TABT - HuskieBear Edition

[Sugashane]

26 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

My nephew was a new roof sales guy and would climb up on roofs a lot.

Unfortunately, awhile ago (maybe a couple of years) he fell off and shattered his leg in a bunch of places.

He got a fairly big settlement (6 figures) after a long wait and has been mostly traveling for past year or so.  I think he is running out of money though as he starting to work more again.

He always does odd things to make money.  He won't do a 9-5.

He is a different kind of guy. 

 

Steep roofs can be a bit nerve wracking, I use roof jacks and still put a harness on for several. I've had a few times that the shake from old shingles built up and I slid a few feet down. My brother fell off and broke his tailbone when I was in high school so I've always been leery of not having good footing. 

I enjoyed a lot of running my crew, but it wasn't the hours or all the menial work that I had to do after they went home (measuring/bids, material lists, permits for certain towns, etc). What I hated was winter. Trying to make sure I don't run out of savings while trying to keep 3-5 guys working enough for their own bills and holidays was brutal. THAT was what stressed the hell out of me. That and some customers just made you want to hand a crewman bail money and earn the fine. Usually you can see if someone is a d-bag and overbid to hopefully not get it or make it worth it, but sometimes they put on a good face until you're knee deep in work. Only walked my crew off one site mid-job but came close several others. Probably only 5% of the populace is absolute trash, but 5% of billions is a LOT. 

9-5's usually have less earning potential unless you get a terminal degree or specialized training, but the security sometimes is absolutely worth it. If I didn't have a family I don't think I'd be doing this, but the risk and time availability this job offers is just too perfect for my situation to look elsewhere.  My brother would go nuts in a 9-5 in the same spot, he's done it a few times and inevitably jumped back to doing independent work where he could "get his worth" in any given day. 

[dll2000]

Probably TMI.

I am too open online sometimes.  

Edited Thursday at 07:24 PM by dll2000

[Sugashane]

Oldest daughter is about wo win their softball championship. She has been just unlucky with the bat (0-4, lined out 2x, 1 pop out, hit right to the 3rd baseman for a force out at 3rd) but pitched a hell of a game. It's 9-2 in the 5th.

Sons game is at 8pm, hes catching and the #3 pitcher since he pitched Monday.

I love that my kids are so active, but I am definitely ready for the month off before football practices start.

 

Edit - boy won his championship too. Terrible game for most of the team. Other pitcher had 10+ Ks with our kids going down watching. Just gross. We won 5-4 against a team that shouldn't have been able to score more than 1 run. Never seen so many kids pissed after winning the championship, and they should have been. 🤮

Edited Friday at 04:19 AM by Sugashane

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

On 6/26/2024 at 9:49 AM, Sugashane said:

Steep roofs can be a bit nerve wracking, I use roof jacks and still put a harness on for several. I've had a few times that the shake from old shingles built up and I slid a few feet down. My brother fell off and broke his tailbone when I was in high school so I've always been leery of not having good footing. 

I enjoyed a lot of running my crew, but it wasn't the hours or all the menial work that I had to do after they went home (measuring/bids, material lists, permits for certain towns, etc). What I hated was winter. Trying to make sure I don't run out of savings while trying to keep 3-5 guys working enough for their own bills and holidays was brutal. THAT was what stressed the hell out of me. That and some customers just made you want to hand a crewman bail money and earn the fine. Usually you can see if someone is a d-bag and overbid to hopefully not get it or make it worth it, but sometimes they put on a good face until you're knee deep in work. Only walked my crew off one site mid-job but came close several others. Probably only 5% of the populace is absolute trash, but 5% of billions is a LOT. 

9-5's usually have less earning potential unless you get a terminal degree or specialized training, but the security sometimes is absolutely worth it. If I didn't have a family I don't think I'd be doing this, but the risk and time availability this job offers is just too perfect for my situation to look elsewhere.  My brother would go nuts in a 9-5 in the same spot, he's done it a few times and inevitably jumped back to doing independent work where he could "get his worth" in any given day. 

Lot of highs and lows in that kind of work!  If you're efficient, have good people and lucky you can make Dr. money year after year, but honestly all it takes is a couple bad breaks-often beyond your control-and then you're desperate before you know it. 

Somebody once told me about trades is that you'll spend 90% of your time on 10% of the people.  The most liberating thing I have found is paring down your clients if they're not worth it.  If there's a rumor that the customer was a pain so you moved on, it's a great thing to have be known as people usually don't want that to happen to them. 

[dll2000]

2 hours ago, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

Lot of highs and lows in that kind of work!  If you're efficient, have good people and lucky you can make Dr. money year after year, but honestly all it takes is a couple bad breaks-often beyond your control-and then you're desperate before you know it. 

Somebody once told me about trades is that you'll spend 90% of your time on 10% of the people.  The most liberating thing I have found is paring down your clients if they're not worth it.  If there's a rumor that the customer was a pain so you moved on, it's a great thing to have be known as people usually don't want that to happen to them. 

Over the years I have heard various speakers for orgs.

  One thing I have heard again and again and found to be 100% true 100% of time.  Problem or difficult clients are just not worth it.  

Because they cause great stress and take up a disproportionate amount of time and still may give you a bad review just to keep you on your toes. If are slow or they are a big client or you need money they can be really hard to give up.  

And a lot of times if it is your first experience with them you don’t realize they are difficult until it is too late and then you have to put your head down and try to get through it.  But you know for future.   Then you sometimes have to have that hard conversation when they come back that you don’t think you can work together again. 

When I left my old firm some people came with me and I was happy to have them.  But I never spoke to any of clients who were difficult.  Two would have paid most of my bills by themselves in my first year.   It was still right move.