Happy New Year!  And good riddance to 2008.

With the new year comes Hope, in many forms.  Our new president ran his campaign on the theme of Hope, and I do think he will bring that to us all, regardless of political ideology.  The most tangible outcome of this initial hope in the Obama administration will be the much ballyhooed and currently undefined Economic Stimulus Plan.  Other than “Roads and Bridges” not much else is known about what will be in the plan as of yet, but you can be sure that it will be huge.

I’m reminded of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, another example of government stimulus plans at work.  If you will recall, that plan essentially involved dumping several billion dollars along the gulf coast and sending thousands of mobile home trailers to Louisiana and Mississippi, without much planning aforethought.  A sad result of this was that billions of dollars were wasted, lost, and plain stolen.  Very little of the money was used efficiently, and thousands of the infamous FEMA trailers sit unused and rotting somewhere.  The parts of that plan that did work were those projects that were thought through, planned over time, and incentivized with tax breaks.  And, overseen by competent governments. 

The good news is that hopefully, the new administration will approach this new stimulus plan with a bit more planning and oversight, while keeping inefficient politically motivated mandates to a minimum.  Transparency and thorough deliberation are keys here.  An informed, watchful, and vocal public that insists on keeping stupid stuff out of the package is also critical.  (True story: one group is requesting that $6 million of the stimulus money be earmarked for snow making equipment – in Minnesota.) Surely the next stimulus plan can’t be handled as incompetently as the last one, right?

Well, one can hope.

At any rate, the message to the construction industry is to get ready.  One of the biggest boom times in the history of the construction industry is coming soon, for those who know how to work the system.  Put yourself in position to grab those dollars that the government will soon be throwing at you.  Figure out how to get on the bidding list for infrastructure projects.  Network with your GC and subcontractor colleagues who have experience in this kind of work, and build those relationships so that you can help each other when the dollars start flowing.

In my memory, 2008 will rank among the most vivid.  In 2008, the financial system collapsed; century old Wall Street firms folded;  energy costs skyrocketed and then tumbled; commodity prices mirrored energy; and construction lending came to a near standstill.  We will have a tough time forgetting this year despite our best efforts.  But ever the optimist (I can’t help it - I have Irish roots), 2008 will also be a year from which we learned more about managing our businesses than any other.  What have I learned from 2008?

We have learned that the theory of “De-coupling”, in which global trade would make the global economy less dependent on the American financial system, was incorrect.  In essence, 2008 proved to an even higher degree the importance of the much too villified American consumer.  We were blamed while energy prices were escalating for our excess, and pandered to while the global economy was tanking.  For the forseeable future, the American consumer will continue to drive the global economy.  De-coupling is a clever concept on a doctoral thesis.

We learned that rising energy prices and environmental activism will make building science “cool” again.  Many of us in the industry know that the “Green” term of the day is better known as “sound building practice”.  Our industry has been the advocates for proper (often more expensive) building techniques for decades.  We now have the court of public opinion on our side helping to advocate and willing to pay for the best practices that we have been preaching about for years - something I haven’t seen previously in my career.

We’ve seen untold gobs (scientific terminology) of dollars float to building science. Bill Gates once was asked by an interviewer about how the tech bubble of the 90’s was a disappointment.  In essence, he said that the money invested to develop the network infrastructure is not a waste, despite the crash.  I firmly believe the dollars invested in building science during this boom will reward us with handsome dividends for generations to come.  In a few short years we have gone from holding a candle or smoke stick by a window to show a client an air leak to monitoring it with heat seeking infrared technology, recording it digitally and being able to review our repair afterwards.  This is stuff we could ony dream of a short while ago.  Science such as this will make our built environments and those that create them even better over time.

I have  learned that when banks forget their fundamental, core business - (lending the savings of others to those of an excellent credit risk)  Run, Run, Run away from their chosen darling of the day.

As an extension of the item above, 2008 yet again confirmed that proper business fundamentals are the only way to long term wealth and sustainable growth (had to pitch my theme - please forgive me) .  Chasing the cause of the day might work and fatten our pocket books short term, but it is not nor ever will be a long term strategy. 

