Ha ha! You gotta hear this. Just experienced that hiring thing Sunday. “I’ll do anything to start tomorrow “ even sleep on my dad’s porch. Be here at 7 AM tomorrow. Monday 8:15 AM, email arrives to my wife’s phone. I was sick yesterday and this morning, I won’t be able to come in as planned. I don’t have proper work clothes or the proper shoes….. “ I just want to get my life back in order and work at something I know I’ll love” so much for that 😢.
In 1999 I was a successful contractor working for successful new home builders. I decided to take a run at building some “spec homes” a year later sold personal residence, turned 2 in to rentals and moved in to 1. Not ideal, Eventually was able to get out from under that extremely expensive and hard lesson. Hope you fair better, my lesson was having almost a million of loans to build spec homes was pretty easy, everything else about it was really hard. A lesson that was permanently burned in my memory. Started a new business and career a few years later and we built it out as we had the cash and it has paid us enormously in success but it was a 15 year grind to get there. Good luck! I know you are much better capitalized than we were at 26 old when we tried to become the next Pulte!
Great story. And yes, no debt is definitely helpful. Having a partner that loves to do the work himself captures all the labor arb too. In theory… I’ll keep everyone posted!
There's a lot to unpack when you decide to become an entrepreneur like I did in 1994. Willingness to learn from bad deals and decisions, taking that brutal 5am flight, and learning patience through trusting yourself, your staff, and the Lord. Excellent post. Be well.
Because no one’s coming to save you. I live by this mantra. Great take!
“Do crackheads wake up and say I can't get high today? No, they get up and make it happen. Don't get out hustled by a crackhead"! - Unknown
Ha ha! You gotta hear this. Just experienced that hiring thing Sunday. “I’ll do anything to start tomorrow “ even sleep on my dad’s porch. Be here at 7 AM tomorrow. Monday 8:15 AM, email arrives to my wife’s phone. I was sick yesterday and this morning, I won’t be able to come in as planned. I don’t have proper work clothes or the proper shoes….. “ I just want to get my life back in order and work at something I know I’ll love” so much for that 😢.
In 1999 I was a successful contractor working for successful new home builders. I decided to take a run at building some “spec homes” a year later sold personal residence, turned 2 in to rentals and moved in to 1. Not ideal, Eventually was able to get out from under that extremely expensive and hard lesson. Hope you fair better, my lesson was having almost a million of loans to build spec homes was pretty easy, everything else about it was really hard. A lesson that was permanently burned in my memory. Started a new business and career a few years later and we built it out as we had the cash and it has paid us enormously in success but it was a 15 year grind to get there. Good luck! I know you are much better capitalized than we were at 26 old when we tried to become the next Pulte!
Great story. And yes, no debt is definitely helpful. Having a partner that loves to do the work himself captures all the labor arb too. In theory… I’ll keep everyone posted!
There's a lot to unpack when you decide to become an entrepreneur like I did in 1994. Willingness to learn from bad deals and decisions, taking that brutal 5am flight, and learning patience through trusting yourself, your staff, and the Lord. Excellent post. Be well.
I see the potential for a man cave. Love the comment about field work for Engineers!
Two things you can always control…effort and attitude. I’ll take work ethic over raw talent every day of the week. Keeping hustling, DRW!