Looking back on the last 2 years, I have to say that I’m pretty happy with the way things are going with the business. Ken and I are creating value for our customers and delivering a great product in a market that is, by nature, competitive. I think we’re doing well because, even though Ken and I are different in a lot of ways, we are the same where it counts: we are both professional in the way we do business and deliver our product to our customers. You know, we’ve gotten to a point in the business where we really do want to add another person to the company. Problem is, we both think it’s going to be hard to find ‘the right’ person. We really want to be able to give this person a chance to prove himself.
What the Right Person Could Accomplish
The right person could, one day, be in a position to take advantage of everything we’ve learned and the systems that have in place for marketing and sales. I haven’t really come across a lot of people in my industry who were interested in creating a life. A lot of people in the construction industry are in it for the short term. And when I say short term I mean, they wake up in the morning and check their pockets. If there is money in one of em’ they go back to bed. If their pockets are empty they get up to get a paycheck for that day or two.
Even though Ken and I work in an industry that has that kind of mentality, we are really looking for someone more like us.
At the beginning when I was learning the construction business, I was disappointed when the day was over. Every day I tried to learn something and get better at what I was doing. At night, I would take home some wood, a square and a saw and practice cutting. I wanted to do the very best job that I could. I’m still like that. I love to learn and see how much better I can do things. We want to find a guy we can take on so we can teach him what we know. Someone we can hire to do the work with me so Ken can focus more on the sales and quoting part of our business. The problem is, we won’t just hire anybody. It has to be the right person who is looking to be a part of our business long term. We want to be able to train this guy so he can have his own equipment. Train him so well that he is doing exactly what we are doing so he’ll be successful just like we are. It all depends on hiring the right person.
The Best Part of Owning Our Own Small Business
The cool thing about our small business is we work really hard. The work is physical and it’s dirty. But, in the winter (when we can’t shoot foam), I get to spend a lot of time with my son, who was born last year. I took a trip with my daughter to Mexico and Ken and I went to Las Vegas last year to a concrete conference. I wouldn’t get to do those things if we weren’t running this small business the way we are. So I am excited about where we’re headed this year and what we will be able to do if we find the right person to add to the company down the road.
Jason Roland