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A New Year, A Clean Slate

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Why Did the Turkey Cross the Road?

It’s just a few days until the beginning of a new year. This start represents an opportunity for new possibilities. The thought of this can be exciting. The chance to do better…to be better. This is what encourages us to make ‘New Year’s Resolutions’.

The process of making resolutions but failing at them over and over makes us hesitant though. Most of the time people give up on resolutions after a few weeks. Only about 8% of people that make resolutions will stick to them.

Most resolutions are good, and if kept, would make us better.

The possibilities are exciting, we want to be better. Most resolutions are admirable, so why don’t we keep them?

I think most of the time it is the lack of a clear plan.

It reminds me of some wild turkeys that were crossing the road near my home. There were fifteen or twenty birds going across as I approached them in my truck. Some continued on across, some turned and went back, but one couldn’t decide which way to go.

It ran back and forth going in circles in the middle of the road. This indecision and lack of clarity put this bird at risk of failure…and in this case, failure could have been really bad.

Good thing I was driving slowly.

If we don’t want to be like that turkey we need a clear plan. We need to know where we want to go. Then take the necessary actions to get there.

The first thing to do is determine WHY. WHY do we want to accomplish this thing? The WHY will be the motivating factor. The WHY gives us the reason to move.

WHY do I want to cross the road?

Next, we need to know HOW. HOW gives us the map to get from here to there. The HOW gives us a direction to go.

Now I know HOW best to cross the road.

But, this is where things begin to get tougher. There are a lot of different systems that you can use for this. The problem is that what works for one person may not work for another.

I’ve used several different things over the years. The conclusion I have come to is this. It matters less what the system is and more about whether you use it or not.

You have to move, otherwise you’ll be left standing in the middle of the road.

As I’m thinking forward to the new year, I will be working on a plan for 2025. Each year, I modify and tweak my systems so that they work better. I schedule time between Christmas and New Year’s Day for working on my ‘Life Plan’.

It starts with scheduling it on my calendar. It’s critical to being intentional.

I will look back at what worked and what didn’t throughout the past year. I will look to the future to see where we want to go. Most importantly, I will plan to take action. And I will have a way to measure progress, so I can see how we’re doing.

Resolutions are only as good as our actions. Like Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, we have to decide to be different if we’re going to be different.

Don’t be a turkey. Make a plan before you start crossing the road and stick with it. Don’t stop in the middle of the road. You can continue to improve on the plan every day if you keep moving.

Make a plan and get out of the middle of the road!

Sometimes, the best plan includes seeking guidance from someone with 40 years of experience in refining and implementing business systems. One of the most impactful systems for construction businesses is a well-designed proposal system.

To help one lucky construction company break free from the chaos, we’re giving away a free, customized construction proposal system!

Win a free construction proposal banner and start the new year off right

Here’s what you’ll win:

  • 4 training sessions to make setup simple
  • 3 follow-ups to perfect your proposals
  • Templates and documents to save you time

If you, or someone you know, would benefit from having a proposal system, don’t miss this chance!

Enter the Giveaway Here

It’s Not Too Late to Build a Better Construction Business

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Learn from the Past, Look to the Future, Live in the Present

As we are rapidly approaching the end of another year, I’m beginning to think about what things I can do to make my business better. There are things that we know we need to do and have been putting off.

Life is busy, especially at this time of year.

Looking back can be disappointing and discouraging if things haven’t gone as you planned.

Going forward we can do better. But this requires being intentional and taking action.

While thinking about areas where I fell short and opportunities I missed or ignored, I was reminded of the Hallmark Christmas movie, A Shoe Addict’s Christmas. Its story is similar to A Christmas Carol.

In this movie a woman, Noelle, accidently gets locked in the department store where she works. While waiting to be rescued, a quirky woman named Charlie appears. Over the next few days, Charlie—a guardian angel—helps Noelle rediscover the life she has been avoiding, by visiting Christmases past, present, and future.

We’ve all had situations that we can look back on and wish we had done things differently.

We can’t change the past, but what we do today will affect the future.

In the movie, Charlie tells Noelle a story about a man caught in a snowstorm.

