Are your kids in the business?

DanHolohan

Love to hear your thoughts on this. Did you kids come into the business? If so, why? If not, why not? Have at it.

Paul Pollets

My kids had no interest in the business. One is a banker and the other a special ed teacher. They wanted something more "substantial" and to not work so hard.

hot_rod

It took Max a few tries to find the best fit
He worked with me in the hands on part of the industry, then at the Caleffi factory, worked at a wholesaler for a bit, then a Hydronics rep, Pex manufacturer, now back at Caleffi as a trainer and industry engagement.
There is a wide range of opportunities in our industry beyond the wrench pulling path that many of us took👍🏻

GGross

I quickly moved to the sales/education side as well. My dad always told me that I needed to work with my brain instead of my back, unfortunately my back might be a bit stronger than my brain!

Tinman

When Stacey and Ally were 9 and 7, I had to take them on a no-heat call because their mom and Stevie were out of town. That was enough for them. 

Erin Holohan Haskell

I remember tagging along with my dad on this troubleshooting job at our dentist's house when I was a kid: https://heatinghelp.com/dead-men-tales/the-hidden-air-vent/

Seeing him solve a heating problem with a paperclip because he knew the history behind the IN-AIRID vent had me hooked. We helped someone and had a lot of fun together. I've loved being involved in our family business ever since.

I also have vivid memories of visiting the Cacioppi house and seeing an original circa-1854 Steven Gold mattress radiator in action. This is the house featured in Chapter 1 of The Lost Art of Steam Heating.

I have a daughter who is 10 and a little entrepreneur. Heating Help 3.0? Time will tell.

EdTheHeaterMan

In High School, my son worked with me in order to learn that this hands-on thing is not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Incentive to go to college. When in HS you are motivated by things other than what you will do the rest of your life. ie: Cars, Girls, Music, and where will I be tonight after work This was a great incentive for him as a helper. You see, at the end of a completed job, the system was operating and the tools were still all over the lawn, basement, attic.. so there was an additional hour and a half of cleanup before he could go home and get ready for the summer's adolescent evening.

It did not take him long to figure this out. Within the first month, when I finished the project, I would start to do the tool cleanup at the end of the day and found that everything was already put away in the truck. He did this while I was still focused on the combustion test or dialing in the refrigerant charge and taking ∆T measurements and the like. This was a very pleasant surprise and I got used to it. I hated to see him go away to college. I lost a great helper.

Fast forward 8 years. College Graduate, Degree in Computer Science Interactive Multimedia, Working for a publishing firm on the web team, and I get a call from him. “Dad, I really don't like what I’m doing and don't see a future in this for me. Computer science is changing too fast and this job is a dead end with no room for advancement.” I promptly replied that he always has a place in the family business with me.

Two weeks notice and I had my helper from eight years ago back at my side. I think those were some of the best times I had with my son. And my son agrees. He became great at oil burner service and still has customers that request him for their annual oil burner tune up. I call them tune ups, because when he is finished with adjusting the burner, the following year, they do not need vacuum cleaning. He is good at it. I remember him telling me that he cleaned up my tools years ago so he could get home earlier.

The best story was when I tried to get him to make sure the refrigeration piping was completed as early in the day as possible so the vacuum pump could be connected sooner than later. You don't need to fasten that line right away. Once the line is on the vacuum pump you can go back with fasteners and hangers. His reply was “Yea dad, I know… Whenever I saw that vacuum pump come out, (as a high school age helper) I knew it was going to be a late work day.” That is before he knew the value of a clean, dry refrigerant system and what that vacuum pump actually did. I enjoyed teaching him the trade and I believe he enjoyed learning it from dear old dad.


Unfortunately, the Plumber that purchased my business when I retired, did not have the same sense of customer service that was drilled into me as a young service mechanic in my fathers family business. I gave my son that same work ethic. As a result of the different philosophy of the new owner, my son lost all interest in the HVAC trade and is now a welder for a small business that makes awnings and temporary structures.

