Owner Operators

[Levi]

Chris, It's nice to put a rush job in the swing day, at a premium of course...

Willard, I'm not sure I want to go back to work after supper!

Dave, that's not off base or far fetched at all. I try and keep a good diet, too much beer and cigs for sure. Supposedly Boulder is the healthiest city in the US, or one of em. So in comparison to some folks I know my diet is not so good. I try to avoid processed
foods and buy as much local/organic produce and meat as possible.

I know, stress kills, that's why I'm trying to minimize mine! I definitely need to start some sort of cross training/cardio routine, been saying that for years.

Carl, as always thanks for being so forthcoming with you operation info, I appreciate that.

Peter, no, just the one income, mama is with the little boys 24/7 though. WAY harder than my job!

Joel, I dig the seasonal lifestyle, I don't have enough energy or discipline to go all in in summer and lay up in the winter, some may have no choice though.

 

[Raj]

Successfull business owners always told me you need people in your corner pulling in the same direction as you, be it wife, partner, family etc. You don't have that, you will never have success. I don't have that, never had, more than likely never will, makes me sad.

 

[Levi]

5 7's is good Willard but I would include bids, calls, emails, etc etc in that.

My lady is not involved, that is not appealing to me in the least, sounds and looks like hell really.

My partner in business is my older brother, we do our best to split the work even.

 

[Levi]

Peter, your gf is not pulling for you?

 

[Raj]

Not really, not in the same direction, we have separate homes and bills, she doesn't seem to overly bothered if I'm broke or I need to get work done. She is getting somewhat better, but definately not a straight line pull with me.

She has no interest in my business. She has got me a job or two, but over 7 years.

 

[Levi]

Well hopefully she at least wants you to be successful!

 

[Raj]

I hope so. Can't say for sure.

 

[Chris E]

The current system I'm trying is 3 days in a row 8-10 hours onsite. Bids and maintenance 1 day a piece which should leave me with two whole days to do whatever I want with. I can't follow it strictly (bids are sometimes spread over 3 days) but it I will keep using it as my target pattern. I also know guys that do 5 x 6 hour days but they are faster climbers.

 

[Burnham]

I hope so. Can't say for sure.

Peter, you need a better life partner than that...imo; of course my opinion is worth every penny you paid for it .

I'm not speaking strictly to the business side of it, either.

 

[Levi]

Chris, that is exactly the same thing we are doing, I really do not like to do bids after work, but it happens.

 

[brendonv]

Im happy to read yalls procedures.

Ive always said id love my job again if i did it three days a week. Currently at 5 days, 6+ hr days of work, after work maintance, bids etc.

I outta implement a new procedure.

The last six months ive been realizing lifes short, gotta try to start living it.

 

[Levi]

Yeah, agreed on the life's short sentiment. I went into self employment so I could free up more time to spend with my family, it is a very delicate balancing act and very easy to get sucked in to constant work.

One of the big stressors that I have is the near constant feeling that I am forgetting to return a call or email. So... how do you guys keep track of incoming calls and emails? I have a hand written call log that is actually quite helpful, but by the end of it all I have written or typed someone's contact info more times then I'd like to count!

 

[brendonv]

......it is a very delicate balancing act and very easy to get sucked in to constant work.

This the truth

 

[lumberjack]

...One of the big stressors that I have is the near constant feeling that I am forgetting to return a call or email. So... how do you guys keep track of incoming calls and emails? I have a hand written call log that is actually quite helpful, but by the end of it all I have written or typed someone's contact info more times then I'd like to count!

Jobber!

When a customer calls I add them and their info to the system and set a task for me or Daniel to give a bid or whatever is required. When I give the bid there info is already in the system and the bid gets emailed. If they decide to do the work it gets converted to a job. When the job is done it generates and sends the invoice. When they pay I mark it paid and that's that.