I have learned that the Law of Unintended Consequences will always occur.  Think of the corn ethanol bandwagon and the subsequent food prices/shortages.  In our industry, think of the best intentions for providing the American Dream to those of modes means that created high risk lending and subprime loans.  But in keeping with one of the statements above, I believe we are in our alternative energy infancy and must invest and fail in order to succeed at some point down the road.  Now we know what works in the lending arena , and what doesn’t

Most importantly, I have learned that the only constant is the love of our family, the daily work that we do, and the habits of constant improvement have made us great as a nation in the past and will get us past this incredibly rough economic time.  2008 was an incredibly curious year that I will never forget.  I am sure the political/economic landscape of 2009 and beyond will look very much different to what I consider the norm in prior years.  Getting back to basics has been and will be the only consistently successful theme across industries.  Those with proper fundamentals are forecasting what 2009 will be like and are having a tough time doing so with all of the unknowns and variables.  Those that aren’t making this effort will undoubtedly be one of the casualties of the crash of 2008.

What have some of you learned from 2008?  I am most curious to hear from you and learn your stories of lessons learned from the “Crash of 2008″ - I bet this would make for excellent reading a few years from now.  Funny thing is, after all of the difficulties of this year, I still hope I get a new tool for Christmas! Despite the deeply cyclical nature of building, I simply will never be able to get it out of my blood.  I wish all of you a blessed and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

QUESTION:  I’m working as a Technician and would like to move into Project Management.  What can I do? 

In the first post on this subject (From Technician to Project Manager:  The Technical Side) we covered things that should be done during the first 18 months of wanting to make a transition from technician to project manager. 

Below we explore the second phase where you start to hone your management abilities.  Also included are some basic skills needed at the project management level that you may or may-not already be good at. 

Depending on your time availability and learning curve you may be able to start some of these things at the same time as the technical phase. 

• General Management Library:  As with your technical library start building your management library investing time each day to read.  Books like “Execution” by Larry Bossidy, “Winning” by Jack Welch and “The Toyota Way” should be in your library along with others you find interesting.  If your construction career is anything like mine and you drive a lot then invest in audio books.  I can typically listen to about 1 business book per week - that’s the equivalent of an MBA in a couple years.  In addition to Amazon.com and the local bookstore I recommend two additional resources - www.audible.com and www.audio-tech.com. 
• Project Management Library:  Augmenting your technical library find some good books; specific to your trade if possible on estimating, scheduling, change orders, construction claims and general project management.  Don’t go overboard here - the basics of being a PM are pretty simple - most PMs fail due to lack of attention to the basics. 
• Local Seminars & Classes:  There are usually dozens of classes taught each year by industry professionals through local trade associations and colleges.  Look around and see what is out there.  Some internet search time will go a long ways.  Set yourself up for a series of classes that include technical, management, legal (contract / lien law) and financial management classes.  Your employer may or may not pay for these.  Set your own budget and trust me that the money will come. 
• Money:  As a Project Manager a major aspect of how you are judged has to do with your ability to manage the profitability and cash flow of the project.  We have NEVER seen a PM who was good at both of those things lose their job - and conversely a major aspect of every decision to let a PM go was that they weren’t that good at managing the money regardless of the “Official” reasons given.  Build your library of books to teach yourself about money including books like “What the CEO Wants You to Know” and books specific to budgeting for construction projects. 
• Typing:  As simple as this sounds being able to type fast is a huge benefit.  There are dozens of programs out there that can help you learn to type - strive for 60 words per minute.  As with the reading set aside some time to practice a few times per week and you will achieve your goals. 
• Writing:  The ability to clearly articulate your thoughts is another big deal for a project manager.  If this is a strong point for you then great - if not you should work on it by taking classes at your local college and by practicing.  Those lists of questions that you were making when you were reviewing plans - turn those all into individual RFIs written as if you were running the job.  When a situation arises while you are on the project that requires a letter to be written try writing the draft yourself and comparing it to the one your PM wrote. 
• Computer / Microsoft Office:  If you don’t have a computer at home invest in one that runs the same software you would have in a business - Windows XP or Vista Business + Microsoft Office.  You need to be excellent with your use of Word and Excel.  Take classes and practice, practice, practice.  Learn to make forms and lists in both Work and Excel.  Going back to your plans start making your lists directly in Excel.  Learn your formulas and how to make simple spreadsheets.  I learned all my computer skills starting with basic to-do lists in Excel for the project.  Learn to not only make your documents look good but also make them functional. 
• Microsoft Project:  Learn to make your own schedules.  In the latter part of your training after mastering the basics of Word and Excel invest in MS Project and learn how to build schedules.  There are only a few other pieces of software out there for scheduling but the basics of Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling are the same for all of them.
• Accounting, Estimating & PM Software:  Once you get into the role of a PM it is likely that your company will have some sort of system in place for job cost reporting, purchasing and project management.  Strive to learn as much about this as you can and use it - remember that your company paid a ton of money for the system and if you can show that you can effectively use the system it will not only help you do your job better but will get you noticed. 
• Contacts:  The people you meet during this process will be key to helping you both now and throughout your career including those “Field Friends” you worked with on the jobsite who helped you learn the other trades, the suppliers you bummed catalogs from and the consultants / teachers you took classes from.  Start assembling these all into one contact management location like Outlook.  Stay in contact with them regularly. 

