I started my business when I was 29 years old.
I looked like I was 19, and I paid a price for that. Most of my family had that curse, which became a blessing as they aged. I really struggled to sign up a job because most people wanted experience. I did in fact have experience because I worked with my dad during summer break all through my time at home, and stayed with my Grandfather for one summer who was a stone mason and taught me the fine art of stone work. I also worked for a guy who took me under his wing and taught me everything from deck building to installing tile. But alas, I was a cursed man, and I had to convince my potential customers that I was capable of performing the work.One story comes to mind.....
I got a call from an elderly woman, who lived alone. During our first meeting she grilled me about how much experience I had, and how I was going to do her job, which was to put decking over her concrete porch. Apparently I impressed her, because I got the job!During the job, she would come outside to offer us a drink, and while she was there, she would look around at the work, and ask technical questions like.....
"Are you attaching that piece of wood to the plywood or the two by fours?" and "How many of those post are you going to put in?" and "Is this wood treated to be put outside and how long will it last?"
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| This IS the actual job, and it's still there 24 yrs. later! |
She knew her stuff, as she explained to me that her late husband was a contractor himself,
and he often did work in the house, and she always helped him. I made extra sure that I cut every piece of wood to the exact measurement, and that every nail was countersunk as not to cut her sweet little feet as she walked on her new porch.When the job was completed, she came out and asked if we could put her patio furniture on the porch for her.....which we did. She sat me down next to her to pay me. She said to me that she was very impressed with the quality of the work, and hoped that it was going to last a long time. She handed me an envelope of cash, and I quickly put it in my pocket and got up to say goodbye to her. As I was walking away, she insisted that I count the money. Being kind, I laughed and exclaimed..."C'mon, I trust you" But she insisted. Then she got up and walked back into her house. I reached into that envelope and grabbed that cash like it was a million dollars, after all this was one of my very first jobs.
As I counted it.....three times.....I found that in fact there was an error. She had over paid me by $300.00!! It seemed like forever, but I'm sure it was only a few seconds that I began to think "should I tell her?, this extra money would sure come in handy.." But the decent part of me prevailed, and I went to the door to call her. She asked if there was a problem, and I told her that she had over paid me by $300.00.
She smiled at me with the most beautiful smile I've ever seen, and said to me, "I didn't make a mistake, I wanted to see how honest you were, and you passed the test with flying colors! Now I know you did a great job on my porch, and I know you will be very successful in your business, because you are an honest man."
These words from this lovely woman stuck with me throughout the years, and I'm proud to say that I remain an honest businessman today....
My tip of the day.....
As spring approaches...(YAY!!) we should take a look at our front porch. I'm talking about a masonry porch here. Sometimes during a bad winter the concrete, block, stone or brick can move due to the freezing and thawing. This causes small cracks usually around the perimeter of the porch, and especially up against the house. What you want to do is to apply a durable silicone sealant into the cracks and up against the wood to the house. Make sure that it's warm enough and dry. Do this every spring and not only will you add years to your porch but you will be protecting your house from rot, and bugs! |
| Dap Silicone Plus Premium Silicone Rubber Concrete & Masonry Sealant (Gray) |
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