integrity when there’s no cost involved, but the true test comes when those values threaten profit, opportunity, or comfort.

We spoke with four industry leaders who’ve faced these defining moments when sticking to their principles meant turning down lucrative deals, parting with talented employees, or walking away from promising but misaligned projects. Their stories show that while doing the right thing often carries a price, the long-term rewards in loyalty, trust, and success far outweigh the short-term losses.

Turning Down Profits to Protect Culture: Jim Kowalski’s Approach

Jim Kowalski, co-owner of Kowalski Construction, knows from experience that more business doesn’t always mean better business.

“I don’t want all the business—I want good business,” Jim says. “And what good business means to us is business that we can make a profit on to keep the doors open, business where we’re working with like-minded people that make it easy for us and our staff.”

For Jim, it’s all about protecting company culture, and no client is worth the price of unnecessary internal friction. “We put a lot of time into this—we’re with each other at work a lot more than we would want to admit,” he says. “Now, we introduce a customer or a client who doesn’t fit our culture, and it makes it more difficult for our people to interact with them because they’re not trusting or they’re too demanding.”

In an industry where the work is already demanding, adding a difficult customer to the stress can affect team members and eventually wear them out.

To avoid that, Jim’s employees—at all levels—are empowered to flag difficult clients.

“When our team comes to us and says, ‘I don’t think this customer is a good fit,’ we take that seriously,” he explains. It’s not about calling anyone out—they don’t accuse clients of dishonesty or being difficult. Instead, Jim finds “a nice, easy way to send [the client] in a different direction, wishes them luck, and [goes] about looking for a customer that’s a better fit for [them.]”

Though turning away business might seem like a loss, Jim sees it as an investment in his team’s well-being. Protecting his company’s culture and morale ensures the team remains motivated and aligned. In the long run, Jim believes this creates a stronger, more cohesive business, even if it costs them revenue in the short term.

Parting Ways With Employees Who Are Not A Cultural Fit — Holly Murry

If you ask Holly Mury what drives her as president of FRSTeam, she’ll probably mention her deep passion for helping others.

“If you’re going to hire someone who doesn’t love helping others, they probably shouldn’t work in restoration,” she says, emphasizing the importance of this cultural fit for her team.

For Holly, the work is never about the individual. “It can never be about you. It’s about the homeowner whose belongings we’re handling and the employee who’s trusted us with their career.”

Holly believes that if someone lacks that core passion, the working relationship won’t last. But, as she explains, it’s not about the fallout—it’s also about helping that person find their path.

“We’ve had people that weren't the right culture fit for us. And at some point, we needed to part ways. It doesn't mean I love them any less or don’t care about them. Sometimes, for them to succeed in life, it doesn't always mean it's here at FRSTeam either. And that's got to be okay, too.”

From Holly’s point of view, this approach is not only good for the employee but also strengthens the company in the long term.

As a result, this commitment to values has created a culture where employees care deeply about the work.

“When I look at our team leadership, [I see that] they care immensely,” Holly explains. “They care about our franchisees' success, employee's success, our homeowners, [and a] positive communication experience with our business.”

Staying true to your values may mean losing employees or letting go of talent that doesn’t fit the culture, but it always leads to a stronger, more aligned team in the long run.

Owning Up To A $100,000 Error Because of Integrity — Ben Looper’s Resolve.

Three pillars define the culture at Southeast Restoration: character, loyalty, and integrity.

For Ben Looper, CEO of Southeast Restoration, these values are the foundation of everything. “When character or integrity is broken, trust takes a long time to gain back,” he explains.

To prevent this, Ben has built what he calls a GOAT—Greatest of All Time—culture, where people and their development come before profits.

This strategy has paid off well.

Recently, Ben’s team was working on a large church project when they realized they had missed asbestos testing. The church leadership and the facilities group would never have known they skipped the step, but Ben’s team caught it.

Ben shares that he wouldn’t have been able to sleep well at night knowing the team missed a critical step and nobody did anything to fix it.

So, after reviewing where the error occurred, Ben’s team took corrective measures, including a massive hit to the wallet, to fix the mistake.

“We self-penalized to the tune of about $80,000 to $100,000 that we had to go back and fix on our dime,” Ben shares. This wasn’t just a minor loss—it was essentially all the profit they would’ve made on the project.

The best part of the story? Ben wasn’t even involved in the decision.

His team made the call on their own. “My team had the character to take [responsibility]. It cost everyone involved, but they knew it was the right decision,” Ben recalls proudly.

For him, this story reinforces the culture (of integrity and character) that defines Southeast Restoration. While prioritizing values over profits might sting in the short term, in the long run, it builds trust and long-term success.

Ending an Initiative That Didn’t Align With Core Business Goals — Mark Springer

What’s the hardest part of leadership?

For Mark Springer, former owner of Dayspring Restoration, admitting when you’re wrong can sometimes be the toughest. Once upon a time, his company invested in home energy audits and solar services, which initially seemed like a great idea. “We pursued it relentlessly, but ultimately, it took us off course from our main business,” Mark shares.

When the strategy didn’t work, Mark knew it was time to pivot. He gathered his team and made the hard call: “I was wrong on this.”

For him, true leadership means owning mistakes and involving the team in moving forward.

But there’s a flip side to this, he says: “Without a strategic plan in place, businesses quit [too soon].” He credits Dayspring’s success in launching satellite offices to sticking with the plan, even when it wasn’t easy. “We hit challenges, but our monthly and quarterly strategy sessions helped us refocus on the right path,” Mark shares, adding that the move made all their offices profitable.

The takeaway? Leadership is about knowing when to change direction and when to stay the course, especially after reviewing whether your actions align with your core values.

Looking Forward:

One thing is clear after speaking to all the leaders: the truest test of your commitment to your values is when there’s a tangible cost. Your actions or inactions define who you are as a leader and shape the culture of your business. To learn more about living out your values or other leadership wisdom, check out our new book, Building Leaders, for more real-life and actionable insights like this.

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