Working in your own business can be a very rewarding experience. Unfortunately, those rewards also carry along with them some difficult lessons. One of the most confusing lessons that businesspeople learn is that in order to keep our businesses where we want them to be, we have to figure out how to change in order to stay where we are. …
This Post is Open to Interpretation
Interpret. It’s a strange looking word with a straight-forward meaning. It is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “(deciding) what the intended meaning of something is.” Every word that we provide to our paying clients, what we say, what we email and text, and what we write in our inspection reports is going to be interpreted. And interpreting what we mean …
Avoiding Misunderstandings
Recently, I was writing content for a website, putting together a series of FAQs about the home inspection process. One of the articles was intended to explain to prospective homebuyers why it is important to obtain a copy of the Standards of Practice their home inspector follows. I explained that this document defines the scope of the inspection: what the …
I Know Nothing
I am often amazed at the link between our real lives and our jobs as home inspectors. All too often, I will learn a lesson in some area of my life that helps me gain a bit more insight into the world of inspections. This happened recently when I was pondering another milestone in my life and I wanted to …
Unrealistic Expectations
Why Hard Work Now Equals Less Stress Later I hope that this post finds everyone doing well, being happy, healthy, and exceedingly wealthy! Great way to start a new post, right? While my wish for everyone is wonderful, and it would be great if just wishing these things could make them happen, it would be quite unrealistic of me to expect …
Three Stress Points
Everyone wants be be faster at their job. Even professional home inspectors, who are typically very detail oriented and spend time looking in every crack and crevice of a home, would like to work more efficiently. We’re under a lot of stress during the on-site inspection process, with everyone involved wondering when we’re going to be done looking around (and …
How Far Will We Go
How far will we go to get (or keep) a good client? It’s an important question that all small business owners should ask themselves. For the most part, all clients are good in that they provide revenue for our businesses, and a business will ultimately fail without revenue. But, as everyone who’s been in business for more than a minute …
Crawling vs. Walking
I consider myself to be extremely fortunate. I (somehow) ended up in a career that I really enjoy, that allows me to help others and that helps me provide for my family. I started doing home inspections in 2000, and soon thereafter started teaching other home inspectors (and Realtors) about our industry. I’ve helped inspectors in many different states start, …
Right Place, Wrong Customers
Customers. They’re the lifeblood of any successful business. Without them, we’re just standing around, thinking about how great our business ideas are. Without them, we’re soon on the way to the unemployment line. No business can survive without cash flow, and that means customers. Unfortunately, customers can also be the worst part of our business, often causing untold grief and pain. I’m …
Opportunity and Decision
What do we do when faced with an opportunity? How do we decide what’s our best course of action? What happens if we can’t make the hard decision?