Here's what I see when I open Jobber. I scrolled down in the tasks so you could see the bids. The top tasks are bid follow ups, which are a setting. Occasionally I'll follow up on a bid.




The main thing is to develop and follow a system that doesn't require thought. That frees the mind to do more important things while being less stressed.

 

[Levi]

Damn, I had a feeling that would be the answer. My only hesitance with jobber is that it will diminish the very "personal" feel we have to our setup right now. Thoughts?

 

[squisher]

The personal feel will be replaced by a professional feel.

I doubt it feels to personal when a call or e-mail gets lost in the handwritten mess that keeping track of all calls by hand becomes.

 

[Levi]

HA! That's just part of the experience!

I get your point though.

 

[lumberjack]

I don't understand what you mean by personal feel? Before jobber we rarely gave written bids, and keeping track of the bids to give was a mental exercise. When I started using Jobber, I started Compact Equipment Store, my second company. Now I'm looking (and potentially have found) my third endeavor/business... We'll see how it goes. If things keep growing my system will grow to having a secretary, and possibly a full time employee.

I've thought about charging for people who require a quote or invoice that don't have email.

 

[pantheraba]

I've thought about charging for people who require a quote or invoice that don't have email.

Similar here...in our x-ray business we still have about 6 customers that only use fax and mail...no email. Royal pain....when their fax machine is not on I have to try again to get their invoices to them. I am slowly insisting customers give us an email address. I have not used the US mail to send an invoice in two years I bet...only email (and occasional faxes).

And I don't use a "fax" machine anymore...I pdf my invoices and use a fax program to send the pdf to customers who insist on using a real fax machine.

Thanks, Carl, for showing how that Jobber page works.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I can't imagine anyone not wanting to use email!

 

[lumberjack]

HIPAA and consumer protection laws require a policy on how a company manages sensitive information. You're supposed to have a written policy on how you handle/store/destroy the information you handle. Some companies policies/systems don't handle email, thus they don't use them for that. Heck, O Reilly's still requires you to fax the credit app in!

 

[Chris E]

Chris, that is exactly the same thing we are doing, I really do not like to do bids after work, but it happens.

For sure, after a big day I'm in no state to bid any substantial work-if you're tired or simply don't want to be there you'll likely overlook details or make an error on the price. For a big city market I cant go zig zagging across town for each bid, I'll make a run that takes me east to west etc or a big circle, I'll try to knock over my local bids during the week if possible and then do the non locals on a saturday.

Its not as advanced as jobber but an excel spreadsheet should make things easier than chiselling onto stone tablets lol, it was a game changer for me, no longer being buried in scrawled scraps of random paper will free up some time.

 

[canadianclimber]

Great thread.

I tend to keep Fridays open as a flex day/maintenance day. Mosts days we just do a 6-7 hour day and then if I can squeeze a quote in I will. We tend to push pretty hard for those 6/7 hours plus my helper digs the free afternoons to head off biking while I do the endless crap that comes with owning a biz.

One thing I've been doing a lot this year is alternating between removal days then pruning days. That's helped with energy levels.

 

[Chris E]

endless crap that comes with owning a biz.

Its funny how whenever it appears as though a day is coming where you maybe able to "just chill" for a bit, but no, it too gets swallowed by the endless crap .

 

[Burnham]

I'm not tossing stones at anyone, and I admire all of you who have the drive to make a go, or at least a try, at running your own business...

But forgive me if I feel the need to point out the obvious contradiction in what so many of you say is the basis for that drive; i.e. "I want to run my own business so I'll have the freedom to take time off, do the things I love to do, etc., etc.". That dream, against the reality the same lot of you frequently bemoan until the cows come home; i.e. "I hate the demands running my own business puts on me, destroys any semblance of freedom to set my own schedules, forces me to be away from my family, spend weekends under broken equipment, and deal with lousy hired help over and over again".

I'm maybe a poor example, but frankly, my 30+ year career as an employee seems somewhat more attractive.