It goes like this: there was man who was out in the snow, and someone came by in a sleigh and offered him a ride. The man refused. He said, “God will take care of me”. Later, as the snow continued to get deeper, another man in a sleigh came by and offered to help. Once again, the man refused, “God will take care of me.” The next time a sleigh came by, the snow was up to the man’s chin. For a third time the man declined the help and said, “God will take care of me.” Then, when the man goes to Heaven, he asks God why He didn’t save him. God answers, “I sent three sleighs, and you ignored them all.”

Too often we ignore the sleighs that God sends us.

As long as we’re still alive, even if we’ve missed or ignored sleighs in the past, it’s never too late to get on the next one. It is up to us to decide.

“God moves mountains to create the opportunity of His choosing. It is up to you to be ready to move yourself,” The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews.

If you don’t want to get buried in the snow, you need to shovel what you can, when you can, and take the sleighs when they come along.

In business, a sleigh could be learning from someone with more experience, or it could be using systems and processes that will provide you with the tools you need to build a better business.

Learn from the past, look to the future, live in the present.

One such sleigh that could help you get out of your snow drift is a construction proposal system designed specifically for your business. We’re currently offering a free, customized construction proposal system to one lucky winner.

Here’s what you’ll win:

  • Custom System: Built to match your unique business needs
  • Digital Tools & Templates: Easy-to-use resources to save you time
  • 1-on-1 Coaching: Weekly sessions to guide you step-by-step
  • Follow-up & Reviews: Stay on track with ongoing support

If you or someone you know would benefit from having a proposal system…

Enter Giveaway Here!

Core Values are Where Success Begins, Part 2

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They Will Help You Avoid Wandering

Core values are the foundation your life and business are built on. Last week I gave you a brief definition of what my first six core values mean to me. This week I’ll do the same thing with the final six.

Here are the final six:

Build the wall one brick at a time

A more common saying is to eat the elephant one bite at a time. Building the wall one brick at a time is the same thing. It’s just a more construction-focused message. When there is so much to do, it is easy to be pulled in many directions and to lose focus. It is important to concentrate on one thing at a time. Otherwise, we can become overwhelmed and unable to focus on any one thing well. It takes thousands of bricks to build a building, but we can only lay one brick at a time. Focus on that one next brick.

I have two ears and one mouth

It is important to be quiet and to listen to what others have to say. As I process information, I tend to think out loud, which is me talking. I need to remember to listen better and talk less. We are all in such a hurry and have so much going on in our heads that it can be hard to listen. This core value reminds me of the importance of slowing down and listening.

Avoid drama

Life is too short to get caught up in things that are out of our control and/or have no or little effect on what is truly important. Some people aren’t happy unless they have some drama going on. This means they want to pull everyone around them into the fray. Those of us who want to make things better can be pulled into these situations. Don’t be pulled in.

Be accountable

I am responsible for my actions, whatever they are. I have the power to make decisions and act accordingly. Choice is the one superpower that we all have. Too many times we choose not to use it. It’s easy to point the finger at someone else and not take the blame for things that are our fault. If it’s our fault we need to own it.

Take off the blinders, be more observant

Intentionally slow down and be observant. Look around and really SEE things. It can be hard to do this when there is so much to do. Being focused on work and projects is a good thing unless it becomes the only thing. You can be so focused that you miss out on other important things. I tend to get focused like this. That is why this is one of my core values. It reminds me of the importance of this.

Intentional action

This is the second most important one behind “honoring God in all that I do”. Nothing happens without action, and we need to be intentional about doing something. It can be hard to move forward when attempting to achieve perfection. It is important to stop thinking and talking about it, but rather take action and do it. A lack of action holds more people back than anything else. Action without being intentional can take us in the wrong direction if we aren’t careful. Too many times we get stuck looking for a guarantee that what we’re thinking about doing is right. Take intentional action.

And that is all of my core values.

I read through them at the start and end of each day. This helps me to continually build my business and life on a solid foundation.

If you would like to figure out what your core values are you can use the process for building your business on a solid foundation.

Another way to avoid wandering is having good business tools. We’re currently offering a free, customized construction proposal system to one lucky winner.