That oil burner knowledge is a great source of secondary income on the weekends. Some of my former customers don’t want anyone else touching their equipment.

hot_rod

EdTheHeaterMan said:

In High School, my son worked with me in order to learn that this hands-on thing is not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Incentive to go to college. When in HS you are motivated by things other than what you will do the rest of your life. ie: Cars, Girls, Music, and where will I be tonight after work This was a great incentive for him as a helper. You see, at the end of a completed job, the system was operating and the tools were still all over the lawn, basement, attic.. so there was an additional hour and a half of cleanup before he could go home and get ready for the summer's adolescent evening.

It did not take him long to figure this out. Within the first month, when I finished the project, I would start to do the tool cleanup at the end of the day and found that everything was already put away in the truck. He did this while I was still focused on the combustion test or dialing in the refrigerant charge and taking ∆T measurements and the like. This was a very pleasant surprise and I got used to it. I hated to see him go away to college. I lost a great helper.

Fast forward 8 years. College Graduate, Degree in Computer Science Interactive Multimedia, Working for a publishing firm on the web team, and I get a call from him. “Dad, I really don't like what I’m doing and don't see a future in this for me. Computer science is changing too fast and this job is a dead end with no room for advancement.” I promptly replied that he always has a place in the family business with me.

Two weeks notice and I had my helper from eight years ago back at my side. I think those were some of the best times I had with my son. And my son agrees. He became great at oil burner service and still has customers that request him for their annual oil burner tune up. I call them tune ups, because when he is finished with adjusting the burner, the following year, they do not need vacuum cleaning. He is good at it. I remember him telling me that he cleaned up my tools years ago so he could get home earlier.

The best story was when I tried to get him to make sure the refrigeration piping was completed as early in the day as possible so the vacuum pump could be connected sooner than later. You don't need to fasten that line right away. Once the line is on the vacuum pump you can go back with fasteners and hangers. His reply was “Yea dad, I know… Whenever I saw that vacuum pump come out, (as a high school age helper) I knew it was going to be a late work day.” That is before he knew the value of a clean, dry refrigerant system and what that vacuum pump actually did. I enjoyed teaching him the trade and I believe he enjoyed learning it from dear old dad.


Unfortunately, the Plumber that purchased my business when I retired, did not have the same sense of customer service that was drilled into me as a young service mechanic in my fathers family business. I gave my son that same work ethic. As a result of the different philosophy of the new owner, my son lost all interest in the HVAC trade and is now a welder for a small business that makes awnings and temporary structures.

That oil burner knowledge is a great source of secondary income on the weekends. Some of my former customers don’t want anyone else touching their equipment.

He seemed to still be his dads biggest fan🔥🥰

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

My son was always interested in the electrical components of boilers that I brought home. Relays, zone controls, pumps …….He spent a few years working summers for me and then got his electrical engineering degree and has worked for a local electric car company for the last 12 years. I’m so glad that he’s not in the trades. It’s a hard life. 

My daughter teaches high school in Oakland. How hard do you think that is?  

Jamie Hall

Neither of my children followed me, really (I was a Profesional Engineer -- Civil/Agricultural by training -- though my academic and research work was in climate modelling and I've done some other weird things along the way). My son discovered in second grade that he was very talented as a ballet dancer -- a really tough business -- and spent the next 25 years doing that quite successfully (and picked up a charming and equally talented wife along the way). Then got an engineering degree and now runs a company making thermal insulating panels for packaging, of all things. My daughter went pretty much straight academics, and wound up with a doctorate in Medieval History -- then decided what she really wanted to do was come back to the family farm and manage and maintain it. My role in all this was to support in any way I could -- and stay out of the way!

@Alan (California Radiant) Forbes -- I admire your daughter. That's right up there with Special Forces...

Steamhead

Kids? What kids?

DanHolohan

My older brother taught Special Ed in Oakland for 30 years. It wasn’t easy. 

