# Key Business Decision That Propelled You to the Next Level



## buildpinnacle (Sep 2, 2008)

I am going to assume that the majority of us here started our businesses from scratch. I am curious to hear different perspectives from different contractors regarding one or a couple of key decisions that were made that put you at the next level in your business. 

Also, has anyone made a key decision that set your business back a year or so? While this can be interesting, I think that it could also be helpful for us to share our war stories.


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## rbsremodeling (Nov 12, 2007)

Moving me forward adopting a lead carpenter model and letting the guys handle the work so I can focus on growing my business.


Worst mistake doing bank financed renovations and letting my work get ahead of the the bank/customers payments. Set me back hopefully no more than a year.

I don't care if its my momma I need my money up front. I got lax on that last year and paid for it big time.


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

Charging more. 



Simple as that.


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## AustinDB (Sep 11, 2006)

rbsremodeling said:


> adopting a lead carpenter model and letting the guys handle the work so I can focus on growing my business.




If I may ask, how did you handle the lower productivity/losses based on your not being present running the show? Is the 'lead carpenter' you refer to as mini-me in a way?


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## rbsremodeling (Nov 12, 2007)

72chevy4x4 said:


> If I may ask, how did you handle the lower productivity/losses based on your not being present running the show? Is the 'lead carpenter' you refer to as mini-me in a way?


I am not a true craftsman. I know it an accept it. My guys are more productive than I am. My knowledge is greater than theirs. 


But if you are more productive than your guys you have to have realistic estimates/time frames for the completion of work.

If you hang a door in an hour an it takes them 2 hours its 2 hours to hang a door.

Also as the owner you have the whole job laid out and mapped out in your head they don't, even if you put it on paper, there will still be tiny pieces missing so you have to allow time for them to figure out the pieces

You have to know your guys productivity. I know exactly what all my guys are capable of and bid accordingly


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

Key decision was to make sure I built up a large cash reserve for my company to operate off of. I did this by not buying a Ferrari or a monster truck, not chasing women, drinking wildly and gambling, but most importantly not taking much of a salary for as long as possible and returning the money to the business.

I was able to expand during the recession while everyone else was either hanging on or going out of business. I have been able to buy in bulk, buy when bargains are found, pay subs and material suppliers immediately to build up good relationships with them, pay cash for capital expenditures and save on interest, and never have to worry about cash flow issues or have employees wonder if they are going to get paid.

I can think of no single decision that can be made that will benefit a company more.


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## rbsremodeling (Nov 12, 2007)

Mike Finley said:


> Key decision was to make sure I built up a large cash reserve for my company to operate off of. *I did this by not buying a Ferrari or a monster truck, not chasing women, drinking wildly* *and gambling*, but most importantly not taking much of a salary for as long as possible and returning the money to the business.
> 
> I was able to expand during the recession while everyone else was either hanging on or going out of business. I have been able to buy in bulk, buy when bargains are found, pay subs and material suppliers immediately to build up good relationships with them, pay cash for capital expenditures and save on interest, and never have to worry about cash flow issues or have employees wonder if they are going to get paid.
> 
> I can think of no single decision that can be made that will benefit a company more.


I did not read anything your wrote after this sentence and will not speak to you for at least a week after reading that line


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## Heritage (Mar 20, 2007)

When I raised the bar on quality.


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

rbsremodeling said:


> I did not read anything your wrote after this sentence and will not speak to you for at least a week after reading that line


:laughing:

Okay, maybe I did one out of the five, but I'm not saying which one it was.


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## buildpinnacle (Sep 2, 2008)

Very good thus far. 

As for me, personally, I am in the midst of the 'decision(s)' panning out, but can see the difference night and day. I come from the sales side of the business even though I started roofing houses and doing small remodels at 14. I took a degree in Construciton Management that doesn't do much more than hang on the wall, as I became a salesman for a commercial roofing company straight out of college for straight commision amidst over 10 job offers between low 30's to one at low 40K. By 25 I was a VP and over the entire sales department of a $6 million per year commercial roofing outfit that I expanded into three states. Started my own business about 10 years ago, brought my father along, and we banged out $1.3 million in sales our first year and doubled it by year three. Sounds great, huh?! It turned and turned fast. Bad business decisions leave a trail that will always follow you until they catch up. I was ambitious enough and a good enough closer that I outran it for quite awhile. My #1 problem was very simple...I NEVER learned how to say NO. This included my salesman, who all had base salaries of $52K per year, roof surveyors whose base started at $41.8K, hell my secretary made $52K. I was daddy warbucks and it felt great being able to 'help' anyone who needed it. I wrote off tens of thousands every year in employee loans and advances and was a sucker for every sob story in the group. Having a big heart is a blessing and a curse. I opened up a remodeling division because it sounded fun and those guys seem to make alot of money. I lost almost everything I had before I had someone very close to me sit me down and slap my face so I could see reality.