Here’s what you’ll win:

  • Tailored System: Built to match your unique business needs
  • Digital Tools & Templates: Easy-to-use resources to save you time
  • 1-on-1 Coaching: Weekly sessions to guide you step-by-step
  • Follow-up & Reviews: Stay on track with ongoing support

If you or someone you know would benefit from having a proposal system.

Enter the Giveaway Here

Core Values are Where Success Begins

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Without Them You Just Wander

The past several weeks we’ve been digging down in the dirt and discussing who you are. Who you are is the ground that your business is built on. That ground is what supports the foundation of your business. The foundation is your core values and principles.

Last week I shared the list of my core values with you. They are a collection of things that I’m naturally good at and some things…not as much. I’m constantly working on the things on this list to get better at them.

Here’s a brief definition of what these core values mean to me.

Honor God in all that I do

Because I believe that everything that I have or do, belongs to and comes from God, it is only right that I show my appreciation by giving Him the credit for everything. This is the one core value that all the others are supported by.

Make all I can, Save all I can, Give all I can

Often churches and religions preach that making money is wrong. I have struggled with this for years. Not making a profit is a sure way to lose a business. I think this quote from John Wesley is good advice and fits well with God’s word, “Money is not evil. What we do with it and how we handle it needs to align with God’s purpose.”

Spend time wisely, there is a limited amount

Time is similar to money, if it is viewed from the perspective of a zero-based budget. There is a limited amount of time each day. This means there is a limited number of things that we can spend time on each day. We choose where and how we will spend it. It is up to us to know what the most important things are and focus on them first.

Pay attention to detail

Details matter. Paying attention to details is the best way to circumvent problems. I remember a time early in my construction career when I was working for another contractor. He kept pushing me to go faster, which meant cutting some corners. It ended up that not paying attention to the details cost both of us time and money when we had to go back and redo the work.

Never be satisfied with mediocrity

Mediocrity is the minimum requirement to be average. God has called us to be above average. He has called us to excellence. Going above and beyond is where we set ourselves apart. It is where we accomplish the most. It is where we are working in our sweet spot. This is the place we were meant to be and the thing we were meant to do. Don’t be average.

Find and maintain the balance in everything

Balance is critical to living well. It is a constant lifelong quest. It affects all areas of life and is hard to maintain. I see balance as a large platform sitting centered on top of a small point. Without anything on the platform, it is level. When one thing is placed on top of the platform near the center, things go pretty well, and it stays relatively level. As more things are put on the platform (and things begin to be crowded from the center) it starts to get heavier in different areas. This causes the platform to lean. If one heavy thing or too many things are moved too far from the center, the platform will tip far enough that things fall off. Keeping things from falling off the platform is all about weight and location. Our lives are like this platform. God set our platform balanced perfectly on this point and given us the responsibility of keeping it there. The difficult part of this obligation is the number of things we get to choose from to put on our platform. The choices are endless. There is spiritual, family, work, friends, fun, community, etc. and each of these areas are full of an endless number of smaller things that we can put on our platform. Some things carry more weight than others. As we go through life, the things we have on our platform will and should change. FINDING AND MAINTAINING THE BALANCE of our platform is our responsibility. Will we be perfect at it? No. Can we learn and get better at it? YES!

To keep this post from getting too long, I’m splitting the list in two. Next week we’ll look at the last six of my core values.

Reviewing these core values regularly is a part of my daily routine. This helps keep me aware of them and reminds me to include them in everything I do.

If you don’t know what your core values are yet, go back to last week’s post and use the process for how to identify your business’s core values.

Ready to take the next step in aligning your business with your core values? To help you build a stronger foundation for your construction business, we’re offering a free, customized proposal system giveaway.

Here’s what you’ll win:

  • 4 training sessions to make setup simple
  • 3 follow-ups to perfect your proposals
  • Templates and documents to save you time

If you or someone you know would benefit from having a proposal system…

Enter Giveaway Here!

Knowing Your Why is the Key to Unlocking Your Success

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How Do You Know When You’ve Found It?

The past couple of weeks we’ve been discussing the importance of building your business on a solid foundation and what this looks like. Last week, we explored how your why is what the foundation sits on and ways to find your why.

Your “why” is who you were made to be. It is your purpose.

