MEASURING UP: Believing Your Own Stinking Thinking
by Monroe Porter
Throughout the year, contractors call and want to talk to me about joining our PROSULT™ networking groups or call to obtain consulting information. I try to take a few minutes and offer some free consulting over the phone. Starting with a simple statement such as “Tell me a little bit about your business†can generate some interesting conversations. I would like to share some of these conversations in the hopes that I can help you think through some of your business issues.
The 72-Year-Old Looking for Work
It was winter and things were slow. He wanted some ideas on finding work. I asked how did he get work now, and his reply was by word of mouth. He went on to tell me about some of the jobs the company did and clients he had worked for through the years. He was quite proud of his work, and I bet they were good contractors.
He loved to talk about finishes, the type of jobs he had worked on, etc. As I asked more questions, more information began to unfold. I asked about his name on trucks and job signs, and he said he didn’t want to be bothered by nuisance calls. I asked about advertising, and he said he never had to advertise before. I curiously asked about his succession plan, and he said he had hoped his son would take over the business. But the son, now a 50-year-old field painter, just did not seem interested. The more I talked, the sadder he seemed that his business would not be taken over by his son.
The moral of this story is quite simple: If you want your business to carry on after you, you have to give up control to others, try some new things, and let it evolve. If not, it will just die over time.
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