Do You Want To Have A Recession Proof Multi-Million Business? Be A Plumber
Do you want to have a recession proof multi-million business? Be a plumber or an electrician, or a carpenter, or anything you want to be in the construction industry.
There is a reason we are called ESSENTIAL WORKERS…. SO THAN WHY does an Industry with so much promise have such a hard time finding employees to cover jobs? The Construction Industry is one of those, that provides limitless opportunity. It is one of the least prejudice jobs in existence. It ranges from needing no education to having a doctorate, it provides income to every gender, race, culture. The Construction Industry creates a level of self worth, accomplishment, pride and in most cases – a pretty good income. Is it the dirt & grunge, hard hat not sexy enough, or just plain hard work that scares people off? The Construction Industry has received a bad rap for far too many years. It wasn’t really important for us to change the dialogue because eventually, our work gets done – usually with the right kind of people – those with common sense, problem solving skills that don’t mind a little dirt under the fingernails. Maybe construction is even given the credit of turning the lives around of a few misfits/wanderers. Admittedly, the big complaint is that we don’t have much in the way of soft skills BUT if you have to bark at people all day to get their work done, it leaves little patience for silly questions.
The experience that I have had over the past 10 years, leads me to the overwhelming conclusion that people DO NOT WANT TO WORK. …..At least, they don’t THINK that they want to work. People have become reliant on having someone else, or something else DO SOMETHING for them. The idea was that this was suppose to FREE UP TIME so that more important things could be achieved. Instead, it has brought us to a point where no one knows how to do for themselves, thus cannot do for others. Stick with me – I’m still talking about construction. I’m sure I would join you quickly, in the agreement that the workers we are raising, know very little about empathy and what they are working towards – building, serving, etc. is for something far bigger than themselves. This is where the theory of Order of Precedence has been lost. We used to have to work our way up the ranks. This was not just so that we could punish the low man on the totem pole – it is the Law of the Universe. You learn this lesson, and you may move on to the next. Working form the bottom up – IN ANY DISCIPLINE – gives you the experience to understand and comprehend, not only the WORK but the PEOPLE performing the work. You remember what it was like to have a foreman (usually the boss’s kid, just out of college who mowed lawns for the summer and this is his first construction gig), flies up in a new company truck – air conditioned, grabs a shovel, jumps in the trench and starts digging frantically among the three laborers (Ron, Don & Myself) for 8 minutes in 95 degree weather. Jumps out of the trench, throws his hard hat on the ground, sweat dripping from his brow – “Now, that’s how I want you guys to do it and get this trench done”
That experience, for the rest of my life will never be forgotten and taught me several valuable lessons. 1) NEVER treat people that way and follow the GOLDEN RULE, 2) I don’t want to dig trenches my whole life so I better develop a better plan, 3) What an asshole.
