It's my company, I should be able to make it into anything I want....

As I have moved away from being a technician to being a business owner, the most frustrating component has been hiring and retaining good employees. The definition of good employees must be established if you are to understand my position. A good employee is not necessarily the best at fixing air conditioners. A good employee is one that possesses the skills to repair machinery, but also knows how to "operate. He knows how to carry himself in a way that is reassuring to customers. He communicates with confidence and tact. He knows what to say and when to say it. He also knows what not to say.

I operate an air conditioning service business in Florida. This seems to be part of the problem for me. This environment of high demand and low supply of competent technicians tends to create an employee mindset that "I don't have to be accountable, I can always find a new job". This surly superman attitude creates what the technicians complain about: high turn-over and low wages. It takes time, dedication and loyalty to reach the top in any field. I have been chewing on the idea of hiring totally inexperienced people, knowing that their character is more important than their field experience.

Can I take on a forty-something family man who I know will be a team player and help mold him into a perfect air conditioiner serviceman, salesman or project manager? I would bet that I can.

American PackRat

From Plan "B"

If you've watched "American Pickers" on The History Channel, you've no doubt let your mind wander through your own attic or over-stuffed storage unit. There have been collectors, pack-rats and wierdos exhibiting their life's work with the hope of a payday. The vast majority of the pick's visit collectors who are trying to get rid of some of the crowding caused by their collection or maybe even raise some needed cash. On the other hand there are the ones who invite Mike and Frank out to see the
pile but come to the realization that they cannot part with it. This is where the show should morph into "Hoarders" and get to cleaning house.
Folks...it's just junk. If it happens to be worth thousands of dollars, it's because some other hoarder wants it. Let it go. Odds are that you don't have an original draft of the Magna Carta propping up the corner of your pile.

Dave Ramsey says "Make Your Money Behave!"

From Plan "B"

My wife and I have been doing the Financial Peace University through our church for the past month. One Sunday evening for two hours for thirteen weeks to retrain our habits and disciplines with money.

Before we began (and it was my idea), I told her that this would cause us to have some of the unpleasant conversations we have been avoiding for 13 years. We certainly have. When you don't have enough money to do the things you judge as necessary, the solution can't always be "Make more money".

The budget process is new and has taken some serious effort, but it is beginning to bear fruit. Just watching the money "behave" because you have told it where to go is amazing. Simple, but amazing. More to come.

What was Plan "A"?

Plan A was that perfect little picture you painted for yourself. Plan B is what you've added to it. I've frittered away time and resources with hobbies and interests that never seemed to satisfy the (ahem) artistic part within me.
The satisfaction was always fleeting at best. I got my first real camera in January 2009, and I've been hooked since. Amateur photography has been rewarding because it's relatively cheap and I can make an attempt to capture the seemingly mundane moments with my own perspective. I hope you enjoy these!

From

Favorites- Volume 1