Friends~
What is that “one piece of advice” that you wish you had known 20 yrs ago when you were starting out? I believe experience is the best teacher, and anything you have to offer, I would gladly and humbly accept. What is that one thing that has revolutionized the way you do build/do business?etc.?
thanks guys
stephen
Replies
Don't be afraid to lose business because of price.
or put another way, don't be afraid of charging what you're worth.
That's also a great point. The easiest way to make more money is to simply ask for it.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
How to say "No".
Bill
It may sound stupid, old, whatever, but after 31 yrs I always hold to:
THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!!!
Even today this holds true. As a finish carpenter I have to answer to a lead man. I have a boss, the owner of the company, the guy who signs my cheque. I have the project trouble-shooter, the project manager, the developer's punch list guy, and the developer.
But: ultimately...the one who comes to the house each day..says this is wrong, that's wrong, could you change this...the owner..the one spending 2.5 mil....THEY ARE RIGHT...it's their bucks.
And on the last home I got a call from my boss as i was , for the 3rd time, trying to fix a problem, telling me that the customer was very impressed by my work, how she was treated, and how I conducted my self.
Made my day....and proved my point.
It doesn't matter if they are right or wrong.
'cause they are always "right".
It is their "baby".
Peace
So far away...
...Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore...
Carole King
1. Use the right tool for the job, and spend the money for good ones that you can rely on.
2. Know your role and shut your hole.
3. Listen to everyone you come in contact with on the job. Almost everytime you can learn something from every one.
Your right arm won't last forever.
Joe H
If you're a Lefty, ignore this post.
LOL, I'm left handed.
My first rocking partner (an old French Canadian) first tip was "practice nailing with your right, you never know when you might lose your left". Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
I would have gotten a degree in engineering and become a PE. PEs are doing very well in Florida over the past few years.
Mike
mike~
What are PEs please?
stephen
What are PEs please?
Professional Engineers.
Or Portly Englishmen.
Not sure which.
Professional exterminators.
That makes more sense. I didn't know what portly englishmen would be doing in FL anyway. Exterminators I can understand.
What are PEs please?
PE = (licensed) Professional Engineer, usually a graduate of Mechanical or Civil Engineering, with some soils/geotech types in the mix, varying by State, and construction practice.
A PE is "allowed" by many jurisdictions to "wet stamp" (apply their inked certifcation seal with name & license number) plans to varying degrees & applications & liabilities.
It can mean being able to work indoors rather than out--which can be a real boon after a few decades of wearing one's bones & joints out.
For whatever reason, PE seems to be a slightly more respected title than Registered Architect.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Not really the "one" piece of advice but it's tailored for you:
Every significant construction management problem can be solved with time or money - often both are required.
my short list as i tend to preach alot
gather a comand of english.... something i wish i had... with the right words even if you don't know squat you could be the only one that knows it...
balance... the center is usually the best place to be but know that sometimes it's required that you get the short end... nothing is 50/50 try not to keep score...
money... learn all about it... learn the words that go with it and how they apply, so very few of us understand it... to this day I work on MIP (money in pocket) ie: at the end of the deal will i have more or less...
p
Most customers lie.
Cash is king in most business transactions.
Gunner isn't a fairy, he just looks like that.
DanT
That the French foreign legion will take people up to 40 years old. You can use anything to negotiate for nookie, not just cash and houses. And that DanT is great in the sack.
I have no tagline.
http://www.hay98.com/
Edited 10/29/2006 8:53 pm ET by Gunner
French foreign legion, I thought penicillin cured that.
Nothing cures that.
It just cheesed me off when I found out the real facts about the legion. I might not have made it through selection but it would have been nice to know I could try.
My parents were such liars man.
I have no tagline.
http://www.hay98.com/
Edited 10/29/2006 11:02 pm ET by Gunner
The main thing I emphasise to young carps is to learn how to learn. Develop methods of finding out how to do something, how to fix a problem, or how to improve what you already know. Start a library and organized sytem of folders early.