Four questions that can help you find your why are –

  1. What makes you come alive?
  2. What are your innate strengths?
  3. Where do you add the greatest value?
  4. How will you measure your life?

In addition to these questions, I think a good way to determine if you have found your God given purpose is answering this question:

If you could do anything you wanted to…what would it be?

Time and money are not a restriction. You have all you need of both. You have the freedom to do anything you want. What would it be?

Let your mind go. Dream big. The sky is the limit. Don’t hold back. What is the one thing that would make you the happiest? The one thing that you would get the most enjoyment out of doing.

I think finding and living in this sweet spot is when you know you’ve found your why. When your vocation feels more like fun than work…you’ll know you’re where God intends for you to be.

I love helping people find solutions for building their dreams. Helping construction companies build better businesses. This is done with systems and training to achieve the success that they’re searching for. Helping construction customers build their dream project through construction and navigating the overwhelming process.

I love what I do so much that I would rather do this than anything else.

Another way to know you’ve found your “why” is when you’re working all the time. This is something that I used to struggle with. Often a workaholic is just someone who has found their why.

This is taking your why too far.

Earlier I told you to pretend time and money were not a restriction. Well, they are. This is why people who are doing what they love and doing it all the time need to put up some barriers.

I used to work late into the night and get up and do it again the next day. Day after day. The problem was that my family did not get the attention they should have.

That’s when I took some intentional action and scheduled family Sunday as a day of rest. Siblings, nieces, and nephews get together for lunch after church at Mom’s. Sunday evening is scheduled for family movie time. Friday is a scheduled lunch date with my wife.

Not only is time a restriction, but so is money. But, probably not in the way you would first expect. My money struggle is…I would do what I do for free. The problem is this isn’t a very good business plan. I’m continually reminding myself that I need revenue to pay the bills.

When you love what you do this much, you’ll know you’ve found your why. Loving what you do is the ground that your business is built on.

This is where your success will begin. Finding your why is the key to unlocking your success.

What Should I Do First?

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Deciding What Your Big Rocks Are

Self-employed people, especially those in construction, struggle trying to keep up with all the things there are to do. I’ve experienced this from both sides. First, as a general contractor, struggling to get subs to show up when they said they would. Second, as the construction contractor, who didn’t accomplish what I said I would, when I said I would.

This practice of over-promising and under-delivering is all too common.

More times than not, over-promising and under-delivering is unintentional. We mean it when we say we’ll be there at a certain time. Then life happens and everything gets derailed.

I’ve been dealing with this problem quite a bit lately, when subs or suppliers don’t follow through at the time they said they would.

This has led to multiple conversations about prioritizing.

What makes one thing more important than another? What are the most important things to focus on today if I’m going to achieve my goals?

This reminded me of this post that I wrote back in January of 2021. It was about focusing on the most important things (the big rocks) first.

What are the big rocks that I need to put in the jar first?

I read about this time/priority analogy several years ago in Steven Covey’s book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In this book there’s a good analogy of managing our choices.

Here’s how this story goes:

One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I’m sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you’ll never forget it either.

As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then he smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was onto him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, “Good!” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is:

If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

Dr. Steven R. Covey, First Things First

I love this big rock example of prioritizing our actions.

Too often we approach time as though there’s no limit.

There are so many great things to choose from but there is a limited amount of time.

We all need to do better at managing our time and what our priorities are. If I’m going to be the most productive, I need “focused intensity” on the big rocks that will help me to achieve my goals. 

What are the big rocks in your life?

Growing in your faith? Spending more time with your family? Serving your customers better? Paying off debt? Taking better care of yourself physically and mentally? Helping with community projects?

Here are a couple of short videos of how putting the big rocks in first matters:

Time Management & the Jar of Life

Jar of Life

Your Construction Business Isn’t What You Expected

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Now What Are You Going to Do About It?

If you had known how hard it was going to be to own and operate your own construction business…you probably wouldn’t have done it.

It’s hard work, time-consuming, and risky.

The problem is that no one told you how hard it was going to be. Or, if they did, you didn’t believe them.

This isn’t to say that it’s not worth it…because it can be.

