“It’s ok to stay small. For me, I’ve determined that It’s not worth it to go big. I love what I do, and have no desire to be a big company.” said Adam Wilson from Icon Tile in this interview.
He learned tile work early on, and picked up quite a few great leadership skills working part time at Whole Foods.
Biggest mistake early on when starting his own business was… Not vetting the customer enough over the phone.
When you are vetting a potential customer ask these questions:
- What is your project? What is that you have in mind?
- What is your timeframe you are hoping to get it completed by?
- What is your budget? But even that is so variable, the if I know the answer to the first two questions, I’m usually able to determine whether it’s a good fit for me to continue pursuing.
Keys to being a good subcontractor:
- General contractors want to know you are “their” guy.
- Be consistent with your numbers.
- Be available for them.
- Follow through and be there when you promise.
- Take care of those things you can for your longterm relationships.
How a general contractor should treat their sub contractors:
- Communicate with your subs. Let them know what’s coming up, and when you will be needing them as closely as possible.
- Pay your subs on time for the amount they bill you for.
- Contact your subs before estimating a job so to ensure accuracy.
- The best advice Adam has been given:
- Focus on the span of control. Instead of what you would like to change. Just focus on those things that are under your control.
Technology that Adam recommends:
- Quickbooks for invoicing
- Construction Cost Estimator
- Joist
- Houzz
- Gusto – for payroll
Adam contributes his success to really hard work. He takes great pride in being able to look back at something and be able to say, “I did that.”
Adam likes the app https://www.blinkist.com It will condense books down into bitesize morsels of inspiration that will give you the main concepts of the book.
To the contractor who is just getting started Adam would say… “ Take baby steps. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Don’t burn any bridges on your way out of an old job. And work hard at building your network.”
This was an awesome conversation! Listen all the way through and be inspired!
Today’s Protractor Tip is given today by Brad Leavitt from AFT Construction. In this tip he talks about the importance of Building Your Social Networks. This protractor tip is very powerful, and you will want to listen all the way through.
Our featured contractor website today is Todd Schrock from Schrock Construction. He is part of a family building business. They do some awesome work up in Wisconsin. Check him and his website out at schrockconstruction (dot) com
The book we recommend today is called REWORK. If you haven’t read it or listened to it yet, it’s an awesome book. It’s is packed full of little nuggets that will make you think differently about business and what works.
#Protractors – Making A Difference!