Craftsmanship, Production, & Business
There are two types of contractors, ones who do it for a pay check then there are ones who take pride in their work and truly understand what it takes to be a carpenter. There is a huge struggle with that though because as a new contractor you need the money to grow a business, but at the same time you rely on that quality to make your name shine. So its finding that balance of craftsmanship and production. As your reading this you might want to say, you need to do it perfect every time no matter what it takes! But sometimes you can't spend the time to go over the top on everything.
As a new contractor I found myself under bidding projects struggling to uphold a quality product. It taught me something that was very important and I didn't realize what it was until recently. Instead of me researching more on how to improve estimating or take more time to go through all the details I focused on being more efficient in producing a product. It sounds crazy but my mind works differently than most, I have since educated myself on estimating better. I continue to improve my efficiencies through experiences and being LEAN, you can learn more on LEAN by visiting my other blog.
Every struggle brings relief, it sounds odd but its true. When you want something so bad you can't see straight its the most uncomfortable feeling but at the same time its the most gratifying experience. I am constantly trying to improve everything. I love to be challenged, some guys find something they are good at and specialize there is nothing wrong with that. Also just because you may specialize doesn't mean you can't take it to the next level. Personally learning something new and mastering it is fantastic but sometimes we fail being bold. Failure is actually very beneficial it allows you to see what the limits of a material is or find out what steps are not necessary, thus making you more versatile.
In todays construction industry with technology and social media if you are not progressing or wanting to improve yourself, I foresee failure or an uphill battle. 20 years ago there were no "bulletin boards" (social media) where contractors were posting all their techniques and tips. All you had were some magazines of high end builders, on tv you had This Old House and my favorite Home Improvement haha. In all seriousness you didn't have contractors from all over the world sharing their tips and tricks like they do now. Today I can search anything materials, tools, techniques, whatever it may be starting with one small thing used for phone calls. Once called the pound key now known as hashtag #.... Thats all it takes.
Production or quality? Why not both? When starting out its almost impossible to execute quality and be productive because you are constantly learning, experience is such an important asset to being efficient. But as you move further along in your career you find out that with every job a decision has to be made, production or quality? With the right tools you can cheat a little by bringing quality at a production rate but they are expensive. Sometimes a decision has to be made to be a little more productive and not focus on quality from a business point of view. Im not saying cut corners but I am saying you don't need to be over the top with every job such as priming your cuts on baseboard, thats something I consider excess.
Quality and budget, Quality is a very broad term you can have quality and be on budget but it depends on what you are doing, example. If a shower valve is broke, budget will dictate what we will install. A retro fit valve which looks ok or the right thing to do would be tear out the whole shower and start over because if the valve is bad most likely the showers cosmetics are gonna look worn as well. This doesn't mean we cut a corner because the install was done properly but it also means we didn't leave a quality product, such as a beautiful new shower. Budget will always dictate where that quality is utilized and there is nothing wrong with that just as long as corners weren't cut.
Nowadays is a very unique time for construction. For a very long time this industry has been very "barbaric". With technology progressing the way it is contractors are now having to really step their game up. With the average age of a general contractor being 54 and most guys over 40 probably see social media and their phones as a waste of time don't understand that it is such an important asset and resource, when used properly. I say used properly because one of my favorite quotes is "One can not believe everything on the internet" - Abraham Lincoln. So tread lightly and check many resources. Two of my favorite resources are Instagram and Youtube they have really honed what and where my business is today.
Don't be afraid to try something new or innovate. Whenever I buy a tool or material I see it as a starting point and think how can I manipulate this to fit my needs better. If you need a tool that doesn't really exist or maybe it does make one anyway. Failure becomes fun because in the process you learn so much. It builds confidence if you focus on the fail and why it didn't work then see what sorta worked and build off the positives. Some of my biggest problems have gotten solved by people that have no experience in my field but because they have their own thoughts it sheds light on a solution. Now get out there and be innovative, lose the ego, try to look at things in a different way.
c
