Sorry I've been out of touch for a little while, folks. It was a really laid-back holiday season and I spent that time enjoying the family as well as wrapping up a couple of flooring projects. I enjoy the holidays and I really enjoy the beginning of a new year. Culturally we tend to embrace and encourage new starts and planning for the year ahead. I thought I would offer some thoughts for anyone in the middle of their planning that might help.1) Make your company exactly what you want. There seems to be a convention that bigger is better, or that if you don't do all the work yourself that you're selling out the quality of your work. If you feel like you have too many employees or if you're burned out doing all the work yourself, then adjust accordingly this year. If you currently have four employees and feel like all you spend your day doing is bidding or cutting prices to keep them employed, then why not drop down to two employees and start relaxing? This is your business and you make the rules. If you're tired of working for remodelers or installing bamboo, then stop doing it. I'm certain that most companies that will thrive going forward are going to focus on being better within a niche market rather than expanding service offerings into markets that are not their specialty. The Internet has made quality of service more and more transparent, and being a specialist in a profitable segment of the market will make good service a turnkey process.
Sorry I've been out of touch for a little while, folks. It was a really laid-back holiday season and I spent that time enjoying the family as well as wrapping up a couple of flooring projects. I enjoy the holidays and I really enjoy the beginning of a new year. Culturally we tend to embrace and encourage new starts and planning for the year ahead. I thought I would offer some thoughts for anyone in the middle of their planning that might help.1) Make your company exactly what you want. There seems to be a convention that bigger is better, or that if you don't do all the work yourself that you're selling out the quality of your work. If you feel like you have too many employees or if you're burned out doing all the work yourself, then adjust accordingly this year. If you currently have four employees and feel like all you spend your day doing is bidding or cutting prices to keep them employed, then why not drop down to two employees and start relaxing? This is your business and you make the rules. If you're tired of working for remodelers or installing bamboo, then stop doing it. I'm certain that most companies that will thrive going forward are going to focus on being better within a niche market rather than expanding service offerings into markets that are not their specialty. The Internet has made quality of service more and more transparent, and being a specialist in a profitable segment of the market will make good service a turnkey process.
2) Make your health a priority. Whether it's mental or physical health, I would make it priority No. 1 this year. The demands of business have never been more difficult regarding taxes, homeowner expectations, and costs to run a business. Couple this with all of the electronic noise coming our way through e-mail, social media, etc., and I almost admire the people who live completely off the grid. To stay ahead of all these things and keep a strong confident business, nothing is more important than keeping yourself mental and physically healthy. It doesn't mean a big overhaul, just start small by making one meal of the day more healthy (if don't eat that great currently). Another hidden change for the good is to quit watching the news too much. Politics, death, and fear generate ratings for media companies but are a distraction if you have a company to run.
3) Video is going to be huge this year. With Roku, AppleTV, etc., video searching on a TV is here, and I encourage you to get a presence. You can't reach through and touch stuff through a computer screen, but you can get a good idea of a person and their personality watching a video a lot better than reading stuff. I would have probably made this a video post, but I have a Rudolph-sized zit on my nose right now that wouldn't help my on-screen presence. Maybe next week… Don't overcomplicate things if you do make a video, because people are interested in real, not polished. I've seen all sorts of manicured videos for other companies done by Yellow Pages that just show sanders going back and forth. This still doesn't offer a window into what kind of a good person you are. Just pretend that you are explaining a project like the guys on This Old House. Even if you don't have a website, you can set up a YouTube channel in about three minutes with a Google e-mail account.
Just two weeks into 2012, I can tell you that business is going to improve around my area based on the phone calls and how early people are planning projects. I really hope that is the case nationwide, because I really do care about all the people who take the time to read the blogs at Hardwood Floors. I also want everyone who reads this post to have an advantage over the competition if they are interested in improving their business. Even though calls are up, the number of lowballers seems to also be up, so give yourself an edge this year with whatever it takes.
