Today’s column is #500. I’ve been writing a column a week for REMODELING for 10 years. Amazing how fast the time has gone!
Sal Alfano, editor of REMODELING at the time, encouraged me to start blogging. It took a while, but eventually I did. Having written columns for all three remodeling industry print magazines at the time, beginning in the early ’90s, the concept of writing a weekly blog seemed a reach. Well, here we are.
What are some of the lessons I’ve learned from writing over these many years? What are some recurring themes that translate into good advice for a business owner?
Talk Less, Listen More
Many business owners have a tendency to talk a lot. I know I did early in the life of our business. Instead of telling, try asking questions. And then ask clarifying questions.
Your employees and clients like that, as they want to feel heard.
Keep in mind that saying the same thing over and over drives anyone you are talking to crazy. Say it once and then ask questions to get ownership of the concept from whom you are attempting to communicate with.
The Most Foreign Ideas Are Often the Most Useful
The remodeling business, like pretty much everything, has change a lot in 10 years. Who would have thought field people would be using electronic devices to document and communicate information? Remember fax machines?
When a new way of doing things comes along, consider the pluses and minuses of embracing it. Think about it for a while. Talk with other remodeling business owners. See what they think of the idea. More likely than not, ultimately you will think it is good. Don’t wait too long. Your business will suffer if you do.
Look for Lessons Everywhere
Regular readers of my columns know that I write about many different things, not just the remodeling business. I see lessons everywhere.
Service businesses and your interactions with them can teach you so much about how to have an exceptional remodeling company. Why? Your company sells an experience that almost incidentally produces a product. Therefore, how your employees and you interact with clients, trade contractors, and vendors can have a big impact on how successful your company becomes.
Keep that in mind the next time your are making a major purchase or simply ordering a cup of coffee. There’s a lot to learn if you are paying attention.
Learn How to Let Go of Things
Not everything goes the way you want it to. The potential client who you thought was sure to sign the construction contract changes their mind. Your rock star employee gets married and then the lovely couple decides to live where the spouse’s family is. You finally have mastered a piece of design software only to find out that the company has merged with another company and the software you are now great at will no longer be updated. And on and on.
Let go of what you can’t control. The more attached to the situation you are, the more your frustration will screw up whatever you are trying to do.
Change is the only thing you can count on. Easy to say, hard to truly accept.
Have a Goal and Use It as a Point of Reference
The power of knowing what you want to achieve personally and professionally is amazing. The most successful businesspeople have a date by when they want to have achieved a list of things.
The lists vary. Amount of wealth, recreational activities of all sorts, contributions to the community—and on and on. Make your list. Put dates-by-when on the different items. Use the list as a point of reference when making decisions in the present. Be amazed by what you accomplish.
Thanks to those of you who have read and continue to read what I write. Look forward to more columns as the weeks pass.
May you find the future bringing you even more success as you look for the lessons you can learn by simply paying attention.
Look forward to my new book, “The Remodeling Life: A Journey from Laggard to Leader.” The book is based on my decades of experience working in the remodeling industry as a company co-owner, writer, consultant, and speaker. It will be available online as a print book and an e-book soon!