DanHolohan

When Erin came into the business I spent much more time listening than I did talking. She had the necessary skills for the times and she guided this site to where it is now.  The smartest thing I’ve ever done was to treat her with great respect from the first day and really listen. 

EdTheHeaterMan

DanHolohan said:

My older brother taught Special Ed in Oakland for 30 years. It wasn’t easy. 

Lots of folks call me Special Ed, I don't remember meeting your brother in Oaklend

DanHolohan

My brother is also Ed. 😂

Erin Holohan Haskell

DanHolohan said:

When Erin came into the business I spent much more time listening than I did talking. She had the necessary skills for the times and she guided this site to where it is now.  The smartest thing I’ve ever done was to treat her with great respect from the first day and really listen. 

Thanks, Dad. I think the respect and listening has to be mutual for a family business to successfully pass to the next generation. I never took for granted and remain extremely grateful for how hard you and mom worked to build this business and our family.

DanHolohan

Amen. Thanks, Erin. 

STEVEusaPA

I'm the kid in the business. I have no kids, so it ends with me.
Hoping to retire soon if anyone wants to buy an oil business...make your own hours (at least 12 a day in winter), pick your own days (all of them between October & April, hoping for T'day, Xmas Eve & Xmas Day off).
Work for yourself, mostly by yourself, with a part time helper, easy low to mid 6 figure income.
Who wants it?
LOL

EdTheHeaterMan

Star Group. I think they purchased Meenan Oil.
Obviously you do burner service. Are you a one man one truck fuel company?

Mad Dog_2

Matt Jr. starting riding in the Triple Crown Box truck at 5. I would bring him out as much as Ma would allow. I knew he was a Sweeney (Tough & Hard skulls) when I slipped with a pry bar and dropped it on his head. He looked at me like "WHY DID YOU JUST DO THAT PAPA!!!!!!!" but he didn't even whimper. "Don't tell your mother...Ill buy you any candy you want, buddy." Ok Papa, I'm ok. Matt helped lay radiant tubing and snowmelt, learned to thread pipe and move boilers up and down stairs without losing skin, knuckles, fingers and toes. He helped pipe out Boilers. We did sewer and drain cleaning. Once when we had a nasty KS stoppage that would've required taking apart all the cabinets and granite, I broke out my secret weapon, Sulfuric acid! I opened all the windows in the house and prepared Mrs Sweirzey. I told Matty, about 16 by now, to stand by the back door and look away. The acid went in...the whole quart. Glug, glug...The PVC trap got sqooushy and I knew it was gonna blow like Mt St Helen's Shortly...."GO IN THE BASEMENT BATHROOM AND GRAB AS MANY TOWELS AS YOU CAN!!!!!!! HURRY MATT, I said, He boogies down and back up and I told him to get out of the house. I took the first towel and jammed it in to the erupting KS strainer...then weighted it down with a heavy pot. The other three towels I wrapped the trap and waste like a mummy. I held on this the Nuclear Meltdown for about 15 minutes till it finally went down . Matt was cool under pressure and I was proud of him. Another time, it was the day before we were leaving for a nice two week Family vacation on Lake Keuka (Finger Lakes, NY). Could always use extra cash before vacation, so when a last minute call came in from a nearby rough neighborhood, we took a ride. They needed a gas pressure test to get their meter turned back on. If everything held, which it did, it was an easy $800 cash for 3 hours of NASTY work for vacation...only one problem....These nice enough folks never heard of an exterminator or roach motels!
The house was covered in roaches, IN!!!!! The oven, under the sink, all over the basement, everywhere we had to crawl to get the gas test up. Matt was NOT happy, almost puked a few times, but we stuck it out, rolled around on the roaches and had a great vacation. We threw all our clothes out that day! He was a Trouper! Being a true intellectual and scholar from an early age, he was destined for top notch schooling. He worked very hard straight through to his Masters in Environmental Engineering which he just finished. He just started a great job with a great company and specializes in water quality, Water Pollution and remediation, Sewage treatment, Geothermal Systems, daylighting brooks and old buried streams and was a big advocate for a project at his Manhattan College in The Bronx that will reroute the Tibbet's Brook and Lake back in to The Harlem River instead of dumping in to the Sanitary sewer for the last 150 years, wasting Trillions of gallons of fresh water AND overloading the sewage treatment plant. My Boy IS making a big difference in the environment. We also do alot of Heating Consultations on the weekends. Its great time spent together. He's not turning wrenches every day but he is in the trade and I'm happy we can share our connections. He's a chip off the old block with network and making good connections.... Very proud of him.