My turnaround was simple. I learned NO! My 'friends/employees' didn't seem to act the same after that. I noticed I had started to get treated like 'the man'. It's funny what happens when the gravy train runs out. I fired everybody.....everybody (except my dad, who bless his heart warned my of all of this many times). I recieved an education in business that money cannot buy and not to sound cliche' but it was from the school of my own self inflicted hard knocks. 

THE GOOD--The number one decision was to learn how to say NO. From there it is really simple. Coming from the sales side it is my nature to want every single sale, but in our business it is just not possible. I had to learn what we were worth. Saying NO meant saying 'No thanks I can't work for that' as well. 480Sparky said it very well....charging more. I trained my main foreman for two years and promoted him to project manager. I do what I do best, now which is sell and run my business. He runs the jobs. My first year back from 're-defining' my company we did $258,000.00. That number doubled the next year and we are banging on $1Million for this year. Sometimes I wish I had just listened back then, because I had a machine that printed money. However, the lessons and experiences that have forced change in my business style will pay much more in my future.

Sorry for the long post...been wanting to tell that story to anyone who might care or understand for years.


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## genecarp (Mar 16, 2008)

Jumped in the deep end of the pool, sold and completed the BIG JOB..


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

Close 2nd for me would be when I started charging for estimates and design work. That's been a big one. Have never regretted missing a single lead who wouldn't schedule an appointment for an estimate over not wanting to pay, but have certainly enjoyed missing all the tire kickers that have not scheduled an appointment for an estimate over not wanting to pay.


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## RidgeWalker (Nov 1, 2006)

buildpinnacle said:


> Very good thus far.
> 
> As for me, personally, I am in the midst of the 'decision(s)' panning out, but can see the difference night and day. I come from the sales side of the business even though I started roofing houses and doing small remodels at 14. I took a degree in Construciton Management that doesn't do much more than hang on the wall, as I became a salesman for a commercial roofing company straight out of college for straight commision amidst over 10 job offers between low 30's to one at low 40K. By 25 I was a VP and over the entire sales department of a $6 million per year commercial roofing outfit that I expanded into three states. Started my own business about 10 years ago, brought my father along, and we banged out $1.3 million in sales our first year and doubled it by year three. Sounds great, huh?! It turned and turned fast. Bad business decisions leave a trail that will always follow you until they catch up. I was ambitious enough and a good enough closer that I outran it for quite awhile. My #1 problem was very simple...I NEVER learned how to say NO. This included my salesman, who all had base salaries of $52K per year, roof surveyors whose base started at $41.8K, hell my secretary made $52K. I was daddy warbucks and it felt great being able to 'help' anyone who needed it. I wrote off tens of thousands every year in employee loans and advances and was a sucker for every sob story in the group. Having a big heart is a blessing and a curse. I opened up a remodeling division because it sounded fun and those guys seem to make alot of money. I lost almost everything I had before I had someone very close to me sit me down and slap my face so I could see reality.
> 
> ...



Dude I completely identify with you! I have a big heart and feel for every sob story, mostly from salesmen. I'm learning to say NO in 2009. My attitude is not what you done for me, but what have you done for me lately. I don't care if you sold 1.5 million for me in 2005, it's not my fault you don't have any money now. 

Another thing that I am making changes for this year is my tolerance of those who won't listen to wise council, namely mine. This will be the year of back charges for giving away free upgrades and mis-measuring jobs. I will also be eliminating negative attitudes and those who place blame on every one else for their failures, or lack of success.

These are the steps that I believe will take my company to the next level.


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## Mike(VA) (Jan 9, 2008)

For me, after starting out, it was learning how to properly price jobs. I got Michael Stone's book (don't shoot me), and read it about 3 times before it hit me. Then the light came on! Until then, I would look at a job, think I need about this much material, and it would take about this long. Pull a price out of my ass. Hope I had money left over at the end of the job.

