I grew up in Flint, MI; if anyone understands the working man’s
mentality it is me. I was immersed in blue collar my entire life, union
culture was around every corner and in almost every home. After all,
Flint is the birthplace of General Motors, and just down the road is
Detroit also know as the Motor City.
Do I have anything against a job well done? Nope.
Do I support off-shoring jobs and breaking the unions? Nope.
Do I support helping small business guys with the wrong mentality? YES…CONTINUE READING
First off, I agree with the bulk of this blog but have a hard time understanding what “Off-Shoring Jobs” or “Unions” have anything to do with…anything… other than they were “Business Decisions” made to make whatever business viable & profitable. The same type of decisions (be it on a smaller scale) we make as small business owners everyday.
Not being a “Debbie Downer” here because I agree with the main message of this blog…I just find it interesting that Josh sold his business and moved “Off-Shore” to Costa Rica and can’t help but wonder why…Lower taxes? Lower cost of living? Less Regulation? etc…Just an observation.
Thanks for your feedback, it’s appreciated. The reason I mention unions is very simple and 100% directly relates to my main point. The majority of union guys have a particular “mentality” and “culture”. They love “shop talk” and they love being expert tradesmen.
I see a very similar mentality and culture in many of the small business owners I talk to. Here are the characteristics:
They love their craft
They focus on their trade not the business
They have a narrow business perspective
I’m not saying this is “wrong”…I’m simply pointing out that to grow an automated business it is difficult unless you change that perspective. Your craft would need to change from “technician” to “executive” in the way you approach your business.
Lastly, my family and I moved here to do work with a Christian ministry and us making that choice has nothing to do with this blog post at all.
Our goal was 5% or less so during busy months of 300-400 jobs it would be in the neighborhood of 15-20. Most of them little things like a piece of equipment was left or a portion of the house was properly taken care of.
Of course the wheels fell off completely sometimes.
The purpose of this article isn’t to downplay “professional competency” it is simply to encourage people to not live there forever, that is, assuming they are trying to grow.
Being a pro is a must, then after you are one…work on the other parts of the business.
