Hey Everybody.
I ended up writing a lot more than I thought I would. Thought about changing it up, but figured I'd leave it. Felt good to write it all out and maybe it'll help people understand me better! For everyone's sake, here's a summary:
Been in the building industry for my entire career. Went from working for my father's remodeling business, to sales in the lumber industry, back to working in my father's business. Trying to learn how to work on the business and make this something that doesn't require either me or my father to actively have a tool belt on. As of right now it's just the two of us doing all the work. Looking to learn how to handle the backside of the business in the best, most efficient way and maybe get some advice on how to talk the old man into seeing the light of making this a real business with crews working for us! Excited to be here and hopefully soak up as much as I can!
Just wrapping up Millionaire Fastlane and really like the ideas and headspace it put me in so decided to join up. Usually on any forum like this I'd just lurk around and never contribute, thinking I don't have much to add, but after reading the Don't Lurk post decided screw it let's go all in on this one.
I'm Tyler and I'm 31 years old. Live in North Eastern USA. In the General Contracting business with my father. He's been in business with himself for about twenty years now. Never had a crew of more than 3 or 4 guys, but does well for himself. I've been in the business for an accumulative of 6-7 years or so. Only been really invested in it for the past 3 years.
When I was younger went to college for a couple of years, not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life besides partying and trying to get girls. Worked a couple of odds jobs here. Tried to learn HTML, CSS, JS but never really committed myself to it. I dabbled in writing novels. Actually completed a couple, but as with most things in my life it seems, I didn't do anything with them.
Eventually I joined my father's business around the age of 21 as a laborer.
I wasn't fully invested in it at the time. Always thought that being a carpenter was somehow "beneath me." Looking back, wish I had been in it since I got out of high school, probably be a lot further along now then just drifting along.
But he didn't help me want to get into the business. Think I was paid a max of like $15 an hour when I was first working with him. Promises of you'll get more when you earn more. I learned fast and was, what I think at least, a pretty decent carpenter's assistant. Could do anything you showed me how to do, just wasn't a master at figuring it out myself yet.
One winter, we were slow and I was trying to move out so I left the business to work at the lumberyard where we bought stuff from. I started in the yard, putting together lumber orders and such. It wasn't bad work, but at the time I was making more money then I ever had, so I was content. Wasn't very good at it though, haha. People knew where I was because of the crash of lumber then me yelling curses.
I fell in the yard and hurt an old shoulder injury one day and got put on light duty, restricting me to working in the store. I didn't even know what light duty was when I told them I was still hurting after a week, but hurting myself changed my career path.
Inside I started just stocking shelves, but they quickly realized I had a grasp of the industry and was decent with computers. I was quickly put into contractor sales. I work there for a couple of years then one day my boss pissed me off so I looked for other opportunities at different yards.
Ended up becoming an outside sales person at a high end lumber yard in the area. All at the same time I had the best job I could have gotten, a girlfriend who I love. I was making more money than I ever thought I would, got a company truck. It all seemed perfect.
I still don't know how it happened, but I just got so depressed. I was doing good in my new role, but soon my depression started making me not do so good. It's weird, looking back, I still managed okay I think considering it was a battle just to get out of bed in the morning. Eventually it caught up with me though. After a week of calling out, one of those days not even letting them know I wasn't working, they told me I was no longer Outside Sales and was going to go back to the same job I was doing at my old job. To add insult to injury, at the same pay I was getting at my old job.
I couldn't do it. I didn't want to do it. So I quit.
I was pretty well off and didn't have any real responsibilities, so figured to take some time to myself and just be a degenerate. Drank, played video games (I discovered Rust at this time and anyone who has played it knows it can absorb your time), just a general amount of nothingness. Thank God my girlfriend is a sweetheart and saw how I was suffering in my old job. She stuck by my side the entire time.
Did some of the Odin Project to learn to code again. I did good with that and was proud of myself. Started to feel better and began taking some Sophia classes to get ready to enter into an online university to go to school for Computer Science.
During that time my dad needed help on a job so I spent a couple days helping him. Couple of weeks later he asked for help again. And then I was back to working for him. This time, he compensated me much better. Probably because I told him I was doing him a favor really and not the other way around lol. With my sales experience now I could go and get another job no problem in sales. I'm still getting LinkedIn messages and I haven't updated that since 3 years ago when I left my outside sales job.
This time around was different, I was enjoying doing the work. After my time in the selling end of it, I could see a better grasp of the business as a whole. I could see that my father's grasp on the business end wasn't all that great actually. He is a carpenter at heart and will die with a toolbelt on. Which for him is okay, but for me I want more. I want to grow this business. While I enjoy doing the true carpentry of the job, that's only part of it in the field. I've dug more holes than I care to count.