The problem is being faced with things like –

  • Finding the time to do the physical construction and the paperwork
  • Constantly feeling like your life is out of control
  • Construction projects behind schedule
  • Not having enough money to pay the bills
  • Construction projects going over budget
  • Disappointed and upset customers
  • Misunderstandings with customers and production teams

And not knowing what to do about these problems.

If you work in the construction industry, you’ve probably experienced some or all of these things.

So, what are you going to do?

Are you going to just keep plodding along, hoping that something is going to change? You know the definition of insanity is “Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”

If you want different results, you’re going to have to do something different.

The question is…what are YOU going to do? Are you going to continue living in the current insanity or are you going to do something different? What you know about the crazy mess that you find yourself going through daily seems less scary than the unknown.

New and different is scary.

Deciding to do something different is the first and hardest step in a series of hard steps.

If you want to stay in business you need to take this hard step. You need to DO SOMETHING. Otherwise, you will eventually go out of business.

You need a change of perspective. Some new and different ways of doing things.

As scary as this is, it can be less scary than going out of business.

What you need is someone to help you with this. You need someone who has been there and done that to guide you through finding the solutions you need.

This doesn’t mean that it’s going to be simple or easy. Building a new building isn’t simple and easy.

When you started working in the construction industry you didn’t know what you know now. Building a business is the same way.

Someone taught, trained, and helped you to learn your construction trade. What you need now is someone to teach, train, and help you to learn how to build a construction company. This teaching, training, and help is available for you at Solution Building. We’ve been where you are and would love to help you with our forty plus years of experience. If you have questions about how we can help, you can set up a free, 30-minute construction company consultation.

Keep Your Business Balanced and Supported

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An Out-Of-Balance Business is Like a Short-Legged Table

Have you ever felt like your business and/or your life were out-of-balance? This is a common situation with self-employed companies. It’s like a three-legged table with one short leg…kind of wobbly.  

I know I’ve felt this way and sometimes still do. You’ve probably heard the saying feast or famine. This saying is used quite often in the building industry.  

Balance time and money

It refers to the common problem of having too much to do. Or worrying about how you are going to pay the bills if you don’t get some work soon.  

Sometimes this is caused by situations beyond our control. The economy, the weather, or some other external force. More often than not it is an out-of-balance business. It’s wobbly like a table with one short leg.  

Most of us that are self-employed started out by learning our trade as an apprentice, working for someone else. I know this is how I got started.  

The problem with this is that while I learned how to build a building, I wasn’t taught how to build a company.  

After years of struggling and learning things the hard way—paying the expensive tuition to the school of hard knocks—I’m still not close to graduating yet. 

This became apparent this past week. I realized that I was not maintaining balance in the business. I was letting things distract me and not being intentional about what I was doing. 

One of the things that I implemented years ago was having a different focus for each day of the week. I had been neglecting this. So, I was intentional this week to focus on the specific focus for that day. It was a productive week. 

Keeping the business balanced and supported is an ongoing process. 

I was reminded that my business is like a three-legged table.  When all the legs are the same length, it helps provide a level, sturdy platform for my company to sit on.  

When any one or two of them are short, the table starts leaning. If it leans too far the company will slide off.  

It’s never good when a company crashes to the floor. 

The three legs of the table are: 

1 – Sales/Marketing – Searching for and finding customers that you can help. Sharing about your service and/or product through word-of-mouth, advertising and awareness. Meeting with potential customers, determining what they want/need and preparation of estimates, proposals, and contracts. 

2 – Production – Organizing, scheduling and maintaining projects or products. Determining who the right people are to perform specific tasks. Knowing the parts that are needed and making sure they fit. Maintaining communication between all parties involved. 

3 – Administration/finance – The preparation of documents needed to communicate, track, and record all aspects of the business. The filling out and filing of income, expense, banking, and tax papers. This leg is one of the easiest for ‘tradespeople’ to neglect.  

When any one of these legs get short, it can really cause the whole table to lean. 

The tabletop is the big picture: planning and organizing. It’s what connects the three separate legs. It’s easy to give too much attention to one or two legs and forget the other.  