Now, I am progressing past Stone's concept of mark up and moving closer to a capacity based system.


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## AboveAndBeyond (Dec 5, 2008)

WOW, a TON of great stuff in here so far! i'm looking forward to see how this thread develops. 

my contribution would be when we started we made a LOT of mistakes in communication, pricing, and screw-ups job-wise because we were trying to fit triangles into square-shaped holes, meaning the three of us were doing everything instead of specializing in separate things. my other guys are smart but i'm regretfully the most book-smart of us and it shaped up when i stopped lifting drywall and spent more time in the office and on top of stuff that i was just simply good at, and stop wasting the other guys time trying to teach myself things i wasn't good at (ahem*framing*cough). i would say being comfortable in our niches within our company (and at the same time being honest in the things we sucked at) brought our game up an entire friggin' notch. 

second, being professional is how we got the biggest "WOW" factor from customers. i can't lie to a customer and tell them i'm not 25. i am. i'm a baby. but i make sure we dress clean, clean our messes, call back real friggin quick, and do everything i can to make the customer feel like they're the only one we ever had and the result was tremendous. also i go over the contracts with the customer line-by-line when signing them to make them feel comfortable, as a lot of contractors tend to shy away from contracts because they themselves don't even know what that crap means. simply put we figured out how to make a flawless and honest presentation and execute it in the same manner. it's precisely this, i believe, which has lined up our calendar with projects from customers who swore they would never hire another contractor again after getting screwed and that fact is the reason i started this whole cluster#@ck in the first place lol. do what you say and do it well.


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## RidgeWalker (Nov 1, 2006)

AboveAndBeyond said:


> WOW, a TON of great stuff in here so far! i'm looking forward to see how this thread develops.
> 
> my contribution would be when we started we made a LOT of mistakes in communication, pricing, and screw-ups job-wise because we were trying to fit triangles into square-shaped holes, meaning the three of us were doing everything instead of specializing in separate things. my other guys are smart but i'm regretfully the most book-smart of us and it shaped up when i stopped lifting drywall and spent more time in the office and on top of stuff that i was just simply good at, and stop wasting the other guys time trying to teach myself things i wasn't good at (ahem*framing*cough). i would say being comfortable in our niches within our company (and at the same time being honest in the things we sucked at) brought our game up an entire friggin' notch.
> 
> second, being professional is how we got the biggest "WOW" factor from customers. i can't lie to a customer and tell them i'm not 25. i am. i'm a baby. but i make sure we dress clean, clean our messes, call back real friggin quick, and do everything i can to make the customer feel like they're the only one we ever had and the result was tremendous. also i go over the contracts with the customer line-by-line when signing them to make them feel comfortable, as a lot of contractors tend to shy away from contracts because they themselves don't even know what that crap means. simply put we figured out how to make a flawless and honest presentation and execute it in the same manner. it's precisely this, i believe, which has lined up our calendar with projects from customers who swore they would never hire another contractor again after getting screwed and that fact is the reason i started this whole cluster#@ck in the first place lol. do what you say and do it well.


I agree with you about not shying away from the contract, we go over every single line item with clients.

I visited your site and it looks great! Especially your about section!


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## dirt diggler (May 14, 2006)

BEST: 


1) Developing a Long-Term financial plan and patiently (still) working towards it.


WORST:

1) Attempting to grow when there was no demand for growth. I am _still_ paying for this lesson.


I'd have to say that has been the worst decision I've ever made.


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## BattleRidge (Feb 9, 2008)

Charging what I was worth, which I actually learned more off here. Just bidding for what I wanted to make.

Building a big cash reserve so I can work my business in the direction I needed to, i.e. I can get any tool I need, advertising is easier, just having the flow there is so helpful.


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## world llc (Dec 9, 2008)

dirt diggler said:


> BEST:
> 
> 
> 1) Developing a Long-Term financial plan and patiently (still) working towards it.
> ...


 what exactly do you mean by no demand for growth? not enough work?


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## willworkforbeer (Mar 7, 2009)

1. I like working
2. I hate working for other people

Edit: 3: I hate doing production work and will do any and all things to avoid such.