Monika Rose, My Middle Daughter, is a Jr. at Vassar in Poughkeepsie studying Earth science and editing the school paper. She has written me up quotes and letters, made spread sheets, copies, and travels on consults some times to take notes and help me measure. She very sharp. Bridgid Colleen, The Baby, is a Sr in HS and getting ready to have her pick of the litter with her college choices. Very sharp and hard worker. She has helped me install faucet and low water cutoffs. She's exceptional at Math and can do pretty complex calculations in her head...NOT ME!!! She comes along sometimes too. Like Dan, I always pointed out plumbing and heating wherever we went whether it was NYC, Germany, or Ireland. Then I would always quiz them later and give cash prizes for correct answers: "What was that called that we just saw on the sidewalk?" A FRESH AIR INLET PAPA!.IT HELPS THE HOUSE DRAINS BREATHE!" "What was that Farmer's name we just met, kids?" George Prendergast!!!!! That' s right guys. I always explained stuff we looked at in simple terms. They paid attention. Unlike many clueless kids who can't look up form their I Phone, my kids look adults in the eye, give strong handshakes and Barbara and I get compliments on their integrity all the time. As they say in Yiddish, "That's NACHES!" (pride in one's kids).

I REALLY hope one of my daughters marries a kid who wants to be a plumber, or who knows, Matt will marry a gal who wants to be a plumber and a Heater! Maybe a grandson or granddaughter? I want someone that I can break in, teach them everything I know, give them my tools and pass on my wealth of knowledge and connections it took 50 years to cultivate. If that don't happen, I hope a nephew, niece, neighbor's kid will come along that I can groom. Problem is, nobody wants to do it. Its too hard, they say. Too many young Americans are SOFT. They don't last but a few days or a week. I have gone out of my way and staked my reputation for kids before,and one Lulu, in particular was a flake and went MIA on a boiler job on a Friday night, because "I HAD TO GO UPSTATE WITH MY FREINDS!!!" he went out to the truck for a tool for the mechanic, and never came back, after working on the job all week! No goodbyes...just dust in the wind. Then, his Arrogant Father called me up yelling when my friend who was nice enough to give him a shot, fired him! He blamed my friend AND me, but not his 20 yr old flaky son. Turns out the kid had a BAD drug problem, the parents knew about, but NOT ME!!!! Ain't easy. I'm always recruiting kids for the trade and once in a great while it sticks. Its a great trade and I will do my utmost to protect and nuture its past, present and future. Whew!!! Sorry had a lot to say. Mad Dog

DanHolohan

Matt. Thanks.  

STEVEusaPA

EdTheHeaterMan said:

Star Group. I think they purchased Meenan Oil.
Obviously you do burner service. Are you a one man one truck fuel company?

1.25 man, 3 fuel trucks, one service van, one old stake body/lift gate.
Maybe the bigs are looking to spend some of their huge profits this year.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

It used to be that our children would take over. Now, hardly any.

(I recently saw a truck that listed "Radiant Heating" on their paint job along with plumbing, sewers and on demand water heaters. I called them up and told them that my neighbor was having trouble with their boiler and could they come out and service it. They said sure, but tell him that most manufacturers don't sell parts anymore. What does that tell you? Seems like fewer want to figure out how to repair a boiler. They want to replace it because they didn't start young enough to have invested the time it takes to figure out how to solve a problem. And they've learned that replacing a boiler has more profit than repairing it.)

