Ep. 68 - Home Inspector/Entrepreneur - Ryan Fennell, Acuity Inspections

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This episode features a conversation with Ryan Fennell, a 2001 Van Buren graduate who is a licensed home inspector and owns his own business, Acuity Inspections. Ryan shares how a typical day looks, how he went to school to become a computer-aided designer but decided that was not the right career for him, how to get started in the inspection field, and much more. Whether you are interested in a career in construction or inspection or are still exploring your options, I hope that what Ryan shares today will help all of you make better career decisions and have fulfilling career journeys. Enjoy the show! 1:34 - A typical day as a home inspector 2:54 - Ryan doesn’t do any of the repairs, just the inspections. 3:27 - Ryan thought he would be working with CAD when he graduated from high school. 4:19 - Ryan attended Owens Community College to earn a CAD associate degree. 5:38 - How Ryan gained the training he needed to become an inspector 6:58 - Ryan worked for Norfolk-Southern Railroad and really liked it, but the lifestyle was difficult for his family. 7:40 - Ryan earned his InterNACHI certification and studied for his national licensing exam. 8:59 - Ryan can only work in Ohio currently because he is only licensed here, but Michigan does not require a license, so he could do inspections there. 9:40 - Ryan was a conductor for Norfolk-Southern. 11:46 - The most difficult part of starting the business was the decision to do it. 12:16 - Meeting realtors is very important to Ryan’s career. 12:36 - There are 4-5 other inspectors in the Findlay area. 14:21 - Characteristics leading someone to be successful as an inspector. 16:09 - How to get started as a home inspector 17:43 - Thoroughly evaluate what you want out of a career. Questions? Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail (bbratt@vbschools.net). Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/ryanfennell22) or by e-mail (ryanfennell22@icloud.com).