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## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

Sorry, I've got many keys, but I'll list a few

#1 - I made the choice of never ending _personal_ development less than a year ago. If you don't have your head on straight, you will get nowhere. 

#2 - I am in the process of making a definitive plan for my life. It clearly states what you want, when you want it, make the plan, write it down, check in daily, and then do it. This goes for both personal and business. The old saying is "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail"

#3 - Anticipate. Expect anything and everything to be possible.

#4 - Expect more from myself than anyone else would ever expect from me.

#5 - Listen to Mike Finley


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## CapeCodder (Feb 16, 2009)

*Keep working at it!*

Making a decision to keep working on and focusing on my business rather then looking for the greener grass has kept me working and in business. I try to spend more time working ON my business rather than IN my business. 

1. In process of shifting to a Capacity Based System. (Thanks Jerrald!)
2. Also shifting to a more complete project management system. (Again, Thanks to Jerrald!)
3. Refining our ongoing marketing processes with a long term goal to automate as much as possible.
4. Practicing and developing my sales practices which is a hybrid of Sandler.

My biggest mistake, was purchasing a national remodeling franchise without fully and completely understanding my marketplace. Nor did I cotton to the the ramifications of buying into the franchise.

One of my smartest moves was to jettison said franchise once I realized my mistake. :clap:


All in all the best thing I am doing is to keep my attitude on even keel and focus on what I can make happen in my micro-economy. :thumbup:


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

framerman said:


> Sorry, I've got many keys, but I'll list a few
> 
> #1 - I made the choice of never ending _personal_ development less than a year ago. If you don't have your head on straight, you will get nowhere.
> 
> ...


OK, 4 out of the 5 arent bad, and like Mike Finley, I'm not saying what one. LOL

Seriously, I didnt take my business to the next level until I was ready for it, both financially and scheduled work. After I did do it, I made the usual mistakes, hiring more guys than needed, hiring the wrong guys, not using my time efficiently. They all cost me money.

One fall, I let everyone go, so I could start with a clean slate again. Not meaning my finances and work load, but how I needed to approach dealing with "trade employees". I decided I needed to be fair but firm; not accept any BS and accept nothing less than what was required.

Being able to work within a certain customer profile, has allowed me to raise my rates and maximize profits. Advertising expenses are almost nil because referral business is always growing. As of now, I dont care to be anything more than a 3-4 person business.


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

Wolfgang said:


> Being able to work within a certain customer profile, has allowed me to raise my rates and maximize profits.


This is another one I strongly believe in. I think a light bulb will go on after a contractor commits to not trying to be all things to all people and sees what happens as a result.


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## buildpinnacle (Sep 2, 2008)

Mike Finley said:


> This is another one I strongly believe in. I think a light bulb will go on after a contractor commits to not trying to be all things to all people and sees what happens as a result.


This too was a recent thread here on CT that had mixed reviews. IMHO, these are words straight from the mouth of Zeus!


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## rbsremodeling (Nov 12, 2007)

buildpinnacle said:


> This too was a recent thread here on CT that had mixed reviews. IMHO, these are words straight from the mouth of Zeus!



I think We need to write a book


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## BMAN (Aug 21, 2006)

iMy biggest mistake, growing too fast with no plan and no help. I went from 3-4 employees to 15 in under a year and didnt hire any support staff at all. I tried to do it all from sales to books to foreman. I failed miserably. People didn't do the things that were expected of them. They stolefrom me, they stole jobs from me and etc. I fired all but the best three and started over with only my reputation in tact. 
Now cash flow is better even though I am still paying for last year. I now have a good assistant who everyone respects. My prices are higher. I took a small office so I can be "at work" and not in my basement where my wife can call me away from my desk all the time. 
We are poised for a good recovery, and slow controlled growth. The phone is ringing a lot, I have been doing 10-20 estimates per week, with less focus on getting them all, more focus on getting the ones worth getting.


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

BMAN said:


> iMy biggest mistake, growing too fast with no plan and no help. I went from 3-4 employees to 15 in under a year and didnt hire any support staff at all. I tried to do it all from sales to books to foreman. I failed miserably. People didn't do the things that were expected of them. They stolefrom me, they stole jobs from me and etc. I fired all but the best three and started over with only my reputation in tact.
> Now cash flow is better even though I am still paying for last year. I now have a good assistant who everyone respects. My prices are higher. I took a small office so I can be "at work" and not in my basement where my wife can call me away from my desk all the time.
> We are poised for a good recovery, and slow controlled growth. The phone is ringing a lot, I have been doing 10-20 estimates per week, with less focus on getting them all, more focus on getting the ones worth getting.


