Tired... Really tired!

Josh_10

Thank you for the encouraging words and wisdom guys. I am looking forward to slower days soon. I am trying to structure things differently right now. My company is finally running on referals so I am picking up more profitalble work and turning down "busy" work. I still have employees to keep busy though. Mabe it is time to give others more responsibility.

Again thanks for the encouragement and wisdom. I read every word you guys tell me and meditate on them.

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Josh_10

It's 5 PM and I have 2 more service calls and 7 phone calls to make . It is Monday and I haven't had a day off in 17 days (no less than 12 hours a day). I'm tired.... Really tired.

Hello self employment! All I have to show for it is money. Interesting how money seems pretty un-important when you don't have time to enjoy it. I am sitting here looking at pictures of my son and I am longing to spend time with him.





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John R. Hall

Addicted

Congrats youngsta -- you have officially become addicted to The Wall. How else can you explain posting here when you are up to your eyeballs in alligator poop?

Christian Egli_2

Sitting on the good side of the clock

You're lucky to live on the west coast of the US, where at least, thanks to the magic of jet lag and time zones, you get to have days that are three hours longer than ours over here. Hey?

My father involved me with his work from very young. I stimulated my imagination wildly by playing with machines and tools. One thing I'll always have to be grateful for is how my father was never embarrassed to take me along to customers. As a kid I got to visit all kinds of factories, power plants and construction sites. My childhood drawings show how dutifully I drew all these things - it always involved my favorite belching smokestacks.

My mother did the same thing, with a different twist. It was about visiting the bank and the post office and such, making friends there and extracting candies from them. I had a good routine with one such business friend of my mother's. They met every morning while I got to crawl into his blue sports car and choose one candy out of the center console.

You don't really have to make separate friendly time with your children just include them in your own real activities (without pushing, we follow better). I love my parents more than I ever tell them.

See, and you've still got the whole evening in front of you. Do you want to know how the TV program ended? I'll spoil it for you!

[Deleted User]

feel your pain

I have been working every day 12 hours a day for the last three months. Been making good money but no time to enjoy it. My wife pretends not to know me any more.
I cant wait till my vacation in november.

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Cosmo_3

Hear ya man

I worked a 12 hour day, showered, ate something, and know I have to work on an estimate. I will probably be up until 2am.

Up at 5:30, or six If I sleep in, and start all over again

One day I won't have to wear so many hats.....


Courage Josh, your doing it for the kids.

Cosmo

Weezbo

well i get up most days around 3 a.m.

it is 11:01 and i just made it home...:) i dont know What i do all day long ) buh evidently i am getting something done:)

i think i am supposed to be scanning appendix L of the UPC to figure out A WAY TO SAVE A FEW DOLLARS ON THE ROUGH IN ...:) this new shop /warehouse has beacoup d fixtures...it is suprisingly growing every time i see a new revized blueprint...now it is 278' long and 60 foot wide....thing started out 42 foot wide and 200 foot long ) dabnammbit:)

Wayco Wayne_2

Josh

I know what it is to be busy. You are going to have to find a way to take charge. It's not a sin to work hard, but you have to make time for the important things in your life. I've been in business 20 years now. When I first started I never turned down any work. After a while I started drawing lines. First was by geography. If it was too far away I would decline and refer to someone else. I used to cover the Washington, VA, MD corridor, now I stay in Montgomery County, MD mostly. Then I started cutting out different types of jobs, trimming things until I had time to coach my kids sports teams and be there at the end of the day to play with them and read their bedtime stories. The day will come when they will be teenagers and will rather spend time with their friends than you. Oh they will still have uses for you. I feel like 've become the Nationasl Bank of Dad. Ha! There are other ways to take control. Probably better ways. Check the book section for a book called "How to Run Your Business So it Doesnt run You." Don't miss out on your kids lives, just for money. It's a net of regret you won't want to be caught up in. WW

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ScottMP

\" You know we'll have a good time then Son \"

Right on the money Wayne. MAKE TIME, work will be there, tomorrow and the next day and the next.

