# Creating History



## hcecalaska (Apr 1, 2007)

i made a spread sheet to do exactly what is being asked in this post. it tracks the work i bid, sorts it by bidding, pending, won, and lost. it measures this against the budgets i have made for this fiscal year. the basic spread sheet took 15 min. i have been modifying it for years. one day it will be perfect.


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## jproffer (Feb 19, 2005)

It's not the making of the sheet I have a problem with. I would try (or would HAVE tried), but I'm not much on people who feel entitled or want (and expect) someone to do something for them for free.

I'll help anyone, anytime...and excel is one of the few things I actually know enough about to be more help than harm. But while I help, you learn how to maintain it and change it to your liking, and more to the point, how NOT to screw it up. I think someone has already eluded to how easy it is to mess up an ENTIRE(no exaggeration) spreadsheet by changing or really just by hitting any key in one range. Many times a whole column of formulas (I know it's formuli, but I think that's a stupid word:jester: ) are dependents of the one directly above, or dependents of many other cells. When I have done programming, when I'm done I lock the VBA console and any critical cells WITH passwords and if they want the passwords thats fine, but after that they're on their own. All warranties are voided.

Anyway, rant off, but I don't think asking a person to learn in exchange for help is too much to ask.

Sorry for venting...this one (for some reason) just really got under my skin. This is my last post here (in this thread).

OH SHEEEOT...here I go raising my post count again.:whistling

BTW the term "you" was not directed at anyone in particular...not even the OP believe it or not...just a generic "you" as in, anyone.


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## AtlanticWBConst (Mar 29, 2006)

One thing that I realize about these forums is that everyone on here, has their own 'pet peeve' or thing that just chaffs their A$$. 

I could go down a list of who hates what type of thing...
I have no problem with that, I can respect that. 

We all have a little 'Mike Holmes' in us when it comes to certain particulars or areas of the industry. (Not touting holmes)

......We all get ticked-off about something on here, or we tick someone else off....

You ever get onto a large commercial work site with a bunch of guys that all consider themselves experts in their own field....you know 'crap' is going to fly at some point....

Hey,......that's just the forums....and that's just how they are....


(I find it all a little entertaining......:w00t


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## bill r (Feb 19, 2007)

lotsa testosterone


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## concretemasonry (Dec 1, 2006)

It is a waste of time to borrow a spreadsheet and try to use if if you don't know how to really use it and modify it. You can only spoon-feed a baby so long.

If you think you need one, create you own. That is the easy part. Using it for your own needs is the hard part.

History by itself is worthless unless you can create a way to get some good out of it.


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## Dave Mac (Jan 30, 2006)

Spread sheet is extremely simple, and easy to use, it is nothing more then rows and coulmns, coulmns you decide what you want to track, rows you put in the info. It is very useful tool. If my pm didnt help let me know and i will try again, 

thanks
dave mac


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## gcajnr21 (Feb 6, 2006)

I just have to say i never wanted anything for free. I have helped people allot in my life, This is a forum to help others. give and receive info, get over it. This forum is not just a chat bull-crap forum.

jproffer,, i never got anything for free without earning it and if i do owe anyone i damn sure will make it right with them. so go screw yourself. you dont know me. I hope we MEET someday.


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## jproffer (Feb 19, 2005)

I swore I wouldn't post again on this, but this was aimed directly at me and.....



gcajnr21 said:


> I just have to say i never wanted anything for free.


Really?? So...




gcajnr21 said:


> Im sorry but for my question i was not looking for advice only a basic spreadsheet for company history.


What's this mean? Sounds to me like "don't teach me...just GIVE me"


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## Same Old (Mar 9, 2007)

Bone Saw said:


> I think you and same old really belong on gayrapevictimstalk.com you two should meet up someday so you can have a circle jerk with each other:thumbsup:


I see you're still pissed I called you a hack.


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## Wolverine-Eric (Apr 9, 2007)

gcajnr,

Many people use a program called ACT! You don't have to buy the latest version either. In fact, I would recommend trying ACT! 6.0 which is now unsupported (3 years old). Or, you could go all out and get a newer version. 

ACT! is a CRM (Customer Relationship Manager). You can enter your customers & potentials and their contact information. It has a feature called "opportunity tracking". In addition, you can put in 'alarms' that will alert you to stuff like 
- Calling people back when you promised
- Remembering key customer birthdays
- Appointments
- 'To Dos' 
and much more...