Your last paragraph is great. It was good for me when I could get to the point of not feeling like I had to take every job no matter what. Not only is finding the jobs most suited to you important, I found it equally important of finding the customers most suited. While the majority of my business is referral based, there are referrals I turn down. If I dont feel that I'm a good fit with the customer, I have no problem walking. No sense in setting one's self up for grief.


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## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

Advertising! Every single one of us is in the marketing business. Lets face it, if you don't know how to effectively create good quality leads for your company, you'll be sitting home without any work in most cases.

When I first started, I put out a bunch of adds with sales coupons in the local news papers, and yellow pages and waited for the phone to ring. After all the newspaper sales reps suggested coupons and I knew very little about marketing, I figured an add with some sort of incentive would generate leads just like they said. It really is amazing how these reps can be in the marketing industry, and know very little about it. 

That said the phone did ring, however a good percentage of my leads were low quality tire kickers, and price shoppers. After haggling with a potential client on an estimate, I noticed a pattern of crappy leads, and set out to learn how to change it. 

I read many books and learned about logos, creating a professional business identity, branding, call to action phrases etc... and most importantly, advertising to your ideal client. 

My ideal client is:

Middle aged 45 plus woman.
Usually married with kids.
Works in a professional industry, or their husband does.
Has a combined household salary of $250,000 or more. 
Lives in a home with a value that exceeds $750,000. 
Has a 4 year college education level or higher. 
They are value driven rather than price driven.
Most of them attend some form of church every Sunday.
They almost always vote republican.
I know the areas in which they live by zip code.

With that information above, I now target all of my marketing towards my ideal client, and business has grown because of it. I am now able to charge more for my companies services, and the size of the average project went up, which is helping my company to be more profitable in 08-09.


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## AtlRemodeling (Jan 23, 2008)

Thanks to all that have posted in this thread. There is some very useful information here and quite honestly this type of info is the main reason I joined CT to begin with. I have made some VERY poor decisions in my past and had some VERY poor outcomes.

I was unfortunately saddled with a problem from my original mentor 
(my father) who always did 98% of the work and would get defensive, belligerent or down right mad when the customer would call back about finishing the job. Still not sure why he acted in this manor. Anyway it has taken me years to get rid of that mindset. 

The biggest impact decision I have made (and it sounds simple but it was not for me) was to make client satisfaction my motivation not money. Once I did this, the repeat/referral side of my business has exploded and we are doing so much better even in this current messed up economy. I finally realized that if I take care of my clients the money will follow (if I charge enough as stated by Sparky ).


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## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

AtlRemodeling said:


> Thanks to all that have posted in this thread. There is some very useful information here and quite honestly this type of info is the main reason I joined CT to begin with. I have made some VERY poor decisions in my past and had some VERY poor outcomes.
> 
> I was unfortunately saddled with a problem from my original mentor
> (my father) who always did 98% of the work and would get defensive, belligerent or down right mad when the customer would call back about finishing the job. Still not sure why he acted in this manor. Anyway it has taken me years to get rid of that mindset.
> ...


Best thing to do is learn from the past or mistakes and not live in them. It does take awhile to get out of bad habits sometimes, especially when it's your father who taught them to you.


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## Dave Mac (Jan 30, 2006)

Wolfgang said:


> there are referrals I turn down. If I dont feel that I'm a good fit with the customer, I have no problem walking. No sense in setting one's self up for grief.


How do you make that decision? I have had uneasy feelings about customers at the estimate got the job and they turn out great. I have had great feelings about customers at first and they turned out to be a nightmare.

But all in all, in twenty years I could count the HO on one hand that were not a good fit. This does not count GC or builders, I will not work for them period.

Sounds like you run into them often?? How do you spot them. What do you say to them???

thanks
dave mac


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

Dave Mac said:


> How do you make that decision? I have had uneasy feelings about customers at the estimate got the job and they turn out great. I have had great feelings about customers at first and they turned out to be a nightmare.
> 
> But all in all, in twenty years I could count the HO on one hand that were not a good fit. This does not count GC or builders, I will not work for them period.
> 
> ...