Your childrens life changes and everyday is precious. YOu miss alittle bit everyday.

MAKE TIME for JOSH and his family.

Scott


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hr

40 years to go!

Tht's the biggest downside to being a one man shop. Some days I long for my former company where we had 4 of us to share the 24/7 calls.

Good luck, stay sane.

hot rod

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hr

Leo G_99

hate to do this

to you youngster, but today one of our suppliers is having a golf tourney, which i shall be attending, and then on friday, another supplier is having another one, which i shall be attending also.

went through the routine your going through for a few years myself. really listened to what a lot of the guys on this site said, and noticed one day that my oldest was almost as tall as me. that was when i realized it was MY business, and if the "good" customers i had could not allow me a life, well, then they really weren't that "good" a customer.

look beyond your need to please everyone. you obviously are a good tradesman who is in demand. you will be surprised by the reaction you get when you explain to your customers that you are going on a date with your wife this weekend, or your kid needs help with homework, etc.

remember, that bus could be just around the corner. work hard, but play harder with your family, THEY ARE REALLY THE ONLY THING IN THIS WORLD THAT MATTERS!

Leo G

Big Ed

The Truth

If you have to work days,nights and weekends to make ends meet...... Your failing.

jackchips_2

I read it

more that he can not say no, Ed.

I left self-employement many years ago because of heading down Josh's road and I've never looked back. He'll find a solution hopefully sooner rather than later.

FORE!

Jack

Mad Dog_2

Due for time off......

it's ok top work like an animal, but you MUST leave some time for breaks....the first few years of business I didn't take a real vacation (min. of 7 days)but nice 3-4 day getaways were a huge break. Find someone to take calls or the pager...and GO,,,get away and only take a call if there is a REAL problem that YOU alone are the only one that can fix it. I just got back from a 9 day trip where I visited with fellow wallies and buds, Mark Hunt and Darin, near Saratoga. Then I took the family then to Beautiful Lake Keuka in the Finger Lakes Region of N.Y. State. Spent a week in the water snorkeling, spearing fish, fishing, anitiqing eatin' and drinkin'.......the whole family needed it. Your due, buddy, plan on it NOW! Mad Dog

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Wayco Wayne_2

Kueka Lake if

beautiful. My wife and I visited it last Summer. We stayed over on Seneca Lake. Next to about 200 Winerys. (Weehoo!) I hear tell Paul Newman has a house on Lake Kueka. I love up stae NY. BTW Josh. I thought of another way to thin out your customers. Raise your rates. See who really loves you baby. If they continue to call in vast amounts at least youll have enough money to hire some more support. WW

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Fred Campbell

An old timer told me

> beautiful. My wife and I visited it last Summer.

> We stayed over on Seneca Lake. Next to about 200

> Winerys. (Weehoo!) I hear tell Paul Newman has a

> house on Lake Kueka. I love up stae NY. BTW Josh.

> I thought of another way to thin out your

> customers. Raise your rates. See who really loves

> you baby. If they continue to call in vast

> amounts at least youll have enough money to hire

> some more support. WW

>

> _A

> HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=

> 255&Step=30"_To Learn More About This

> Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in

> "Find A Professional"_/A_

Fred Campbell

An old timer told me....

....if you ain't makin' it in forty, you ain't makin it. Alright, he was a 60yr old union electrician and I was 18 and overtime was my B&B. Josh, years later, when I got divorced and I wound up miles away from my kids, I stopped working weekends. Don't let it come to that.

Still self employed and working five days.............TG

Rollie Peck

Really tired

Hi Josh:

Can't say that I've been there and done that, but have read about some folks that have.
One suggestion that they made that makes a lot of sense to me is to review your work history and determine about how many hours per week you are spending on emergency or rush jobs. Then schedule that many hours into each comming week for that kind of work. Plan your scheduled work into the time that's left in each week. Your schedules may have to be adjusted from time to time, but it should cut down on the overtime. Remember, nobody on there deathbed ever said,
"I wish I had spent more time on the job".