I decided to not put myself into a mountain of debt going back to school, and rejoined the business going 100% into it.
Now I'm working on him letting me take over on the business end. It's been tough for him to change though. His personal accounts and intertwined with the businesses. Books are a mess. He didn't even know how much in sales he were doing on a yearly basis before I came back.
I've been working hard to learn the business side and apply it. Learning QuickBooks, but I still struggle with applying myself with consistency. I'll do great for a couple weeks then just fall off. I'll feel down on myself, binge drink over a weekend, feel sick till Wednesday, then start the cycle would start all over again.
Sooooo here I am. Trying to better myself and learn business. Reading business and entrepreneur books came across The Millionaire Fastlane. Really resonated with me. In fact, left me questioning if this is the best career path for my goals. Which is financial freedom. I had plan on investing in real estate. Flipping house and maybe keeping some rentals. We'd cut out a contractor since that's us and I feel like that would be pretty easy for us to do!
But more and more so I've become obsessed with business ideas. Creating an asset out of nothing is awesome to me and can see me doing that my entire life. I would like to see our business grow. Also have a food product idea in mind that I would live to bring to life though I don't know if it's a possible idea. Been working on ironing down the food product before I really dive into that venture.
Right now I'm working on making our construction company more inline with a real business and not some carpenter just doing jobs well and getting by without even knowing how. Don't know where to best start attack and was hoping this forum could help me out.
For more info on the business, it's entirely in my dad's plan to have my take it over someday. It's just the two of us working in it right now. We sub out any electrical, plumbing, etc. He's not very business savvy. My stepmom "handles" the books. Working on him letting me take it over, but he's an old blue collar guy. Stubborn in his ways and if it ain't broke don't fix it. Also convinced that no one will do it to his standard except me and anyone we hire will be a stain on the company's name. He's getting better at letting me handle some of the stuff, but he's not entirely onboard with it yet. Anyone have any experience dealing with someone like that and had luck talking them into a more concrete business?
So far really enjoyed reading through the gold posts and it seems like a real tight knit community. I'll contribute as much as I can, but not sure how qualified I am for some of these conversations!
-Tyler
I ended up writing a lot more than I thought I would. Thought about changing it up, but figured I'd leave it. Felt good to write it all out and maybe it'll help people understand me better! For everyone's sake, here's a summary:
Been in the building industry for my entire career. Went from working for my father's remodeling business, to sales in the lumber industry, back to working in my father's business. Trying to learn how to work on the business and make this something that doesn't require either me or my father to actively have a tool belt on. As of right now it's just the two of us doing all the work. Looking to learn how to handle the backside of the business in the best, most efficient way and maybe get some advice on how to talk the old man into seeing the light of making this a real business with crews working for us! Excited to be here and hopefully soak up as much as I can!
Just wrapping up Millionaire Fastlane and really like the ideas and headspace it put me in so decided to join up. Usually on any forum like this I'd just lurk around and never contribute, thinking I don't have much to add, but after reading the Don't Lurk post decided screw it let's go all in on this one.
I'm Tyler and I'm 31 years old. Live in North Eastern USA. In the General Contracting business with my father. He's been in business with himself for about twenty years now. Never had a crew of more than 3 or 4 guys, but does well for himself. I've been in the business for an accumulative of 6-7 years or so. Only been really invested in it for the past 3 years.
When I was younger went to college for a couple of years, not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life besides partying and trying to get girls. Worked a couple of odds jobs here. Tried to learn HTML, CSS, JS but never really committed myself to it. I dabbled in writing novels. Actually completed a couple, but as with most things in my life it seems, I didn't do anything with them.
Eventually I joined my father's business around the age of 21 as a laborer.
I wasn't fully invested in it at the time. Always thought that being a carpenter was somehow "beneath me." Looking back, wish I had been in it since I got out of high school, probably be a lot further along now then just drifting along.
But he didn't help me want to get into the business. Think I was paid a max of like $15 an hour when I was first working with him. Promises of you'll get more when you earn more. I learned fast and was, what I think at least, a pretty decent carpenter's assistant. Could do anything you showed me how to do, just wasn't a master at figuring it out myself yet.
One winter, we were slow and I was trying to move out so I left the business to work at the lumberyard where we bought stuff from. I started in the yard, putting together lumber orders and such. It wasn't bad work, but at the time I was making more money then I ever had, so I was content. Wasn't very good at it though, haha. People knew where I was because of the crash of lumber then me yelling curses.
