I'm sitting on a plane on the way back from a summer break at my folks house. It definitely came at a tough time regarding our work schedule, but I sort of had to make the commitment. Lots of phone calls happened, and I was sort of aggravated by a few things that were beyond my control from 3000 miles away, but I got over it. Whatever happens I still have the important things in life. My children are healthy, I have a great marriage, and I have great friends. Any problems can and will be fixed, but it's so easy for me to pay attention to fixing the problems in this business.
I'm sitting on a plane on the way back from a summer break at my folks house. It definitely came at a tough time regarding our work schedule, but I sort of had to make the commitment. Lots of phone calls happened, and I was sort of aggravated by a few things that were beyond my control from 3000 miles away, but I got over it. Whatever happens I still have the important things in life. My children are healthy, I have a great marriage, and I have great friends. Any problems can and will be fixed, but it's so easy for me to pay attention to fixing the problems in this business.
There was a lady on the plane today who has four young boys that seem pretty cool. One is pretty unforgettable because he has the coolest mohawk and he seems to act the part, but still respectful. My wife told me after we sat down that she heard the lady telling someone she's flying to move back with her parents because she just lost her husband. I know this may not exactly seem like hardwood business, but I felt like it's important that we all realize in the midst of what always seem like a mountain of problems there's almost always someone who is worse off than we are.
Even the most optimistic of us seem to occasionally gripe about "losing" jobs to another contractor. That word alone needs to be put into perspective occasionally because we didn't lose anything. Seriously if "losing" jobs means enough to any serious and tough minded contractor, then all it means is that we an opportunity to improve. We just need the right motivators instead of the plethora of detractors that turn us into complainers. Forget the per square foot pricing you read on Craigslist. Forget the fact you "lost" a job to someone who you think is an undeserving hack. That stuff is just a bunch of heavy mental saddlebags compared to your opportunities in this business.
I want to walk you all through some mental math I often use to motivate myself and see what you think. Bear with me because it's a long thought. I live within 30 minutes of 1 million potential flooring customers. I conservatively figure that 5% need a floor refinished or installed at any given month. That leaves about 50,000 potential customers. If about 70% of those people research online, then that means 35,000 people are looking for information. Beyond that, if even 1% of those researching online find me, then that means 350 potential customers. If even I somehow landed 5% of those customers, that would mean 17-18 jobs per month. That is an ENORMOUS volume of jobs for some companies, including mine. That is only 0.00175 percent of the population around me!
Now I know my example may seem a little out there, and I'm sure that someone out there may say I'm 100% crazy. No worries. I have thick skin to criticism because I'm so focused on inspiring and helping that one contractor out there who will read the blog and start totally stepping up the game on the market. Competition is good for motivated and passionate contractors. Per my last blog, I cannot currently handle the amount of phone calls we have and do all the jobs because I choose to run a small, enjoyable company. Within that is a real peace of mind that I want to share with you all because there really isn't "competition" in this business, just colleagues you ought to know to make it more fun and refer to.
Next time you want to complain or worry, then think about all the good in your life instead and how lucky we are to be in a business where people can fall in love with the services we provide. Trust me, folks, I've never had a customer pull me into their bathroom and tell me how in love they are with the way the plumber soldered the joints to the water hookups for their sink. We're lucky that we get to wake up and make people just stare speechlessly at what we gave them. Find those people, treat them right, and you'll be happy instead of pissed about what you "lost".