Tag: Jayme Dill Broudy

Construction Business Owner, August 2008

Dear Jayme-

No matter how many times I tell my employees to look and act a certain way, they don't. I know I don't do a great job following my own rules, but since it's my business, I think I ought to be able to do things the way I want. Why won't my employees just do as they're told?

Kyle

Construction Business Owner, July 2008 

Dear Jayme-

The other day I was having lunch and a crew of guys was sitting nearby, talking about their boss. It wasn't, to say the least, complimentary. I figure this grousing is just normal, right? Do my people bad-mouth me the same way? Should I care?

Trenton

Construction Business Owner, June 2008  

Dear Jayme-

My phone is driving me nuts. I spend all day being interrupted from what I'm doing. I thought it was supposed to improve my productivity, but I feel like I'm a slave to the cell phone. Is there a better way to handle my communications?

Andy

Construction Business Owner, May 2008

Dear Jayme,

There's a guy in the company who does great work but has a really sour attitude. He's always complaining, whining and criticizing me and how we do things. When I talk to him about this, he gets insulted and angry, and it just makes things worse. How do I handle this?

Hal

Construction Business Owner, April 2008

Dear Jayme,

I want more interaction with our accountants. We ask for help and guidance, but I have to beg for a return phone call, and when they do respond, they speak a foreign language. I call and e-mail them, but they seem to be too busy for me. What can I do?

Damon

Construction Business Owner, March 2008

Dear Jayme,

My drywall business grew steadily to about $1.3 million and then things got weird. When I tried to keep growing, the business would increase somewhat but then fall back to around the $1.3 million level. This happened a couple of times. The market is out there, but there just seems to be too much for me to handle when the business gets bigger. Am I stuck here forever?

Josh

Construction Business Owner, February 2008

Dear Jayme:

I’m a great electrician, and I’ve built a solid business. But now there are management situations I don’t know if I’m handling right, and I’m really uncomfortable just guessing. Am I just not getting the “ownership” thing? Shouldn’t I have learned how to run the place as I went along?

Construction Business Owner, January 2008

Dear Jayme,I keep reading that it’s possible to own a business and not be stressed out, work long hours and fight fires all day, but I don't see how that’s possible. I’ve been running my business for twenty years. It’s always been one headache after another, and it seems like it will always be. How can it really be different?          

Trent

Construction Business Owner, December 2007

Dear Jayme:

My business has been doing about $1.5 million for several years. I know there’s a lot more room to grow, but frankly, I don’t know if I’m capable of running a bigger operation. I don’t want to mess up everything I’ve built so far. Should I just sit tight or take the plunge?  

Carlos

Construction Business Owner, November 2007

Dear Jayme:

I’m a framing contractor doing about $1 million a year. I hear a lot about an owner “thinking strategically.” What does this really mean, and why is it important for a small guy like me?