Hello To All, My Future Is In Your Hands

Dollabill

So this is the situation. My uncle has successfully owned and operated a fencing company, (Perimeter Fence Inc.) in the Seattle, WA area for more than 15 years, and I have worked with him for quite some time as well. Just the other day we met and he expressed a very strong interest in having me become more involved in the company, and work into a position to take it over. You see, he is getting older and for the most part he has been in the field with us all of the time. He just can't do that anymore. So here I am, and to be totally honest, I really have no idea what I'm getting myself into, or what to expect.
I have many questions for all of you to come, and hopefully soon I will have something to contribute, but for now, thank you all for having me.

Blane

Tmrrptr

Blane, you probably should keep your future in your own hands.
Your uncle seems to have confidence in you.
Pay attention and work smart!
r

joasis

Step up or step out. The only thing I would ask you is if you love the work, because if you don't, you will feel like a ball and chain has been placed on your neck. If you love it, then it is a golden opportunity to have a ready made business and a developed market, all wrapped up for you.

__________________

Ed the Roofer

"Faith Without Works Is Dead"

The meaning being, are you aready to step up and take action?

You probably have a good handle on the installation side of the business, but do you also estimate, sell, order and schedule?

These are some of the many many hats you will need to be wearing to be successful.

If your Uncle is still working in the field after 15 years, does he just have a job for himself? Or, does the business make enough money currently to pay for the principal to earn a revenue without having to work in the field along with the other help?

How many employees do you run?

Ed

woodmagman

Welcome, be prepared to start earlier and stay later then even your uncle. It will make up for all the other short coming you will have. And try to take on as much of the daily things as you can. No business owner really needs a "yes" man and no company can afford a "no" man.

Dollabill

I enjoy the business very much and I know that my future is what I make of it, but I'm sure that you guys will play a part. I also know that we are very fortunate to be offered a well developed business as apposed to starting out on our own.
The business has done well thus far and it has done so without the benefit of technology for the most part. Aside from the tax lady, computers have compleatly been out of the picture. I may be wrong, but I think that it would make things a little easier, more organized, and more profitable. My goals, as concerned with this forum, are to learn from your experience on how best to work into the business and what mistakes not to make. If you have any ideas for me please, by all means let me know. I would love to hear from you. Thanks everyone again for your time.

Blane

Dollabill

You probably have a good handle on the installation side of the business, but do you also estimate, sell, order and schedule?

I do know the installation side very well and the rest is what we are working on right now. I have always been a "people person" so I don't forsee any issues with the more developed skills listed above. So far I have done ok and I think that I will pick up on the rest fairly quickly. Like I said in the post above, we hope to include some technology into the system which will require some learning from all of us. One step at a time.

If your Uncle is still working in the field after 15 years, does he just have a job for himself? Or, does the business make enough money currently to pay for the principal to earn a revenue without having to work in the field along with the other help?

Currently the business makes enough money to pay for a crew of three and all of the overhead with a proffit. Something that I disagree with from an opperational standpoint is the kind of people that have been employed for help. They have often had drug and alchahol related problems and have never been very reliable in my book. This is something that I would like to change and I think that that change would directly reflect the income of the company, not to mention it's image. With that said, my uncle has worked in the field because it is something that he has loved and when you love something it is hard to quit. With the new plan in action, we are ramping up business that in the past has been denied due to a lack of reliable help and my uncles health. (He's not sick, just tired.) So to answer your question in fewer words, right now the business is doing fine, and the potential for it to do great is there. Now all we have to do is reach out and grab it.

Tmrrptr

DollaBill,
When you hang out a shingle, and open up shop to the general public, you not only have a duty to protect your clients, but yourself.

I really hate druggies and potheads in business.
Their performance is not predictable, at the least.

Elsewhere you shall find the thread regarding Service, Quality, and Price.
Another big word in business is Liability.

Wise, not to hire druggies and potheads.
Your liability increases exponentially.
NOT a good thing to subject your clients to.

One of our builders here has a tag line...
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits."
r