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Is Flat Good?

Terry Miller

New member
This came from Time, CNN site. Very interesting?

"Who knows? Maybe flat performance will be considered a remarkable achievement."
SHANE KIM, of Microsoft, on low sales expectations for next year after the company sold a "record number" of XBox 360s on Black Friday.


I attended a business meeting yesterday. Another quote I heard there was,
"If you did not know anything about our recession, How would you be treating your business?"
This is good thought in that we are all up in arms and blaming someone for our losses. We whine about the loss of jobs and little manufacturing. If we ignor the bad stuff and concentrate on the good, we will be better off? Maybe there is a silver lining we need to grab hold of. I believe if we kick enough doors, one will eventually open? Thank You.
 

topcoat

Contributing Member
Terry

When it became public this week that we have been in a recession all year, I was actually encouraged. For us, it has been a breakout year of planned growth, and will be our best year to date. Also, knowing that the early 80's recession only lasted 16 months, even if this one drags on (which is likely), its good to know that we can survive.

Your point is well taken. If we approach our sales and our businesses as if we are sticking with our long plans, thats a good thing. Maybe recession is in the eye of the beholder. I dont think it would help if we approached our consumers with our hats in hand feeling guilty for trying to keep our businesses on a track for success. For us, the key has been marketing. We have learned to market the most when are the busiest and have the most available budget so that when the economy slows we are not caught off guard. It absolutley amazes me the number of local paint contractors who are laying off and dead in the water, but are still not marketing. Its a defeatist attitude: "People just aren't spending money." Companies that have put themselves in a position to succeed will succeed no matter what everyone else is doing. The other thing that contractors sometimes dont get is that there is no silver bullet immediate solution, it takes months of planning and execution to effect change in your business. Thanks for the positive spin.
 

Roger Gothorp

New member
I'm going to hang out in the silver place with you guys. We've done remarkably well this entire year (after we got WATER). Half of the battle is the attitude you wake up with. I got nothing but good feelings for our little companies in 2009 :)

Celeste:yes:
 

topcoat

Contributing Member
Well, not to get all fluffy here, but I do think that business owners in the trades are better prepared for any upcoming uncertainty than the average population. We are all used to grinding it out to build successful businesses even in good economies. Complacency kills, and the contractors that struggle right now are probably the ones that thought the wave our economy was riding would last forever, especially if they have not been at it long enough to have seen any downturns in the past.

Folks who lose their jobs in other industries like retail, financial, or technology will probably find it more difficult to land on their feet in similar paying jobs as this economy levels itself out. Contractors seem to have a special gene for survival mode, and better yet, even coming up with ways to succeed when times seem tough. That is one of the true benefits of associations and forums that promote improvement and success.
 

Terry Miller

New member
How true Scott. One thing I see hapening is businesses are not being true to themselves. For instance a roofing company here is now cleaning roofs! LOL They hired a local PW who has no education in this line. Their goal is to have him clean the roof then thay will add zinc strips. From $945. to $2500. We have to be honest and do what we always do. Continue to grow and build our business. Don't follow the waves, they will soon crash on dry land? LOL Thank you.
 

Ken Fenner

Active member
One statistic has always kept me motivated in questionable economic times:

More millionaires were cretaed during the depression than in any other time in American history. That includes the whole dot com bubble of the 90's.

Economies change. Housing markets change. Corruption can be a constant. None of that phases me. This is another time of survival of the fittest. If my business falters in 2009 its time to tighten ship, increase efficiency, and further fine tune PressurePros, Inc's marketing efforts. At the end of the belt tightening will be another boom.. followed by another downturn.. then another boom.. and so on and so on.
 

cleanhoods

New member
I agree as well if you feel you are not doing well then you wont do well but if you seee your doing fine but could use more then youll do fine and youll get more.For my bus.we have been doing just fine if not busyer then normal.
Marko
 

cleanhoods

New member
1 saying i learned you make more off the poor then youll make off the rich.How you think the rich got rich off the poor.
Marko
 

topcoat

Contributing Member
How true Scott. One thing I see hapening is businesses are not being true to themselves. For instance a roofing company here is now cleaning roofs! LOL They hired a local PW who has no education in this line. Their goal is to have him clean the roof then thay will add zinc strips. From $945. to $2500. We have to be honest and do what we always do. Continue to grow and build our business. Don't follow the waves, they will soon crash on dry land? LOL Thank you.

We see the same things. Builders who decide that they can hire their own painters and do it for less than hiring us. I have seen some of those backfire this year, and actually been called in as a consultant to help them paint their way out of the problems they created.

My message would be: do what you do best and do more of it.
 

Terry Miller

New member
I guess sometimes we have to be like Robin Hood! This will come Naturally. Unfortunatly people follow the easiest route to their ends. That is why you ask a fat person the easiest way to do something and they may have the answer! LOL Bad thing though if we feel comfortable in a rut, we will look for ways to get their. Being hard working contractors and up at dawn, we will survive. We will work our way to stardom or get back to where we want to be? Thank You.
 

Chris Tucker

New member
I hate to see anyone not make it, but our competitors are dropping like flies lately.
Then, there are 3 more to take their place.
The roof cleaning business is a hard one to make it in, especially in bad times.
Very very few companies are like us (we clean only roofs, mostly)
It has taken me nearly 20 years to get to this level.
rOOF cLEANING DOES NOT HAVE NEAR AS MUCH REPEAT BUSINESS AS PRESSURE WASHING DOES, sorry about the caps!
I built mainly a high end residential business over the years. We find wealthy people have money to afford us, no matter what.
 

Steven Mendez

New member
Well, not to get all fluffy here, but I do think that business owners in the trades are better prepared for any upcoming uncertainty than the average population. We are all used to grinding it out to build successful businesses even in good economies. Complacency kills, and the contractors that struggle right now are probably the ones that thought the wave our economy was riding would last forever, especially if they have not been at it long enough to have seen any downturns in the past.

Folks who lose their jobs in other industries like retail, financial, or technology will probably find it more difficult to land on their feet in similar paying jobs as this economy levels itself out. Contractors seem to have a special gene for survival mode, and better yet, even coming up with ways to succeed when times seem tough. That is one of the true benefits of associations and forums that promote improvement and success.


I like it "special gene for surival mode", yea thats the ticket
 

Bill Booz

UAMCC Board of Directors
Being is business is all about being able to deal with feedback and allowing yourself to move forward after failures, and taking the risk of failing again.
We are only human, we all make plenty of mistakes. Most people quit rather than learn from those mistakes.
 
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