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My method of maintaining motivation and enthusiasm over the long haul has been three things
1. reinvent the focus of my contracting pursuits several times to something new and exciting
2. taking large blocks of time off to pursue other entrepreneurial interests
3. having other sources of income so I do not have the pressure of making a paycheck
Background
I have been a very entrepreneurial business owner for over 32 years. All of that time contracting was a large or small part of it depending on what blew my hair back at the time.
NY does not license contractors on the state wide level. A few but not many jurisdictions license electricians, plumbers or both but they are few and far between. This has given me the freedom to offer and pursue whatever projects I wanted to understanding many other states are different.
The trades were learned by working on my own rental properties, house flips and light commercial properties. My family is very entrepreneurial so I was taught how to make money in a wide variety of LEGAL ways.
My local towns are all very rural where all contractors are multi-trade GC types because you had to be to survive. I now serve a wide area with numerous major metro areas where single trade contractors are common.
For many years when I was a small town GC, I had never met a single trade contractor. We all did it all. I know that pisses some members off here but that is how it is where I am from. I do not understand the hostility about multi-trade contractors so I just ignore it.
Our winter weather SUUUUUUCKS in NY. It is a huge factor at least for us.
Exterior remodeling period - My first several years I focused on exterior remodeling including siding roofing gutters decks window replacements
What I liked - Large easy fast sales, never a lack of work, very noticeable dramatic highly satisfying improvements and excited customers. Siding was hot and everybody wanted siding, decks and windows in my market. It was red hot at the time and sales were so easy.
Why I phased away from it - Tired of filthy demolition, disposal, repetitive installation of same low variety materials, hauling and moving heavy, bulky equipment and going up and down ladders and being high off the ground all the time. Irritated by drama of larger crews and cold, rainy, chitty weather and always working on older homes as a REPLACEMENT CONTRACTOR of OLD MATERIALS. Crooked azz homes and finessing, furring and removing and replacing rot.
Interior remodeling period - I started enjoying interior remodeling with a smaller crew more than exterior remodels. I enjoyed the design aspects of these projects, the multi-trade do something different variety every day feature of the projects, the lighter equipment requirements, being on or near the ground most of the time.
Why I phased away from it - Tired of demolition, disposal, living with customers using the work space during the projects, longer sales and design cycles and tired of the variety and all of the endless number of tools and very small orders of numerous materials and special order tedium. always working on older homes as a REPLACEMENT CONTRACTOR of OLD MATERIALS. Crooked azz homes and finessing, furring and removing and replacing rot.
New construction period - additions, sunrooms, porches, garages, decks and pole barns became the focus as long as it was new construction not renovation.
What I liked about it - Minimal demolition and disposal, New construction. No more crooked azz old rotting chitty homes with accumulations of bushes and crap to work around. Not having to work around customers in the space. Variety of day. Pieces of other trades we are good at. Virtually every trade variety over the project life.
Why I phased away - I had enough opportunity to be a very choosy and I liked the four projects below the best
Narrow focus period - Decks, Pole Barns, Bathrooms, Basements
What I liked - My favorite four
Why I phased away - To simplify my life even more. Growing family and wanting to be home more had me TRACK AVERAGE SALE. HUGE IMPACT HERE. The bigger my average sale the more time I could be home not worried.
Extreme focus period - Pole Barns Only
Why - Fast, simple, high average sale, easy to increase or decrease as interests change (for us), easy to train crews, extremely high level of enthusiasm, satisfaction and demand of customer base.
Vertical integration phase - Started truss plant, buying lumber and steel wholesale, selling pole barn building material kits and plans.
I have reinvented our contracting efforts many times to suit our current interests. I was extremely bored once and took three years off, short story below. Will I get bored again? Probably, but I already have new goals set once I want to start moving on.
Now that I have more staff, momentum and resources in place and do less of the onsite work and management, I may reenter some of the past trades we used to do more of depending on what crews or subs I can build out and what management is available in my markets.