This may seem like a lot but if you set some goals you can knock a lot of this out over a three year period of time.  It is a sacrifice but one that is well worth it.  As far as getting a job as a PM - that’s easy if you are taking even some of the steps above you will get noticed by everyone and opportunities will open up right and left. 

Are all these things really necessary to become a Project Manager?  Absolutely not but they are necessary to become a Project Manager in the top percentile of all PMs.  There is a huge difference in pay between Project Managers - it is your choice where on that scale you end up at over the next 10 years. 

As always, ask any questions and comments are always welcome.  You can post them here or send an email to david@dbrownmanagement.com.

Stationed in Germany with the Army over 12 years ago, I remember eagerly placing “x’s” on my short timer’s calendar.  Each day spent was one day closer to “freedom” and, ultimately, home.  While living in Europe was the opportunity of a lifetime that I will forever cherish, I could not wait for the day when the road that got me to the barracks in Schweinfurt converged with the road that was headed back to my home in Michigan so that I could cash in my “mulligan” from round one of my life after high school.

I worked in the construction industry during summers of my high school years and thoroughly enjoyed it, but my big dream was always to become an airline pilot.  I packed away my tool belt after high school graduation and headed for flight school in northwestern Michigan armed with big goals and big ideas, but a very humble pocket book - and a looming recession in the early 1990’s.  After a year and half or so and a private pilot license later, that humble pocket book ultimately became the demise of my professional flying career and the incubator of my immediate future as soldier Mike.  Needless to say, I was devastated at not fulfilling my goal.  I even caught myself languishing in self doubt and doubting the premise of success by working hard and playing by the rules.  I had failed at the first big thing I set out to do as an adult, not for lack of effort, but by circumstances that I felt were beyond my control.  The wisdom that comes with age would ultimately allow me to learn that few situations are beyond one’s control but those that are still must be dealt with - but at the time I hadn’t been acquainted with that concept.  I raised my right hand and signed up for the college fund with Uncle Sam.

That choice, made by a 20 year old during a tough time in my life, in hindsight was one of the best decisions I ever made - and helped to clearly shape not only my future but those of my future wife and children.  I was forced to take an ample dose of humility and become nothing more than a recruit.  I got into great shape, was forced to re-analyze my life goals and get focused on the task at hand.  The goal of basic training is to tear the pseudo confidence down and rebuild it with an iron will.  Life experiences do that to each of us over time, basic training attempts to do it in two months.  The parable to life in general is quite obvious.

Where am I going with all of this?  Many, if not most of us are going through some of the most difficult times in our careers right now.  We doubt the decisions that led us to manage or own a construction business.  We see only the forecast of bad news with very little sunshine on the horizon.  We will make decisions now, under duress that will affect us for the rest of our lives.  Those businesses with systems in place that operate with proper business fundamentals are able to read the tea leaves much better than those that fly by the seat of their pants.  Those that practice forecasting, job costing, keep a work in progress schedule and bill accordingly (not too much ahead or too much behind) manage their precious cash flow and have an edge on the rest of us to capitalize on the next upturn or stabilization in the market.

The key point I want to offer is that now, during a time of stress, take the time to develop your plan of action, your next steps and avoid knee jerk reactions.  Perhaps some benchmarks or milestones could be useful.  Make these decisions with every available resource and planning tool available.  During that year and a half of flight school, the term “Trust your instruments” was pounded into me over and over.  These instruments, with backups, cross references and redundant mechanisms, won’t fail and must be your guide.  Now is not the time to count on false confidence or to close our eyes and hope for the best, but to count on our training and our systems. Sometimes the choice we make might take us down a completely different road than we initially imagined.  Hard times such as now are often credited with building character.  Even more importantly, I believe they reveal it.

