Thought I would start a new thread on this one:

What nobody here has mentioned or seems to realize is the guy making the money is NOT the guy doing the work. The same is true in almost any field.  The people who sell the products tend to make the most money.  In the building field it’s the General Contractors who sell the jobs, it’s the electician or plumber who has a crew or crews,  the more risk you take, the more money you make.  It’s also the size of your dream and your goals.  Ask yourself when was the last time you wrote down a list of goals?  When was the last time you went out and looked at stuff you couldn’t afford and tried to figure out how to afford it?  Most of us pay about 1/2 our income in taxes (add them all up, not just federal, though that’s bad enough).  Vote for those who want to decrease that burden, not the guys who want to give everyone more of your hard earned money.  If you want just to be a carpenter or a plumber or an electrician,  that’s fine, but don’t bitch about only making $20 an hour,  that is what the market will bear.  Be glad you”re in a country that doesn’t tell you what it is you have to do for a living, or maybe a place where you have to work 16 hours a day just to put food on the table.  Ever stop and think why it is that if you’re not born in this country you have 4 times greater a chance of being a millionaire than if you are born here?  America is still the shining light of the world, be grateful for what you do have, and work to make yourself better as a person, and you will be paid more. 

Almost all of the wealthy people I know, and I know many, worked their way up from nothing, and are some of the kindest, most considerate people around.  They tend to treat others with respect, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be where they are.  Contrary to popular belief, most do not have a high level of formal education, in fact, I believe that more surely than anything else, will keep you broke.  You may be broke at a slightly higher income level, but still broke.

Pretty much everyone that has ever made it to a significant level has written a book about it.  The secrets of success are only secrets because most people don’t seek the information.  A couple of books I’d recommend are “The Millionaire Next Door” and “The Millionaire Mind” by Thomas Stanley.  If you really want to know who the weathy are and how they thing and how they got where they are, these are excellent books.  I’d also highly recommend “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz, and “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.  In fact, if you look at the bookshelves of the houses of wealthy people you work for, I think you’ll find the latter three books on all of them, that should be a hint. 

 I would highly recommend you guys learn to sell.  I sell for a living now.  I had a small construction company with a partner in the mid 80’s to early 90’s, and if I had known what I know now about selling, I’m sure our sales would have been 3 to 5 X what they were.  I sometimes hire people to do stuff, and when I see how these guys sell, I am appalled.  Almost NOBODY EVER follows up on a quote.  Even the guys with good reputations whom I thought were pretty successful builders.  Half the people never show up or call back to bid the job.  Do yourselves a favor, follow up on all your quotes within 48 hours.  I suspect the people on this board are the type that are trying to better themselves by reading FH, but you really should be working on people & sales skills.  That would benefit every one of you immeasurably more in the long run.   Good luck!

What nobody here has mentioned or seems to realize is the guy making the money is NOT the guy doing the work. The same is true in almost any field.  The people who sell the products tend to make the most money.  In the building field it’s the General Contractors who sell the jobs, it’s the electician or plumber who has a crew or crews,  the more risk you take, the more money you make.  It’s also the size of your dream and your goals.  Ask yourself when was the last time you wrote down a list of goals?  When was the last time you went out and looked at stuff you couldn’t afford and tried to figure out how to afford it?  Most of us pay about 1/2 our income in taxes (add them all up, not just federal, though that’s bad enough).  Vote for those who want to decrease that burden, not the guys who want to give everyone more of your hard earned money.  If you want just to be a carpenter or a plumber or an electrician,  that’s fine, but don’t bitch about only making $20 an hour,  that is what the market will bear.  Be glad you”re in a country that doesn’t tell you what it is you have to do for a living, or maybe a place where you have to work 16 hours a day just to put food on the table.  Ever stop and think why it is that if you’re not born in this country you have 4 times greater a chance of being a millionaire than if you are born here?  America is still the shining light of the world, be grateful for what you do have, and work to make yourself better as a person, and you will be paid more. 

Almost all of the wealthy people I know, and I know many, worked their way up from nothing, and are some of the kindest, most considerate people around.  They tend to treat others with respect, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be where they are.  Contrary to popular belief, most do not have a high level of formal education, in fact, I believe that more surely than anything else, will keep you broke.  You may be broke at a slightly higher income level, but still broke.

Pretty much everyone that has ever made it to a significant level has written a book about it.  The secrets of success are only secrets because most people don’t seek the information.  A couple of books I’d recommend are “The Millionaire Next Door” and “The Millionaire Mind” by Thomas Stanley.  If you really want to know who the weathy are and how they thing and how they got where they are, these are excellent books.  I’d also highly recommend “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz, and “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.  In fact, if you look at the bookshelves of the houses of wealthy people you work for, I think you’ll find the latter three books on all of them, that should be a hint. 

 I would highly recommend you guys learn to sell.  I sell for a living now.  I had a small construction company with a partner in the mid 80’s to early 90’s, and if I had known what I know now about selling, I’m sure our sales would have been 3 to 5 X what they were.  I sometimes hire people to do stuff, and when I see how these guys sell, I am appalled.  Almost NOBODY EVER follows up on a quote.  Even the guys with good reputations whom I thought were pretty successful builders.  Half the people never show up or call back to bid the job.  Do yourselves a favor, follow up on all your quotes within 48 hours.  I suspect the people on this board are the type that are trying to better themselves by reading FH, but you really should be working on people & sales skills.  That would benefit every one of you immeasurably more in the long run.   Good luck!