2. Taking off large blocks of time. - During the largest block of time to help a friend grow his retail furniture business, I left after a million dollar sales increase over four months for a top ten retailer in the country, set several sales records, became the trainer, wrote a training book on best proven sales and sales management practices and became a consultant and flew around the country over a period of three years to train sales trainers, sales managers and owners.
I am currently working on building custom sofas and recliners in 7 days or less as a hobby business which I am having a blast with.
3. Other income - I have always had rental property and flip houses on occasion for the fun and profit of it. I have also developed or redeveloped small properties to a different better use. I have owned a satellite TV and satellite internet business, a photo studio, two motels, a trailer park and a few other short term projects.
I could not do the same thing without variety for long. The key has always been the reliable ability to get a source of income off the ground quickly with sales and marketing skills.
I am currently very stoked about our
1. developing our truss plant as a stand alone profitable business
2. pole barn building kit sales business as a stand alone profitable business
3. developing an office farther south for winter months and warmer weather
4. excavation site work business as a growing contributor to profits
5. concrete business as a growing contributor to profits
6. growing our garage door business beyond our in house pole barns
7. interior construction of our pole barn projects for more complex projects
8. working with more subs to do more projects in a shorter time frame
9. continuing vertical integration and growth of manufacturing capabilities
If I was not stoked I would be looking into some changes. Changing goals keeps me enthused. Genuine enthusiasm is my required fuel. I am unhappy without it.
My most recent goal was to develop an absolutely fanatical number of leads so I could be very choosy what I wanted to do and I would never have to worry. We are currently seeking a solution to capitalizing on too much opportunity than we can ever process.
I hope this thread invigorates at least a few of you that mentioned motivation as an issue. Burnout and boredom completely sucks the life out of me. I CAN NOT GO THERE EVER AGAIN.
I take at least 12 weeks off per year and rarely work more than 40 hours a week so I can teach my daughter tennis (county champ 1986) and ride my motorcycle, boat, ski, hike, visit with mom and dad and snuggle with the bride.
1. reinvent the focus of my contracting pursuits several times to something new and exciting
2. taking large blocks of time off to pursue other entrepreneurial interests
3. having other sources of income so I do not have the pressure of making a paycheck
Background
I have been a very entrepreneurial business owner for over 32 years. All of that time contracting was a large or small part of it depending on what blew my hair back at the time.
NY does not license contractors on the state wide level. A few but not many jurisdictions license electricians, plumbers or both but they are few and far between. This has given me the freedom to offer and pursue whatever projects I wanted to understanding many other states are different.
The trades were learned by working on my own rental properties, house flips and light commercial properties. My family is very entrepreneurial so I was taught how to make money in a wide variety of LEGAL ways.
My local towns are all very rural where all contractors are multi-trade GC types because you had to be to survive. I now serve a wide area with numerous major metro areas where single trade contractors are common.
For many years when I was a small town GC, I had never met a single trade contractor. We all did it all. I know that pisses some members off here but that is how it is where I am from. I do not understand the hostility about multi-trade contractors so I just ignore it.
Our winter weather SUUUUUUCKS in NY. It is a huge factor at least for us.
Exterior remodeling period - My first several years I focused on exterior remodeling including siding roofing gutters decks window replacements
What I liked - Large easy fast sales, never a lack of work, very noticeable dramatic highly satisfying improvements and excited customers. Siding was hot and everybody wanted siding, decks and windows in my market. It was red hot at the time and sales were so easy.
Why I phased away from it - Tired of filthy demolition, disposal, repetitive installation of same low variety materials, hauling and moving heavy, bulky equipment and going up and down ladders and being high off the ground all the time. Irritated by drama of larger crews and cold, rainy, chitty weather and always working on older homes as a REPLACEMENT CONTRACTOR of OLD MATERIALS. Crooked azz homes and finessing, furring and removing and replacing rot.
