(Part 1) -Where were we from Oct 2018 to Dec 2019

Blogs are powerful and this story will share why. My last published blog was September 3rd, 2018 followed by the last podcast on September 24, 2018! I intended to stay consistent and didn’t want to be another statistic of someone who will not stay active at it. And look at that! I became a statistic. Sure, I stopped, however, I can pick it back up… even if it is over 2 years later. If you’re someone that’s thinking about writing a blog, providing content, or creating a podcast, I think you should do it. People from over the world still email me, and I only did 3 blogs, and 7 podcasts! I think that is pretty cool!

What happened? My workload and a change in employee status required my undivided attention. To give a quick recap, in August 2018, Preferred Carpentry was selected to be the finish carpenter for a brand-new Chick Fil A. That was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, since my businesses inception in 2006, and as a word of mouth contractor with 2 new workers.

In September 2018, I was contracted to build-to-suit the kitchen section on a new bakery called www.cakeandcorolla.com in Easton, PA and later that month, I had to let one guy go. With one guy left, the workload became heavier, and despite the hectic schedule, I had to let the other one go in early December. Think about how hard of a decision that was. Two major contracts, and the constant coming in late or not showing up was sabotaging the scheduling. The only thing I could predict was it was going to happen again, just not when. I hired a friend of my fiancé, and increased my work hours from 10-hour days to 20-hour days to cover loss of time, to satisfy my obligations to not cause any delays. Despite the challenge and family hardly seeing me, I managed to finish on time in early December.

I believe the consistency of the podcasts and blogs, helped me get noticed by the general contractor who was building Chick Fil A’s. Yes, me as a small-time contractor only known by my community, received a call in August, to provide a bid for the successful fast-food chain. To me, that meant a lot. I wound up winning the bid while working on Cake & Corolla, tentatively beginning October 2018. I was confident on getting everything done because I had a team. With it just being me, not getting sued was my priority. So, the podcasts and blogs had to wait. The Chick Fil A had some setbacks and that was a blessing for me, as the ready date changed to late December, after Cake and Corolla was completed. Talk about a weight off my shoulders!

Regarding the Chick Fil A project, I called in favors and a good friend Matt, my contracting buddy Johnny and his crew, helped and it went well besides my stress levels, and I developed anxiety. I had a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out how to completing my obligations on time, and in April 2019, I have satisfied my contract, with no delays. The GC was impressed and offered an opportunity for another one. When April 2019 was over and I reflected, I have seen first hand other trades falling behind and nothing bad happened to them. I caused myself stress that I never experienced in my life, and realized titan companies do have understanding leaders.

I decided a different approach on growing my business. I started to listen to audiobooks to help me become a better businessman. I knew first hand on what to expect, and from May to June, I completed another Chick Fil A and finished 3 audiobooks in that time. The final CFA for the year started in late September, and was completed in December 2019. Yes, I wound up working and completing 3 of them. The books along with first hand experience helped me view things differently, and as of this writing in January 2021, I no longer stress and that is power! The best decision I made in April 2019 was to read books to help me as a person in my business, and personal life. I have read 11 powerful books in that year, and I will share those books with you if you want. Send me an email at preferred_carpentry@live.com and I will get you those titles!

Now, I know I focused on 4 commercial jobs and up until December 2019. As a residential contractor, I never thought I would have an opportunity especially since my advertising budget was about $400 a year, (HomeAdvisor). What I didn’t share were the word of mouth jobs. The whole year of 2019 was extremely busy. The focus of this article is to reintroduce myself from my abrupt stop on creating content, and to note the power of them, as 3 CFA’s came from blogs and podcasts. Did the GC read or listen to them? I would say most likely not, however, it was the content that helped with SEO’s (Search Engine Optimization), to get me ranked better. If you are like me, unfamiliar with SEO’s, consider my experience as a means to get your business more exposure.

 If there is anything to gain from this, I hope it would give you the confidence to begin, or to pick up where you left off! Life happens, and it’s ok to reevaluate the next steps!

Thank you for reading and the part 2 blog will focus on the businesses direction in 2020!