I put the last part in parenthesis because I'm not sure what it has to do with handing down your business to your kids, but it seemed connected in my mind.

How many of you are doing what your dad did? (Not me. My parents imported greeting cards.)

Tom in Maine

My company made heat storage systems and heat exchangers for solar and wood. They are panelized and we shipped all through US and Canada.
Our two middle children work with me. We all figured out our niche and continued to develop the product.

I never really marketed the products other than online and it was a business that did not thrive. We are waffling about what to do with the tank business at this point.

That is because the three of us started servicing and selling hybrid cars. Primarily Priuses. Fortunately, I have had and made a bunch of electric cars. And when tank stuff was slow, I would flip cars to help with cash flow. A friend suggested getting licensed to sell cars. I really did not like the red tape involved until he took me to a car auction. Hundreds of cars with keys in them that you could try out.
That was fun and at that time we started, mechanics were scared of hybrids.
So we became a car dealer and licensed inspection station. And we make money(!)

My wife, with her sage wisdom, once said, "sell things people want!" It seems people want cars. (they want tanks too, just not as consistently.)

We are doing both for now. We have new niches. We usually all get along. They have their requisite "Old man
losing his mind jokes."

It is great to spend time with them every day and we get to play with cars. And trucks sometimes.

I do miss playing with fire.

hvacman1028

Both my boys are in the business and worked for me. I used to take them on jobs since they were young. My older son is a commercial journeyman in NJ making a great living. He is transitioning into bldg controls and loves it. The younger one works with me but doesnt want to continue on. My daughters both married engineers which you know that's a challenge! My wife troubleshoots with her friends how to fix their units over the phone. All in all not too shabby!

RayWohlfarth

All of my kids were involved at one point or another. My oldest Jon works with me and I would be lost without him. The next one Ryan didnt like the physical work or the hours but ended up in sales and works for Honeywell. My daughter used to do my books but she had kids and works full time for a university. My son Conor worked with me during the summers in college. He is now a police officer

Charlie from wmass

Second generation waiting on an heir. I have 4 children and only the 2 year old shows interest in following me into the trade. We will see if in 14 years she is still interested.

jumper

I found energy business interesting but I did not stay in it let alone my children. I know that we don't discuss finances but there was a bit of feast & famine.

Mad Dog_2

Life takes strange turns.  At 13, I was following in my Father Bart's footsteps 👣. 
..working with Thoroughbred Race Horses like countless Generations of Sweeney Men from County Tipperary did going back many hundreds of years for a kind but wealthy Quaker Fambly named Grubb.  I knew at 16 I could be a Pony Boy leading the Racehorses out in to the track.  From there, I wanted the coolest 😎 job on the Racetrack - to me; Outrider! Dressed like a Master Foxhunter in Red Blazer with Black Lapels, Knee-length Black Riding boots, and White breeches (pants), the 3 Outriders would position themselves strategically around the track.   Their only Job:
Chase down loose Racehorses that had thrown their riders during the race.  Most had superfast-Bulging muscled Quarter Horses which could catch a Thoroughbred within a Quarter of a mile .  After that, the Thoroughbred will smoke him.  Very exciting and very dangerous job. If you've ever seen it happen...its awesome. The Outriders other job was Grabbing hold if the winning horse 🐎 and leading him back to the winners circle.  Jim Daley was probably 65 yrs old when I used to hang around him in the Paddocks at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga .  He was a.living legend with a 50 year career to brag about.  He had the coolest horse...a Big, pure Jet Black Gelding named Midnight. I used to ride him back to the barn after the races every night. What a thrill.  We were living the dream...and we knew it...Papa died tragically at 43 of a Heart Attack while driving to Aqueduct.   
All plans & dreams were askew.  I stayed on the track till age 19 but it was not the same without him and the 7 days 12 hrs a day fir low pay wasn't cutting it.  Along came plumbing and heating.  Mad Dog. 

