This industry has become a home for me, and I started in it at a time when I wasn't sure I'd ever earn another penny again.
Even so, it is just a business to be in, not a lifestyle. I enjoy it, but i don't know if I would enter it, knowing what I do now.
I think it will go the unenviable route of lawn services if we aren't careful to care for our industry.
If i could give the newest guys one word of advice, it would be this: Examine your numbers, decide whether you can make a significant living on those numbers, and get out if the answer is anything but, "Assuredly so."
I say this because I think a number of people are hanging in by their teeth, without a realistic hope of making it. There is no dishonor in trying a business out, and exiting before it gets too bad. That is what you should do if your business is untenable.
There are a million different businesses to own, and many must be easier, or a better fit. It is a mystery why people don't just move on when the signs tell them to.
You haven't failed if you change systems, and if there is no market, you may have to change industries.
I'm not saying that you should give up business ownership, or run from a hard market. I'm saying that you wouldn't try to sell PWing services on a deserted island, you would be in business trying to stay alive. Nobody would call you a quitter then, right?
Well, somewhere between a desert island and downtown Metropolis, USA falls your area. The question isn't, "Can I hang on and scrape by?" The question should be, "Will this area support me in the manner to which I would like to become accustomed?"
I'm not ever going to suggest that anybody just quit the business, far from it, I want you all to join the UAMCC and make a great empire of your business, if you can.
I just think that too many of the new guys calling me are jumping at the chance to spend too much to enter markets that will yield low returns. or worse, entering markets that they only hope exist. This is equivalent to buying a home you can't afford, hoping that you can.
We need to make good business decisions before we commit our fortunes to any endeavor. Without numbers and facts on hand to support your business plan, you are just another person with an opinion.
My opinion on the industry is that we can all make nice livings, and more, if we work together to maintain our profession. But we need a strong dose of realism: We have to be businessmen and women, not dreamers.