I wish those that may read this a pleasant and blessed Thanksgiving holiday. I am thankful for the opportunity to communicate via this blog and welcome any comments or suggestions.  Unfortunately, we are not currently equipped to accept tomato throwing or spitballs.

QUESTION:  What can I do to market my construction business? 

In a previous post Construction Company Marketing Package we discussed what the elements of a good marketing package for a construction business are. 

Now the question becomes what the heck do we do with all the shiny brochures? 

The tactics below are geared mainly towards contractors that doing project work - marketing service work is different and is covered very well by a fellow consultant, Adams Hudson who has a regular column in both Contractor and Contracting Business magazines.  Each column is a wealth of knowledge about service marketing. 

There are two things we need to do - (1) is to reinforce with our existing customers why they use us and (2) introduce ourselves to new potential customers. 

In this post we are going to focus on getting #1 dialed in creating a foundation to build on for #2. 

The only way I have ever seen projects get sold is with basic, old-fashioned personal sales tactics.  What I’m going to describe below is truly stating the obvious but the problem we see is that few contractors engage in these activities on a regular basis. 

Start with your existing customers because that is the easiest way to get additional work. 

Do you have one centralized list of all your customers setup in a place where you can add in notes about them and keep track of details such as birthdays, spouse names, etc? 

If not then you need to set one up - Outlook is a great tool for this. 

You should be in regular contact with all your current customers at least quarterly just checking in to make sure they are happy with your company’s performance.  This typically isn’t a problem in a small company because the owner is heavily involved in the management but once the company grows this little detail can slip through the cracks on the assumption that other people in the organization are taking care of the relationship. 

For past customers you should communicate with them regularly.  These should be prioritized ranging from ‘1 - would like to do more work with them’ to ‘3 - don’t bother’ or some other system that suits your business.  Often times if you start making calls or visits you will find that there are some reasons why they aren’t doing business with you currently and that can be an opportunity to fix some of your internal problems and win back some work. 

Having new marketing collateral can be a great excuse to drop by and see a current or past customer.  They may not be aware of new people within your organization, new capabilities such as an added service team or of new project experiences. 

Don’t get too caught up in thinking that just because they have or are currently doing business with you that they know the full scope of everything you do.  We have a client who is primarily a glazing contractor but also does doors and hardware.  They have the word ‘Glass’ in their company name and because of that they were overlooked by an existing customer for a large scope of work on the doors and hardware because the customer “didn’t know they provided that service.”

Don’t leave anything to chance.  Make sure that all your current and past customers know the full scope of everything you do. 

Also make sure that this information gets to all levels - it doesn’t do much good if the owner of the company has your information but the estimator does not. 

Your goal should be building tighter relationships at all levels within the customer’s organization.  Everyone from the field foreman to the project manager to the accounting team should know and love your organization. 

Work heavily on building those relationships and getting your new marketing package out. 

While you are there meeting with them ask for referrals. 

Look at this exercise with existing customers as a way to hone your skills in presenting your company and its capabilities.  It will set you up for phase 2 where you will work on introducing your company to new potential customers. 

As always, ask any questions and comments are always welcome.  You can post them here or send an email to david@dbrownmanagement.com.

One sidebar to the recent presidential election that I believe is monumental in importance yet hasn’t garnered much press is the incredibly successful use of the internet in a major national campaign.

President-elect Obama’s online machine was staggering in its size and scope, and clearly demonstrative of the pervasive capabilities that the internet has to offer.  Rather than being told – in one-way fashion – what interests one should have from conventional print, television and radio sources, the internet allows the customer to drive the focus of the campaign.  Now we may not be running for national or local office, but those of us in the construction business have a lot to learn about fully utilizing this vast and economical resource.

If we were told by a marketing expert that for relatively little cost we could understand our clients’ desires better; grasp what is key in their decision making process; pre-filter potential clients and ultimately appear more substantial as an organization, we would ask to whom we write the check.  The funny thing is the web offers these capabilities to us as we speak.  I believe it is time to wholeheartedly embrace the next generation of the web and make your site an interactive business development and management tool.

