When I was a young teen, I remember a tee shirt that my Mom bought me, and the words printed on it will forever be engraved in my mind:

"I could be doing BIG things, if I wasn't so busy doing little things"

I keep repeating that to myself out loud in my van after doing some bogus minimum-order jobs...Like yesterday, driving 40 min to give a T&G estimate for a property manager...After driving to the manager's office, picking up the key, then trying to find a townhouse in a development that all homes look the same, etc. and after measuring out the kitchen / living room they want cleaned, and submitting a quote for $200 that they SNEERED at, That saying ran through my head - "I could be doing BIG things, if I wasn't so busy doing little things"
To think that while I was wasting time and busting my hump driving all over the county for small stuff, maybe my competitors were bidding $2,000 - $3,000 jobs for big businesses and smiling all the way to the bank...

This was a HUGE wake up call for me!

Keep that in mind next time some one calls you for a $69 minimum order job, how many of those a day do you need to stay in business and make a profit? maybe 5-6? PER DAY! Think about it! Busting your hump for peanuts...

Joe

Hey Joe, I have a 12x12 bedroom that needs cleaning, call me.

Funny thing, back in the 70's every time I went out with my Dad he always wore a shirt that had a finger pointing to the left and read I'm with stupid. Now I know why he always made me walk on his left side.

Maybe that is why my wife tells me I have issues.

Joe, a half of a sandwich is better then no sandwich. Be thankful for the call you could of had no calls.

Today a homeless person stoped me in downtown Atlanta and asked; Hey Buddy, could you give me $5.00 for a sandwich? I said, I don't know, let me see the sandwich.

Very funny Ray.


Joe,

That was a great post. I agree with you, it's very easy to SPIN our wheels and go nowhere - chasing nickels and passing dollars.

You are stuck exactly where most business owners get stuck. As the E-Myth teaches, there are 3 roles of the business owner: (1) Technician (2) Manager and (3) Entrepreneur.

Most business owners get stuck in the role of Technician. They spend every waking moment "doing it" "doing it" "doing it" --- getting the work done. And if they ever have a moment of revelation they may for just a moment slide all the way into Manager mode and for that moment think they're being productive. So they spend their whole life struggling as a Technician and occasionally as a Manager. But they NEVER experience what it means to be an Entrepreneur. So they miss out. The Entrepreneur is a creator. He creates opportunities. That's where creativity happens. That's where the business grows.

So the typical business owner chases peanuts, wasting the day doing non-productive things that don't contribute to productive growth). Chasing after an elusive $69 job would qualify as a time waster IMHO. But I’m not criticizing you because I have done the same thing myself.

In fact it was frustrating moments like you described here that chased me right out of residential work. I used to run around chasing .25 per sq ft on residential work and I still made half as much per hour (or less) than I would make cleaning commercial. It didn’t take too long to see that this was counterproductive. I was wasting time and energy that could have been better spent working on building my bread and butter commercial business. So I finally opened my eyes and dumped the residential business.

The beautiful thing is that you see it!!! Most guys just plod along without acknowledging the folly of their pursuit. I applaud you for recognizing the need to pursue more worthwhile endeavors. If you can move beyond the role of Technician and give yourself some space to work “on” your business, rather than “in” your business, I think you’ll start to take things to a new level.

Tell ya what. Go order a copy of the E-Myth. Read it and try to move from the Technician and into the role of Entrepreneur. It will change the way you look at business!

Book:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780887307287&itm=2

Audio:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780060755591&itm=1




Rick Gelinas
encapman

Wow, that's funny Rick, I just finished E-Myth Revisited! AWESOME book (actually I buy audiobooks to listen during travel time)...You nailed it on the head, I'm in that position that I have to break thru to be the entrepreneur I should be. I have to start thinking more like an entrepreneur than the technician. I'm at the edge of the cliff, and ready to take the plunge into the next chapter of my business life, so-to-speak.

I keep thinking about that HUGE mall job that you helped me out with, how it was almost TOO easy to get that kind of money in one day in one location, vs. driving around town with little jobs and taking in $250 for the day...I have this vision of owning a couple of trucks, 1-2 guys per truck doing some good commercial jobs while I work on the high end residential market, which for my biz is finally working out slowly after busting my hump for the past 2 years marketing. Eventually I would like to train someone to take over the residential jobs while I grow the commercial side, visiting potential clients, doing demo's etc...

Does this seem like a solid business model for growth?

Rick, I really appreciate your opinions!

Thanks in advance for the advice...


Joe

Well it sounds like you're heading in the right direction Joe. The trick is to stay focused. It is easy to see where we need to make changes and actually be excited about doing it. The challenge comes in the form of making the transition. It's way too easy to slide back into the comfort zone and the same old habits. You will need STRONG resolve to create a NEW business model and to work on building the new company you are seeing in your mind right now. It can be helpful to put everything in writing. Commit your strategy to paper. And then get to work building your new enterprise! If you can come to EncapFest at Connections in Clearwater we will be discussing some of this. Wishing you success.





Rick Gelinas
encapman

E-myth is a great book.

I see so many text book cases of people that fit the exact profile of that book.

Have a friend who was making a large income but no time or cash flow. WOW!

This book would have made a huge differance in his business. He closed it. I'm thinking of reopening it.

Greg Loe
Chico,Ca
www.gregs-ucs.com