I've been a little out of touch lately. Sort of a writer's block brought on by too much work. I know a lot of you all reading get the same level of exhaustion some days. The problem isn't so much on the physical side, but the mental side of keeping up with the demands of family, employees, and customers.
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I've been a little out of touch lately. Sort of a writer's block brought on by too much work. I know a lot of you all reading get the same level of exhaustion some days. The problem isn't so much on the physical side, but the mental side of keeping up with the demands of family, employees, and customers.
This all gets me in the direction of technical education and training our workforce, because I recently returned from helping with the NWFA school in Las Vegas. (You can see some more photos of the school here.) Trained employees reduce the burden, and I'm proud to say that we had 37 students at the school, and a lot of them were employees. I brought my longest-term employee and sidekick, Andrew, and after the school he was on cloud nine. He's happy day-to-day at work, but getting out of our town and meeting contractors from all areas of the country gave him a perspective of how big this business can be. There is a lot of potential to how far you can go and how much you can succeed, whether you're a contractor, salesperson, or manufacturer.
The school in Vegas was a fun time from what everyone else told me. I almost feel like the school could be extended to a four-day school with the amount of information that was being presented. The students on all panels seemed to really work like an army, and on the first day they built the floors in the fastest time I've ever seen in an Intermediate School. The real marathoners of the group stayed afterwards for the marketing presentation I gave. I was told by a lot of people that they were really happy with the presentation even though we were on a tight timeline. A major point of my marketing presentation is that we must consider becoming specialists and streamline our efficiency and profit if we want to be happy in this business. Here are some shots from the school:
Speaking of tight timelines, I suspect I need to go help get the kids off to school and get off the keyboard. To everyone reading, let's stay in touch and keep sharing the craft. We need more skilled help in this business and people with a generous heart. Until next time, stay prosperous.
All Things Wood Floor, created by Wood Floor Business magazine, talks to interesting wood flooring pros to share knowledge, stories and tips on everything to do with wood flooring, from installation, sanding and finishing to business management.