There are TONS of books for how to with ACT! 

I know this is not what you asked for. But, I'm assuming if you are smart enough to know the need to track opportunities that your next step will be to get a program like this. 

Also, Quickbooks has a Customer Manager but it does not do as much as ACT! Also, ACT! will syncronize with quickbooks. 

Last, I've heard that the latest version of ACT! sucks! 

Other CRM programs:
Goldmine

Does anyone else use a CRM?


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## Bone Saw (Feb 13, 2006)

I could really care less what you called me Same old, However I do care that this forum is a welcome place for contractors to mingle, as opposed to a place for a couple of insecure choad smokers mucking it up:thumbsup:


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## Same Old (Mar 9, 2007)

You care so little you put it in your signature?
:thumbup:


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## gcajnr21 (Feb 6, 2006)

Wolverine-Eric: Sweet dude im defiantly going to check that out thanks for the info, and NO BULLSH%T.


jproffer: Sorry man- its okay to stand up for yourself, dont feel BAD. Just stop Assuming. Ask Questions without the remarks!


Bone Saw: I just dont know what to say or think about you, maybe........Dirty Taint???? A taint is described as the area between the penis/vagina and the anus. Yeah thats IT!!


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## Mud Master (Feb 26, 2007)

WOW...

WOW...

WOW...



That is all I gotta say.


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## TridentOps (Feb 16, 2007)

*This coming from*



gcajnr21 said:


> Wolverine-Eric: Sweet dude im defiantly going to check that out thanks for the info, and NO BULLSH%T.
> 
> 
> jproffer: Sorry man- its okay to stand up for yourself, dont feel BAD. Just stop Assuming. Ask Questions without the remarks!
> ...



Someone who cant figure out the most basic of basic software packages? 

Wow. 

I guess 'think different' means not at all...


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## gcajnr21 (Feb 6, 2006)

I wrote code when i was 3yrs old so leave me alone!


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## macmikeman (Sep 12, 2005)

Excel is great. Filemaker, which is not a spreadsheet at all, is greater. Create any type of thingamajic you want, if you get yourself over the learning hump and have a bit of time. Make your own ACT or whatever. You can make the interface up yourself, and track anything you can dream up.


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## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

Wolverine-Eric said:


> gcajnr,
> 
> Many people use a program called ACT! You don't have to buy the latest version either. In fact, I would recommend trying ACT! 6.0 which is now unsupported (3 years old). Or, you could go all out and get a newer version.
> 
> ...


Anyone have a link to this program so I can check it out?


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## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

during the past winter I decided I was going the excel route..... I tried my best & some guys here made me some simple workbooks, ty you know who you are. (btw I was polite) eventually I realized what a supertool excel is... considered a community college course.... but didn't really want to attend. I called the teacher in the course directory, fig what the hell. she had some students build what I was looking for.... so I sent them gift certificates for a few local restaurant.... yeah that's cheap, custom work for $200..... everybodies happy, especially me!!!!!!!!


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## dirt diggler (May 14, 2006)

woodmagman said:


> I am sorry to hear about your mental challenges. I wish you well in business with this condition.


:laughing::laughing:

that's so something idda said


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## CogentRES (Apr 2, 2005)

gcajnr21 said:


> Guess know-one cares about their business history as much as i.





This is dripping with irony. If YOU care so much, why are you trying to get take shortcuts instead learning as much as you can about the business YOU cherish?


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## gcajnr21 (Feb 6, 2006)

CogentRES said:


> This is dripping with irony. If YOU care so much, why are you trying to get take shortcuts instead learning as much as you can about the business YOU cherish?


This one is real Funny because what you just said BEATS all the iron out of anything i could ever say!!!!

So getting on this internet would be a shortcut!
Asking any ? would be a shortcut!

So learning is a Shortcut?

Little advise to YOU is you will never get wealthy fast by working hard and not smart. Go ahead and never take shortcuts and see how far you get!!!!


This Forum Was Designed To Help People. Not, Dude Learn it on your Own like i did, the hard way!!! Everyone has learned their share of hard ways. Give me a Break!! We all need help in our weakness. So we come to Contractor talk and get Help, not criticism! 

You cant talk if you have ever received free advice on these Boards!!!


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

Troy - the message is you can't hand somebody a spread sheet to accomplish what you requested. See post #9 for why. 