Actually, I run into very, very few. They usually have unrealistic expectations on a variety of things. And some just come across as plain psycho. I'm very honest with them, I just tell them I dont think we would be a good fit and they should consider another contractor.

The few problems I do run into have mostly to do with insurance resto customers. They seem to think its remodel time or a good time to change colors, etc.. If they want to pay for the upgrades and additional charges out of their pockets, they sign a contract.

Just a few of the psycho types I've run into over the years:

The lady on her hands and knees smelling the carpet inch by inch to see if it smelled like paint and I would have to pay for a carpet cleaner to come in.

The guy measuring all the flutes on his trim to make sure they were all uniform....I was only doing the finish on that job.

The lawyers wife who constantly was standing behind us while we were painting the exterior reminding us her husband was a lawyer and would not pay us and sue us if we did anything wrong.

The old guy who sat by the front door and would write down anytime we took a break or had to go the the vans for something. Said he wasnt paying for us not actually working...told himit didnt matter he was paying what he signed the contract for.

The lady with the 3" diameter magnifying glass and spotlight looking for minute scratches on her oak trim.

...and a few more over the past 26 years


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## jhark123 (Aug 26, 2008)

Dave Mac said:


> How do you make that decision? I have had uneasy feelings about customers at the estimate got the job and they turn out great. I have had great feelings about customers at first and they turned out to be a nightmare.
> 
> But all in all, in twenty years I could count the HO on one hand that were not a good fit. This does not count GC or builders, I will not work for them period.
> 
> ...


What's wrong with no money up front and 90 days to get paid? :blink: I am not at the next "level" but, I think paying subs on time will be key to my success.


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## muddymen (Feb 3, 2009)

You guys keep talking about some of the great books you've read so what were they? I would have started a new thread but this still has to do with growing your business.


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

jhark123 said:


> What's wrong with no money up front and 90 days to get paid? :blink: I am not at the next "level" but, I think paying subs on time will be key to my success.


:thumbup: Gee, I guess if thats how the GC is getting paid from the HO and you agree to it... As I've posted before, I work for two GC's and GC myself. Always pay the subs on time or even when they request it. They may be having cash flow difficulties from other jobs and really appreciate it when you can help them out. Trusting anyone is a factor in taking your business to the next level.


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## Dave Mac (Jan 30, 2006)

Wolfgang

those are some good ones, some crazy's out their, good thing for sure if you can spot them. Im not good at spotting them off the bat. Thanks for the stories I go a laugh at of them.


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## Dave Mac (Jan 30, 2006)

jhark123 said:


> What's wrong with no money up front and 90 days to get paid? :blink: I am not at the next "level" but, I think paying subs on time will be key to my success.


I have worked for many GC and Builder in my day, and the headaches are not worth it. I will only work for HO, as a matter of fact this decision helped me get to the next level. 

I said nothing about waiting for money, but that is one more reason not to work for GC, why wait 90 days, when I can work for a HO and get paid upon completion?? 

dave mac


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## BusyOne (Mar 22, 2009)

Excellent thread! I have already picked up a few ideas as we are working on propelling our plumbing service business to the next level.

Our greatest asset - We genuinely care and take pride in our company. It is a reflection of us and as such, we offer excellent customer service and treat everyone of our customers with respect. It doesn't matter if they live in a modest home or a mansion, they get treated with respect and the work is completed in a professional manner.

Worst decisions - Trying to be everything to everyone. There is no way we can hire the best plumbers, offer the best service, and be the least expensive. It doesn't work - believe me, we tried. Still working on not getting offended when someone says 'I can find it cheaper.' They will get what they pay for in the long run, so we need not be so thin skinned. We cannot please everyone.

I am cursed as a professional people pleaser!

Tammy


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## deck king (Mar 29, 2009)

The key for me was to develop a business plan that was realistic. When the money started flowing, I wanted to expand onto things that "I THOUGHT" were profitable, but weren't. When I started looking into this I was always led back to my business plan which didn't include stupid mistakes, This worked for 20 years, until I thought I knew better! Since then, lost alot of work, workers, references, my business and almost my house. I will rebuild and this time my business plan will be tatooed on the back of my legs, so when I decide to stick my head up my a$$, I can read it on the way.


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