While having some web presence, it could be argued, is better than none at all, I tend to disagree with this sentiment.  Many of us simply place our hard copy brochures electronically on our site and call it a marketing expense.  Something is better than nothing is about all of the thought that goes into it.  But there is vast potential for learning about your clients without much effort.  Industry specific newsletters (some offered by professional marketing firms or done by yourself with considerable effort) can be sent to those who choose to receive them from your site.  While to the recipient the newsletter is free, to the business owner the information provided is priceless.  Every article that your client navigates to; every supplier site they are sent to; every extra click that a particular link receives is logged and presented to you as useful data.  Which past projects are the most popular and should be used more extensively in your print marketing campaigns?  What “green” or bathroom products receive the most hits?  What demographic actually comprises your online market (or your potential customer market) that you may not even notice from the corner office?  Which services receive the most hits? 

The data from an interactive website can be used to help focus a marketing campaign and to more clearly define where the nuts and bolts of building are intersecting with the customers’ desires.  No information is perfect, and many of the “clients” poking around on your site may be tradesmen, dreamers or competitors simply e-surfing.  In some cases, the data may even be skewed somewhat.  But there is nothing like getting quality information and feedback from potential, current and past clients that are not answering a ho-hum survey, but actually choosing to spend time the way they wish to in the comfort of their own homes or offices.  The strength of this possibility cannot be understated. 

Let’s move our websites from the “old internet” to version 2.0.  You may be surprised at what you will find.  In the case of a campaign, there may be some 40 million or people willing to donate $5 to your cause.  In the case of our businesses, we aren’t asking for donations, we are asking for something even better – real data from real clients about what is important to them.

QUESTION:  I’m working as a Technician and would like to move into Project Management.  What can I do? 

Having started my career in the field as an electrical apprentice this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  Everything I have learned has come from HK University (Hard Knocks U) so the points below are all taken from my real-life experience. 

First of all there were two great pieces of advice I got early in my career from Greg Anderson who is now the VP of Human Resources at Rex Moore electrical contractors.  These two bits of advice have served as guiding principles throughout my career:

1. “When you are on the jobsite learn how everything works - not just the electrical systems.”
2. “When faced with a chance to assume more responsibility ALWAYS take it and don’t worry about the money - it will come in time.”

Well that was almost 20 years ago and that advice has served me very, very well.  Below are a few bullet points about how I put these principles to work.  The advice is broken into two posts.  The first part is on mastering the technical aspect of the job which should take about 18 months and should be done while in the field as a technician: 

• Breaks & Lunches:  Spend those with other trades learning how the whole job goes together.  At any level in construction a knowledge of the whole project will always be beneficial for helping resolve problems and speed things up.  We still see way too many people in the industry who only understand their one little piece of the puzzle and because they don’t see how it fits into the bigger picture they have difficulty solving problems effectively.
• Technical Library:  Set aside a budget of both time and money to purchase and read through technical books about all major trades.  Reading just 10 pages per night will get you through about 10 books per year.  Get some general books such as the Illustrated Construction Dictionary and then get some specifics on the major trades such as excavation, concrete, structural steel, mechanical, electrical, etc.  You are not trying to become a Journeyman level person; just gain a solid understanding of how a complete project goes together.  18 months of this combined with building those break and lunchtime relationships will give you the solid technical background required to be a great Project Manager.
• Trade Publications:  These present a good combination of technical and management articles.  You should definitely subscribe to all those related to your trade and then a few others focused on closely related trades or general industry such as Construction Business Owner.  Read these on a regular basis and don’t hesitate to contact the authors of the articles if you have questions.  Most will bend over backwards to help you out if you are showing enthusiasm for the industry. 
• Material & Product Knowledge:  This is a major part of building your personal library and educating yourself.  Gather as many supplier catalogs as you can get relevant to your trade.  Thumb through them and familiarize yourself with all the products.  Suppliers will fall all over themselves to help you with this if you just ask them.  There is also a ton of this information available online to research as well. 
• Plans:  Start collecting plans from projects you have worked on (or want to work on).  Get the whole set so you can learn to read everything.  The most important tool I’ve found for plan review is (1) a set of colored pencils, (2) highlighters and (3) a notepad.  Go through each page and look at every note, every symbol and every detail.  Make notes of the questions you have.  Check the interactions between the plans (mechanical / structural for instance) and check for possible problems.  Someone in your office should be able to help you out with getting some sets of plans - if not the general contractor on the job should be able to help.  Construction companies typically throw out dozens of sets of plans each month after they have estimated them.  Take your list of questions and look up the answers in your books or ask your growing group of “Field Friends” to help you. 
• Paperwork & Organization:  A significant portion of the job of a PM is about organizing paperwork.  Take a look at the paperwork you currently do and strive to do it better.  Look at the paperwork your boss does and see if there is some of that you can take on to help them out - you will be learning and helping yourself along the way.  Practice doing things like your own RFIs. 
• Lists:  Most of what a PM does can be boiled down to “Makes lists of things to do and gets them done.”  Get good at making thorough lists:  Material lists, questions (RFIs), major materials (submittal log), task lists (schedule), changes, etc.  Get good at this and start building “Lists” into your everyday processes at home and at work.  Be detailed - be consistent. 