Interior remodeling period - I started enjoying interior remodeling with a smaller crew more than exterior remodels. I enjoyed the design aspects of these projects, the multi-trade do something different variety every day feature of the projects, the lighter equipment requirements, being on or near the ground most of the time.
Why I phased away from it - Tired of demolition, disposal, living with customers using the work space during the projects, longer sales and design cycles and tired of the variety and all of the endless number of tools and very small orders of numerous materials and special order tedium. always working on older homes as a REPLACEMENT CONTRACTOR of OLD MATERIALS. Crooked azz homes and finessing, furring and removing and replacing rot.
New construction period - additions, sunrooms, porches, garages, decks and pole barns became the focus as long as it was new construction not renovation.
What I liked about it - Minimal demolition and disposal, New construction. No more crooked azz old rotting chitty homes with accumulations of bushes and crap to work around. Not having to work around customers in the space. Variety of day. Pieces of other trades we are good at. Virtually every trade variety over the project life.
Why I phased away - I had enough opportunity to be a very choosy and I liked the four projects below the best
Narrow focus period - Decks, Pole Barns, Bathrooms, Basements
What I liked - My favorite four
Why I phased away - To simplify my life even more. Growing family and wanting to be home more had me TRACK AVERAGE SALE. HUGE IMPACT HERE. The bigger my average sale the more time I could be home not worried.
Extreme focus period - Pole Barns Only
Why - Fast, simple, high average sale, easy to increase or decrease as interests change (for us), easy to train crews, extremely high level of enthusiasm, satisfaction and demand of customer base.
Vertical integration phase - Started truss plant, buying lumber and steel wholesale, selling pole barn building material kits and plans.
I have reinvented our contracting efforts many times to suit our current interests. I was extremely bored once and took three years off, short story below. Will I get bored again? Probably, but I already have new goals set once I want to start moving on.
Now that I have more staff, momentum and resources in place and do less of the onsite work and management, I may reenter some of the past trades we used to do more of depending on what crews or subs I can build out and what management is available in my markets.
2. Taking off large blocks of time. - During the largest block of time to help a friend grow his retail furniture business, I left after a million dollar sales increase over four months for a top ten retailer in the country, set several sales records, became the trainer, wrote a training book on best proven sales and sales management practices and became a consultant and flew around the country over a period of three years to train sales trainers, sales managers and owners.
I am currently working on building custom sofas and recliners in 7 days or less as a hobby business which I am having a blast with.
3. Other income - I have always had rental property and flip houses on occasion for the fun and profit of it. I have also developed or redeveloped small properties to a different better use. I have owned a satellite TV and satellite internet business, a photo studio, two motels, a trailer park and a few other short term projects.
I could not do the same thing without variety for long. The key has always been the reliable ability to get a source of income off the ground quickly with sales and marketing skills.
I am currently very stoked about our
1. developing our truss plant as a stand alone profitable business
2. pole barn building kit sales business as a stand alone profitable business
3. developing an office farther south for winter months and warmer weather
4. excavation site work business as a growing contributor to profits
5. concrete business as a growing contributor to profits
6. growing our garage door business beyond our in house pole barns
7. interior construction of our pole barn projects for more complex projects
8. working with more subs to do more projects in a shorter time frame
9. continuing vertical integration and growth of manufacturing capabilities
If I was not stoked I would be looking into some changes. Changing goals keeps me enthused. Genuine enthusiasm is my required fuel. I am unhappy without it.
My most recent goal was to develop an absolutely fanatical number of leads so I could be very choosy what I wanted to do and I would never have to worry. We are currently seeking a solution to capitalizing on too much opportunity than we can ever process.
I hope this thread invigorates at least a few of you that mentioned motivation as an issue. Burnout and boredom completely sucks the life out of me. I CAN NOT GO THERE EVER AGAIN.
I take at least 12 weeks off per year and rarely work more than 40 hours a week so I can teach my daughter tennis (county champ 1986) and ride my motorcycle, boat, ski, hike, visit with mom and dad and snuggle with the bride.