Rollie Peck

Homeowner

Leo G_99

and above all Josh

Get the PowerPack series of "tools" (books) from Al Levi. Either through Dan here, or go to Apple Seed Publishing.You will not be sorry!

Leo G

B. Tice

County Road 77

Believe it or or not Maddog, the house across the road where that picture was taken is one of my accounts. A popular pic place. Although my days are spent cruising up and down roads with those views, the majority of the time my mind is occupied and I don't even look.Funny.

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Mike Thomas_2

My Dad

My dad worked as a janitor in an office building for the local utility company. Worked there 29 years. Some people treated him nice, but to others, he was just the janitor. During the 29 years they had several presidents of the company. My dad watched them all come and go. One of them was there for about 8 years, and then moved on to bigger and better things, like they all do. At this guys going away party, he surprised everyone, when they asked him for some advice before he left. He said, "Well the best advice, I ever got was from Milt Thomas, the janitor." Well that took everyone by surprise! He went on to say, "When I first came here, I was putting in a lot of time, evenings, weekends, just trying to figure things out and get my feet on the ground. Milt would watch me go home late every night. After about two months of this, Milt said to me as I went out the door late one night, "If you can't get your work done in 40 hours, you need a different job." I thought about that all the way home, and realized how much I missed my kids and wife. How much I was missing, that I could never get back, and that was the last week I worked more than 40 hours, and that's the best advise I've heard around here."

jackchips_2

Three cheers

for your Dad, Mike and a few to you for sharing.

Jack

tom_49

> My dad worked as a janitor in an office building

> for the local utility company. Worked there 29

> years. Some people treated him nice, but to

> others, he was just the janitor. During the 29

> years they had several presidents of the company.

> My dad watched them all come and go. One of them

> was there for about 8 years, and then moved on to

> bigger and better things, like they all do. At

> this guys going away party, he surprised

> everyone, when they asked him for some advice

> before he left. He said, "Well the best advice,

> I ever got was from Milt Thomas, the janitor."

> Well that took everyone by surprise! He went on

> to say, "When I first came here, I was putting in

> a lot of time, evenings, weekends, just trying to

> figure things out and get my feet on the ground.

> Milt would watch me go home late every night.

> After about two months of this, Milt said to me

> as I went out the door late one night, "If you

> can't get your work done in 40 hours, you need a

> different job." I thought about that all the way

> home, and realized how much I missed my kids and

> wife. How much I was missing, that I could never

> get back, and that was the last week I worked

> more than 40 hours, and that's the best advise

> I've heard around here."

tom_49

Mike,

I think thats the best advice I have ever heard.

Josh, if you have guys working for you, you HAVE to delegate. It'll make your life easier and they will appreciate the responsibility. Start out w/ small tasks. Have your customers call them on their cell phones, my guys know more about the job specifics than I do because Im not on the jobs all day, they are.

It took me 15yrs to delegate, but I wouldnt not do it again.

Now I have more time for the family.

Good luck, Tom

Mad Dog_2

Two weeks back...and I'm still stoked from R & R..........

Instead of diving back in to the fire, the first week I just plotted and planned and collected deposits....A good week off with NO attachments is more than beneficial. Mad Dog

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Josh_10

Hey HVAC64 I will take that advice! In fact I am filling 2 positions right now. After reading about 4 books on the subject over the last 2 weeks I have decided to hire and deligate. We have also formed a plan to not only keep our high standard of quality but take it to the next notch.

On another note I got to have some fun this weekend beating up on car salesman. I purchased a Land Rover Discovery II for our family car. I am in love with this beast. I already had it in the creek yesterday at about 18 inches deep. Oh the fun I will have.


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