Investment:  About $500 in books / supplies and about 6 extra hours per week of your time in the evenings and on weekends. 

Return:  If you don’t get a raise after doing these things consistently for 18 months there is something seriously wrong! 

This is just the beginning.  We’ll post a follow-up to this next month outlining the second phase which is the management portion.  For now focus on building the depth and breadth of your technical knowledge. 

As always, ask any questions and comments are always welcome.  You can post them here or send an email to david@dbrownmanagement.com.

Great customer service is a requirement for repeat business from clients. And repeat business probably represents a significant portion of your business, or should—that and referrals, also the result of a satisfied customer. It is not only important to provide excellent customer service, but to also remind your customers of that fact regularly so they don’t forget. You can do this in very inexpensive ways. 

Create a customer satisfaction survey to send to your clients after a job is complete. Make it simple, one page, and provide them with a stamped envelope so all they have to do is fill it out and return it. Ask them to rate the job you did, ask about timeliness, cost, communication, courtesy, cleanliness and safety issues. Ask about how your staff performed. Give them 1-5 boxes to check—good to poor. Within this survey, you can also ask for quotes to share with others on promotional material and ask for referrals from them at the same time. Thank them when they respond, and if you get negative responses, then address those issues with them and with staff in the hopes of saving the client and improving your service.

If sending this survey out throughout the year is too difficult to manage, do it once every 6 months or once a year to all your clients served since the last survey was sent. This is a simple way to both find out what you did right as well as what you did wrong. It shows that you care about your customers and it reminds your customer that you are still around and want their business again.

“When the mice are fighting over the last scrap of cheese - it is time to start thinking like a cat!”

All of the business courses in all the colleges and universities in all of the world could not break business down more simply than this expression.  When you are competing in an environment saturated with competitors of varying ability - the decisions are difficult.  Should I reduce professional fees to compete with the corporate office in a pick up truck set?  Should I go after high end work even though I may not have experience in that marketplace?  Should I try to compete with the mass marketing nationwide firms?  Do I have a choice?

Short and long term strategies are seldom given any thought by contractors.  We tend to plan job to job and put out fires as the need arises.  In a boom market, these “fires” may be the lack of adequate staffing.  In a down market, these fires may be cash flow and the survival of our businesses.  While I strongly suggest against swapping markets in desperation, I understand the desire to do so.  But there is no substitute for defining a market niche, successfully competing in that niche and building your brand.  Sometimes a niche can the be all purpose contractor.

My first job in construction was as an apprentice carpenter with a corporate pickup truck type of contractor.  Fully licensed, fully insured, but a single person entity.  This fella would build a brick fireplace the first week, a soaring room addition the next couple of months, side a home with cedar shakes, and then pour a driveway after that.  His capacity for being well-versed in many phases of construction was a site to behold.  He wasn’t the fastest at the trades, perhaps not the best at a given task, but he did a good  quality job at a reasonable fee and his clients simply adored him.  Many would wait months to have him work on their home.  As one of many opportunities that people have provided me over the course of my life, working with this gentleme  was an excellent entrance into the construction market.

Of course, as a know it all teenager I asked him why he did so many things and didn’t specialize in certain trades.  Why did he not have a brand new truck with the latest gadgets and trick tool boxes?  His answer was simple, and helped to shape my life philosophy.  “…people will always need work done on their homes, and if I can do a majority of it, and they trust that I will not charge too much and will do a good job for them - no matter how bad it gets my kids will always eat.”  Even in the best of times, Larry was preparing for the worst of times.

Business schools will call it diversification; multiple market penetration; or divergent “verticals”.  But the school of hard knocks taught my first construction employer these realities without the need of a professor.  Do as many things as you are able, do them well, and, most importantly, provide the best customer service available.  Even in a tough market, folks will call you if you are the firm with the right answers. 

Times are tough and there are no easy solutions to any of our problems.  It is beyond time to think like a cat.  Better yet, it is well beyond time to think like Larry.