If you have been writing code since you were 3 years old how in the world can you not have the ability to figure out Excel? It should be child's play compared to what you have done in the past.


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## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

actually, I've just asked for spreadsheets here.
1 guy emailed his & another built me one..... it nice free & easy. but when I realized you can use excel to kick some real ass. I had them built for me locally.

btw mine isn't as pretty as finleys yet, just wait until this winter though!!!!!


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## gcajnr21 (Feb 6, 2006)

I was joking on the writing Code, ha ha It was an inside joke!


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## jproffer (Feb 19, 2005)

Funny thing about inside jokes...

You have to tell 'em to the people who are "on the inside" or you just sound like a retard. (your word, not mine)



> Im kinda retarded when it comes to creating spreadsheets, i need help.


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

After reading the original post on this thread I kept skipping it because I know nothing of Excel or Spreadsheets, but now I see that I have been missing the name calling and vulgarity and i feel some what cheated. I miss all the good stuff around here ..........


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

jproffer said:


> Funny thing about inside jokes...
> 
> You have to tell 'em to the people who are "on the inside" or you just sound like a retard. (your word, not mine)


Exactly. I think it was an inside joke between himself and his Iphone.:laughing:


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## ultimatetouch (May 27, 2006)

Come on guys one simple spread sheet for a take off. He could still tweek it himself. I have problem with spread sheets..those little boxes make me dizzy.
I have a couple of sread sheet set up but I am looking to set it up a little neater. The tracking for lead sources and spread sheets is confusing to me to.


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## jproffer (Feb 19, 2005)

> Come on guys one simple spread sheet for a take off. He could still tweek it himself.


Of course there are alot of people on this site that could (and maybe would have) made him a good, solid START. But that's not what he wants. He wants a spreadsheet that's ready to go FOR HIM. He said himself (more or less) "I don't want advice, I want a spreadsheet". Well even if we made him a basic SS to start with, he would still have to take the advice to get it the way he wants it, which he won't.

Then throw into the mix, his attitude and then ask yourself:

"Am I going to spend several hours making a SS for him just so he can go into it the first time (knowing nothing about spreadsheets, as he said himself), change ONE thing or delete ONE small thing and mess it all up. All so he can come back and complain that it don't work?"

Doesn't take a lot of thought to come up with a big "F**K NO" on that one.

On the other hand....if he's got the money, I've got the time:thumbupI'm thinking of a number....and that number is a quite reasonable $75 per hour....uhh..upfront...not that I don't trust the upstanding fella)


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## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

Troy, I realize this is a somewhat old thread and I'm the new guy on the forum but I hope this will be helpful anyway. After reading the blogs in this thread and laghing my ass off this may seem a little ordinary.
The reality is while excel spread sheets are a great tool, you dont need one to find the answer to your original question. 
You will how ever need enough existing paper work, or memory, to take a short look back on what you,ve done so you can see where your headed. 
What we are really about to do is what takes place when you do annual buisness planning and maybe you should consider taking a course in it. I to am not highly buisness savvy, hate the term "retarded", and takng a BP course was the best eye opener I could have done for my buisness. 
This may seem like the long way to do this but the long and hard way is almost always the best teacher.
You need to start with the end in mind while being realistic and awware of past performance. Lets make some assumtions. Say you did $1,000,000 woth of work last year and you did that by completing 100 jobs, thats an average job size of 10,000. Now you must have some record, even the carbons from a call in pad, to determine how many estimates you did. Take the qty of estimates given and comapre that to how many jobs you did. Say you did 300 quotes and you got 100 jobs, your selling at around 33%. *Be carful here. if you get some of your jobs via repeat clients that let you just go to work, these you cant count either in the closed sales or the revenue when your trying to see a trend and project a plan for future buisness growth. *
Now you can determine, say, you want to do 1,200,000 next year. If your avrage job is 10,000 then you need to do 120 jobs so now you need to make 360 sales calls closing at the same rate of 1 out of 3.
If you have sales people this is the way you establish a sales matrix for them. They and you must have these targets established so the goals can be met.
There are still alot of other considerations, like profit and overhead so you can determine what the correct selling price is for you so you can grow your buisness, but its a start.
As a direct point to the question, I do have such a spread sheet and needed an excel geek to help create it and i dont mind sharing but with out the info at hand i just bloged about the sheet is worthless. If you dont have past data do you at least have this years? Theres no bad time to start colecting data and putting it to work.


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