This could be networking with experienced carps, BT/FHB, JLC, other magazines, how to books, reffernce books, books in general, building inspectors, lumber yards, specialty suppliers, subs, voc ed schools and whatnot.
The days are gone when the best carps have to simply work for someone more experienced and spend 10-20 years learning everything on the job. For a sharp kid, there isn't any reason they can't be building basic residential houses by himself in 5 years of hard work and careful learning.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
"The main thing I emphasise to young carps is to learn how to learn."Nice.
The single most important thing I wish I had known when I first started out..
Time is the most valuable thing in the world. Each persons time is limited and becomes more limited everyday. Make sure you charge for yours And make sure you save time for the things that matter most Like your family, having fun, introspection and retrospection.
Oh yeah, check your direction once in awhile too.....
"The main thing I emphasise to young carps is to learn how to learn. Develop methods of finding out how to do something, how to fix a problem, or how to improve what you already know. Start a library and organized sytem of folders early. "
Couldn't agree more. I'd never dare call myself a carpenter but was forced to learn some skills when my father died while he was helping me renovate my house & shorty thereafter Hurricane Charley did some evil renovating of his own.
I read books, asked questions, made some friends at the lumber yard & learned the importance of good tools. When I did it wrong I learned the right way & re-did it. I hired someone to install my first exterior door, bribed them with food & asked them to teach me how. They did & I was able to do the next door on my own. With each thing I get brave enough to tackle I learn more & am one step closer to having a house I can be proud of.
BTW I really thought that beer was proof God loves us & wants us to be happy :-)
Bobbi
That I should have become a teacher.
That it's easier to ride the horse in the direction it's going
That I'm worth every cent that all those other guys are...and more.
That you make more money pushing a pencil than swinging a hammer.
That I'm glad I don't push a pencil.
Think it through first, complete the job before you even start. Live backwards.
It's ok to be wrong.
It's important to be wrong and screw up, otherwise I don't learn anything.
The sun will rise yet again tomorrow, and there will be grass to grow and cover.
Woulda-coulda-shoulda...
jer,
Not my thought's, or an exact quote but I read it on some one's tag line and it kind of stuck with me:
When you get knocked down, stay there a while and figure what went wrong.
Over all---- I would say Idaho Don has nailed it !
2 additional things
a)--- your customers can be your very best salesman
b)-------Have a vision of the person you want to be. Keep that vision in mind and use it to evaluate your choices and efforts along the way--------" does this bring me closer to the person I want to be?---or does it take me farther away?"----------- Even if temporary circumstances find you workin at projects that you can't see as bringing you closer----FIND some small way. Perhaps you see yourself as a fine woodworker-----but find yourself taping and mudding walls this week----- promise yourself that on payday friday you are gonna take $50 and buy that book on cabinet making------- make an effort to strike up a conversation with the guy building stairs down on the first floor---search out that opportunity.
the only person who can prevent you from being who you want to be---is YOU.
Best wishes,
Stephen
The best piece of advice so far is from IdahoDon.
This maybe won't make the #2 spot, but I think maybe somewhere in the top ten:
When I was young, I thought I was going to lose strength as I aged. That did happen, but the things that have deteriorated faster than my muscles are my eyes and my brain.
Figure that some day you'll need glasses to read a tape measure. Get in the habit of always wearing safety glasses now, and it won't come as such a big change.
The really big one is the loss of short term memory. Forty years ago, I could have a couple benches piled high with stuff, and always know exactly where everything was. Now I can put down a pair of pliers, and 30 seconds later I can't find them again. Nothing p****s me off more than blowing half an hour looking for something I was just using.
I'm not sure this'll solve the problem, and I don't have another lifetime to try it out. But it can't hurt to develop an orderly way of doing stuff, and to put away the tools for one job before you start another. Of course I won't live long enough to find out if that worked for you. But if it does, pass it along to the new guys when you're as old as I am. They're the ones who really need to know..... ;-)
-- J.S.
Well, 30 years ago: Invest in MicroSoft and Intel.