Getting so focused on the production of a project that we forget to follow-up with a new customer. Or working so hard on preparing proposals that we forget to invoice. Or even working so diligently on tracking expenses that we don’t leave enough time to work on the construction project.  

There is no perfect answer to keep the table from ever leaning.  

The most important thing is to realize that it can happen and to continually work to keep the table balanced.  

Updated from a previous post 4/30/16 

What Should Be Done First?

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It’s Amazing How Clear Things Become With Limited Time

There are so many things trying to get on the “to do” list and each one is competing for the top position. Deciding which one should get the number one spot is tough. There are so many important things that we need or want to do.

The past few weeks have been crazy trying to keep up. You might have gathered that from last week’s post about the runaway train.

It’s easy to say that we have limited time, but it’s hard to schedule that way.

Several years ago, I had a computer with a battery that was not lasting as long as it had when it was new. One day while working out of the office, without the power cord, I had 2-3 things that I needed to get done before the computer shut down.

This limited time forced me to sort and prioritize.

How do we decide what to say yes to?

Emergency situations often require triage. This is the process of prioritizing patients’ treatments based on the severity of their condition and the resources available. In these situations, victims are divided into three categories:

  • Those who are likely to live, regardless of what care they receive.
  • Those who are unlikely to live, regardless of what care they receive.
  • Those for whom immediate care might make a positive difference in outcome.

These choices aren’t easy and often require a quick “gut decision”. A pre-determined system, training, and experience aid in the process. This provides for the greatest number of survivors.

Another life and death choice is deciding who gets a transplant when there are a limited number of organ donations available. Take for example a set of twins who both need a liver transplant, and their father has only one to give.

Which little girl gets it?

The early thoughts of a father would be to give half to each. The problem with this is that half would help neither. The final decision will be determined by which one needs it most or which one is most likely to survive.

Most of the choices that we make in business aren’t this critical…or are they? Decisions we make can mean life or death for our business.

In medical life or death situations, there is a system and plan in place beforehand. This same type of system should be implemented in our business. We should predetermine how we are going to choose the most important thing for the life of our business. This is where things get hard.

What should be the highest priority? Should it be production or proposals, record keeping or customer service, marketing or staff? We’re faced with tough decisions in business every day.

What makes one thing more important than another?

I can’t answer this question for you. Are you tired of struggling with this dilemma? Having the right business BUILDing tools and training can help you be better prepared for business “triage”.

If you would like to give your business a better chance of survival, schedule a free 30-minute coaching call.

This is a revision of a previous post on Nov. 3, 2019.

There’s Not Enough Help for Construction

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What Does This Mean for the Construction Industry?

As part of my morning routine, I listen to Albert Mohler’s podcast: The Briefing. This past Friday’s episode started out talking about the falling birth rate and the effect this will have on the world.

We’ve heard how extreme this situation is in some countries like South Korea, China, and Japan. Dr. Mohler pointed out that this is not just happening in these countries, but around the world.

This is a problem because ultimately, if we continue down this path, there’s not a future for civilization if you’re not having babies.

A falling birthrate means you’re not going to have enough workers.

Not enough help

You’re going to have more aging people leaving the workplace than younger people joining it.

Just look at what’s happening in Japan, where they are using robots to take care of people in nursing homes. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a robot taking care of one of my family members.

The Communist Party of China enforced a one-child-only policy to prevent a future threat where they had too many babies. It turns out, the threat is too few.

They’ve ended up with an imbalance of males to females because of the preference for male babies. Now, there are millions of Chinese men who aren’t able to marry anyone because there aren’t enough women.

That’s a shortage in the tens of millions.

This got me to thinking about how the struggle of finding good, qualified help in the construction industry.

This is not a new problem but seems to be a growing one.

I think this is due to more than just the decreasing population. I think it’s a combination of a society that has gotten spoiled and untrained.

A lot of young people see life as something owed to them. They’ve not had to learn to work. Then, you have those of us who’ve been doing construction for a long time. We’ve been too focused on our work and never bothered to share our experiences and knowledge.

It doesn’t matter if the shrinking number of qualified people is due to a shrinking or an untrained work force.

What matters is getting the ones that are out there, trained.

That’s why I’m working to find ways to coach and consult people in the construction industry that need some mentoring and guidance.