Mad Dog_2

I never give up - ever! So, I will always keep my eye out for plumbers and heating guys and gals to recruit.  I just wish kids could stick through it and see how great it is...the dirt and grime are a badge of honor 🎖 and soap and a hot 🔥 shower make ya all fresh and clean again..One of my idols is Teddy Roosevelt who wrote about AND lived "The strenuous Life!"  Work hard...play hard.  Life Flys by...Grab it by the 👂 Ears and go..     
Mad Dog 🐕 

EdTheHeaterMan

jumper said:

I found energy business interesting but I did not stay in it let alone my children. I know that we don't discuss finances but there was a bit of feast & famine.

Service contracts... maintenance agreements... what ever you want to call them... that is how you level the playing field. The feast part is still nice, but the famine part is mitigated by those monthly automatic payments. You don't need to be a big company to offer them. At the end, just before I sold the business, It was just me and my son doing over 500 service agreements... and we got over 93% of the tune-ups completed every year. 7% of the customers just were never home for the tune up. Some of them didn't care, they just wanted someone on call for emergencies.

HomerJSmith

What Dan, no boys, only 4 girls? You are a lucky man. Girls love their dad. Girls, an endless source of wonderment.

DanHolohan

Yes. 

jumper

EdTheHeaterMan said:

jumper said:

I found energy business interesting but I did not stay in it let alone my children. I know that we don't discuss finances but there was a bit of feast & famine.

Service contracts... maintenance agreements... what ever you want to call them... that is how you level the playing field. The feast part is still nice, but the famine part is mitigated by those monthly automatic payments. You don't need to be a big company to offer them. At the end, just before I sold the business, It was just me and my son doing over 500 service agreements... and we got over 93% of the tune-ups completed every year. 7% of the customers just were never home for the tune up. Some of them didn't care, they just wanted someone on call for emergencies.

Agreed but feast or famine also applies to time. Some years one can be too busy without payments. Then you're brother-in-law will tell you that you're too nice for this business.

lager

I never give up - ever! So, I will always keep my eye out for plumbers and heating guys and gals to recruit. I just wish kids could stick through it and see how great it is...the dirt and grime are a badge of honor 🎖 and soap and a hot 🔥 shower make ya all fresh and clean again..One of my idols is Teddy Roosevelt who wrote about AND lived "The strenuous Life!" Work hard...play hard. Life Flys by...Grab it by the 👂 Ears and go..
Mad Dog 🐕

Mad Dog have read "River of Doubt" about Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey book by Candice Millard

Very good book, I highly recommend it! Jim Walls

unclejohn

My 5 girls never showed any interest but they did run a few service calls with me mostly baby sitter related. Once I took Colleen and Emily with me to a vacant house for a no heat, what could go wrong. Well some where they found a hammer in the empty house and did a number on the slate harth of the fire place. They only charged me a few hundred to repair it. 

Mad Dog_2

I can tell you one thing: Everytime I brought one of my 3 kids on an estimate (Usually Matt Jr.) I GOT 100% of the Quotes. .it melted people's hearts  to see a father/son thang goin on.  Mad Dog

jumper

Mad Dog_2 said:

I can tell you one thing: Everytime I brought one of my 3 kids on an estimate (Usually Matt Jr.) I GOT 100% of the Quotes. .it melted people's hearts  to see a father/son thang goin on.  Mad Dog

Speaking of quote I knew a guy whose business model was to quote super high. If he got the job then he'd bill less than quoted. Good PR. Maybe he didn't get so much business but he earned $$$ when he did. And he didn't work so hard as we nice people.

Mad Dog_2

Although, I'd say I tried to get about 20 kids involved in the trade, I think.only one stuck.it.out.  Mark worked in the 🍕 Pizza place delivering for several yrs after HS...he was languishing and wasting time in school.  It took about a year and a half, but I finally recruited him (for the trade  not me). I'd tell him..."You LOOK like a Plumber...you walk like a plumber...you're gonna be a plumber." I wore him.dpwn and it works  hes very happy at same Brooklyn shop for 8 yrs  mad dog