I fell in the yard and hurt an old shoulder injury one day and got put on light duty, restricting me to working in the store. I didn't even know what light duty was when I told them I was still hurting after a week, but hurting myself changed my career path.
Inside I started just stocking shelves, but they quickly realized I had a grasp of the industry and was decent with computers. I was quickly put into contractor sales. I work there for a couple of years then one day my boss pissed me off so I looked for other opportunities at different yards.
Ended up becoming an outside sales person at a high end lumber yard in the area. All at the same time I had the best job I could have gotten, a girlfriend who I love. I was making more money than I ever thought I would, got a company truck. It all seemed perfect.
I still don't know how it happened, but I just got so depressed. I was doing good in my new role, but soon my depression started making me not do so good. It's weird, looking back, I still managed okay I think considering it was a battle just to get out of bed in the morning. Eventually it caught up with me though. After a week of calling out, one of those days not even letting them know I wasn't working, they told me I was no longer Outside Sales and was going to go back to the same job I was doing at my old job. To add insult to injury, at the same pay I was getting at my old job.
I couldn't do it. I didn't want to do it. So I quit.
I was pretty well off and didn't have any real responsibilities, so figured to take some time to myself and just be a degenerate. Drank, played video games (I discovered Rust at this time and anyone who has played it knows it can absorb your time), just a general amount of nothingness. Thank God my girlfriend is a sweetheart and saw how I was suffering in my old job. She stuck by my side the entire time.
Did some of the Odin Project to learn to code again. I did good with that and was proud of myself. Started to feel better and began taking some Sophia classes to get ready to enter into an online university to go to school for Computer Science.
During that time my dad needed help on a job so I spent a couple days helping him. Couple of weeks later he asked for help again. And then I was back to working for him. This time, he compensated me much better. Probably because I told him I was doing him a favor really and not the other way around lol. With my sales experience now I could go and get another job no problem in sales. I'm still getting LinkedIn messages and I haven't updated that since 3 years ago when I left my outside sales job.
This time around was different, I was enjoying doing the work. After my time in the selling end of it, I could see a better grasp of the business as a whole. I could see that my father's grasp on the business end wasn't all that great actually. He is a carpenter at heart and will die with a toolbelt on. Which for him is okay, but for me I want more. I want to grow this business. While I enjoy doing the true carpentry of the job, that's only part of it in the field. I've dug more holes than I care to count.
I decided to not put myself into a mountain of debt going back to school, and rejoined the business going 100% into it.
Now I'm working on him letting me take over on the business end. It's been tough for him to change though. His personal accounts and intertwined with the businesses. Books are a mess. He didn't even know how much in sales he were doing on a yearly basis before I came back.
I've been working hard to learn the business side and apply it. Learning QuickBooks, but I still struggle with applying myself with consistency. I'll do great for a couple weeks then just fall off. I'll feel down on myself, binge drink over a weekend, feel sick till Wednesday, then start the cycle would start all over again.
Sooooo here I am. Trying to better myself and learn business. Reading business and entrepreneur books came across The Millionaire Fastlane. Really resonated with me. In fact, left me questioning if this is the best career path for my goals. Which is financial freedom. I had plan on investing in real estate. Flipping house and maybe keeping some rentals. We'd cut out a contractor since that's us and I feel like that would be pretty easy for us to do!
But more and more so I've become obsessed with business ideas. Creating an asset out of nothing is awesome to me and can see me doing that my entire life. I would like to see our business grow. Also have a food product idea in mind that I would live to bring to life though I don't know if it's a possible idea. Been working on ironing down the food product before I really dive into that venture.
Right now I'm working on making our construction company more inline with a real business and not some carpenter just doing jobs well and getting by without even knowing how. Don't know where to best start attack and was hoping this forum could help me out.
For more info on the business, it's entirely in my dad's plan to have my take it over someday. It's just the two of us working in it right now. We sub out any electrical, plumbing, etc. He's not very business savvy. My stepmom "handles" the books. Working on him letting me take it over, but he's an old blue collar guy. Stubborn in his ways and if it ain't broke don't fix it. Also convinced that no one will do it to his standard except me and anyone we hire will be a stain on the company's name. He's getting better at letting me handle some of the stuff, but he's not entirely onboard with it yet. Anyone have any experience dealing with someone like that and had luck talking them into a more concrete business?
So far really enjoyed reading through the gold posts and it seems like a real tight knit community. I'll contribute as much as I can, but not sure how qualified I am for some of these conversations!
-Tyler
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